Beginning Animation

1.) Storyboard and Script


  • Draw a storyboard in Photoshop
  • Write a script for your dialogue

2.) Photoshop Backgrounds

  • Create the backgrounds for your movie
  • Use different points of view
  • Practice fill bucket, brush, layers, selection, filters

3.) Flash Character Design and Animation Cycle

  • Create a new character from a skeleton
  • Turn your character into a frame in an animated cycle
  • Turn the cycle into a movie clip

4.) Character Layers and Background Layers

  • Make PNG backgrounds, import into Flash
  • Put your background and character in the same movie
  • Use different layers for each character and background.
  • Change Scene for each new background

5.) Animation

  • Frame by Frame
  • Movie Clips
  • Tweens

6.) Editing in Photoshop

  • Go back to Photoshop to clean-up or improve existing backgrounds
  • Create a title card for your movie

7.) Open Studio

  • Continue or complete previous lessons to complete your movie

Sound Recording can begin any time after Lesson 1.
Sound Mixing can begin any time after Lesson 4.