Free stop start 2D animation tutorials

One minute video tutorials start here

Moving images surround us now. How easy is it to animate your own creations to send greetings and amuse your friends? Very easy.

All you need is a mobile phone or camera, a laptop and some craft materials. a table top tripod is perfectly adequate, though I use a full size floor tripod. Animation programmes such as iStopMotion are cheap and easy to use. Basic film editing programmes are available as free downloads, such as Videopad, but I prefer to use Final Cut Pro X though professionals  use Adobe Premiere.
   You don't need any fancy equipment, just a tripod camera and a simple download cable.

I'm using coloured foam sheets available from shops such as Range, cutting them to shape from a photograph using a light box and joining them together using a needle and thread. 

In this first video, I show how you can create a character that walks.

But How do you create a 'filmic' effect? That comes next...