The Popular Blue's Clues

Blue's Clues combines live-action footage of host Steve Burns (Steve) with animated shots of Blue the dog, Franklin the frog and other characters. After initial storyboards are created detailing how this week's episode will unfold, modelers begin by creating models from clay and wood of elements on the set-everything from characters to chairs. The models are shot from different angles using a digital camera connected directly to a desktop computer, bringing the shots straight onto a Macintosh hard drive. Twenty designers then use Photoshop and Illustrator to manipulate the scanned images, ensuring that they have the correct positioning, lighting, shadows and other attributes for animation. Using After Effects, animators then begin adding movement to the images, creating shots needed for the show. Steve's live-action footage is shot in front of a blue screen and composited with animated elements using Media 100 editing systems.

Maximum Creativity, Even in a Time Pinch

According to Boris Beaubien, technical manager of Nickelodeon Animation Studios New York, using Adobe software cuts production time substantially. Adobe's software works together seamlessly, creating a smooth workflow that streamlines the process - an important factor when there are delays in research or other up-front processes, causing a time crunch on the back-end at the animation studios.

Because Adobe's tools are right on the desktop, designers and animators can experiment without any penalties. With cel animation, which involves physically painting the frames that make up a sequence, such creative freedom and experimentation isn't possible. "We can literally animate anything or create any scene on the desktop using Adobe's tools," says Beaubien. "Because we can experiment freely, our work is unique and exceptionally high quality."
"Designers literally couldn't do their jobs without Photoshop and Illustrator," says Beaubien. And After Effects? Beaubien says animators absolutely demand it because of its powerful tools and plug-ins. "Our animators are masters of After Effects that can animate literally anything using the program," says Beaubien.