ANIMATION
Computer animation refers to the process of generating digital moving images, the kind you see in many modern Disney films and video games. But you can also create computer animation for smaller projects. Understand what digital animation is, how it works, and its history, then pick up some useful tips and techniques along the way.
Traditional animation, where each frame is drawn by hand, was the main method used until digital animation arrived. It's still used today, but mainly for 2D animation. Computer animation is now widely used across films, video games, simulations, adverts and scientific visualisations. It also sits alongside computer animation and visual effects (VFX) work on modern film sets, where animated elements are blended with live-action footage.
Computer cartoons are one of the most common uses of all: cartoons made with digital animation rather than hand-drawn cel work, from network TV shows to the online series that followed shortly after, like the digital cut-out episodes of South Park covered below.
The first fully computer-animated feature-length film was Toy Story, developed by Pixar and released by Disney. Twenty-seven animators worked on the film, using 400 computer models to animate the characters. It was such a success it's gone on to spawn three sequels so far.
After the release of Antz three years earlier, DreamWorks followed up with their second full-feature-length computer-animated film, Shrek. It featured 36 separate in-film locations, which DreamWorks claimed was a record for a computer-animated film at the time. A box office smash, it went on to spawn three sequels and various spin-offs.
The early 2000s saw an influx of computer-animated films, and Ice Age challenged Disney/Pixar and DreamWorks' dominance. Produced by Blue Sky Studios, it starred a range of animals never previously animated on film (sloth, woolly mammoth, sabre-tooth tiger), making realistic yet engaging movement a real challenge. A huge success, it also spawned several sequels.
This Hollywood blockbuster combined motion capture and traditional computer animation over seven years of development, involving Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Nickelodeon Films. The unique style created the vintage atmosphere director Steven Spielberg was after.
Digital animation comprises a range of different computer animation techniques, giving near-endless opportunities to bring static designs to life.
Digital cut-out animation. Traditional cut-out animation uses puppets cut out of paper or card and animated frame by frame, like the original episodes of South Park. With digital cut-out animation, these puppets still exist but are designed and moved digitally, saving time.
Paperless animation. This follows a similar process to traditional animation without the need for physical paper: you hand-draw characters, backgrounds and frames directly on an electronic drawing tablet that transfers the images to your computer for you to animate digitally.
3D computer animation. First, you create a 3D character, model or object and build a virtual skeleton for it. From there, you can animate it like a puppet, moving points of the skeleton in a way similar to 2D animation, but for more realistic results.
Motion capture. To get realistic movements of people, animals and some objects, motion capture is commonly used in films and TV shows. Usually, an actor's performance is recorded and the information applied to an animated 2D or 3D character, so their movements are accurate.
Motion graphics. Famous as part of film intro sequences as early as the 1960s, such as West Side Story, motion graphics animate shapes and text to help tell a story, often combined with atmospheric music.
Typography animation. Similar to motion graphics but applied solely to words. Visual effects applied to text can have a more dramatic impact, whether conveying stats in an educational video or presenting film credits.
Stop motion animation. The Clangers and Wallace and Gromit are prime examples of traditional stop motion, built from constant photographs and small movements. Modern, digital stop motion has helped make the process faster, combining real models with contemporary techniques.
Adobe Firefly's generative AI tools give animators another way to turn an idea into a moving clip, without a virtual skeleton or a single keyframe by hand.
Bring a character or scene to life with the AI animation generator. It's a quick way to see an idea in motion before refining it further.
Generate a few different looks for the same character or scene with Text to Image, before investing time rigging or modelling it properly.
Already have a character design or reference image? Image to Video can bring it to life directly, without building a skeleton from scratch.
Export what you generate and bring it straight into Adobe Animate, Character Animator, Premiere or After Effects to refine, add sound and finish the piece the way you always have.
To make a computer animation with Adobe Animate:
1. Open Adobe Animate and click Create New on the left-hand side.
2. Choose the type of animation you want to create, and enter its size, frame rate and platform type. You can right-click the stage once you start animating to change these if needed.
3. Use the toolbar on the left to start making your creation, adding pins, changing the size and more.
4. Use the properties panel to edit what you create and intend to animate, with a range of options.
5. In the library panel, add previous assets, such as an image you've already created.
6. Once your starting image is ready, create frames and a key frame, then add animation to your image.
7. When you're done, save and publish your animation on your chosen platform.
To use Adobe Character Animator for computer animation:
1. Create your character: select a template puppet, customise one with Puppet Maker, or make your own using Characteriser.
2. Use your webcam, microphone and mouse to animate your character. Enable both the camera and body tracker input, then click Calibrate.
3. Move your head, change your facial expression and wave your arms to track your movements.
4. Adjust the behaviour parameters of your character to customise how they move and react.
5. Record the scene and export it in a variety of ways for playback, or stream a scene live.
Discover how AI animation generators work, and what they mean for animators.
Explore how AI is changing motion graphics, from concepting to final animation.
Discover the simplest form of animation, and how it still shapes the craft today.
Learn how storyboards shape animation production, from sketch to final shot.
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