Adobe Character Animator is full of endless opportunities to create and breathing whatever fine art created in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Graphic symbol Animator is one of the easier animation programs to utilise, every bit information technology combines live motion-capture with a multi-runway recording organization to command layered 2d puppets.

This footstep-past-step guide will walk you through the nuts of creating your own custom character using a blank template.

ane. Finding a Blank Template

The easiest way to create your kickoff custom character for Character Animator is to take advantage of the free Blank puppet template provided by Adobe. This template will allow you to layer custom grapheme artwork over the template using Photoshop.

The template ensures that all of the required naming conventions for Character Animator are in place, enabling your character to move without any custom configuration.

Become started by downloading and extracting theBlank graphic symbol from Adobe'southward website.

Adobe Character Animator templates

You tin can create your custom character from scratch; however, this requires some avant-garde knowledge of the Graphic symbol Animator requirements, such as required layer organisation and naming conventions.

2. Importing Your Puppet Into Character Animator

One time yous have your Bare character, it is time to get your new Character Animator project started.

  1. Open up Adobe Character Animator.
  2. Select New Project.
    Starting a New Project in Character Animator
  3. Select the location and name for your new projection, and then click Save.
  4. Select File > Import from the menu.
    Importing a Puppet into Character Animator
  5. Scan to the location of your extracted grapheme from Adobe. You volition see two files bachelor for import. Select the Blank (Photoshop).puppet file, and click Import.
    Selecting the Blank Puppet to Import into Character Animator
  6. At this point, if you wish to preview your puppet in a scene, select your Bare character, found nether Name to the left of your workspace.
  7. One time your puppet name is highlighted, select the Add to New Scene icon located simply below the Name window.
    Adding a Puppet to a Scene in Character Animator

At present that your template is imported and placed in a scene, information technology is a practiced time to familiarize yourself with the different functions bachelor in the template.

Check out the preconfigured draggers, and using your webcam, review the facial recognition features. Don't forget to make certain your camera and microphone settings are configured properly too.

three. Editing Your Boob's Appearance in Photoshop

Now, yous can make many different adjustments to your character while still taking reward of all the animations and functions that the template provides. Following the steps beneath, you will run into just how easy it is to customize your character.

  1. Select the Bare graphic symbol, found under theProper noun tab to the left of your workspace.
  2. Select Edit > Edit Original from the bill of fare. This volition open your boob in Adobe Photoshop.
    Selecting to Edit Your Puppet in Adobe Photoshop
  3. To replace a facial feature such every bit the olfactory organ, navigate to +Bare > Head > Olfactory organ in the Layers menu.
  4. With the Olfactory organ folder selected, click the Create a new layer icon.
    Navigating to the Nose Layer in Photoshop
  5. Plough off or delete the layer named [Replace] in the Nose folder.
  6. Highlight your newly created layer, and describe in the new nose using your tool of choice. In this example, we used the Circle tool with no fill and a blackness outline.
    Drawing a New Nose on Puppet in Photoshop
  7. To edit a feature, such as irresolute the color of the tongue for certain mouth positions, navigate to +Blank > Head > Mouth in the Layers window.
  8. By default, the Neutral oral fissure position volition be set to visible. Plough off the visibility for the Neutral position by selecting the visibility icon.
    Navigating to Mouth Layer in Photoshop
  9. Now, plow on the visibility of the Fifty layer. Then, highlight the L layer by clicking it once.
    Turning on Alternate Layer in Photoshop
  10. Select the Fill up bucket from your toolbox.
  11. Select the color you lot wish to change the tongue to, and and then clickOK.
  12. Click the natural language to fill up it in with the desired color.
    Changing the Puppets Tongue Color in Photoshop
  13. Select File > Relieve. Your changes will non show upwards until you save your work.
  14. Switch dorsum to Adobe Character Animator, and it volition automatically update. Your changes will now announced.
    Viewing Puppet Changes in Character Animator

As you can meet, the changes to this graphic symbol template tin can exist extensive. You tin definitely have some fun with this—add in funny teeth, new outfits, or big hairdos.

4. Editing Your Boob'due south Motion Range in Graphic symbol Animator

Now that you take made these changes to your new puppet, you may wish to adjust how its different features move. Fortunately, you lot can easily adapt your character's range of motion for dissimilar features.

The steps below volition guide you through adjusting your puppet's eyebrows. Past getting to know how to conform your graphic symbol's eyebrows, you'll exist able to easily arrange your graphic symbol's movements for other features as well.

  1. Open your graphic symbol in Character Animator.
  2. When in Record Manner, you will see a Backdrop window to the right.
    Record Mode in Character Animator
  3. Select the dropdown arrow next to Face to view all of the feature adjustments for your grapheme's face.
  4. Adjust Eyebrow Strength from 75 pct to 150 percent. Now, use your webcam and move your eyebrows upwards and down. You tin can see at 75 pct, the eyebrows remain on your puppet. Nevertheless, at 150 percent, they leap off the puppet's face up, creating an even more cartoonish wait.
    Eyebrow Adjustment in Character Animator
  5. Scan through each option to customize your boob equally y'all go. Another great aligning to endeavour is the Raised Eyebrow Tilt, which gives your puppet a more than expressive angry face up.

5. Adjusting Your Puppet's Triggers and Draggers

Triggers and draggers are what make your puppet come to life. Triggers are assigned motions that are "triggered" by hitting a selected central on your keyboard.

Draggers are points that are assigned to your boob, allowing you lot to click and elevate a specific torso part with your mouse, creating your desired move.

With the blank boob template, there are several triggers and draggers already in place. Post-obit the steps below, you will be able to review these settings and arrange them to fit your custom boob.

  1. In Character Animator, open your custom puppet in Rig Manner.
    Switching to Rig Mode in Character Animator
  2. To review the draggers that are already bachelor, select your puppet from the puppet card to the left of your character.
  3. To the right-mitt side, in the Properties window, you will see a Dragger dropdown. Select the arrow to show the draggers gear up up in your boob.
    Dragger Settings in Character Animator
  4. Hither, y'all can suit the range of motion of your dragger past selecting the Limit Range checkbox. Enter your preferred range in the box provided.
    Adjusting Dragger Range of Motion in Character Animator
  5. Adjust your dragger to Hold in place or to Return to residual in its original position, by using the After Movement dropdown. If you select Return to rest, you lot can also conform the duration before it returns to the resting position.
    Dragger After Move Settings in Character Animator
  6. Review and arrange your puppet's triggers through the Trigger window establish to the far left of your puppet. The blank puppet template has seven built-in triggers.
  7. The number at the starting time of the Trigger particular is the keyboard command to actuate information technology. To change this, only double-click the number and change it to the primal you want to use instead.
    Triggers in Character Animator
  8. Finally, to review which body parts the selected trigger impact, click the related Layers and Replays item found below the Triggers window.
    Reviewing Parts Related to Trigger in Character Animator

Adobe Graphic symbol Animator Offers Many Fun Options

Equally you have probably realized, Adobe Graphic symbol Animator has many dissimilar features and functions to dig into. If yous don't want to create your own character from scratch, using blank puppet templates or even taking advantage of other bachelor boob templates online tin accept yous producing custom animations in no time.

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