Starter mode
Starter mode is a free streamlined mode in Adobe Character Animator that lets anyone make quick animated videos. Record your face and voice performance, and then add various emotions and actions through an intuitive drag & drop interface. Making animated shorts has never been this easy or fun!
Free example puppets
You are free to download and use these puppets however you want. Starter mode includes several free puppets, but you can also add more by clicking the “Import puppet” button on the left side of the Character Animator Starter mode home screen.
Spooky Pack
A collection of 7 spooky characters, including a headless horseman, witch, and cute pumpkin. Also includes 7 unique backgrounds to help set the mood.
Writing Buddies
A ruler, pencil, and crayon — all decked with plenty of triggers and ready for your cartoon misadventures. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Rectangle Pack
A calculator, chalkboard, and notebook ready to talk about school, the office, or whatever you want. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Planets Pack
A group of friendly & expressive planets. Includes Earth, Moon, Saturn, and the Sun!. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Shoes Pack
A four pack of cartoon shoes: Boot, Flip Flop, Sneaker, and Wedge. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Active Kids Pack
Four sports kids representing baseball, cheerleading, football and soccer. Created by Jackie Bauwens.
Vehicle Pack
Three vehicles ready to hit the road in Starter mode. Created by Jackie Bauwens.
Eugene Pack
A pack including Eugene and his two friends, Ming and Smith. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Emily Pack
A pack including Emily and her two friends, Dara and Shinae. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Mercer Pack
Three full body illustrated human characters with several arm gestures and emotion triggers. Created by Keith Negley.
Food Pack
Five cute food characters with a fun collection of emotion triggers. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Smiley
A simple emoji with a wide range of different emotion states. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Vambies
The Vambies are an avatar collection developed by Vambie Inc. and Taiyaki Studios. Try one or all five of this quirky cast of vampire/zombie hybrids. Created by Taiyaki Studios.
Jenna
Character in a wheelchair with several emotions and a wheel spin animation. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Trevor
Seated character on a sofa with a built-in recline animation. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Astra
Magical character with a ton of fun props and interactions. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Oswald
Magical character with a ton of fun props and interactions. Created by Blandine Moceaer.
Dr. Applesmith
A clay sculpted scientist / doctor character with expressive triggers. Created by Dovid Taub.
Footy
A talking soccer ball with parallax head motion and some fun surprise triggers. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Dr. Charles
Doctor character with a wide range of emotion and action triggers. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Pat
Spectacled character with a wide range of emotion and action triggers. Created by Kevin McMahon.
Roxanne
A skull-shirt-wearing character with a wide range of emotion and action triggers. Created by Kevin McMahon.
What is Starter mode?
Starter mode is a free version of Character Animator that offers a quick, fun, and easy way to get started making your own animations.
How do I download Starter mode for free?
Go to creativecloud.adobe.com and download the Creative Cloud desktop app for Mac or PC. After you install the app and create a free Adobe ID (or sign in with an existing account), look for “Character Animator” in the All Apps or Video sections. Click “Install” next to Character Animator to install and use Character Animator Starter mode for free.
How do I access Starter mode in the app?
Click the mode chooser icon in the upper-right corner of the app to open a window, allowing you to switch between the Starter and Pro modes. Note that free Adobe accounts only have access to Starter mode, whereas active Creative Cloud subscribers can access both modes.
How do I make a recording?
On the Home screen, pick a character or click the Import button to add an external puppet. You can then click the blue button to record your face and voice live, or click the import dialogue button to import a pre-recorded audio file and then do the face recording. After recording, you can drag triggers onto the timeline to add additional emotion at key parts. Finally, you can click the share button in the upper right corner to export a final video.
Can I turn a Starter project into a Pro project?
Yes. If you switch to Pro mode while having a Starter project open, it will be converted into a Pro project. You can’t turn a Pro project into a Starter project, as Starter mode is a streamlined experience that removes some functionality only found in Pro mode.
Can I import any puppet into Starter mode?
Yes! But please note that Starter mode puppets are set up in a specific way to make performing & recording easier for users. This means every Starter example puppet we’ve created has:
- A single “poses” swap set
- A full controls panel with icons for each swap set trigger
- No reliance on other behaviors like Dragger, Walk, Body Tracking, etc. for character movement (this is all taken care of in the triggers)
So if you are importing a third party puppet or creating your own Starter puppets in Pro mode, we highly recommend following these guidelines for the best results.
Want to learn more about Character Animator Pro mode?
- Watch our video tutorials to learn everything from getting started to advanced rigging at adobe.com/go/chtutorials.
- Download more free example puppets at adobe.com/go/chexamples and okaysamurai.com/puppets.
- There are several companies that sell puppets and puppet creation services. We've featured some of them (and more free puppets) at adobe.com/go/ch_examples_thirdparty_en.