Creating Animated Characters in After Effects

Introduction
Welcome 01m 17s
Using the exercise files 00m 32s

1. Designing Characters
Creating characters in Illustrator 05m 51s
Creating characters in Photoshop 07m 09s
Designing joints 03m 40s
Drawing mouths 02m 12s
Drawing hands and eyelids 02m 48s
Importing Illustrator files into After Effects 03m 26s
Importing Photoshop files into After Effects 02m 09s

2. Drawing Characters in After Effects
Drawing in After Effects 03m 57s
Copying paths from Illustrator 02m 19s
Animating shapes 01m 35s

3. Assembling Characters Using Hierarchies
Understanding how layer hierarchies work 03m 58s
Understanding the importance of the pivot point 05m 42s
Assembling the upper body 04m 47s
Creating leg hierarchies for efficient walks 04m 27s
Organizing scenes with null layers 02m 15s

4. Working with the Puppet Tool
Adding puppet pins to a character 06m 51s
Controlling mesh density 02m 15s
Creating overlap pins 04m 43s
Creating starch pins 03m 01s
Using the Puppet tool with hierarchies 05m 36s

5. Replacement Animation
Replacement animation using time remapping 06m 47s
Mouth replacement 06m 06s
Creating blinks 06m 14s

6. Automating Head Turns
Creating a head turn: Head shape 06m 45s
Creating a head turn: Ears 08m 07s
Creating a head turn: Facial features 06m 41s
Creating a head turn: Hair shape 05m 50s

7. Automating Character Rigs with Expressions
The basics of expressions: Controlling the wrist 05m 20s
Moving hands from front to back with expressions 09m 02s
Using expressions to control pupils 07m 44s
Creating a master control node with Expression Controls 06m 30s
Creating blinks that move with a head turn 09m 28s
Controlling blinks using opacity 06m 34s
Attaching mouth shapes to a slider 03m 39s
Creating mouths that move with a head turn 08m 31s
Working with absolute values 06m 12s

8. Advanced Puppet Tool Rigging
Setting up null objects as bones 05m 39s
Attaching puppet pins to bones 04m 57s
Strategies for parenting legs and feet 03m 52s

9. Animating a Scene
Setting up a scene for animation 06m 03s
Blocking out the shot 11m 00s
Animating dialogue 05m 39s
Animating blinks 05m 50s

Conclusion
Goodbye 00m 18s