"Adobe Next Live" at Tate Modern - AI & Creativity

"Technology Evangelist" Emily Bisset  at Adobe Next Live

At today's "Adobe Next Live" event at London's Tate Modern, software giant Adobe have been presenting their insights into changing technology and how educators and creatives can take advantage of the big changes currently facing the creative industries.  

"Technology Evangelist" Emily Bisset gave the keynote speech exploring how creatives can learn from and embrace the change.  She was followed by Laura Jordan-Bambach,

founder and CCO of the creative agency "Uncharted".  

Using AI to Colour 2D Animation with Cadmium App

Cadmium App

Artificial intelligence continues to offer new ways to speed up the animation pipeline and turboboost the productivity of animators. 

One new breakthrough comes from the Cadmium App, a new tool which automates the process of colouring 2D animation.

Cadmium is a creative tool for hand drawn animation. Using machine intelligence, animators can now colour their entire animation sequence from just a few keyframes.

How to Use The Layer Editor in Maya

How to use the Layer Editor in Maya. This short video tutorial is part of our series of beginners' tutorials on how to use Autodesk Maya, and how to develop a fast, efficient workflow. The Layer Editor works much like layers in Photoshop - it allows you to put different elements of the shot on different layers, so you can work faster and more efficiently.

Andrew Schlussel Talks AI and Animation

In the Ted Talk above, DNEG Animation's Andrew Schlussel explains why, even though AI can now automate many jobs - such as concept art - we should not fear it.  Andrew explains how changes in animation and vfx technology over the years have increased the size of the industry - not shrunk it.  He suggests that AI will be no different, and that the "net sum" of jobs in the Creative Industries will continue to increase, even though certain processes can be done by machine learning.  What should we do with AI instead? - embrace it, and use it. 

Why Has Arnold Disappeared from Maya?

Arnold is the main renderer that comes free with Maya - but sometimes it goes missing.  A common question new Maya users ask is "Where has Arnold gone?"

The solution is not always obvious. You look in the Render Settings menu and - Arnold has vanished! So, what to do to bring Arnold back?

What Kind of Laptop To Buy in 2022

What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that we are often asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Computer specifications change regularly and much depends on exactly what you want to use your laptop for.  But let's say you want to buy a laptop capable of running Autodesk Maya, for computer animation and to render out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Animation Apprentice graduate and animation teacher Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to our students.

Have You Tried Re-Starting Your Computer?

Have you tried a re-start?

A few years ago I was working at Digiscope in Los Angeles on an animated film, and was experiencing some technical trouble with my Mac. 

Growling and grumbling about computers and IT, I stomped down the hall to the IT Dept, only to see a big sign in bold font on the door saying "Have You Tried Re-Starting Your Computer?".  I stopped, paused, went back to my room, re-started the Mac and...everything worked fine.

If your machine isn't working, try re-starting your computer. Around 50% of technical problems can be solved with a re-start.   Even better, close your computer down,, wait a minute or two and then start it up again.  Sometimes this works even where a re-start has failed.

What Kind of Tablet Should our Students Buy?

What Kind of Tablet Should our Students Buy? This is a question we often get asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Nowadays there are many different kinds of tablets available, and cheaper versions than the traditional Wacom brand. 

What Kind of Laptop to Buy in 2021

What kind of laptop?

"What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that we are often asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Computer specifications change regularly and much depends on exactly what you want to use your laptop for.  But let's say you want to buy a laptop capable of running Autodesk Maya, for computer animation and to render out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Veteran animator and animation teacher Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to our students.

Should You Run the Latest Version of Maya?

Should You Run the Latest Version of Maya? This is a question recently asked by a student at Animation Apprentice. You would think the answer would be obvious - run the latest version, which (as of today) is Maya 2022.  However, there is a simple reason why this isn't necessarily a great idea. 

How to Solve Technical Problems

Why doesn't it work? Technical problems are the bane of the animator's life - but inevitable whenever you are working with tech tools. In the video above I explain the best approach to solving technical problems; the secret is to get help, but make sure you ask the right questions, and provide the maximum amount of information so that others can help you. Below is a list of solutions to some frequently-encountered technical difficulties.  Remember that every technical problem, no matter how infuriating, has a solution. You are not the first person to face the problem - there is an answer out there somewhere. 

What Kind of Laptop Should Animators Buy?

"What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that we are often asked at Animation Apprentice, by students looking to buy suitable equipment to learn the art of computer animation. .

It's a tricky question to answer, because computer specifications change all the time and - of course - it all depends on exactly what you want to use your laptop for.

But, let's say you want to buy a decent laptop capable of running Autodesk Maya, for computer animation and to render out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Animation tutor Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to our students.

Six Tips to Make Maya Work Faster

Tip Number 6 - stay low poly

One of the most common problems we encounter at Animation Apprentice is a student's Maya scene slowing down so much that they can't animate anymore, or their scene becomes so slow that animation becomes a burden - not a pleasure.

Below are our Six Tips to speed up your workflow, animate faster, and make Maya work at optimal speed.

How to Get Started in Animation

Animation Studio by Helen Piercy

One question I get asked often is this "My kid loves animation - what subject should they study at school?".

And also - "how can I teach my child animation?".

Parents tell me that their 13-year old is really into animation, but doesn't know what they should do to realise that goal.

Today, animation is a mix of art and technology.  So, art subjects, such as Art GCSE or Art A level, will help, as will tech subjects, such as IT or computer studies.

Blender -v- Maya: Which is Best?

Which is better: Blender or Maya? It's a question we often get asked here at Animation Apprentice, and the answer depends on what you need to do.

Both software packages are very good, and both can be used to create excellent 3D animation. But there are some important differences which students should be aware of.

Faster Playback Promised for Maya 2019

At yesterday's BlueGFX Expo in London, Autodesk's Morgan Evans gave the keynote speech, an introductory talk promising animators plenty of new goodies in the newest release of Maya.

In particular, Evans heralded much faster playback in Maya, through a new "cached playback" feature, ensuring that the Maya Viewport doesn't have to grind its way through every polygon in order to give the user real-time playback.

It should also give animators much faster Playblasts, so that Maya animators can test their work much faster. When will this be coming? "Soon", said Morgan Evans.

What Kind of Laptop Should I buy?

"What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that gets asked whenever we start a new class at Animation Apprentice.

It's a tricky question to answer, because computer specifications change all the time and - of course - it all depends on exactly what you want to use the laptop for.

But, let's say you want to buy a decent laptop capable of running Maya well, for doing computer animation and rendering out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Animator Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to new students.

Download Reference Footage at GetVideo.at

GetVideo.at 

Keepvid.com, the website that used to be very useful for downloading video from YouTube, doesn't work anymore, most likely due to copyright problems.

Animators download reference footage from YouTube all the time, not for the purposes of copyright violation, but so that we can step through the video, frame by frame, and study the mechanics precisely.

Now that Keepvid isn't working, there are a number of other sites that work well, including GetVideo.at - a very useful website for downloading video.

Why Animators Must Back Up Data

Hard Drive - full of moving parts

There are few things more depressing than being told by a student that their hard drive has died, and they have lost all their work.

This means essentially starting afresh, back to the beginning to start again the long, slow slog of building up a demo reel.  It's hard to over-stress the importance of backing up your data. It's a pain in the neck, and it takes time, but never forget that a hard drive is a delicate piece of technology filled with vulnerable moving parts.

Hard drives don't last for ever and, like all tech, will (eventually) let you down. The secret is to back up your data. But how best to do this? We take a quick look at some of the options.

KeyFrame MP - Video Playback for Animators

Keyframe MP Overview from Chris Zurbrigg on Vimeo.

KeyFrame MP - Video Playback for Animators - is an excellent video playback tool that we are recommending to all our students.  Unlike most free playback tools (such as Media Player), KeyFrame PM gives you super useful features like scrubbing (with audio), single frame advance - all the stuff you need as an animator to play your work back frame by frame and trouble shoot the mistakes. At $79, KeyFrame MP isn't free, but it's much, much better than most of the free stuff that is out there. And, since Apple has stopped supporting their very useful tool Quick Time Pro, KeyFrame MP now fills a gap in the animator's tool kit.