Very good overview of video construction techniques with cartoon animator five. Thank you for posting this. I appreciate the emphasis on substituting sprites to get the job done.
I love your cartoons Garry! This one is also a good example of how much you/we can bring out from your characters with CTA5! Beyond the story, I especially like the dynamism of the actors in this animation.
Thanks for the compliment. I have been really trying to focus more on character animation and really bringing actors to life in a more realistic and believable way. CTA gives us all the tools. We just need to use them!
Extremely well made, Garry. Great story line. I love the fact that there is no dialogue - just sounds. A superb example of what is possible in 2D animation.
Thank you sir. As a big fan of characters like Wile E. Coyote and Mr Bean, Ive always found that you can get plenty of expression from a character without any need for dialogue. And sometimes the lack of taking makes you think harder about to get your message across.
Must've been playing fetch a bit too close to a quarry or ammunitions shed 😉 I love all your use of FFD to really stretch the character movements. I should try to do that in my own work a bit more too.
Between you and me, when Cartoon Animator 5 first introduced Free Form Deformation, I couldnt see a great use for it. I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. Now I realise, Free Form Deformation is the icing on the cake when it comes to animation. It gives us that nice squash and stretch on top of your animation that prevents your actors and props looking like a flat cut-out puppet and more like traditional hand drawn animation. Thanks for watching!
I know you are very well versed is this software. For a beginner with no knowledge of this program what would be the first steps and videos to watch? On a side note how long did this video take you to make. Was it from scratch or were some of the characters premade? Also I liked it a lot probably should have led with that.
Hey Jason. Thanks for your message. Glad you liked my video. Let me answer your questions- 1) "For a beginner with no knowledge of this program what would be the first steps and videos to watch?" The very first step is to join the Cartoon Animator Users Facebook Group (be sure to answer the 3 questions when entering). We currently have over 5,000 CTA users, illustrators, animators and developers on hand who will answer any and all questions for you. It is the best resource for Cartoon Animator that you have. There are also plenty of free webinars, tutorials and courses you can access online from Reallusions website and RU-vid channel. Then, if you want to really speed up your learning curve for CTA, I also offer a Private Coaching session where I can teach you exactly what you want to learn at the pace you want to learn. 2) "how long did this video take you to make." I completed this animation in 2 weeks. Not really full time, but working a lot of hours to get it done. But the characters were already designed and rigged which saved me a lot of time. 3) "Was it from scratch or were some of the characters premade?" Both of the characters and the UFO were premade. I made everything in this animation myself. And it is all for sale if you are interested in using it yourself. If you have any questions, come visit my Facebook page (Garry Pye Cartoon Animator) and come say hi!
This animation was made using the 2D animation software Cartoon Animator by Reallusion. It has a free trial version, is well priced and the best part is, it is fast, fun and easy to use. Should you decide to go with Cartoon Animator, be sure to join the Cartoon Animator Users Facebook group, where we have over 5,000 CArtoon Animator users who are on hand to help you learn. When you join, come say hi!
@@GarryPye Thanks for your response. You say well-priced? I think it's quite expensive and you only get the small updates. For major upgrades, you have to purchase it again after a while. Can you also create AI voiceovers in the app that sound human? Or do you have to import the audio files from another app? I don't have FB at the moment.
@@ProfitCatalystSynergy I guess whether an item is expensive or not is completely subjective and depends on the individuals financial situation, so it is impossible to argue or agree on that. WHat is expensive for one person would be considered cheap for another. I was simply comparing Cartoon Animators price to other 2D animation software in the field and by compariosn I believe it is very affordable. What I can dispute is when you say you "only get the small updates". When you purchase a new version of CTA, you get any and all updates until the release of the new version for free. And if you think the updates have been small, then you havent spent time with Mtoion Pilot which is a huge leap forward in 2D animation, and I wouldve gladly paid for it, but we got it for free. You are also incorrect when you say "For major upgrades, you have ti purchase it again". Youre not purchasing it again as the exact same software. You are purchasing a bigger, better, more advanced version with all new features. And then you'll also get all the extra feature updates for free until the next full version release. So I guess its all about how you frame it. Obviously, since I use and enjoy the software, I am going to put a positive spin on it. But its easy to put a negative spin on anything if thats your end goal. No, you cannot create AI voiceovers directly inside CTA. It is animation software, not audio generating software. But you can easily import any audio or voices you want and lip synch them to your characters. In conclusion, I never expect that Cartoon Animator is for everyone, and if people choose other software for their own personal reasons, I totally get that. Just like I chose Cartoon Animator, there are plenty of options out there to suit the needs of everyone. The reason I choose Cartoon Animator is because it is fast, fun and easy to learn.
@@GarryPye I guess you're right. We are from S.A. and the currency is quite weak compared to the USD. That is about the price for a small house's rental. Or your entire month's groceries including cleaning materials/ detergents. Does this software do 3D animation too? I would love to try it out some time soon. I am looking for a tool that can easily create 10-minute cartoon videos for my one RU-vid channel.
@@ProfitCatalystSynergy Between you and me, the one argument I refuse to get in to with people online is price, simply because, as I know you understand, we all have a different idea of what that means. Im from Australia, and by comparison to the American dollar, we are not that strong either, so buying something in US dollars can be sometimes difficult. So if you decide to go with CTA, you need to make sure it is the right software for you, as for you it is a considerable investment. The best thing I would suggest is that you download the free trial version first. That will make sure you buy the right product for your needs. CTA does not do 3D animation. Only 2D. The same company, Reallusion, also produces amazing 3D software called iClone. If you are looking for an animation tool that can easily produce videos for your RU-vid channel, I can say with confidence that CTA can do that. Ive been using the software for over 10 years and it is fast, fun and easy. I wish you the best of luck.
While this is one of the better examples....so far, everything I've seen made with CA has more in common with advanced motion graphics than good character animation.
@@GarryPye You misunderstood. I own the software and am starting to use it for real work. It wasn't a back handed anything. Searching around the internet for examples, your's were much better than most of the others I found. At the time of purchase I didn't realize it does not have some basic features that other programs have, but also has great things that others don't.. I also purchased iClone 8 and CC 4 and plan on using all three for projects. Sorry you chose to be negative about it all. I'm not going anywhere.
Because I misunderstood your comment, I removed the last two messages we shared. You misunderstood. Its great that you plan on using Cartoon Animator to create projects and I look forward to you sharing what you create!
Thats impossible to answer, as it depends on what you call an important resource Heres the best I can indicate. If someone had just purchased Cartoon Animator and was asking what add-ons and content they should buy to go with it, my answer would be to stock up on some premade motion packs to start with because they will speed up your learning curve and make animating easier. In particular I recommend the Cartoons Moves pack which is my 'go to' pack for walk and run cycles. Then I would learn how to use the software properly and start to figure out whether you want to make your own content or purchase premade content from the Content Store and Marketplace. If you want to make your own content, then there is really nothing else you need to buy. You can do it all yourself.
why do all the animations in this program all look the same? short was good but I hate that they all look like fake game ads. If it's just that the time wasn't taken to make the joints look realistic and physics less bouncy then that's fine. But is this a limitation of the program?
All of my animation probably look the same because I am a solo animator, so im the only one doing all the work here. From character design , to rigging, to animating and even editing. Its all done by just one person. Thats the beauty of Cartoon Animator. Anyone interested in 2D animation no longer requires a large budget or team of animators and artists. It can all be done by an individual. The physics in this animation are bouncy because thats was my vision. Also, the characters rubbery, spaghetti-like limb design is intentional on my part. However, you will also find characters I have created with Cartoon Animator that more realistic limb motion. Again, it is the beauty of Cartoon Animator that individual designers can create custom characters with any look and style. Glad you think the short was good. I have no idea what you mean by "fake game ad", but assume it was an insult of some kind. Feel free to expalin when you get the time.
@@GarryPye I don't mean just your animations but everything made in CA5 looks the same. That's the problem I've seen no individuality out of CA5 aside from assets from any works made in the program. No! Not an insult by any means. I am genuinely curious if all the issues I mentioned are due to limitations of the program. The reason I said fake game ad is because all of the fake game ads on social media use animations that look like everything I've seen done in CA5. No hate, just observations.
@@Ricolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I make all my own content. If you feel my content and animations look the same as everyone elese, I would disagree but you are entitled to your opinion. Sorry, I have no idea what a fake game ad is. But I can assure you 100% that the only limitations of Cartoon Animator are the skills of the animator using it.
@@GarryPye I've looked at a few of them side by side. Yours is the best I've seen by far but it still has the unrealistic joint bends and what appears to be the same physics. If that's what you were going for then that's great. That's what I was specifically referring to. Other programs like Toon Boom, Moho etc. don't have this limitation. If it is in fact a limitation of the software. I have to assume it is, unless I can find projects made with CA5 not displaying the same issues. I asked because I was interested in potentially purchasing it and incorporating it into my workflow depending on the use case.
