Animating with Adobe Character Animator (2023 Edition)

Name: Animating with Adobe Character Animator (2023 Edition)
Rating: 4.8 (274 reviews)

Learn how to setup and properly rig multiple puppets using a mouse, keyboard, mic and webcam for true motion tracking

Highest Rated

Created byChad Troftgruben

Last updated 6/2023

English

What you'll learn

Properly assemble rigs in Photoshop for Character Animator
Add tags to animate eyes, eyebrows mouth and other facial features
Learn about different modifiers to drag and fix assigned handles
Setup rigs with customizable behaviors like physics, walk cycles and more
Create Triggers for exposable props
Create Swap Sets for multi-phase items, like hand poses
Setup a motion tracking rig with head and body turns that can be controlled with a camera or other device
Learn about the Stream tab for your OBS streaming needs
Animate two puppets that interact with each other
Record animation on the timeline and edit keys
Export animations for sharing and editing
Edit Character Animator Project files with After Effects and Premiere

Course content

8 sections • 46 lectures • 4h 0m total length

What You Will Learn in this Course1:55
A short explanation of what you will learn in this course.
System Requirements for Character Animator1:41
Learn what the system requirements are for using Character Animator. Keep in mind: to get the most out of this app and this course, you should have a mic and webcam. The video lesson will explain more.
Accessing the Course Exercise Files1:28
Information on how to access the exercise files for this course.
Character Animator Starter Mode1:47
Character Animator has a free Starter mode which can be useful if you're looking to try before you buy. The mode is limited in capability, so it's recommended you use the Pro version for this course.
Playing with the Sample Files4:49
Character Animator has many sample files available. These are already rigged and ready for animation if you're looking to play around with the tools or record something quick. This video explores one of these files.
Using the Puppet Maker3:46
The Puppet Maker is an avatar creator using different styles from the Character Animator library. You can pick a base design and add props, change colors and more. It's a good choice if you want to go beyond the sample files and play with some design elements.
Animating Yourself with Characterizer5:35
The Characterizer takes snapshots of you or an actor with different mouth poses and combines them for a lip synced avatar. You can also stylize the puppet from a variety of templates.

Naming and Ordering Your Layers in Photoshop13:56
By naming and arranging our layers a certain way, we can make the process of tagging and rigging in Character Animator easier.
Setting Up Eyes and Eyebrows6:09
The eyes and eyebrows need to be set up in groups. If we also name them a certain way, we can auto tag the appropriate pieces in Character Animator.
Setting Independence and Groups for Optimal Rigging9:03
Independence can be established in Photoshop by using the "+" tag in the name. This can help with auto rigging, but is also togglable in Character Animator itself.
Clearing Unneeded Workspace3:02
Clearing unneeded space from our character PSDs is important for proper mesh creation in Character Animator.
Grouping Your Character Layers1:25
Grouping all your layers into one main group is important for Character Animator tagging and rigging.

Creating a Scene5:28
In Character Animator, we can create scenes to record, save and export animation.
Tagging the Head7:26
Tagging the eyebrows, eyes, mouth and other head layers is important so Character Animator knows what to do with your character.
Tagging the Body5:32
Like the face, we will need to tag the limbs, arms and legs so our Behaviors will work with the rig.
Independence, Draggers and Fixed Handles6:19
We can use Handles to not only tag, but set parameters, as well. Adding a Dragger will allow you to drag that point of the rig while Fixed keeps thing stationary.
Refining Limbs with the Stick Tool3:22
The Stick Tool can refine bends in arms, legs or any layer needing a rigid appearance.

Creating Triggers3:36
Triggers allow us to turn the visibility of layers on or off while recording animation.
Creating Swap Sets5:27
Swap Sets are like Triggers, but they use multiple layers. This is useful for swapping to a group from several on the fly.
Setting Up Controls3:15
Controls allow us to see the triggers and swap sets set up for the rig visually.
Adding and Modifying Behaviors7:22
Behaviors are used to tell the rig how to react to user input. Here we show how to add and modify these Behaviors.
Adding Physics and Other Modifiers9:22
Physics can create bounce or add wind interaction to properly tagged layers.
Correcting and Polishing the Rig7:21
Sometimes you need to take some times and correct issues that crop up when rigging.

Setting Up the Scene and Background8:01
We can import images into Character Animator for a variety of reasons. Here we will set up a simple background and a new scene for animation.
Auto Lip Syncing and Correcting5:30
Auto lip syncing is one of the default Behaviors which allows us to animate the mouth with our voice. Here we will record with a microphone and look at how we can edit visemes.
Animating Arms, Hands and Coffee Mug9:13
With the lip syncing down, we can focus on animating the arms, hands and mug prop using draggers and triggers.
Editing Actions on the Timeline4:04
With all the animation laid down, we can refine a bit with simple edits on the timeline.

Building a PSD for Head and Body Turns5:44
When building a PSD for head and body turns, there are some things to take into consideration for organizing. Here we go over what you need to know.
Tagging Head and Body Poses13:23
While tagging the head and body poses are similar, there is more to consider. Plus the head and body phases need to be tagged.
Tracking Head and Body Turns4:49
A special behavior called Head & Body Turner will be used to track the actor to trigger the proper head and body angle.
Adding Body Behavior for Full Tracking6:25
The Body behavior will allow the character to be controlled by an actor through the web cam.
Recording Body Tracking3:21
Recording body tracking requires room and good lighting. The web cam will be used to record actions for the puppet.
Adding a Walk Cycle5:25
An automated walk animation can be added to a character as long as the tags are properly arranged.
Animating a Walk Cycle8:10
A walk can be animated using keyboard keys, which we will be doing here.
Lip Syncing with External Audio3:40
You can import external audio and auto lip sync a character's mouth to it.
Editing and Refining the Animation6:59
Here we refine animation on the timeline to prepare for final export.

Animating Eyelids2:01
If you have a rig set up with eyelids, you can animate them. Here we demonstrate how.
Creating a Nut Cracker Jaw2:22
You can animate the jaw of your character with a tag and a behavior.
Breathe Behavior2:08
An automatic breathing animation can be placed using a handle.
Animating Behavior Keys2:53
You can animate most behavior parameters once the stopwatch is activated next to the option.
Cycling PNGs3:34
Cycling PNGs allows you to bring in multiple images and animate them in sequence.
Using the Stream Tab3:05
The Stream tab is a clean interface used for you to point screen capture software to and chromakey.
Final Thoughts1:40
I go over my final thoughts for this course.

Requirements

A subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud to access Character Animator, Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere
No animation experience is necessary. The app is meant to be user friendly for newcomers and we will be going step by step

Description

Adobe Character Animator is a unique app that can produce animated characters with ease. With a few clicks to setup, you can control a cartoon character with your mouse and keyboard. Not only that, you can use your microphone and web cam to create true motion captured characters that come to life with a wide range of assigned behaviors. You will learn how to take all this and record an animation to be shared or edited with another app.

More specifically, in this course, you will learn how to:

Properly layout a Photoshop character for easier Character Animator setup
Tag layers for lip syncing and facial behaviors
Tag and define body parts for limb movements
Add special handles such as draggers to allow interactivity with the mouse
Create triggers for hide-able layers
Create Swap Sets for multi-phase layers, such as hand poses
Auto lip sync in the application
Lip sync using external audio
Record a puppet using full motion body tracking
Create a puppet that can turn their head and body
Edit recorded actions
Work with backgrounds
Work with multiple puppets
Learn about the Stream tab for OBS performances
Edit your animation with Premiere and After Effects
Export animations through Adobe Media Encoder

By the time you're done with this course you should be able to lay out your own PSD based characters, properly tag, fix errors and animate them using your mouse, keyboard, face, voice and body.

Who this course is for:

Beginners to animation looking to create their first project
Individuals looking for creative business advertising solutions
Streamers looking to add an animated avatar to their showcases
Animators looking for a new way to approach animation

Animating with Adobe Character Animator (2023 Edition)

What you'll learn

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Course content

Welcome to Character Animator!7 lectures • 21min

Setting Up a Simple Character in Photoshop5 lectures • 34min

Tagging and Rigging a Simple Character5 lectures • 28min

Refining with Behaviors and Triggers6 lectures • 36min

Recording a Simple Scene4 lectures • 27min

Recording a Complex Scene9 lectures • 58min

Editing and Exporting Animated Scenes3 lectures • 19min

Other Character Animator Features7 lectures • 18min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: