How to Add a Colour Layer in Photoshop

How to add a color layer in Photoshop. This is a free beginner tutorial showing how to add a colour layer in Photoshop.  Photoshop is the grandaddy of most of the computer software that we use today. It is a very flexible tool that can be used for all sorts of tasks - including animation. 

Bouncing Ball Tutorial - With Captions

Here at Animation Apprentice we were recently asked by a student overseas (we're based in the UK) if we can offer tutorials with captions, for students whose first language isn't English. 

The answer is - of course! We will always respond positively to a student enquiry - especially if it makes our tutorials easier to understand, for a global audience. To see the caption-enable videos, scroll down. 

Cartoony Mad Scramble Run and Exit with Monty

Cartoony run and smear frame exit with Monty

In this new animation tutorial we show how to animate a cartoony run and smear frame exit with Monty, the green pea.  

It's a simple tutorial aimed at animation beginners, and covers runs, jumps and smear frames.  We'll also need to do some attaches and parenting (for Monty's hat) basic lighting in Arnold and learn how to add motion blur to the final render.

Render Motion Blur in Maya and Arnold

How to Render Motion Blur in Maya and Arnold:  This very simple and very short tutorial shows how to turn on Motion Blur in the Arnold Renderer in Maya. Why would you want to turn on motion blur? Because when you have very fast action, you almost always want motion blur; this simulates how our eyes actually see things in real life. 

Animate a Sneeze with Monty

Animate a sneeze with Monty

In this beginner animation tutorial, we show how to animate a sneeze with Monty, the green pea.

A sneeze is an explosion of air, so we want a big anticipation, and then a big sneeze. 

If you have time, attach a hat to Monty's head, and animate it flying up in the air, spinning and landing again (you will need the Parentmaster plugin for this).

How To Reset Your Preferences in Maya

This short video shows how to Reset Your Preferences in Maya.  Sometimes when Maya is behaving badly, you need to reset your preferences and start over. This short video shows how to do it. And you can read more about re-setting preferences in Maya here. 

Depth of Field in Maya and the Arnold Renderer

How do we create Depth of Field in Maya and Arnold? Sometimes we don't want the audience to see everything in our shot. Animators are film-makers, and the audience needs to be guided through the scene, shown only what is important - and leaving out what is unimportant.  Focus and Depth of Field can help with this - if something in the shot isn't important, simply blur it out. To see how to create Depth of Field in Maya, watch the short video above.  And to understand the he theory behind it, read this blog post.

Free Beginner Tutorials at Animation Apprentice

Animate a Cartoony Vehicle

We have lots of beginner animation tutorials at Animation Apprentice, many of them completely free. 

To get started with animation basics, why not Animate a Telephone Ringing in Maya, Animate a Flag Waving in Maya, or Animate a Submarine Underwater. 

It takes a while to master the art and craft of animation, but these beginner tutorials are a great way to get started.

Animate Dialogue with Monty: "I'm Outta Here!"

Monty: "I'm Outta Here!" 

In the simple animation tutorial below we show how to animate a character with no mouth saying a line of dialogue.  

But how can you animate dialogue and lipsync - with no lips?  The answer is - it's all in the performance.  If the body language is working, then the audience will believe that the character is speaking - even if it has no mouth. 

Crab Scuttle Animation Tutorial

Animate a crab scuttle underwater

In this new animation tutorial we demonstrate how to create a locomotion cycle in Maya with a crab rig, showing how to take a complex motion, break it down - and make it simple.

A crab's sideways scuttle looks complex, but is in fact very easy to animate, by following this basic tutorial.

We start by animating a single animation curve, and then copy it across the crab rig. 

Anticipation, Action & Reaction Tutorial

In this very simple tutorial we show how to animate an anticipation, action and reaction in Autodesk Maya, using the Yellow Beetle "AnyCar" rig. Instead of animating the Beetle out of the frame, we add a "smear frame", to get it off screen as fast as possible, in the style of the old Tex Avery or Chuck Jones cartoons.

The reaction at the end is the camera shake, simulating the air pressure as the car whizzes past. 

Animate a Swimming Jelly with Caustics

Jelly animation by Maeva Israel

In this super simple tutorial we show how to animate a cartoony jelly (or squid?) traveling underwater. This is a very basic tutorial aimed at beginners in Maya.

The idea is to do some very simple animation of an underwater scene, then add a caustic effect to reproduce the effect of light penetrating water.  

The Jelly/Squid rig can be downloaded for free here. 

Animate Willy "I'm Outta Here"

Willy: "I'm Outta Here!"

In this three part dialogue tutorial we show how to animate a cartoony character ("Willy") saying a line of dialogue.  The line is "I'm Outta Here!", taken from Iago in Disney's Aladdin. 

In the first part of the tutorial we block out the animation with Willy. In the second part, we add a "Smear Drawing" to simulate motion blur. 

In the third part we animate Willy's hat flying up in the air and landing. 

Animate a "Take" with the Luxo Lamp

Animate a "Take" reaction shot with the Pixo Jr lamp

In this simple free tutorial we show how to animate a "take" (a reaction shot), with the Pixo Jr lamp rig which you can download from highend3d.com. 

The tutorial is a simple one, aimed at animation beginners, but it helps if you are already familiar with the Maya Interface.  Follow the thumbnails below to replicate the tutorial.

Smear Frame Animation Tutorial in Maya

In this brief tutorial we show how to animate a "Smear Frame". Smear Frames simulate motion blur in super-snappy animation, in the style of the old Tex Avery or Chuck Jones cartoons.

But how do you do a Smear Frame in 3D animation, using Maya character rigs? Watch our free tutorial to find out.

Fish Swim - Free Animation Tutorial

Animate a fish swimming in Maya

In this simple tutorial we show how to animate a fish swimming, and then add some underwater lighting using Maya's software renderer. 

Start with a single side-to-side rotation of the fish; then copy and paste the curves down the fish's body, offsetting each curves by a frame or two. 

The result is the distinctive swish of a fish's tail.  The underwater lighting with caustics can be done with a few clicks. 

Animate a Submarine Underwater with Caustics

Animate a Submarine Underwater

In this super simple tutorial we show how to animate a submarine traveling underwater.  This is a very basic tutorial aimed at beginners in Maya. 

The idea is to do some simple animation of an underwater scene, then add a caustic effect to reproduce the effect of light penetrating water. 

Animate a Camera Shake in Maya

Animate a Camera Shake in Maya with Monty

In this free animation tutorial we show how to animate a camera shake in Maya.  It's a simple tutorial aimed at beginners learning 3d animation in Autodesk Maya. 

To animate the camera shake is simple - it's just a few keyframes on the x rotation on the shot camera, simulating what might happen to a real camera operator if (as in this example) a school bus were to whizz past at high speed. 

Animate a Vehicle Coming to a Sudden Stop

In this super simple beginner animation tutorial we show how to animate a vehicle coming to a sudden stop. The free tutorial uses the free "AnyCar 3.1.4 for Maya" rig, downloadable here from Creative Crash.  

This is a fun, simple tutorial that is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya, part of our series of animation basics for students who have never used Maya before.  

Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over

Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over

In this beginner's animation tutorial we show how to animate a traffic cone being knocked over by a speeding car.  It's based on the Yellow Beetle animation tutorial - which you can find here.  

You can however use any vehicle, and animate it by simply setting a keyframe at the start and the end of the motion.  The timing of the traffic cone is very simple; with just a few rotation keyframes we can add texture to the scene.