Step By Step Instruction

[zaliJohnson]

Hello, can someone help me with step by step instruction on how to convert my character i made in illustrator into symbols, rigging the arms and legs with bones, creating eye lids for a blink (the most efficient way), creating a mouth (which symbols to use), what tween to use on what layers and symbols?

I am confused and in need of some serious clarification.

My side pose

I also have different mouth expressions i made for the frame picker but don't really know how to use the frame picker, or should i just use a simple shape for the mouth for better animation???

I really just need to understand tweening & symbols, I know the basics of rigging with bone.

It will be great if someone can assist me entirely throughout my 1st project animation...Thank You

[JoãoCésar]

Hi!

If you're not a Lynda.com subscriber, please subscribe right now to watch at least this course:

Animate CC: Animating Scenes​

Don't worry about money right now, because you can try the first month for free. I think it's time enough for you to learn everything you need.

Dermot will show how to properly setup Animate, what kind of symbols to use, the best practices to rig and finally animate your character.

Please watch the overview video to get a better idea.

I hope it helps.

Regards,

JC

[zaliJohnson]

Thanks! That site is great and full of knowledge. It seems like its so much easier to do simple animation in after effects than animate. I know animate is better though, its just the process of learning everything. I started the free trial on Lydia so hopefully I can fully get it.

[zaliJohnson]

While doing the tutorial, every body part on my character is moving fine excpet for one layer that keeps moving up between keyframes in the tween, forcing me to go frame for frame to pull it back down.

[JoãoCésar]

Please make sure that:
- Your transformation points (accessed with the Free Transform Tool (Q)) are consistent throughout all keyframes;

- You are using the same symbol on adjacent keyframes. For example: sometimes we don't notice that we created a tween for the nose on frame 1 and 30 and that both keyframes have symbols that are visually the same, but the first keyframe contains a symbol called Arm1 and the second keyframe contains a symbol called Arm2.

These two situations can result in symbols moving weirdly when tweening.

[JoãoCésar]

Great! I'm glad you like it and that it is helping you!

Please keep in mind that Dermot is setting up everything as if you were inside of a big studio, making part of a process that involves working with dozens or hundred of people to get a full feature film done in schedule.

I bet the work with AE in this same situation would be similiar.

You can, of course, create animations with less sofistication for smaller projects and schedules.

[zaliJohnson]

Yes my animation projects will be very small, that's why I was leaning towards AE. Do you think I should still use AN since I am working on small animations?

[JoãoCésar · Accepted solution]

I myself would stick with Animate.

But it all depends on what is more comfortable to you and what best suits your needs.

I suggest you to take a look at some AE tutorials and compare. There is, for example, a guy called Emanuele Colombo​, on YouTube, that has some great and very easy to follow tutorials for character animation.

[rosebudd]

There is also this one that is free because it is Adobe rather than Lynda.com

Create realistic movement in your animated characters |