Animation in Photoshop

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.

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?

- Using custom brushes
- Customising the interface for animation
- Creating simple 2D animations using animation principles
- Exporting your work as GIFs or movies.

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.

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?

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. It is recommended that to get the best out of the course you have Photoshop installed on your own computer to enable you to 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.
We use Google Classroom E-learning platform which will store all tasks, notes and resources. You will be sent an email with the necessary information and will need to login into your Google classroom before each sessions starts.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no additional costs. It may be useful to bring a memory stick or portable hard drive – please note PC-formatted hard drives can be read by Apple Mac computers, but not written to. You will be advised on how to use a free online storage drive if this is preferable.
If you would like to buy art materials for your personal use outside of the course, City Lit students receive 10% discount off everything* from Cass Art, the UK's leading art supplies retailer. Your tutor will advise you on what you should buy. You will need to show your enrolment receipt in-store to receive your discount. Visit the Charing Cross shop at 13 Charing Cross Road WC2H 0EP or find your local shop at www.cassart.co.uk. *Terms and conditions apply, visit www.cassart.co.uk/students.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

City Lit offer a range of courses in 2D and 3D Animation, Adobe Animate, Adobe After Effects, Character animation, editing, sound, illustration, cartooning, storyboarding and adobe Photoshop to enhance your animation practice.