Adding Sound & Animating Dialogue

Have you ever watched a cartoon without sound? It’s cool, but pretty boring. So let’s add some sound!

I’d like you to take a look at the tutorials linked below. They’re made with an earlier version of Flash (Animate) so the screen looks a little different, but everything should work the same.

You will be creating an animated character that syncs up with a little audio clip. I would recommend starting off by following along with the tutorial exactly, until you get the hang of doing these steps on your own.

In order to follow along with Joe, you’ll need the following files:

Flash file

“Adobe” sound

“Joe” sound

Mouth animation images chart

Once you have those files, you should watch the tutorials. Please DO NOT watch the entire tutorial at once. Watch a bit, switch to Animate and try what’s being demonstrated, then go back to the video and watch a bit more. Remember to go back and review any parts that you’re having trouble with or didn’t understand.

Step 1: Dialogue setup

Step 2: Animating the Dialogue

Once you’ve got the principles down, you’re going to create your own little animation. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. You can use whatever character you want. If you want to record your voice and use that as your sound file, please do! I’ve got audio recorders that will make that super easy.

If you want something fun, I have a folder of audio files, featuring little clips of characters from The Simpsons, Family Guy, and much more that I can share with you.

Your animated clip should be at least 5-10 seconds, but if you want to challenge yourself and do something longer, please do! Have fun with this! Do something creative and interesting. Be silly and ridiculous if you’d like.

Tell Mr. Robson what's on your mind!