Starting a new puppet

[Fendiwhippet]

Since this is my first puppet, I want to use a template puppet.  It opens in adobe character. How can I toggle it back in forth to open in photoshop to make the artwork

my own character?  Is that how it works?

Thanks for any help.

[KJerryK]

Did you open a template puppet from the start menu? If so, select it in the project panel and then go to Edit/Edit Original. This will open the puppet in either Photoshop or Illustrator. Then you can do any editing you want. It usually is preferable to first save to a new file, so the original template is still available.

You can also download template files from Character Animator resources online, such as from here

https://forums.adobe.com/docs/DOC-6029?et=watches.email.document_comment#comment-137212

[Fendiwhippet]

Thanks . I got a puppet downloaded into photoshop.  Do you know a good video to watch someone change a template puppet to their own. 

I tried to change the color of the head but it would only recolor which did not look good.  

Thanks again.

[KJerryK]

On that link I posted above, there is also available a blank puppet template. You can add your artwork from scratch. Look under the Additional Puppet Resources heading for the "Blank Template" link, click that and then download.

I haven't seen a tutorial showing an existing puppet being modified step-by-step. But there are a lot of tutorials on Character Animator Tutorial Videos  Two of them are "Making Your First Character" and "Building a Puppet from Scratch" that might help.

It also of course depends on how familiar you are with Photoshop.

[KJerryK]

Another thing to consider is you can use just part of an existing puppet in your new puppet. For instance, you can drag the mouth group from an existing puppet to a new puppet and not have to make all the new mouth shapes, or the eyes, etc.

[Fendiwhippet]

Thanks KJerryK,   I'm trying to get familiar with what my options are. I' m fairly familiar with photoshop but mostly dealing with photos and not creating a puppet. 

So far though, if you can't change the color of the puppet head then each element would need to be recreated but the folders would be organized.  I am hoping to use a template for my first one.

I will check out your information before I continue.   Thanks--Looking forward to getting started.

[KJerryK]

I didn't mean to give the impression that the existing puppet head can't be changed. Which template were you trying?

[Fendiwhippet]

Hi K Jerry,

I have been watching a lot of videos and this is my first day attempting to make changes.

1st-- I would like to work with Rameriz but when I download this puppet it goes right into Ch and I don't know how to transfer him to photoshop.

2nd--I have Wilk in photoshop ( he opens right in) .  My first objective was to change the green circle ( head) to yellow. I thought that would be easy.  But then I noticed I can't recolor the eyelids either so I would have to make all new ones. 

Thanks for helping out.

[KJerryK]

You have to select the appropriate layers first, and then do the color (or any other) editing

Ramirez -- In Ch select Ramirez puppet in the project panel. Then click Edit/Edit Original. This will open Ramirez in Photoshop. In Ps I  selected the headbg layer in the right quarter group, selected a red color, then used the paint bucket tool to get

Wilk -- Opens in Illustrator. I don't use Ai much -- but I chose the yellow, selected the bg frontal layer, and then dragged the yellow swatch to the head. That seemed to do it.

[KJerryK]

Oh, I forgot about the lids

[Fendiwhippet]

Thanks Kjerry,

I got the colors changed and my character looked great then I brought him into Ch and he looked fine until the scene. He was a mangled mess. So I'm going to start over.

When I changed colors, I added shadows and textures. That was on its own layers but I notice the examples do not have these layers. What do you do with the shadows and texture layers?

Thanks for all the tips.

[KJerryK]

The Wilk puppet in Illustrator has a separate layer, called <Path>, for the shadow. As I said, I don't use Ai so can't speak to that. As for Ramirez in Photoshop, it looks like the shadows and textures are in the artwork for each body part. Probably done on separate layers and then merged into one layer for the head, the arms, etc.

[Fendiwhippet]

Today, I spent some time just looking through layers and playing with puppets.  I'm starting to get familiar with the software then I am going to try again.

I'm sure I'll have more questions to come.