Introduction

In this lesson I learned about creating an animation reference in After Effects and using it to create a looping animation. Last lesson was about character model sheets – these are reference drawings of a character on one sheet which are used in animation to keep the character looking consistent between each frame or shot.

The Ideal Animation Workflow

Here is an example workflow for animating using After Effects and Photoshop:

• Character Model Sheet – Establishing the design of a character for reference.

• Animation Reference – Creating a simplified version of the animation in After Effects by using motion graphics tools.

• Frame by Frame Animation – Animating in Photoshop frame by frame on top of the After Effects reference.

• Post Production – Editing, VFX and adding sound.