Import Psd Character to Crazytalk Animator 3
As a graphic designer, you may be very familiar with working in Adobe Photoshop. But Photoshop, though very powerful, isn't good for everything—just try to animate something more advanced than a bouncing ball! Luckily, there are other programs you can use to animate a character created direct in Photoshop, and so that you can blueprint in the software meant for designing, and animate in the software meant for animating.
In this tutorial I volition show you how to utilize such a program, CrazyTalk Animator three, to animate a graphic symbol created in Photoshop. I'll teach you how to fix the character for editing, how to add the basic, how to import it to CrazyTalk Animator, and then how to animate its trunk and facial features—with both uncomplicated and avant-garde techniques.
one. How to Create a Character for Animation
This part is optional. You don't need to follow me straight; you tin can create whatever other character or use one yous've created earlier. But make sure it's layered like mine.
A character is the easiest to animate if it's fabricated of simple shapes. In Photoshop they tin be created as Shapes with the Pen Tool. It'southward non hard to utilise this tool, simply if yous want to larn about information technology, try our super short grade How to Apply the Pen Tool and Paths in Adobe Photoshop. We as well have an older tutorial with a peachy exercise that will help yous grasp the tool in no time:
If you have Photoshop CC, you tin can too use the more intuitive Curvature Pen Tool.
Make certain you use the Pen Tool in Shape mode. This will colour the paths automatically, and you'll be able to alter the colors anytime past double clicking the thumbnail.
Step 1
Start with a body. It shouldn't be completely oval; try to make the front slightly smaller. Apply #acb6b8 to color it. You don't need to copy my shape perfectly—only make sure it'southward smooth and round.
Step 2
Create the front leg and the hand separately (on dissimilar layers). Use the aforementioned color to blend the leg nicely with the torso. This will assist u.s. hide whatever potential inconsistencies in the movement.
Step three
Copy the leg with the paw, and place them behind the other layers. Modify their color to #919a9c.
Step iv
Create two other legs the aforementioned way.
Step 5
Create the tail with a elementary oval. Color it with #919a9c.
Step 6
Add the head. Colour it with #c1cdcf.
Step seven
Add ii ellipses for the patches around the eyes. Utilize the color of the trunk for them.
Stride 8
Add the eyes: a black circumvolve, a white oval for the shine, and a dark gray shape in the bottom for the reflection. Keep the eyes on dissever layers.
Stride ix
Create the mouth out of three circles: two of them colored similar the trunk, and one colored like the legs in the background.
Footstep 10
Add together a simple ellipse for the nose. Color information technology with #ff7dd1.
Pace xi
Add the ears. Color them like the torso.
Step 12
We've created all the body parts, but the face is just as important every bit the legs or tail. Y'all can add some variations of the optics and mouth to achieve various facial expressions you lot can use subsequently in the animation. Proceed them all in the aforementioned place, and then y'all tin can change the expression simply by showing/hiding the layers.
Step 13
These are all my layers. The basic ones are:
- Front right leg
- Front end right paw
- Back correct leg
- Dorsum correct paw
- Tail
- Torso
- Front left leg
- Front end left manus
- Back left leg
- Back left mitt
- Head
If you want to animate the body only, merge the eyes and mouth with the head (you can merge the ears equally well). If you'd similar to breathing the face up as well, yous'll demand more layers:
- Left eye normal
- Correct eye normal
- Left eye airtight
- Right eye closed
- Left eye grinning
- Correct middle grinning
- Left center scared
- Correct middle scared
- Rima oris normal
- Oral fissure open
- Rima oris surprised
- Mouth smile
- Oral fissure teeth
- Correct ear
- Left ear
2. How to Add Basic to a Character in Photoshop
To breathing our character, we demand to assign a "os" to each body office. All the bones will create a "skeleton" together, assuasive y'all to create a fluid, realistic animation. You can easily add the basic directly in Photoshop past using a special template for quadruped motion.
Stride 1
Download the templates pack and go to 01_Templates > Quadruped Template to open the template in Photoshop.
Footstep 2
We need to bring the template into the file with our graphic symbol. To do this, make both windows visible, select all layers in the template, and drag them over the graphic symbol window.
Stride 3
With the layers still selected, use the Free Transform Tool (Control-T) to resize the skeleton to fit the character roughly.
Step 4
The template file contains four types of elements:
- Images: the parts of blitheness that nosotros can see.
- Bones: the parts of animation that direct the motion of the images, though they are non visible during the animation.
- Labels: they aid us assign the bones to the correct images.
- Pivot: it defines the ground level.
First, we need to supervene upon the template images with our own, office by part. Open the RL_Image group, and then open a binder inside information technology, and delete its content.
Supervene upon it with a torso part of your character.
Do this with all the folders await the Neck (which we don't take), and, if yous want to create facial animations afterward, also the Head. The ears can exist blithe as a office of the body, just in the example of a forward-facing true cat we don't want them to move too much, so exclude them also.
Pace 5
The images for facial expressions should exist prepared the aforementioned way, except they have their ain folders inside the RL_TalkingHead > HeadImage group. Place the "normal" optics in the Iris group, and the others in the EyeWhite grouping.
Step six
The images are ready, so nosotros can add the bones at present. Basic volition be created automatically in CrazyTalk Animator; you just demand to tell the programme where the joints are. Y'all can use the template as a reference to meet where the dog has its joints and how they apply to your character.
Open the RL_Bone_Quadruped group. Each body part has its own folder containing the joints' marks. To identify the marks correctly, you lot can hibernate the other images while working on one. Start with the tail: place the marks along it, staying away from the borders of the shape. These marks volition be the points of bending.
Footstep vii
Show one of the hind paws now and notice its corresponding binder with joints. Identify the Foot_Nub mark well-nigh at the tip of the pes, and the Foot mark in the eye.
Step 8
Prove the rest of the leg, and add together the other joints: Shank for the heel, Thigh for the articulatio genus, and UpThigh for the hip.
Pace 9
Add joints to the other leg of the pair as well.
Step 10
Come up to the legs in the forepart at present. Hither,Shank is the wrist, Thigh is the elbow, and UpThigh is the shoulder (the names come up from the template for a man character; that's why they're a little disruptive when you're creating a cat!).
Step 11
Finish the other leg the aforementioned mode.
Footstep 12
Open up the Torso folder to assign the joints for the hip and the spine.
Step 13
My character doesn't really have a visible neck, just we withal demand to prove where it is.
Footstep fourteen
If you want the ears to motility equally a office of the body, add basic to them too.
Step 15
If you desire to animate the facial features, go to RL_TalkingHead and open the HeadBone folder. Identify the marks on the corresponding facial features.
Pace 16
Finally, place the ObjectPivot straight under the paws of your character (you'll find information technology in the RL_Bone_Quadruped group) and accept a final look at the whole skeleton. You can run across information technology as a complete structure at present, and so information technology should be easier to see if something's not placed right. If yous spot any mistake, just go to the group and shift the mark to the correct place.
3. How to Import a Grapheme Into CrazyTalk Animator
Step 1
Once the character is done and saved, open CrazyTalk Animator and click Create G3 Costless Bone Role player.
Your character will be transferred into the program and shown automatically in Composer Mode. You can see how the bones have been created between the joints you lot've assigned in Photoshop. The ears don't accept real bones considering I've made them a part of the head to finish them from moving (if you want them to move, merely place them in their binder in the RL_Image group).
Pace 2
In Composer Style, yous can play a bit with the character to come across if it's gear up for blitheness. For example, y'all can click Preview to test the joints.
Step 3
If you click Edit Pose, you'll be able to suit the character.
For example, yous can movement the whole torso role along with its basic, if you lot've discovered a fault...
... or yous tin open up the Bones Editor to move the bones separately.
Step 4
If these options are non enough for you lot, and you desire to change something more comfortably in Photoshop, just click Launch to External PSD Editor. Or you lot tin merely open your file once again, modify it, and import one more time.
Pace 5
You can find that some of the layers have been messed up in the process of assigning the bones. We can fix information technology now. Simply go to the Layer Manager...
... and drag the layers where you want them to be. I've placed the ears over the confront, and the front right leg and mitt above the head.
Stride half dozen
When you're ready to outset animating, just exit Composer Style past clicking Back stage.
4. How to Add a Unproblematic Animation to Your Character
Footstep 1
One time yous have the graphic symbol washed, it's very easy to animate it! First, open theWindow > Timeline editor.
Pace ii
Click Motion to come across a typical timeline under your grapheme.
Step 3
CrazyTalk Animator has a set of sample animations that you lot can utilise right off the bat. Simply get to Content Manager...
... open up theAnimation tab...
... get to Motion...
... and go through the folders: G3 Animals...
... Cats...
... Move...
... until yous get to the list of the available motions. At that place are many types of motions. Hither, for example, you accept a starting motion (1S), a loop motion (2L), and an ending movement (3E). Y'all can use all of them to create a fluid move.
To add the animation, simply select your character and double click the move. For a simple walking animation, add together one Walk(1S), 2 Walk(2L), and 1 Walk(3E).
Step four
To play the animation, you lot can use the uncomplicated controls right over the timeline. To establish the start and the end of the animation, drag the red markers.
It's walking!
If yous want more ready-made motions like this, yous tin can detect them in theG3-Animals: Cats pack.
5. How to Create a Custom Blitheness
The set up-made motions are universal, designed for the bones but not for the images, so sometimes they may not fit your grapheme completely. For instance, the Sit and Lick motion wasn't designed for a forward-facing character like mine. But it'southward not a trouble—we tin can create such an animation (and many, many more) by ourselves!
Stride ane
Open the2D Motion Key Editor.
Step ii
Move the marker over the frame where yous desire your motion to happen.
Step 3
Apply your changes. Movement and rotate the bones to position your character.
If y'all play the animation now, you'll run across the character alter its position gradually from the first frame.
Step 4
So our kitten sits down. Now nosotros want it to movement its mitt up and lick it. Equally y'all've just noticed, the animation happens betwixt the keyframes—the ones where something was changed (equally indicated by a dot on the timeline). If y'all want your graphic symbol to stay in the pose for a while before getting animated towards another change, just add a keyframe manually by pressing 5.
Step v
Move the mark to the frame where you want another motility to cease.
Step 6
Position the basic again as you lot like.
Step 7
Play the animation to run into the results! Remember: if something happens too fast or too slow, you can always drag the keyframes to change the intervals between them.
6. How to Breathing Facial Expressions
Now you know how to animate the body, but what virtually the face? Information technology's non then difficult either!
Pace one
Add a keyframe where you desire your move to outset.
Stride two
Open up the Confront Puppet editor.
Step iii
Select the cat as the Confront Blitheness Profile.
Step 4
Click Preview and motility your cursor to the heart of your grapheme's face. Press Space and move the cursor effectually to see the kitten expect at information technology!
Step v
There are various default facial expressions available, and their effect will depend on the avails you lot've used. I've discovered that the "angry" expression is actually pretty proficient for licking, if I move the cursor to the left, and chop-chop up and down!
You tin can make the character blink by clicking the left mouse button during the preview. This is going to be useful!
Step vi
Exercise for a while with the preview until you are sure you know how to move the head to attain the effect y'all want. Then click Record and press Infinite or Enter to record the motion. Press Space again to cease.
Looking adept!
Step 7
After the animation of licking stops, I'd like the kitten to motility its paw to the basis again. To do this, place a keyframe afterwards the animation.
Step 8
Place the marker some distance from this keyframe...
... and position the character again.
Step 9
Afterward the animation is complete, I'd like the kitten to tilt its head and smile. The first function can be done with the2nd Movement Key Editor...
... and the other with the Sprite Editor.
Step 10
With the marker in the proper frame, select the chemical element of the face up you want to modify and then select the prototype you want to supersede information technology with.
It's grinning!
Footstep 11
To finish the blitheness, you can add another keyframe after, with the facial features back to normal.
7. How to Finish the Animation
Simply what if you want to add some blitheness at the start, where there are too few frames to add anything? No problem! Let's simply add together more frames.
Footstep 1
Make sure you lot have the Project on your listing.
Step 2
Click Collect Clip.
Step 3
Click Insert Frame.
Step 4
Type the number of frames you lot desire to add together. Don't be afraid to add too many; it's easy to remove the empty ones.
Step 5
The frames have been added! I've decided to fill up them with a walking animation.
Pace 6
Brand sure your 2 animations both have enough space on the timeline, and that they run into at the correct moment.
Pace vii
The kitten is walking in place for at present, simply information technology can be fixed. Just go to the first frame and move the character outside of the scene.
The motion speed volition exist adapted to the distance automatically.
Step 8
I've added more frames between the walking and licking animations to get in all slower. My kitten will now blink cutely and motion its tail as well.
Step 9
When your animation is finished and gear up to be shown to the world, get to Render > Render Video.
Footstep 10
Adjust the options to your liking. Make sure the Range of frames is correct!
Good Chore!
My kitten is walking, smiling, and licking its paw! And how nigh your character? I'd love to see your event, so don't be agape to share information technology in the comments!
Import Psd Character to Crazytalk Animator 3
Source: https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-an-animated-character-with-photoshop-and-crazytalk-animator-3--cms-30056
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