How to Animate Image with the Puppet Tools

Basic of Puppet Tools in Animation

The Puppet effect works by deforming the portion of an image according to the positions of pins that you move and place. These pins help to define which parts of the image move, which parts remain firm and which parts are in front when portions overlap.

Each Puppet Tool is used to modify a specific Type of Pins:

1. Puppet Pin Tool: This tool is used to place and deform pins.
2. Puppet Starch Tool: This tool is used to place starch pins which stiffen parts of the image, so that is distorted less.
3. Puppet Overlap Tool: This tool is used to place overlap pins, which indicate which parts of an image should look in front of others when distortion causes parts of the image to overlap one another.

Click on below Video: Puppet Warp Animation Game Design in Photoshop

How to Animate Image with Puppet Tools

The stopwatch switch is automatically set the position property of deform pins as the Pin is created. Therefore, a keyframe is set or modified every time to change the position of deform pins.

This auto-keyframing is unlike the most properties in after effects, for which you must explicitly set the stopwatch switch by adding keyframes or an expression to animate every property.

The auto animation of deform pins makes it convenient to add and animate them in the Layer Panel or Composition Panel, without manipulating the properties in the timeline panel.

Click on below Video: Adobe After Effects Puppet Tool Tutorial

1. Select the image layer for animating.

2. Using the Puppet pin tool, do one of the followings in the layer panel or composition panel.

• Click on any nontransparent pixel of a raster layer to apply the puppet effect and create a mesh for outlines created by auto-tracing the alpha channel of a layer.
• Click in a closed path on a vector layer to apply the puppet effect and create a mesh for the outlines defined by the path.
• Click in a closed, unlocked mask to use the puppet effect and create a mesh for the outlines defined by the mask path.
• Click outside on the closed path on a vector layer to apply the puppet effect without creating a mesh. Outlines are created for paths on the layer, though an outline is just visible when a puppet tools pointer is over the area that defines outline. Place the pointer on the area enclosed by a path to see the outline in which a mesh will be created if you click on the point. Click on an outline to create a mesh.

3. To add the multiple deforms pins click on one or more places in the outline.

Use as few pins to achieve the desired result. The natural deformation can be lost if you over-constrain the image. Simply add pins to the parts of the figure that you want to control.

Example: When animating a waving person, add a pin to every foot to hold them on the ground and add a pin to the waving hand.

4. Now go to another time in the composition and move the position of one or more of the deform pins by dragging it in the composition panel or layer panel with a puppet pin tool. Repeat all this step until your animation is completed.

You can also modify the motion paths of the deform pins using the same techniques that apply to modify any other motion paths.