Learn to Animate in Photoshop!

Here at Animation Apprentice we teach 3D animation, with a strong focus on the kind of skills needed to succeed in the demanding world of visual effects. That means a lot of animal and creature work, perfecting the kind of photo-real style that London studios such as Framestore and MPC specialise in.  But we also do 2D work as well, and recent releases of Photoshop now allow animators to animate with great flexibility in this most universal of software packages. In the video above you can watch a character walk cycle animated in Photoshop. Who needs Flash, After Effects or TV Paint when you can do it all with software that most digital artists already know how to use?

www.nano-films.com

2D hand-drawn animation was where I started my career, back in 1987 on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", and it's still something that I love to do.

CG animation is an extension of puppetry, but drawn animation is an extension of illustration, and we want our students to have the flexibility to be able to tackle many kinds of animation.

After all, animation is really about timing and spacing - and performance. If you can give a performance in 3D, you can do it in 2D as well.

Our student film co-operative at www.nano-films.com does lots of animated projects in a 2D, graphic style.  2D films are simpler to get started, because you don't need to build a lot of expensive assets. So, for short projects, a 2D style is perfect. Most of our work at Nano Films is done in Flash and AfterEffects - but there's no reason why we couldn't use Photoshop as well.

----Alex

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.