Animations for RGB Matrix

[grillhappy]

I built two 600 pixel RGB matrixes last year and used LOR's Pixel Editor to create some nice effects.  However, I tried importing pictures and they looked terrible.   Have any of you found success creating animated pictures on an RGB matrix?  How do you do it? Do any of you know of already made sequences to existing Christmas songs that can add animated pictures to a matrix?  My matrixes have 3 inch spacing and are hung on my fences, and they look great from the street.

[jerryb721]

I haven't use Pixel Editor but have used images in most of my 60 sequences made in xLights.

What has worked best for me is bringing the contrast way up and color intensity up as well, then reducing the images down to the size of my tree (50 pixels high),

The pixels are so bright that this was the only way I could get them to look pretty good. I use Corel Photo Paint but Photoshop has the same abilities (actually more).  My pixels are 2.5" apart so similar to your setup

I hope this is answers some of your questions

[Little_b]

I use Paint.net to do something similar.  Adjust the canvas to match your matrix and you can create from there.  Or you can import a photo and resize the image to match your matrix.  I usually will "touch it up" at that point.  I don't like to have a background color in my photos, as this does wash them out a bit.  So I use the main photo and then paint the background black.  You can use the "Scale Image" option in PE, but depending on the quality of the photo, it doesn't always come out clear.  That's why I use the Paint Program first.  Here's a video of some of my effects.  My matrix here is 63 x 62 at 3" spacing between pixels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtro7jRWHOA

 

[grillhappy]

These are great ideas.  I have a full paid version of Photoshop (I use Elements for videos) but I do not have much experience with photos.  I also have image reducing software (paid version) on my computer.  I'll start working with your ideas.  I have a lot to learn.  Thanks, both of you.  WHAT ABOUT ANIMATED PHOTOS?  How do you work with them?

[grillhappy]

Should I limit myself to black and white line art?  Do color photos work also?

[grillhappy]

Little B, I was looking at your video even BEFORE you responded and I marveled at your roof pics. These are matrixes streched out on your roof, correct?  They look much larger than 63x62.  This is what I want to achieve on my fences, but I simply cannot get any result like THAT trying to import a little picture into PE and make it look anything but super blurry.  Using Microsoft Paint, I imported, then resized a simple pic to 25 pixels wide and 24 pixels high (the number of pixels on my matrix) and I couldn't even recognize the picture on the Effects preview screen within the Light-o-Rama's Pixel Editor.  Am I doing this correctly?

Where do you get your photos?  Do you purchase stock photos or have a purchased picture software program?  Do you import the pics as .png, .gif, or another file extension?

My matrix dimensions are attached.

Matrix Dimensions 2016.pdf

[grillhappy]

An RGB pixel must not mean the same as re-sizing a photo to a selected number of pixels (using Paint).  I am close to unlocking the door to success in trying to import pictures onto my matrixes, but I just need a little help in configuring the pic size and quality.

[Little_b]

You have to remember that taking a High Definition pic and shrinking down that far is going to make it very blurry.  A lot of my pics I use I painted myself in Paint.net. Others I imported into Paint.net and shrunk to the same size as my matrix as a starting point.  I then touched them up. In the end you kind of have to take out the small details of the pic and stay with the basic shapes and colors. 

As far as animated photos, I know there is a way to do it by the way you name them, but I haven't done it yet.  You can take a small video and convert it to .avi and play it in the movie effect.  Some of the effects you see in my videos of "moving" pics was done by using the movement option in PE.  I created a picture I wanted to use and then broke it up into 2 or more pieces.  The background as one, the character as another, sometimes multiple in different positions to appear walking.  I then sequenced them accordingly in PE.  The background (trees) moving Left to Right and flipping between the 2-3 character pics to make it look like they are walking.  In a way an animated flipbook if you will.

Maybe a good starting point for you, which helped me, is to draw your own picture first.  I know Photoshop does it, Paint.net was just easier for me at the time.  Open a blank pic and change the canvas size to your matrix size and draw something simple.  It will come out the same way when you put it into PE.  This helped me to understand that each pixel in Paint corresponded to a specific Pixel Light on my Matrix.  The RGB Pixel on your Matrix makes the color that is in the pixel on your picture.  I found that it works best to have a black/blank background as it helps the main focus to really pop out.

I hope this helps and doesn't sound like it's too much rambling.

[grillhappy]

Not too much rambling at all.  I need all the advice I can get. Thanks so much for your reply.  I'm not an artist; I'm a musician.  I'll go to Paint.net and follow your advice.  That must be different than tha Paint I have on my Windows 7 computer.

 

Little_b, I do love what you have done with your pictures.  Those ARE matrixes on your rooftop, correct?

[grillhappy]

I am now exploring SVG (scalable vector graphics), but it appears that this format, while completely scalable and open to creative design and varied backgrounds, is only a Web tool. I am trying to find out if SVG images might some day be usuable for us Christmas light matrix people.  It would be so much easier, if we could design our own backgrounds and scale our images to the perfect size for our displays.

[smeighan]

Svg wont help the fact that your 25x25 matrix just doesnt have enough resolution. Take an svg and put it on any matrix and you will see exactly the same issue. Try building matrices of different sizes: 10x10, 20x20, 25x25, 50x50, 75x75. Drop the same image on each and see the results. This can help u decide how big a matrix u want. To get pictures or movies people gravitate to the p10 panels. A 3x3 panel matrix cost around $250 but gives you a resolution of 48x96. Svg files do not look better on a matrix than png or gif or jpg. All that can improve it is having more pixels

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jamills706]

My matrix is 24 CCRs wide and therefore 50 pixels tall.

I get really decent resolution even with such a few pixels.

 You can check out some of my for, and see my images, on YouTube at: 706 Lights 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWzdeJTKqjkKTiVnVqBvaw

 

[OzAz]

Try www.piskelapp.com its a gif animator.

Resize the drawing area to your matrix

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[grillhappy]

Thanks to all of you.  I won't stop working at this, since I know others of you have had some success, even with matrixes like mine.  I'll try your recommendations, use small, simple pics and see what happens.  If any of you have additional advice, I'd surely appreciate it.

[grillhappy]

I just tried piskelapp.com.  What a great Tool!  I'll see if I can make it work for me!  Lots of fun and just what I need to draw my pixels!  Thanks for the tip!

[grillhappy]

After working awhile in Photoshop, with their pixel painting process, I turned to Piskelapp.com and found the easiest and best solution for me.  I'm not an artist, but I could draw enough to make great results.  I'm very thankful for all your advice, and piskelapp.com was my answer.

[OzAz]

here's a couple of animated gifs from a guy called Logan who's shared a sequence elsewhere (hope he doesn't mind)

Import them as a spritesheet (Import/Import from Picture/Import as Spritesheet) it might give you an idea or two