Adobe's editor for animating illustrated puppets. Generate movement from recorded speech and refine it in the project.

Adobe page about Starter mode in Character Animator. Open the source

Two kinds of motion from one recording

Character Animator uses speech as the basis for animation of a drawn puppet. According to the record, you can calculate the movements of the head and eyebrows. A separate operation is used for mouth forms. Therefore, a successful turn of the head does not mean that the pronunciation has already coincided with the drawing. When preparing a character, check that the desired mouth shapes are named and configured for the chosen behavior.

A line for a practice character

Write a fictional message about the opening of the exhibition. Leave a short pause before the title and clearly say the end of the last word. Import the track into the scene and apply the articulation calculation. Check out the place after a pause. If the movement began before the sound, correct the problem area. Then try to calculate the head separately and reduce its strength if the character nods too noticeably at each accent.

Compare the recording to animation at normal speed. A step-by-step check is useful for correcting, but it is the reproduction that shows whether the pace of movement is similar to speech.

Prepare for export

If the animation will go to an editor, agree on resolution, frame rate, and transparency. Save the puppet and audio with the project so that the spoken line can change without rebuilding the entire shot. Adobe describes Starter and Pro separately. Use a short test scene to see which operations are available and whether they suit the project. Check articulation in a consistent close-up.

Suitable tasks

Animate a spoken line for an illustrated character
Prepare a draft dialogue for animation

Features

Strengths

Speech analysis for head movement
Separate calculation of articulation

Things to consider

Limitations

The result depends on the set of mouth shapes in the puppet
Access to tools varies in modes

Selection and conditions

Free access: Yes
Trial period: Not confirmed
No sign-up required: No
Russian interface: Not confirmed
Local installation: Not confirmed
API: Not confirmed

“Not confirmed” means there is not enough information. The feature may still be available; check the developer’s terms.

Input formats: Image, Audio
Result: Animation, Video

Terms

To install, Adobe specifies an account and Creative Cloud. The availability of tools depends on the mode.

From task to first result

Practical example

Task: Animate a spoken line for an illustrated character
What to prepare: His own short line and prepared digital character with a set of mouth shapes.

Task brief or prompt

Tie the line to the character and check the moments when the mouth closes. Save the original audio track.

Expected result

Black animation of the spoken line.

How to check the result

Check the beginning of words with the movement of the mouth.
Manually correct noticeable errors on pauses.

An editorial teaching example of a task brief, not the result of hands-on testing of the service. Check that the required mode is available, that you have rights to the source material and that the intended use of the result is permitted.

Check details

Official sources

This description is based on the developer’s material. Features, prices and availability may change; check the primary source before use.

Adobe Character Animator.