Animation in Photoshop
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
- Course Code: VO202
- Dates: 02/10/24 - 06/11/24
- Time: 18:00 - 21:00
- Taught: Wed, Evening
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Online
- Tutor: John Inch
Course Code: VO202
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This practical short course introduces you to the lesser-known animation tools in Adobe Photoshop. You will learn how to create ‘traditional’ 2D hand-drawn animation and make the most of Photoshop’s advanced brushes and image-editing capabilities to create work with a unique hand-made look. You will also learn about exporting your work as movies or as animated GIFs for uploading to social media or websites, and how to customise the Photoshop interface to help your workflow. The course will also cover the popular and wide ranging use of gifs and short animations on social media and the web.
To participate fully on this online course you will need to have Adobe Photoshop CC downloaded and functioning on your computer at the start of the course.
You can download a free 7 day trial from the Adobe website and may be eligible for a student discount.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- Introduction to Photoshop/ basic workflow/ creating a simple gif
- More in depth look at tools/ Animation principles/ rotoscoping
- Working with layers, advanced brush use
- Putting it all together/ exporting settings and next steps.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- understand the benefits of animating with Photoshop
- work with brushes and layers
- create simple 2D animations and understand basic animation principles
- understand the alternative approaches to animating in Photoshop
- output your finished animations as GIFs or videos for use in social media and the web.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is a short introductory course; you don't need to have any experience in animation but should have some experience of using layers in Photoshop. You'll also need some basic experience of using a computer, such as navigating through folders, and opening and saving files.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Learners will be expected to join and participate in activities posted on the shared Google Classroom. Full details of this will be provided on enrolment and a reminder email sent out 3 days before the course starts.
Through a range of techniques including short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, group and individual assistance and hand-outs. Please note we will be using Apple Mac computers. Homework can be set but is not compulsory. You will need to have Photoshop installed on your own computer to enable you to participate in this online class and practise techniques outside of the lessons. You can download a trial version of the program, and may qualify for a student license of the software at a reduced price. Please check the Adobe website: https://creative.adobe.com/plans?plan=edu to find out if you may be eligible.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will need to have Photoshop installed on your own computer to enable you to participate in this online class and practise techniques outside of the lessons. You can download a trial version of the program, and may qualify for a student license of the software at a reduced price. Please check the Adobe website: https://creative.adobe.com/plans?plan=edu to find out if you may be eligible.
• You will be taught using Zoom for the live sessions with your tutor. You will receive an email 2.5hrs before your session starts with details of the live session link. Please be aware you will need to check your email address associated with your account within this window.
• We use Google Classroom E-learning platform which will store all tasks/notes/resources/ demo videos You will need to login into our Google classroom before each sessions starts.
• You will require a good broadband connection as mobile data 3G/4G or a mobile dongle will not provide sufficient Bandwidth for live sessions.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
We offer a wide range of courses in digital, traditional and experimental animation courses as well as film making, editing and photoshop courses to enhance your practice. Alternatively feel free to contact the department on visual.arts@citylit.ac.uk to discuss options with our friendly subject specialists.
John studied Animation at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design (UCA Farnham). He specialises in 2D digital Animation and Motion Graphics using the Adobe Software packages Photoshop and After Effects. John has worked with clients such as the BBC, Framestore CFC, Egmont books, as well as independent businesses and community based start-ups. His work ranges from music videos, animated DVD menus, animated book trailers, Video Game art assets, Film Idents and digital Illustrations. He has worked in Visual Effects on high profile projects such as the movies Casino Royale and the Chronicles of Narnia 2 alongside creating his own independent animated films, which were showcased on Shortcutters television and the Bristol based DepictT! Encounters Short film festival. Always enthusiastic, patient and understanding, John is passionate about teaching software at a range of levels and aims to make his classes interesting and engaging, and equip students with the knowledge and potential to bring their own ideas to life!
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.