Free 2D Character Animation Course | Photoshop & After Effects | Full Beginner Tutorial

Learn how to animate a 2D character in Photoshop and After Effects with this complete two-hour beginner tutorial. In this free first module of my 2D Character Animator course, we’ll take one character through the animation process step by step. You’ll learn how to prepare static artwork in Photoshop, separate the character into animation-ready layers, import the project into After Effects, and begin bringing the character to life through movement, keyframes, and effects. 🎨 DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FILES AND RESOURCES: https://www.skool.com/the-hidden-arch... This tutorial is designed for artists, illustrators, motion designers, and complete beginners who want to turn static character artwork into polished 2D animation. Throughout the lessons, we’ll explore: • Preparing and separating character artwork in Photoshop • Organising animation-ready layers • Importing Photoshop files into After Effects • Creating natural character movement • Working with keyframes and animation controls • Adding depth, lighting and finishing effects • Solving common character animation problems • Building a clean and manageable project workflow This video covers one of the three character projects included in the complete course. The remaining lessons, downloadable assets and additional creative resources can be found through The Hidden Archive community. The Hidden Archive is a growing library of courses, tools and resources covering animation, video editing, motion design, visual storytelling and AI-assisted creativity. No previous character animation experience is required, although basic familiarity with Photoshop and After Effects will help. #2DAnimation #AfterEffects #CharacterAnimation ◆ CHAPTERS ◆ 00:00 - Introduction 01:46 - Character 01 overview 03:11 - An introduction to Photoshop 06:28 - Separating the character from the background 16:31 - Separating the foreground from the background 24:25 - Using Generative Fill to refill the background 29:14 - Tidying up the foreground 36:56 - Breaking the character into layers 01:02:28 - Creating a depth map of the background 01:03:51 - Opening After Effects and setting the project up 01:10:07 - Moving anchor points and rigging the character 01:17:49 - Animating the core and expressions 01:37:26 - Puppet pin and animating eyes 01:44:27 - CC bend it, and wave warp 01:56:15 - Volumetric lighting and depth map animation 02:01:31 - Adding additional elements, colour grading and exporting 02:06:06 - Congratulations! ◆ THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT ◆ Building a channel takes a lot of work and I wouldn't be able to do it without all the support, so it's much appreciated! ◆ LINKS ◆ LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/JCunliffeUK X:   / jcunliffeuk   INSTAGRAM:   / jcunliffeuk   SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0iryL... DISCORD:   / discord   CREDITS: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6382359/?... ◆ HELP THE CHANNEL ◆ I'd like to put more time into the channel but have a very limited amount of time to do it. If you're enjoying the work, get subscribed, share it around social media. The higher the view and sub count goes, the higher the chance this channel will keep ticking along.