This week we learned about adding images and creating shapes in Photoshop and After Effects, and animating them using keyframes. We started by finding an image of a kitten and then finding something for them to look at.

The image I went for was a man doing a backflip, and my plan was to make this guy do a backflip over the cat as it watches in awe. We started by cutting the images out, isolating them from their backgrounds. This was mainly done with the pen tool as it provides a lot of accuracy since the user decides where each point is added. It can take longer than some other tools but the cleanness that you can achieve is worth it.

To animate these images I imported them into after effects and key-framed in their movements. This included the dude rotating over a period of time, and following a curved path across the screen. The cat follows the dude with it’s head and the body (which the head is attached to) turns and moves slightly, making it look like it is rolling.

While my final project probably won’t be… quite like this, it gives a lot of ideas for things that I can do with this software.