How to Make a Cartoon Character Walk in Flash
When you are just starting to build your computer animation skills, making a cartoon character walk is one of the first types of animations you will be called upon to master. Using Flash software, you can perfect your animation skills by practicing the walking technique. With a little patience, you will be animating like a pro in no time.
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Instructions
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Draw or import your character picture file into Flash. Make the character into a symbol by selecting the image, then going to the "Modify" menu at the top and selecting "Convert To Symbol." (Note: You are not actually changing your image into a "symbol," but rather putting it into the proper "container" to enable animation. Build your character layers by creating new layers in the layers palette and naming them. There should at least be layers for both legs and feet, although you are free to create layers for all the body parts you want to move. Be sure to include the legs and feet on the same layer. Double-click the symbol again to create a second copy with all of the layers you created.
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2
Highlight the first leg you wish to animate by selecting it with your cursor. Lock all the layers you have created except for the leg layer you are working in by going into your layers palette and selecting the small padlock symbol for each layer you wish to lock (this will make the other layers disappear and only show the leg you are working on, making it a bit easier on your eye). Select the "Bone Tool" from your tools palette. Starting at the top of the leg, click and drag down to where you think the knee would be placed. Click and drag again down to where you think the ankle would be. Now that you have formed the "bones," click and hold your cursor on the leg again and test to see how the leg moves.
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3
Insert frames on your animation's timeline in Flash by selecting the "Insert" menu, then selecting "Timeline," then "Frame." Right-click on the frame number you wish (20 is a good one) and click "Insert Pose." This will highlight the frames in green and give you the animation frames you need to carry out the animation frame by frame. .
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Click on Frame 1. Click and hold the leg to swing it backward. Click on Frame 10. Click and hold the leg to swing it slightly forward. Right-click on Frame 1 and copy it (when you right-click on the frame, a menu will pop up from which you can select "copy"). Right-click on Frame 20 and click "Paste." This will create an animation loop for the walk. Repeat this step as well as Step 3 with the other leg of your character, but be sure to maneuver the legs according to the opposite of what the other leg is doing (if you swung the leg back on the first layer you worked in, then swing this leg forward).
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5
Click on the first symbol you created. Right-click on frames 10 and 20 and select "Insert Keyframes" both times. Select frame 10 and move the whole symbol down a few clicks. At frame 20, move it up a click or two. This will create a "natural bobbing" effect of walking. Insert a "Classic Tween" on the animation by clicking the "Insert" menu and selecting "Classic Tween."
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Zoom out to "Scene 1," which is the main screen for your animation by selecting the magnifying glass tool on your Tools palette, holding down the "Control" key on your keyboard and clicking until you are zoomed out (to zoom back in, select the magnifying glass tool and click on the image). At frame 1, move the entire symbol over to the far left of the workspace by clicking on the image, holding the click, then dragging the image with your mouse. Then, insert a keyframe at frame 50. In frame 50, move the symbol all the way to the right on the workspace. Go back to frame 1 and create a classic tween. Hit "Enter" on the keyboard and watch your newly created animation walk.
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Tips & Warnings
If your drawing itself has funny lines in the legs or looks a little unnatural the way you drew it, you can get rid of the imperfections by erasing them frame by frame. This can be a little tedious, but worth it if you want a perfect animation.
