Celebrate the life of your digital characters – that is the promise of the new Character Animator tool from Adobe in After Effects CC 2015. It allows you to bring puppet-like characters to life and animate them through simple gestures or voice recordings. With this tool, you can not only imitate the interaction of your characters but also design diverse animations flexibly and creatively. In this guide, you will learn step-by-step how to effectively use the program to create your own animations.
Key Insights
- Character Animator enables the creation and animation of puppets in real-time.
- You can design creative characters in Photoshop or Illustrator.
- The animation is done through facial recognition and simple gestures.
- The tool provides basics for animation, but some features are still under development.
Step-by-Step Guide
Project Start and Basics
To get started with Character Animator, you begin a new project. Click on “File” and select “New Project”. Once you do that, all the necessary files for your project will be created. Note that the version is currently not available in German, which makes it necessary to work with the English settings.
Good preparation is key. If you have already created your base character that you want to animate, you are ready for the next step.
After you have set up a new project, you can view the files in your project in the explorer at any time. Simply go to the “File” menu and select “Reveal Project in Explorer”.
This gives you an overview of all the files you need for the project.
Creating a New Puppet
Now it's time to get serious: Click on “New Empty Puppet”. Here you can create a new puppet that you want to animate later. You also have the option to design a puppet in Photoshop or Illustrator. Note that you work with pixel-based graphics in Photoshop, while you operate with vectors in Illustrator.
For example, if you design a character in Photoshop, keep in mind that you cannot use Smart Objects. So think about which program you want to create your puppet in based on your requirements.
Scenes and Animations
Now that you have your puppet, you can create a scene. Click on “New Scene” to add a background to your animation. Here you can insert various components, such as backgrounds or objects.
When creating a scene, you also have the option to create folders to better organize your files. Just click on “File” and select “New Folder”. This allows you to manage your puppets and scenes more effectively.
File Import and Export
Character Animator also allows you to import files. You can add images or other materials that you need for your animation. Let's remember this is done via the “Import” function.
Once you have completed your animation, you probably want to export your project. You can do this either as “Scene Video Only” or “Scene Audio Only”. This ensures that everything is rendered as desired and without quality loss.
An important note: The Character Animator is closely tied to After Effects. To take full advantage of its capabilities, you need to correctly set up the interface between the two programs.
Working with the Timeline
The timeline is your tool to control the animation. You can easily navigate through the timeline and keep track of your animation. You have the option to apply filters or highlight only certain parts.
Additionally, you can adjust the timeline and resize it to work better with your animations. If necessary, you can also adjust the view with the Alt key and the scroll wheel.
Recording Animation
A particularly exciting part of working with Character Animator is recording your animations. To do this, you activate the microphone and the camera. Make sure that the audio level is correctly set to ensure accurate voice recordings.
When the camera is activated, you have the opportunity to animate your character directly based on your gestures and facial expressions. This leads to lively and dynamic character representations.
Fine Tuning and Optimizations
After laying the foundations, you can further optimize your animation. You have access to extensive settings to shape the behavior of your puppets according to your desires. Through the “Face Game” menu, you can adjust specific parameters, such as the strength of facial expressions.
The possibilities are virtually limitless, and you can even control interactive elements of your animation using keyboard shortcuts. This can create more dynamics and liveliness.
Summary – Character Animation with After Effects CC 2015: A Comprehensive Guide
With Character Animator in After Effects CC 2015, you have a powerful tool at hand to create vibrant and engaging animations. From initializing a project through the creation of puppets and scenes to fine-tuning your animations, the tool offers many possibilities for creative expression.
By using facial recognition and gestures, you can directly interact with your characters and bring them to life in real-time. However, be aware that the program is still under development and some features may be optimized in the future.
