Whether you’re looking to improve your business web traffic or to just reminisce about your favorite childhood cartoons, animation is likely an area of interest for you. But have you ever thought about making an animated video for yourself?
If the answer to this question is ‘yes,’ you’re in luck. Here, we’re going to take an in-depth look at how to make a cartoon of your own. Read on for a short but sweet step-by-step guide.
Have a Story and Script
The first step towards making a good animated film is having a good story. No matter how awesome the animation and effect are, people won’t want to watch it if they aren’t invested.
After you have a good story idea, bring the characters and situations to life with a script. This will give you an idea of what your characters are like so that you can give them appropriate character designs. You also can see the story in action and approve of/alter it.
Create Character Designs
Next, you’ll need to sit down and create concept art for your film. Draw the characters by hand or create them in your favorite online animation software. This will let you breathe even more life into your characters and round them out so that you get to know them.
Storyboards and Animatics
Storyboarding is when you draw out different important scenes in your film so that you can figure out its continuity. You will be able to see the story and animation styles visually. The storyboard is also something that you can present to others for feedback since it’s a full tale.
You then can animate your storyboard in your online animation software. Just make sure that you get the timing right to convey the appropriate story beats. A professional can help you with this if you don’t feel comfortable doing it on your own.
Animate Your Video
The next part of making an animated video is… actually making it.
The six main steps of animation are:
- Reference video shooting
- Key posing for your characters
- Blocking out your images
- Splining (for 3D animation)
- Smoothing out the movements
- Adding life through editing
Make sure that you work carefully to create a visually appealing animation. It needs to be even, smooth, and never choppy.
Incorporate Your Voices
Finally, once you have a video, you’ll need to create audio to go with it. This means hiring a voice actor to do a voiceover. You can then insert this audio file, complete with background music, into your completed animation.
You’re going to need an expert voice acting agency to work with you on this. Go check them out for more information about audio for cartoons!
Make a Cartoon (and Make It Awesome)
Now that you know how to make a cartoon, it’s time to learn more about the software needed to make it move. Check out the ‘technology’ tab on our home page for tips on how to use animation tech.
You’ll find articles about the applications that you can download to your computer. You’ll also learn how to store images and videos that you’ve already created so that you can edit them together. Start browsing ASAP!
