Toon Boom Pencil Check Pro: Complete Guide for AnimatorsToon Boom Pencil Check Pro is a specialized playback and review tool designed to help animators preview hand-drawn frames, timed sequences, and camera moves before committing to cleanup, compositing, or final renders. It fills a specific niche in 2D production pipelines: offering fast, accurate pencil-test playback that preserves timing, onion-skin information, and camera framing so directors, animators, and supervising artists can evaluate motion and staging early and iterate quickly.
This guide covers what Pencil Check Pro does, why it’s useful, how it fits into pipelines, practical workflows, file formats and import/export options, best practices for test playback, common troubleshooting, and tips to get the most out of the tool.
What Pencil Check Pro is (and what it isn’t)
- Pencil Check Pro is a playback/review application focused on pencil tests and timing.
- It is not a full animation or compositing package; it’s intended for rapid review and timing validation.
- The tool emphasizes accurate frame rates, the ability to play in-camera sequences with field guide overlays, and options to view sequences with onion-skin or light table-like visualization.
Why animators use Pencil Check Pro
- Fast feedback loop: pencil tests can be viewed immediately without waiting for compositing steps.
- Accurate timing check: see exactly how frames play back at the intended frame rate and field order.
- Collaboration and review: directors and supervisors can review animation cycles, timing, and staging in real time.
- Preservation of pencil quality: pencil marks, texture, and line variance are preserved for authentic pencil-test viewing.
Key benefits:
- Rapid timing validation
- Non-destructive review of hand-drawn frames
- Compatibility with industry-standard file formats
Common use cases
- Pre-cleanup review: check motion and timing before spending cleanup resources.
- Dailies/playback sessions: present sequences to directors for notes.
- Lip-sync and timing checks: verify exposure sheets and frame holds.
- Field order and camera passes: ensure camera pans, zooms, and multiplane moves work as intended.
Supported file formats and interoperability
Pencil Check Pro is designed to accept common raster and sequence formats used by traditional animators and scan departments. Typical supported formats include:
- Image sequences (TIFF, PNG, JPG)
- QuickTime movies (with appropriate codecs)
- AVI (on compatible platforms)
- Common scan output formats from scanning hardware and scanning software
It is frequently used in conjunction with scanning departments that output high-resolution image sequences. For pipelines using Toon Boom Harmony or other digital ink-and-paint/compositing tools, animators export sequences to Pencil Check Pro for review and then bring notes back into the animation or cleanup tools.
Basic workflow
- Scan or capture animation frames as an image sequence (naming frames sequentially, e.g., shot001_0001.tif).
- Import the image sequence into Pencil Check Pro. Confirm frame numbering and continuity.
- Set project frame rate and field order to match camera/acquisition settings.
- Use playback controls to review timing, holds, and spacing. Enable onion-skin/light-table if needed.
- Make notes, either directly on the pencil tests if the tool supports markup or externally (spreadsheet/shot notes).
- Iterate: adjust exposure sheets or redline frames, rescan if necessary, and re-import updated sequences.
Timings, exposure sheets, and frame holds
One of the core strengths is verifying exposure-sheet (X-sheet) instructions. Pencil Check Pro allows you to:
- Play frames at proper exposure values (1s, 2s, 3s, etc.).
- Preview frame holds and looped cycles to see how they read in motion.
- Confirm lip-sync timing against audio tracks if audio import is supported.
Tip: Always match Pencil Check Pro’s playback frame rate to your final output (e.g., 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps) to avoid mis-evaluating timing.
Camera moves and multi-plane setups
If you’ve shot frames through a traditional rostrum camera or digitized camera moves from a camera pass, Pencil Check Pro helps preview pans, zooms, and multiplane sequences in context. It preserves field guides and framing so you can verify composition and track continuity across cuts.
Onion-skin and light table features
Onion-skinning allows viewing multiple frames simultaneously, which is essential for checking spacing, arcs, and silhouette continuity. Pencil Check Pro’s light-table visualization retains pencil texture and contrast, giving a more authentic “in-studio” feel than flattened composites.
Practical tip: Use onion-skin with low opacity for surrounding frames and full opacity for the key frame to reduce visual clutter while preserving motion cues.
Notes and collaboration features
A good pipeline integrates Pencil Check Pro with shot tracking and review notes. Common approaches:
- Export frame thumbnails or short review clips for notes.
- Use a shot list with frame ranges and comments linked to Pencil Check Pro footage.
- Record verbal notes during playback sessions (if supported) or log timecodes.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Playback stuttering: check disk I/O and ensure sequences are stored on fast local storage or SSDs. Large TIFF sequences can require high throughput.
- Wrong timing: confirm both Pencil Check Pro and the source sequence use the same FPS and field order.
- Missing frames: verify file naming continuity and numbering; some players stop playback if a frame is missing.
- Color/contrast differences: scans may vary; compare scan settings and use consistent scanning profiles.
Best practices
- Name and number frames consistently (shotname_0001.tif).
- Keep pencil tests at original resolution for review; downscale only for quick previews.
- Archive original scans and exported review sequences separately.
- Match playback settings to final deliverables (FPS, field order).
- Use a fast local drive for large sequences and avoid network playback when possible.
Integrating with modern pipelines
Even in pipelines that use digital animation software (Toon Boom Harmony, TVPaint, OpenToonz), Pencil Check Pro remains useful for teams that still produce or preserve hand-drawn pencil frames. It complements digital tools by providing a lightweight, accurate viewer for raw animation frames before cleanup/compositing stages.
Workflow example:
- Draw on paper → scan to TIFF sequence → review in Pencil Check Pro → annotate/redline → cleanup in Harmony/TVPaint → composite.
Alternatives and when to use them
- Use internal playback in animation software (Harmony, TVPaint) for direct drawing and instant playback when working digitally.
- Use NLEs or compositors (Premiere, Resolve, After Effects) for camera/compose-heavy previews and color grading.
- Use Pencil Check Pro when the priority is an authentic pencil-test view with accurate timing and light-table onion-skin behavior.
Comparison (quick):
| Use case | Pencil Check Pro | Animation software | NLE/Compositor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authentic pencil-test playback | Excellent | Good (if importing scans) | Fair |
| Fast timing checks | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Camera/multiplane preview | Good | Excellent (if composited) | Excellent |
| Annotation & review integration | Good | Excellent (if integrated) | Excellent |
Final tips
- Standardize scanning and file-naming across the team.
- Confirm playback settings early in production to avoid rework.
- Use Pencil Check Pro for dailies to catch timing issues before cleanup.
- Keep review sessions focused: play ranges, mark notes, iterate.
Pencil Check Pro is a practical, focused tool that speeds up the animator’s feedback loop by preserving the look and timing of pencil tests while providing the controls needed to evaluate motion, staging, and camera work. Used at the right stage in a production pipeline, it saves time and prevents costly rework during cleanup and compositing.
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