How to Animate

It is rewarding to create a simple animation for your digital portfolio because it shows off your creativity. An animation will make your portfolio stand out among other creative professionals. The process is fairly easy; you only need to have basic Adobe software skills and a little patience. If you are more ambitious or have more advanced skills, then by all means use Autodesk Maya or Anime Pro.
No matter what your skill level is, you are capable of making an engaging animation for your website. Use your imagination to make a quick storyboard. The storyboard acts as your blueprint in creating your animation. This step is necessary because it is vital to have a clear plan and timeline. It will likely take a few hours to create a two-minute animation, but the time can vary based on the complexity.
You must then decide whether you want sound, and if so, the type of sound. Do you want the characters to talk? Do you want sound effects? Do you want to sync the sound? Syncing the sound may feel like a chore; however, if you use Anime Pro it is a quick and straightforward process. Adobe After Effects is another good program for syncing the sound. There are plenty of sound-editing software products available ranging in price and capabilities. I recommend Magix Music Maker for animation sound editing because it is user-friendly, with a variety of sound editing tools, and most importantly it is affordable. I suggest you try it out and decide if it is the right software for you.
Character design is significant to the overall animation. There are many great books on the topic of character design and development, and luckily for you I have read most of them. I suggest Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics and Sterling Publishing's Art of Drawing Manga. Both books are filled with illustrations and useful drawing tips and provide instructions for how to draw characters and position them based on their role in the storyline.
It is important to distinguish a protagonist and antagonist in your animation, and there are a variety of techniques to accomplish this. An obvious method is to make the hero bright and the villain dark; however, this is not the case in the beloved Batman series. In this series, Batman is the protagonist, yet he is very dark. I think most people would agree the Bruce Wayne/Batman figure is so fully developed that it is clear Batman is the hero despite his dark portrayal. If you are creating animation that has a storyline that relies heavily on characters, take the time to develop the characters properly.
If you decide to animate text or shapes, it is important to have a rhythmic soundtrack. In this case, it would be a good time investment to sync the sound because doing so makes it more enjoyable for your audience. You should always consider your audience when creating animation: make sure your animation entertains, informs, and captures your target audience's interest.
Use your imagination and create an animation that reflects your personality and creativity. Be inspired by the world around you, and always remember to "think outside the word" and know that anything is possible. "Think Outside the Word" is the title of my blog, and it is a way of life.

For a step by step how to animate video please visit my HQCI channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe4XFvhQ2nA
My Links: http://thinkoutsidetheword.blogspot.com/

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