Overview Adobe Character Animator

What is Adobe Character Animator?

Adobe Character Animator is a desktop application for 2D animation that uses performance capture technology to create animated characters in real-time. It allows users to animate characters by using their own face and voice, thanks to facial and body tracking and automatic lip sync via a webcam and microphone. Users can create custom characters from Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop files and then control their movements, expressions, and dialogue through live performance or by manipulating triggers and other controls on a timeline. The software features a simplified Starter mode and a professional Pro mode, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced animators to produce live or pre-recorded animations.

Key Features

• Motion Capture: Uses a webcam and microphone to track your real-time facial expressions, head movements, and body language.
• Automatic Lip Sync: Analyzes audio input to automatically match the character's mouth movements to the spoken words.
• Puppet Creation: Allows you to create 2D character puppets from layers in Photoshop or Illustrator files.
• Triggers and Behaviors: Let you define specific actions, gestures, or expressions and trigger them with keyboard shortcuts or by recording your performance.
• Performance & Live Streaming: Enables both live animation performances, which can be livestreamed, and the creation of recorded animation scenes.
• Starter Mode: A free, simplified interface for quickly creating animations without prior rigging experience.
• Pro Mode: A comprehensive, in-depth interface for professional users with advanced controls and options, including a Puppet Maker for creating custom characters.

How It Works

1. Create or Import Art:

You create a 2D character in Photoshop or Illustrator, ensuring the layers are properly labeled to represent different parts of the character.

2. Rig the Puppet:

You use the software to define how the character's parts should move and which aspects are controllable.

3. Perform:

You record your performance, using your face for movements and your voice for dialogue.

4. Animate:

The software translates your performance into real-time animation, automatically synchronizing your lip movements with your voice and animating your character accordingly.

5. Publish:

You can then edit and export the final animation for use in various applications and platforms.

Animate in real time. Really.

Eye-opening animations. In eye-opening time.

Character Animator uses your expressions and movements to animate characters in real time. It’s so fast, you can livestream while you work to wow audiences every step of the way.

Put your best face forward.

Your performance can bring a character to life. Using your webcam and microphone, Character Animator matches your expressions — from syncing lips to tracking eyes — to animate in real time.

Create a character in seconds.

Turn any art into an animated character with your webcam, powered by Adobe Sensei AI. Import art from Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, or start with built-in character templates.

Animations with legs — and arms and heads.

Control gestures like waving with your keyboard or MIDI device. Movements can be saved as triggers, so they’re easier to remember than key commands.

It’s showtime.

Hollywood studios and online content creators use Character Animator to bring their characters to life in real time. It integrates seamlessly with other Adobe apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Make your puppet come alive

Now you can animate a Photoshop or Illustrator puppet with an audio file. With Speech-Aware Animation powered by Adobe Sensei, a simple voice track brings your character to live with corresponding movements and expressions.

Animate character limbs naturally

Ground detection and the ability to pin limbs to the scene offer improved control. Make your character jump, dance, bend, squat, and much more.

Navigate the timeline more efficiently

Search your timeline for tracks and track items. Hide or isolate tracks, colorize takes, and create groups for better organization.

More accurate lip sync

Improved Adobe Sensei machine-learning now has a deeper understanding of spoken words.

Essential apps for motion graphics and animation.

Adobe offers animation apps that work with all your ideas — and each other. Animate in real time with Character Animator, or use Animate to create interactive vector animations. Create intros, transitions, and more with After Effects. And move seamlessly between them all.