Cartoons on the computer are created using special software. It can be either expensive editors that are difficult to learn, or simpler applications designed for the average user. If you want to create your own animation, you can even use the standard tools of the Windows operating system. We will talk about how to make a cartoon on a computer using a particular program in this article.
What Windows tools can I use to create animations?
To create a cartoon, you will need two standard Windows programs - Paint and Movie Maker. The first is a simple graphical editor in which you can draw any kind of picture. Movie Maker - a program for creating videos.
To open Paint, you need to click "Start" and select the "All Programs" - "Standard" section. Here, in most cases, is Movie Maker. However, in some versions of Windows (for example, in the seventh home base) this video editor is not. In this case, you will have to download it or use some other similar program previously downloaded.
Draw frames in Paint
So, how to make a cartoon on a computer at home? Technically, this procedure is not too complicated. The quality of the final result will depend on how well you can draw. As you know, any animated film consists of separate pictures - frames. Therefore, the first task that you will face is the need to create them. This is where the Paint editor helps you. In order to understand the principle of creating animation, let's try to make a simple cartoon. Let's say a man waving his hand.
As you already understood, initially the question of how to make a cartoon on a computer comes down to creating its individual frames. Open the Paint program. Take a brush (on the top of the toolbar in the "Brushes" section). We draw - as we can - a little man (pens, legs, cucumber). We save our image in a separate folder (it should be created in advance), naming it "Frame 1". Now over one of the little man’s hands we draw another one, a little higher. And we erase the bottom. As a result, the man will again have two hands. Save the picture called “Frame 2”. Again, draw a hand higher, erase the unnecessary and save the image under the name "Frame 3". This is the most convenient sequence of actions. Drawing the "next" hand, you can focus on the "previous". Thus, we perform several frames. The more of them, the more smoothly the little man’s hand will move in the future.
Making a cartoon
So, the frames we created. Now let's see how to make a cartoon on a computer using them. At the next stage, it will be necessary to combine all the drawn frames into one clip. To do this, we need the program Movie Maker. We open it. In the taskbar on the right, click on “Import Images” and select our images. They will be displayed in the “Collection” panel that appears. Successively, one after another, we transfer the frames to the track located below. Next, click on the line “Timeline Display”. If you leave the display time provided for in the program initially, a person will raise his hand very slowly and sharply. This can be fixed in the appeared scale. To do this, click on the frames and move the appeared strip to the left. As a result, they will become narrower; accordingly, the time of their display will decrease.
Save the cartoon
As you can see, making a cartoon on a computer using the Movie Maker program is very easy. Having achieved an acceptable result, we save the file in the same folder where our frames are located. In order to be able to view it using popular players, you should follow this procedure:
- Click on the “File” main menu item.
- Click on the line “Save movie file ...”.
- Click on the line “Show additional options”.
- Select “Other Options”.
- Next, you will need to choose the format of the future video file. It’s best to save our clip in some popular format (avi, pal, etc.). In this case, viewing on most players or, for example, uploading cartoons to YouTube will then be easier.
How to add sound to a cartoon in Movie Maker
If desired, it is also easy to add sound to your own animation. This can also be done using Movie Maker. In this case, you can add comments to the movie through the microphone or put background music. Agree that silent modern cartoons are nonsense. In order to add a comment, go to the “Service” tab and click on the line “Comment timeline”. Next, click on the "Run" button and voice your little man. After you click on the “Stop” button, the program will offer to save your comment. It is added to the project, and then to the sound track in the bottom panel.
Macromedia Flash
Using more advanced programs, you can create animations much faster. So, in Macromedia Flash, you just need to draw the first and final frames. All intermediate editor will execute itself.
Rules for creating cartoons
An animated film is created in several stages:
- A script is being developed.
- Characters are drawn.
- A storyboard is performed with the installation of the time necessary for each character action and the calculation of the required number of frames.
- Background music is searched and various kinds of sound effects are being prepared.
As you can see, modern programs provide the opportunity to realize any creative dreams. And who are the best dreamers and dreamers? Of course, children! Do not know what to do with your child? Tell him how to make a cartoon on a computer. Games dedicated to this topic will help the child show the talent of the animator. And when he plays enough, try to create a real cartoon together and present it to the audience, that is, to arrange a joint viewing. Good luck!