7 replies to this topic

[hexhamlad]

Ok firstly I hope that I have picked the correct section to post in, seeing as its general i thought it was the safe bet. Anyway my question is probably very simple for someone with experience in the animation field.


I have used photoshop for several years and like to consider myself as very efficent when using the program, I have only ever worked with still imagery and never thought of changing until recently. I have decided to create a short animated film and would like advice on how i would achieve this, for the last couple of weeks i have made several still images which were just ideas for the short film. Now obviously i realise i have a huge gap in my knowledge because at the moment I'm stuck with just still images, i need the program, ability and patience to bring my project to life. I have just read an article on the apple website which looked into how south park is made, I'd like to mention that I will be using a PC for the project as i do not have full time access to an apple. The article mentioned several programs one of which was adobe photoshop which pleased me, I really didn't want to change from photoshop. Could anybody suggest a sutible program that would enable me to create a short animated film.


Ideally i would like someone to explain the whole process of how i would use my still image experience to create nice looking graphics but then turn it into a moving art. I realise this will be a complex process but any advice people could give me would atleast put me on the right path.


Thanks Very Much

[Scythar]

If you have photoshop you also have Imageready, which is basicly a program to be able to export the content you made in photoshop to the WWW.
One of the many features that comes with this capability is being able to export to gif animation (very simple, very basic though).

The Principle:
You make several images you wanna put 1 behind the other as "frames", so when you play them in fast it looks like an animation.

Preperation:
you make the different "frames" in photoshop, each on a seperate layer
then you make all layers invisible, except for the first one
then you click on the button (the last one) all the way down the tool palette (looks like some kind of logo) which states: jump to imageready

In Imageready:
you will see the animationpalette at the lower part of your screen (with the default settings that is)
now each time you click on the new frame icon and at each frame you make another layer visible and hide all the others. You do so for all the frames.

then you "save for the web" and choose the gif format.

Thats it.

[hexhamlad]

Ok i will go into a little more detail, I'm trying to make a short animated film. Which will last around 5 minutes, i would assume that a gif animation wouldnt be my best option, also i want a soundtrack included etc etc. I realise this will take a long time, but all advice is apreciated.

thanks

[Jacorre]

Well if it's going to be an animation lasting around 5 minutes, Image Ready is not what you're looking for. I would think you would want to use Flash. You can draw in Flash just as you would in Photoshop with the pen tool and it also has shape tools, etc. You can also import sound files to use as sound effects or background music.

You could also draw for example in Illustrator and then export to Flash.

Flash will take time to learn but there are many tutorials out there about the program.

Edited by Jacorre, 26 March 2007 - 09:08 AM.

[hexhamlad]

Ok well to be honest i was expecting people to suggest flash but you have to realise that would mean not using photoshop to produce my graphics. I would be very unsure if they would be of the same standard. What i really want to do is create a starting shot ie - the first image people would see and then start the animation from there. Basically bringing that orginal shot to life.


For example i would create the background first on individual layers then move onto the main person, by having the layers i would be free to move the postions of people or objects that needed to me moved. Obviously this is just how my minds eye sees this production. I just think that me spending say 4 weeks learning some flash would be better spent actually animating. I realise things like audio will take time to master but i was planning on creating it in silent form then fixing the audio after the visual side is complete.


Anyway thanks for the help, i would really appreciate any additional advice you could give.

[Jacorre]

I guess it would depend on how advanced your animations will be. You could always try exporting your Photoshop design into Flash. Flash also has layers just like Photoshop. I think Adobe also has other applications for animation/audio. You may want to look into them as well.

[Scythar]

There has been a full compatable program named: adobe LifeMotion, but i have no idea if its just for web or not, cos i never tried it, nor do i have it, i just know it exists.
Try finding some ifo bout that.
Still not sure what you expect though.
Maybe Camtasia Studio does what you want or the major league: adobe after effects or adobe premiere.

[Marc]

Camtasia is really suited for screen-grab animations use for eLearning purposes (like making a video of a Photoshop tutorial). For an animated movie your best bet is to go with Flash or After Effects. Since your background is stronger in Photoshop I would recommend After Effects since you can directly import PSD's into After Effects for animation.

Flash will have that ability once CS3 comes out, but for now it's only in After Effects.