Smoooth Animation Tutorial: Jumping

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Hi!

Today we will learn how to make smoooth animation! In this tutorial we will cover a basic movement, but sometimes difficult to look natural, jumping.

I am using a pixel black ball as the subject, but really, you can apply this tutorial to anything you want to jump! Like animals and humans (of coarse they would bend their legs instead of squish.;D)! If your animation starts to "trail", or you simply don't know how to animate, you can check out some other tutorials I have made that are linked at the bottom.

Let us begin!

Lets start with the subject. I am using a 13x13 pixel black ball, but you can use anything, even if it isn't pixeled.

Now for the squish! This is the set move to gather energy for the jump. You wouldn't jump straight legged, would you? For my ball, I made it shorter, and expanded it out some on both ends. If your subject has legs, then in this step they would just bend their legs.

And now we jump! After the subject makes it's set move, whether it be squishing or bending it's legs, give it a pretty good start off. As you can see, this ball's take off height is 2 pixels.

In the next frame it would go a little higher. Depending on how high the subject should jump, it should jump at this rate for however many frames you need it to before going to the next step. For example: in the frame, the ball travels up 3 pixels. If I wanted the ball to go higher, I would make it go 3 pixels up for as many frames until it is as high as I want it to be. Though, this ball is only going to go up at this height for 1 frame.

Now as it continues to go up, gravity starts to take hold of it, so it progresses up slower.

And now it slowly gets slower, pushing up against gravity.

Still going at the same speed as the last frame, it progresses up one last time.

Now it starts to go down. Make it goes down in the same pattern as it jumped.

Going down...

...and I just can't believe my first love wo- Oh.>.>

Now as the subject absorbs the shock, it squishes (or bends it's legs) one last time before standing back up (This animation loops, so since it started standing normal, I don't need to make it stand normal again.).

And now we have a joyful jumping ball of fun! Now you can try to make your own!

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Does you animation "trail"? Check out this tutorial!