Week #7

May 10 - 15

📽️ Animation in PS 📽️

Keep in mind that PS is not the best software to create animations! So you are limited to making basic animations in Ps! The best Adobe softwares for animation are After Effects and Animate!

In order to create animations, you need to open the Timeline window! this panel is not open by default in the software! Go to Window > Timeline.

There are two ways you can animate your shapes in Ps, Video timeline vs Frame animation!

Timeline Animation

Animation in timeline mode means you set keyframes in the Timeline panel in order to modify the position, opacity, or style of the layer content. Set the value then move the current-time indicator to the desire time/frame and set a new value. Photoshop automatically interpolates frames between the start and end frames, and the value of the layer changes across a time range.

1- choose Create Video Timeline from the menu and click the button.

If the Timeline panel is in frame animation mode, click the Convert To Video Timeline icon in the lower-left corner of the panel.

2- From the Layer Panel, choose the layer you want to animate. Keep in mind that when you work in timeline animation, the number of clips will be the same as the number of layers in the layer panel.

You can animate different layer properties, such as Position, Opacity, and Style. Each change can occur independently of, or simultaneously with, other changes. If you want to animate different objects independently, it’s best to create them on separate layers.

3- when you work in the timeline mode, first you need to make sure the transform option is activated. if your layer is not a smart object then you can't see the Transform option:

For activating the transform option first, convert your layer to a smart object (By right clicking on the layer in the Layer Panel)

---> Then instead of Position, you will see the transform option in the Timeline Layer:

Now you can start animating your layer:

4- move the current time indicator to the time or frame where you want to set the first keyframe. Click on the Stop Watch and turn on keyframing for a layer property. As you click, you will see a Yellow Diamond appears. This is your first keyframe.

Remember that you need to click on the stopwatch only once to activate keyframing. When the stopwatch is active for a specific property, Photoshop automatically sets new keyframes whenever you change the current time indicator and the property value. When the stopwatch is inactive for a property, the property has no keyframes. It means if you deselect the stopwatch, you will permanently delete all of the keyframes for that property.

To animate a property using keyframes, you must set at least two keyframes for that property that the value and time frames are different from each other.

5- Choose the property you want to change. for example, choose the Transform which includes: Position, Scale, Rotation. So far we have the first Keyframe with no change, Now we want to change the Rotation Value:

move the indicator to the time frame you desire, then in your workspace click on your shape, press Command/Cntl +T (or got to Edit >Transform > Rotate) and change the rotation.

You can change the Anchor point by checking the anchor point option in the Menu Option Bar, while you are still in the Rotation Mode.

Then, move the anchor and place it wherever you desire.

Hit Enter/return and you will see a new keyframe is added.

If you click on the play button in the Timeline you will see the shape is rotating.

Important Tips:

• As the gap between two keyframes becomes greater, the speed of the animation becomes longer and vice versa. So, if you want to speed up your animation, decrease the gap between keyframes.

• You can select keyframes and move them.

• You can right click on the keyframes and see the available options including: Copy, Delete, Select or change the interpolation (Linear or Hold).

• You can trim the clip with the Trim Tool. First, select the clip then click on the Scissor Icon. You will see your clip split in half.

• You can Loop the animation by clicking on the Set Playback Option icon

• You can click on the toggle on the top right of the timeline and change the Frame Rate of the animation

Export video

You can save animations as GIF files or Video formats.

First, you should indicate in point and out point of your animation.

Export GIF

Go to File > Export > Save for Web

when the window appears, choose GIF for the format. You can check the transparency option if you want to save your shape with a transparent background. in this case, make sure that you should turn the visibility of other layers off if you don't need them. otherwise, transparency doesn't work.

Render Video

Go to File > Export > Render Video

MP4 is a good format for rendering Videos.