Flash Animation Tutorials: Animate for broadcast.
Hello and welcome to FLASHARTIST.
Today I will demonstrate how to create some cool collage type character animation using Flash CS3.
this is the example movie I will be using for this tutorial.
The first step is to create your collage character in a photo editing software such as Photoshop or Firework. you need to break down the character in separate layer for each body part. as shown below
Go to Flash and create a new document 720×576 / 30 frame per seconds ( broadcast setting )
Locate and import your layered document to stage .
Make sure your character is layered with each part of the character on separate layers,
head
torso
leg left
leg right
arm left
arm right
Once imported on stage each body part should be on a separate flash layer
Now select the head and press F8 to convert it into a Movieclip
- Name the movie clip HEAD and select the FREE TRANSFORM tool.
- Click and drage the IK point to the most realistic rotation point (around the neck area)
Using the FREE TRANSFORM you can rotate the head side to side and locate where you feel is the best IK point.
Repeat the same operation for each body parts; the arms, the legs and the torso. replacing the IK point as required for each .
Once done , select all the keyframe copy and paste them in a new MovieClip that you can name Walkcycle.
Once all the layer are in the new Movieclip go to frame 10 and insert a keyframe for each layer.
Go over the timeline RightClick and create a Motion Tween for each layer.
That’s it! Now the fun bits, the character is now ready to be animated using the FREE TRANSFORM tool.
Here is a bit of walk cycle reference.
Getting a walk cyle right is one of the trickiest thing to get right in animation, as a guideline for this example make sure that the first and last frame of the walkcycle are the same so that it loops seamlessly . you can use the onion skin tab to help with the animating.
You should get something like that
Now to create the background, in this example I have created a deck scene out of recycled images, the trick to simulate movement is to make it super wide to scroll / pan from one end of the scene to the other.
Make a new MovieClip and import your background image, convert it into another MovieClip and using tweening animate your backgound from left to right.
Finally Go to the main stage and compose your scene using the 2 movieClips of the walk cycle and the animated background
Once you are happy with your animation publish as a quicktime file for further editing.
download all the project files here
Android mobile phone to support Flash !
Adobe and HTC, a global designer of mobile phones has announced that the new HTC Hero is the first Android phone to ship with support for Adobe® Flash® Platform technology.
The HTC Hero phone will come with Flash Lite 3.1, allowing ActionScript 2.0 coding. It will support Sorenson and On2 VP6 codecs for higher quality video and playback of existing Web content.
This is looking very exciting and since the new iPhone sadly can’t handle flash content I might go Android .
HTC HERO is is due to be released on July 15, 2009 simFree from Amazon.co.uk
Flash on the beach 2009
Flash on the Beach 09 is back in Brighton September 20th-23rd
Tickets will go on sale on Monday at 10:00AM UK time !!!
http://www.flashonthebeach.com/ For more info.
James paterson imaginary world
James paterson talked us through some of his drawings, animations & flash work at FOTB 08.
It appears that james works on a cintiq tablet to draw his artwork directly in flash , truly inspiring stuff!
How to Create a Cartoon in Flash ?
Cartoon Character design in flash
The following step by step tutorial describes how to create a vector based cartoon character in flash from a hand drawn concept.
your cartoon character once created will be ready to be animated in flash or after effects for a web or broadcast animation project.
For this tutorial you will need
- a wacom tablet & Flash CS3
- Step 1:
start with pen and paper to create your character.
- Step 2:
Scan artwork / hand drawn character.
- Step 3:
Open flash / create a new scene (eg:800X800) and import scanned image onto the timeline
file/import/import to stage
(if necessary convert your scanned file .tiff into a .jpeg)
- Step 4:
Lock the layer containing your drawing and mouse right click the layer to turn it into a guide.
Now create a new layer to start drawing !
- Step 5:
Look into your tool panel and choose how to draw your character, there are several ways to do this and obtain different line style , you can use your wacom tablet and draw free hand using the brush (click the brush tool to adjust settings)
In this example we are going to use the bezier tool (the one that looks like a fountain pen). if you click over the bottom right corner of this tool you will notice a drop down menu including 4 selectable options:
- open tool
- add anchor
- delete anchor
- convert anchor
- Step 6:
Go around the head with the pen tool, left click to insert anchors in corners or delete anchors using back arrow key.
Check out shortcuts shown next to the tools (in brackets) .
Now using the free tool, adjust the lines over artwork tracing .
- Step 7:
Repeat the same tracing principles for each items of your character,
Make sure that you create a new layer for each elements of the composition ( head, ears, eyes, mouth etc..)
if you hide the layer used as a guide you should see how is the compositon coming together.
- Step 8:
Once all your outlining is done , you can start the coloring of your character , closed up shape can be filled up using the bucket.
if you run into trouble filling up shape because there they aren’t fully closed use the gap size tool , this could help.
Step 9:
open the color tab and experiment with gradient to give volume to your shapes.
In the color tab Select type:linear
you can add as many key as needed in your color grading.
Control the angle/spread of the gradient using the toolbox gradient tool (3rd from top, see below)
- Step 10:
Draw the eyes (only the white no pupils at this stage) select your eye layer and click F8 / click ok to convert into symbol. the eyes will be nested within a symbol as it will contain the pupils, the eyelids and the various eye states (open closed etc..)
As before within the eye symbol, create a new layer for each item (eyelid, pupil etc)
- Step 11:
Draw the Eye brow , press F8 /click OK to convert into a symbol.
Draw the Mouth , press F8 /click OK to convert into a symbol.
( once the shape are color filled you can add / clear the black outline around the drawing if needed )
- Step 12:
Now bring the finishing touch using the wacom pen and tablet, add details , shade etc..
- Step 13:
Zoom out to see the whole picture and amend your drawing if necessary.
- Step 14:
Et voila ! from your original pencil drawing you now have a vector version in color and broken down to symbols.
Ready for the next step of flash animation.
the next tutorial will show how to move onto the next step, hopefully using Flash CS4 (some really cool animation tools are coming with the new version…)
I will show how to animate using
- IK and inverse kinematics
- nested symbols containing the various state (mouth phonemes , eye states, eye brow position etc..)
- and much more..
FlashArtist.
Youtube : Link To The Best Parts Of Your Videos
Youtube has come up with a pretty cool new feature for video viewing , the ability to “deep link” to YouTube videos. This means you can now not only link to a YouTube video itself, but you can also link directly to a specific time within each video.
To create a deep link, append the following to the end of a YouTube video URL: #t=1m15s. This says to link to the time 1:15 – you can replace the numbers before the ‘m’ and the ’s’ with anything you like.
find out more here
Google Maps + YouTube Videos
I do not cease to be amazed by the amount of information that can be provided by google map, you can now, on top of associating pictures on a given pinpoint geographical location, integrate youtube video
check out this post from the google earth team for more info about this great feature.
Ceebies BigandSmall
Check this brilliant papervision site designed for the BBC, CBeebies Big and Small have got their fully interactive 3d Flash microsite
Hilarious , visually stunning and great fun for little one as well as grown ups!!!
Flash agency plugin media is behind this “tour de force”.
Flash Cs4 bone tool
I am having a great time with the new FLASH CS4 BONE TOOL , here is an animation project started a while ago & I was waiting for the incredible new animation tools of Flash Cs4 to bring it to life , here are a few pix showing how the bones are applied and some animated test video of the character in action. A full bone tutorial will be on FLASHARTIST.ORG very soon. In the meantime all I can say is that Flash animators will enjoy the new version of Flash more than the previous updates for all these new features.
keying video and importing it in flash
A great tutorial is available from GotoandLearn describing how to key out video footage in After Effects and importing it in Flash.
Will Flash for food…
Life is hard for London Freelance Flash designers these days & as soon as the market slows down we’re first on the firing line!
I do not remember seing anything like it since the 2001 bubble and that was a different story altogether, apparently it’s not all bad news according to Adweek, not sure how the uk market will evolve though..
Google tracks Flash content
Google Analytics have found a way to track Flash content .
Now it’s simple for Flash content developers to answer questions like:
- How many people have watched my video?
- Are we developing the right creative that attracts new users?
- How effective is my content at getting people to take action?
- Find out more on Google’s Analytic blog
Flash CS4 for cartoon animation
A simple way to animate a vector based character in a flash animation using the bone tool
Adobe Flash Catalyst
Could Adobe Flash Catalyst be the future of Flash designers and digital artists whitout coding ability ?
It sounds very promessing….
Who is the target customer for Flash Catalyst?
” Flash Catalyst is targeted at designers that use the Creative Suite and want to create applications and interactive content without coding.This includes interactive designers or people that aspire to do interactive design but didn’t want to learn how to code”
- Check this excellent video tutorial for an overview of some of the feature of this new addition to the adobe creative toolset , and several step by step Flash Catalyst projects from The Flash Catalyst Team Blog
convert software written in Flash into standalone iPhone apps?
According to this article in WIRED, it may be happening after all!!
Yes, converting your flash content for the iphone ?!
Adobe is adding support to its Flash Professional CS5 developer kit to convert software written in Flash into standalone iPhone applications.
Many of us have been waiting & hoping for this to happen.
dreaming of selling your flash application and games over the Appstore…?
this may happen..but one day at a time
learn the French alphabet
Children learn the french alphabet while having fun with this brilliant flash website http://www.abecedaire.org
l’abecedaire des animaux
Sony-Ericsson’s Android Phone ”Rachael”
Sony Ericsson is expected to release a new smartphone later this year , the device is named “Rachael” . It will feature a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HSDPA and an 8 megapixel camera, therefore great processing power for downloadable android apps, but one big question remains, will it handle the Flash player ?
Google trends
Here is Another very useful and free addition to google’s vast range of feature. Google trends allows you to compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time. Google Trends also shows how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories, and in which geographic regions people have searched for them most.
Nokia – flash lite Open Screen Project
Submit your flash apps to the Open Screen Project, this project awards grants to help developers create exciting new Flash lite content & applications for use on Nokia platforms and devices .All types of applications that incorporate Flash Lite can be considered, but those that make the most of Nokia’s platform capabilities are most likely to catch the interest of the judging panel.
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