Saving time is undoubtedly “the” desire of any animator. The pioneers had to use pure brute force and determination to overcome the technological restrictions of the past, but today we have tools that could be described as “magical.” One of them is EbSynth, which helps us transform videos from a drawing or a specific style, producing results that can improve upon the original or present something completely different.
Many artists draw inspiration from series, films, and specific styles (sci-fi, cyberpunk, fantasy, etc.), but they also serve as a starting point for exploring a more complex territory such as animation. The idea of injecting movement into a static image might be a bit intimidating at first, however, today we’re going to explore another option: transforming videos.
Think about it for a moment: instead of animating an image, why not create the video first and “print” the desired style afterwards? The potential is enormous, as long as we have access to the right tools. This is where EbSynth comes in, a software especially designed to animate your paintings/illustrations, or apply your art to a video and create something different with its fusion.
EbSynth: Your Art in Motion
The first thing I have to say about EbSynth is this: You need to watch its tutorial. It’s a powerful tool, but it requires very precise preparation of the material to be transformed. In general terms, EbSynth works with three elements: the video saved as a sequence of images (After Effects comes to mind to achieve this), the painted keyframe that serves as a reference (you can use more than one), and an optional mask for automatic rotoscoping.
Besides configuring the intervals for each keyframe, EbSynth also asks you to experiment with certain “weights” divided into three parameters. For example, if you want greater intensity of the style over the frames, you should increase the keyframe weight, or conversely increase the video weight if you prefer a result closer to the original. Finally, the mask weight is useful for removing possible artifacts or ghosts in backgrounds.
EbSynth is in beta and will remain free until its professional edition is released. The program doesn’t have a formal installer to speak of; the available download doesn’t exceed 17 MB and includes some samples you can start working with immediately. In short, EbSynth isn’t particularly beginner-friendly, but judging by the demos on YouTube and some projects on Reddit, it’s definitely worth learning its secrets. Download a copy!
Official site and download: Click here
