Let's create Basic Character Animation
in Adobe Illustrator in easy 5 steps
by Jose Luis Gonzalez
1. design your model
Draw your character simple, remember it must
be easy to edit because frame by frame
animation need 12-30 draws per second
(internet animation just need 10-12 uff!)
2. cUT in to pieces
After finish your character draw break apart
its components pieces, selecting and group
(Ctrl+G) each part (head, body, arms, legs
and so forth). This parts will be reassembled
late.
(Free Transform Tool)
3. move it
Back this groups together again and use your
Free Transform Tool (E) to manipulate and
put the parts in different positions and
orientations. For example, using the arrange
option send back or front one arm to obtain
effects of distance.
4. USE LAYERS
Finished the pose of your model, open your
Layers Panel (F7) and duplicate this layer
to edit your next move. Modify the last pose
creating a soft change in the way your
animation works.
Use layers like frames duplicating the last
one and editing many times as you need.
5. export
Great work, the last step is export your design
like vectorial animation format.
Then click File/Export... and select
Macromedia Flash (SWF) , set the options to
export your layers like SWF frames, put 12
in the fps box (frames per second) and 10 for
curve quality (best graphics).
If you want to edit or insert actionscript in your
animation place this file in Flash.
That's all, Congratulations ;)