How to Make Greeting Cards – Part 2
In the first of the Greeting Cards lessons you learned how to make a card using the Text tool. Now learn how to build your eCards using templates provided in Toon Boom Studio or even create your own. There are even some new templates provided with this article, so be sure to check them out!
You can read the first part of this article in:
How to Make Greeting Cards in Toon Boom Studio
Templates Provided
Before building your cards, take a look at the templates provided in Toon Boom Studio and imagine the different concepts possible out of them.
To view the templates as thumbnails, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) and select View > Thumbnails.
You will find the Christmas templates in your Library view under:
Toon Boom Templates > Special Events > Holiday > Bgs and Overlays and Characters.
You should also download the new templates provided with this article:
Getting the New Templates into Your Library
If you downloaded the templates provided with this article, you will want to link them to your Toon Boom Studio library.
To link the new templates to your library:
- Download the new templates package and store them in a place where you plan to keep it. Avoid keeping it on your desktop.
- Open or create a Toon Boom Studio project.
- In the Library view, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac) and select Open Library.
- Browse for the new templates package you downloaded.
- Inside the templates package select the Christmas_Templates.tbc file.
- Click on the Open button.
You should now see the Christmas_Templates folder in your Library view.
Importing a Template into Your Scene
You are now ready to import templates into your scene and unleash your creativity!
To import a template and set it up on the stage:
- Create or Open a Toon Boom Studio project.
- In your Library view, select the template you want to import into your scene.
- Drag the selected template in your Camera view or Timeline view’s left side.
- In the Tools toolbar, select the Scene Planning Select tool.
- In the Camera view, select your Template.
- Using the bounding box anchor points, position your element where you want it.
Suggested Template Combinations
There are an infinite number of possibilities when you combine templates. You can use the templates and even create some of your own material.
Here are some suggestions to fuel your imagination!
Creativity Tips
There are several things you can do to enhance the look of your eCards. Here some useful tips.
Creating Glowing Stars
One of the things you can do to make your card shiny and bright is to use the Feather Edge tool. If you have a Star in your scene, duplicate it and apply the Feather Edge effect on your new layer.
Using the Text tool to Greet People
Toon Boom Studio has a Text tool which can be used to write messages on your cards. You can even animate the layer on which the text is added to make it more dynamic!
Adding Ambience, Sound and Song
To make your card more cheerful, you can add ambience to the card by making use of sounds and music such as jingle bells and Christmas music.
If you are planning on exporting an SWF movie, we recommended using an MP3 file format for the best result.
You can download free Christmas songs and sounds from Voicetoons on the following web site:
http://www.voicetoons.com/magicpack.html
To import your sound in your scene, simply use the Import Files command in the File menu.
Publishing Your eCard
Your eCard is ready to be published and shown to your family and friends!
Toon Boom Studio offers different possibilities for you to share your cards:
- Send your movie via e-mail as an attachment
- Export your movie with an HTML page and upload it on your website
- Export your movie and upload it on YouTube
Send Your Movie via Email as an Attachment
Using the Export Movie command, you can export your eCard as an SWF movie and attach it to your emails. You can also produce a QuickTime movie or any other format that your friends and family can read.
To attach a file to an email, follow your email software’s or e-mail service provider’s instructions.
Exporting Your Movie with an HTML Page
When you export your movie, you can set the Publishing options to export an HTML page along with your movie. Toon Boom Studio will setup your clip in the page and this way you can upload the package on your web site for people to see your card.
Uploading Your Movie to YouTube
You can also open the YouTube uploading web page once your movie export is complete and upload your card to your YouTube account and send the link to all your friends!
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