video Animation tips for a bro?

[JeanHover 326]

So I just recently got into animating using flash, and by just recently I mean like a week ago. All I can make is a ridiculously simple stick figure flip-book type animation, like the one below. My question to MLPforums is, do any of you use Flash? If so, are there any tools or tricks for a beginner to make better animations?

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2013 by Jverne

[Hansel 1,511]

Animation is freaking hard. I've been studying it for almost three years, and I'm no way near good at it. 

 

My best suggestion is to learn animation the right way. A lot of people who take on animation now days get caught up learning the software instead how to actually animate. This is almost like a bible. I can hear a million animators groaning at the mention of it, but I don't know a single animator IRL who doesn't own this book. I have my issues with some of his techniques, but there's a reason why every animation lecturer I've had references it. There's also the 12 Principles of Animation, which I always forget... always. Oh, and I recommend watching videos of Glen Keane working, he's pretty amazing. 

 

You can learn as many techniques and tricks in Flash as you want, but if I'm brutally honest, that's not what makes your work good. It's a trap a lot of people fall in to.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Hansel

[Leafeon 2,701]

Don't do animation.

 

We ghetto kids animate with photoshop. So, just using flash saves a lot of time. A simple gif doesn't take me too long, but it does take longer then it should.

 

 

Anyways, as said above. If you have the option to take a course, take one. They are useful. Don't try to learn Flash on your own, like me.

 

I tried to learn how to use flash, but it doesn't like me. Any ideas on why? :C

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

I did a Flash Animation course during my time at Uni and got a HD (high distinction) So i feel somewhat qualified to pass on some advice 

 

Probably the best tip i can give someone is that when your animating, don't entirely work frame by frame. I found it a lot easier to set up 'key frames' every couple of seconds, depending on the scene, during important parts of the animation and work up to it. It made getting the right pose a lot easier for character based movement and also made timing everything together less frustrating.

 

I hope that makes sense, re-reading it myself it seems a little confusing but it's a little tricky to explain. People will often develop their own work flows when starting out in new software so it's sometimes for everyone.

 

The thing you'll need most is patients because good animation doesn't come easy, unfortunately  <_< Good luck!

[Hansel 1,511]

I did a Flash Animation course during my time at Uni and got a HD (high distinction) So i feel somewhat qualified to pass on some advice 

 

Probably the best tip i can give someone is that when your animating, don't entirely work frame by frame. I found it a lot easier to set up 'key frames' every couple of seconds, depending on the scene, during important parts of the animation and work up to it. It made getting the right pose a lot easier for character based movement and also made timing everything together less frustrating.

 

I hope that makes sense, re-reading it myself it seems a little confusing but it's a little tricky to explain. People will often develop their own work flows when starting out in new software so it's sometimes for everyone.

 

The thing you'll need most is patients because good animation doesn't come easy, unfortunately  <_< Good luck!

 

This is probably the most important thing ever. Straight-ahead animation makes your life Hell.

Perhaps visual aid might help. 

 

 

This is a basic walk cycle with the key poses for one step.

 

(Every time you reference work from Richard Williams, an animator gets a heard attack and dies. I regret nothing.)

 

Anyway, the main keyframes here would be the contact position at the start, the pass position (red one in the middle), and the contact at the end, which is just a reverse of the contact position at the start. Depending on how you work, you might get those done first, then fill in the down and up positions, and then fill all the bits in between with tween frames until you get something that looks a bit like this:

 

Edited February 16, 2013 by Hansel