Tutorial: How to quickly generate pixel art animations

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will explore how to utilize Adam Yoni's attack animation alongside a skeleton tool to generate an engaging pixel art animation. I highly recommend checking out his channel for tutorials on Aseprite and pixel art drawing techniques. Let’s dive into the steps involved in generating a character animation.

Step 1: Preparing the Character

To begin, I have cropped out my character from the original image. This cropped character will serve as both a style image and an init image to generate another character that resembles the original. Using an init image is beneficial, as it guides the model to create a character of the same size. Once I'm satisfied with the character generation, I will proceed to make minor edits for cleaner animation results.

Step 2: Estimating the Skeleton

Next, I will estimate the skeleton by selecting the desired frame and clicking the estimate button. This process will be repeated across all frames until I have the estimations for all poses completed. Additionally, I plan to generate a few rotations of the character, which will be helpful later in the animation generation. Rotations are particularly useful to provide reference images for when the animation shows the character from different angles.

Step 3: Cleaning Up Rotations

After generating the rotations, I will clean them up to ensure better results when integrating them into the animation.

Step 4: Generating the Animation

With the initial setup complete, the next task is to generate the actual animation. I will ensure that my reference image is correctly set, adjust the camera view direction, and add a color palette based on my reference image. Positioning is critical here; I will place myself three frames before the desired frame to use the existing frames as guidance while generating a new frame.

As the animation transitions to show the back of the character, I must address the challenge of the model understanding the flip in movement. Since the initial reference image shows the front of the character, it can be confusing for the model. To assist, I will edit the reference image to color it blue for increased clarity.

Step 5: Utilizing Init Images

By applying a higher init image strength, I can assist the model in accurately rendering the character facing away from us, making it easier to generate correct animations.

Following this, I will examine the newly generated frames and look for any irregularities or issues. In my case, there were some minor problems with the legs that can be easily fixed manually.

Step 7: Final Cleanup

As I move back into facing towards the character again, I will change my reference image and continue the generation process. I will also demonstrate how to modify the current layer instead of creating new layers for each frame, thereby keeping the interface cleaner.

Finally, the last frames will undergo some cleanup, with any unneeded frames removed. The animation will be ready to go!

Thank you for following along with this video tutorial. Leave a like or a comment if you’d like to support the project, and I’ll see you in the next video!

Keywords

Pixel Art
Animation
Aseprite
Skeleton Tool
Init Image
Image Generation
Character Rotation
Manual Editing

FAQ

Q: What software is recommended for pixel art animation?
A: Aseprite is highly recommended as it offers a range of tools suitable for creating and managing pixel art animations.

Q: What is the purpose of the init image?
A: The init image helps guide the model to generate a character of the same size and style, making the output more cohesive.

Q: How can I ensure better animation results?
A: You can improve the animation results by providing reference images from different angles and fixing any issues manually after the initial generation.

Q: What if my animation has issues after generation?
A: You can either attempt to generate new frames or manually adjust the existing frames for refinement.

Q: Is it necessary to use rotations for every animation?
A: Rotations are not strictly necessary but can significantly enhance the model's understanding of the character's movement, especially when changing angles.