About This Class
In this class, I’ll be teaching you how to create a morphing frame by frame animation. We’ll be choosing a shape, a form or a character to morph into another. To demonstrate the process, I’ll be using a software called Gimp because it’s free, open-source, and easy to use! Though, feel free to use whatever software you’re most comfortable with, like Photoshop or Krita for example.
So what’s a frame by frame animation?
Consider a flip book: have you ever tried doodling on the edges of a notebook? What happens if you flip through these pages? An animation is seen!
In Gimp, layers are like the pages of a notebook. If you draw an illustration on each layer, that’s like making a flip book. And there you go — you’ve got a GIF!
In this class, I’ll be teaching you three ways of making key frames for your morphing animation:
- A 2D Digital Illustration Technique
- A 2D Traditional Illustration Technique
- And a Stop Motion Technique
For the 2D digital technique, we’ll be drawing frames directly into Gimp. For the other two, I’ll walk you through the process of importing a sequence of illustrations or photos into Gimp to then be transformed into a GIF. The process and principles are pretty much the same for all three techniques.
The main focus of this class is bringing more creativity into your morphing animations. I’ll be going over my best tips and tricks throughout the process. We’ll be taking a look at famous works in the history of animation, and talk about where and how to find inspiration for your project subject.
You can use morphing for storytelling, making a logo-motion, adding appeal to your films or commercials, and adding creative transitions to your visual storytelling. I hope this class helps you find a new way of sparking ideas for film making and developing your creativity in other fields, and that you’re inspired to incorporate animation into your own work. Practicing morphing and focusing on not just the destination, but the journey between two states, shapes and forms can be a practice to:
- Empower creativity,
- Develop a sense for problem-solving, and algorithmic thinking.
- Develop patience and enjoying more of the journey, and
- Experiment with ideas from other mediums and fields such as painting, graphic design, architecture, or industrial design.
So let’s get started — see you in class!
Class Project & Resources
This section is only available for students
Can’t wait to see your projects!