Expert: Andre Hickman - 4/27/2005

Question
 Thank you so much for your most useful suggestions.
 What I had in mind more than anything else was to be able to find a computer program that could display pictures in linear motion so that they look like a movie. I would like to make animated cartoons by putting together many sequential photographs or hand-drawn images (not computer-generated images). I don't want computer to do anything else than just show 15 to 30 images per second so that you get a movie. Adding sound would be nice bonus but not absolutely relevant. I would like to make cartoons in the old-fashioned way. Do you have any software suggestions for that?
  Thanks again.
  Eric


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Followup To
Question -
 Hi,

How are you?
I am absolutely new to computer animation but I am very much interested in making my own animations/cartoons. What I would like to be able to do is to put a series of JPEG (preferably) or GIF images into continuous motion. I would like to take sequential photogtaphs or hand-draw a sequence of pictures and then have a computer program put them into a continuous movie-like motion (with added sound if possible). What software would you suggest for this kind of a project? I would be most interested in downloadable freeware as I don't want to spend money before I figure out how much I like this future hobby of mine. Thank you very much in advance.

Eric

Answer -
To do what you are wanting to do, there are thousands of ways to do it.  One way would be to use a program like Adobe Premiere, and set the length of the .jpgs to one frame, and paste them back to back.  This type of non-linear editing program would be the quickest thing to learn.

Another way to go would be to try Macromedia Flash.  Flash, though, is no as intuitive in understanding it, but most of the cartoon animations that you see on the web, including stuff like found at jibjab.com (there's a plug for you guys...where's ma money?!) which you should check out, is done in Flash.  You can do all of the drawing, and manipulation directly in flash, without making jpg sequences (which will save much time) then you can add sound and export to many file types as well.  Flash has a MAJOR learning curve, and you will definitely want to get books on it from a bookstore (like B&N or Borders) and to look up flash tutorials on the web.  

I guess it really depends on how much you are trying to learn in the way that animation is becoming more efficient.  Sure, you can do it the old fashion way, like I used to do in grade school, making flip-books out of a pad of paper, or you can take the time and learn some software that is geared to making your life much simpler in the long run and may take you to places like 3D Animation, even though the front side of learning is rigerous. I hope this helps.  

As for freeware, I don't know of any.  That doesn't mean it's not out there though...do some web searches on "free non-linear editing software." or something.

Cheers'
Andre  

Answer
The programs that I told you are still the way to go. With  Adobe Premiere you can import all the images, then paste them side by side on the timeline, or if you have them sequentially numbered (i.e. scene1-0001.jpg, scene1-0002.jpg, etc.) you can import the first image, and the software will recognize that it is part of a sequence of images (due to the numbering) and you can import all the images at the same time as an "image sequence" by clicking the appropriate checkbox.  Now your sequence of images will behave just like a quicktime movie, and can be edited like one, with effects and filters.  Then you can put sound bits on the appropriate layer, at the right time, and voila! Movie with lipsync, sound effects and a bed of music!!!

Go here and get the demo of Premiere and try it yourself.
http://www.adobe.com/products/tryadobe/main.jsp

Cheers,
Andre'