Cartoon Animation

#1

Hi Folks. I’m an illustrator and cartoonist. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at some animation for a long time. By animation I mean cartoon animation that tells a story (as opposed to logo or icon animation for example).

I understand there are lots of way to get there using various software, but i suspect some are more satisfying than others. I have access to pretty much the entire Adobe CC. Can anyone recommend the best program or combination of programs to get started?

I fully expect to start out simply (stick figures? Shapes?) but progress from there. Thanks!

#2

I depends on what kind of animation you’re proposing to do. Are you thinking of 3D or more traditional 2D flat animation?

For 3D there are tons of options, but expensive AutoDesk options, like Maya, would be good choices. There’s also Blender, which is free.

If you’re restricting this to Adobe CC, you’re mostly limited to more 2D animation, which I’m guessing is what you have in mind anyway. For that, After Effect is the obvious choice or, perhaps, Adobe Animate. You might even find a use for Premiere, although that’s primarily used for working with camera-shot video. And, of course, there’s Photoshop, which isn’t really animation software, but it’s difficult to do anything with raster images without involving it at some level.

#3

For animating cartoons, Adobe animate is pretty amazing. You can even map the face to yours and animate expressions, simply by making them yourself using your device’s camera. Have a look into it. I did a quick animation test with it and it is amazingly intuitive, using puppet warping.

#4

Thanks, Just-B. Sorry for the late response. I asked my question and then life happened. Appreciate the info very much. Yes, I am primarily interested in 2D animation at this point. Will look into the options you mention. Thanks again!

#5

Thanks Sprout! Sorry it’s taken me so long to acknowledge your feedback. I’ve been a cartoonist and illustrator forever. But no real experience in animation but it’s always been on my list. I’ll look into Adobe Animate and After Effects.

#6