How do I import a Photoshop PSD into Moho 14 with each character part on its own layer?

Use the PSD import option that imports all Photoshop layers as separate Moho layers, making the artwork easier to rig and animate.

What is the difference between absolute and relative animation cycles in Moho?

An absolute cycle repeats the same keyed motion, while a relative cycle repeats the motion as an offset from the character’s current position.

How can I export separate Layer Comp renders from one Moho project?

Use the Moho Exporter and select the Layer Comps export option to render separate outputs for each comp.

Free Course Image Moho 14 Animation Masterclass: Beginner to Expert

Free online course Moho 14 Animation Masterclass: Beginner to Expert

Duration of the online course: 6 hours and 8 minutes

New

Animate smoother characters fast with this free Moho 14 course—master rigging, smart bones, cycles, export workflows, and level up to pro results.

In this free course, learn about

Moho 14 interface, context-sensitive tools, and why timeline keys vary by layer/frame
Layer types & hierarchy: vector/image/bone/group/switch, and how rigs are structured
PSD-to-Moho pipeline: prep in Photoshop, import options, and rig-friendly layer separation
Timeline fundamentals: channels, red bone channels, keyframe types, Sequencer, and Graph Mode editing
Core rigging: bone layers, binding concepts, target bones & stretchy limbs, and bone dynamics
Deformation tools: Smart Warp, Curver setup for tails, Vitruvian bones, and controlled bones delay
Smart Bones workflow: dial design, action naming, and fixing rig issues with corrective actions
Animation skills: recording rules, pauses with key duplication, cycles (absolute vs relative), and reuse actions
Vector drawing/editing: frame 0 rules, add/edit points, auto-weld, fills, liquid shapes, advanced brushes
Masking & shading: clipping highlights/shadows within groups using correct masking modes
Scene building: parallax depth while keeping size, and managing audio/layer timing in Sequencer
Effects systems: particles setup, frame-by-frame layers for per-frame drawings, and physics constraints
Productivity & pipeline: scripts benefits, references updating across projects, exporting & Layer Comps outputs

About the free online course

Turn your ideas into polished 2D animation with a practical learning path that takes you from first click to advanced production workflows in Moho 14. This free online course is built for creators who want more than shortcuts: you will understand how Moho thinks, why tools change depending on layers and frames, and how to use the timeline with confidence so your scenes stay editable, consistent, and easy to refine.

You will build strong fundamentals around layer structure, keyframes, and clean exports, then move into the core techniques that make Moho powerful for character animation. Learn to bring artwork in efficiently from Photoshop, organize assets for rigging, and choose approaches that fit your style whether you animate with vectors or images. As your skills grow, you will start making rigs that feel alive using switch layers for fast changes, target bones for reach and stretch, and dynamics for natural overlap.

From there, the course guides you through professional controls that elevate your motion: smart warp setups for better deformations, curvers for flexible tails and accessories, and smart bones to fix problem bends and create expressive poses without breaking your drawings. You will also develop strong animation habits by learning how Moho records channels, how to shape timing with graph editing, and how to create cycles that can be reused and adjusted without rebuilding work from scratch.

Beyond character movement, you will learn to design complete shots. Create clean vector shapes and fills, mask highlights and shading precisely, and use liquid shapes for stylized cutout looks. You will set up scenes with depth using parallax, align timing in the sequencer, and add atmosphere with particles. For styles that require hand-drawn energy, you will also work with frame-by-frame layers alongside rigged animation to mix techniques inside one pipeline.

Finally, you will explore features that help you work faster and smarter on real projects: physics for believable interactions, scripts for efficiency, reusable actions, references for keeping multiple scenes in sync with a master rig, advanced brush options, quad meshes for higher quality warps, and layer comps for exporting multiple versions from a single file. By the end, you will have the knowledge to plan rigs cleanly, animate with control, and deliver finished renders that look professional and are ready for clients, portfolios, or your own animated series.

Course content

Video class: Part 0/38. Course trailer - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 02m
Exercise: How is the Moho 14 Animation Masterclass structured to teach users from beginner to expert?
Video class: Part 1/38. Overall interface - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 07m
Exercise: In Moho, why do the available tools and timeline keys change when you select different layers or frames?
Video class: Part 2/38. Basic Layer structures - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: Why must a vector layer (e.g., an arm) be placed inside a Bone layer to be controlled by bones?
Video class: Part 3/38. Timeline basics - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 04m
Exercise: In Moho’s timeline, what is the main purpose of the red channels when working with bone animation?
Video class: Part 4/38. Exporting the animation - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: What is the main purpose of the Moho Exporter option?

Video class: Part 5/38. How to prepare the bitmap on Photoshop - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 06m
Exercise: When importing a PSD into Moho, what is a key benefit for character rigging?
Video class: Part 6/38. Import the PSD and basic rigging - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 18m
Exercise: When importing a PSD into Moho, which import option brings in all Photoshop layers as separate layers?
Video class: Part 7/38. Switch Layers - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 06m
Video class: Part 8/38. Targets bones - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Exercise: In Moho, what setting allows a limb bone to extend past its original length to reach a Target bone and create a stretchy effect?
Video class: Part 9/38. Basic Dynamics - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 12m
Exercise: In Moho 14, what must you enable before Bone Dynamics will visibly affect a bone (e.g., floppy ears)?
Video class: Part 10/38. Basic Smart Warp - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Video class: Part 11/38. Curvers - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Exercise: When setting up a Curver layer for animating a tail, what must the light blue rectangle include to avoid the artwork being cut off on later frames?
Video class: Part 12/38. Basic Smart Bones - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Exercise: When using one Smart Bone dial to control movement in two directions (e.g., head up and head down), what setup is recommended?

Video class: Part 13/38. Basic animation - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 04m
Exercise: In Moho, what determines which animation channel gets recorded on the timeline when you make a change?
Video class: Part 14/38. Keyframe types and Graph Mode - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 10m
Exercise: In Moho's Motion Graph, what action is required to actually edit a specific channel (like Layer Translation or Z Rotation) rather than just preview it?
Video class: Part 15/38. Animation Cycles - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: In Moho, what is the key difference between an absolute cycle and a relative cycle?

Video class: Part 16/38. Drawing shapes tools Freehand tools - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 10m
Exercise: Why can you only use Moho’s drawing tools on frame 0 in a vector layer?
Video class: Part 17/38. Add and edit points - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: What does enabling Auto weld do when using the Add Point tool?
Video class: Part 18/38. Fill tools - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m
Exercise: In Moho 14, what does the Create Shape tool’s “Connect and Create” option do?
Video class: Part 19/38. Masking - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 13m
Exercise: When masking shading/highlight layers inside a group, which masking setting clips them to the base shape’s boundaries in Moho?
Video class: Part 20/38. Liquid Shapes - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 14m
Exercise: When a newly drawn subtraction shape does not inherit the rounded edge look from earlier shapes, what is the main reason?
Video class: Part 21/38. Drawing a character - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 30m
Exercise: When importing a character reference image so you can adjust transparency and toggle visibility, which import method is preferred?

Video class: Part 22/38. Rigging vectors vs Rigging images - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m
Exercise: Why can’t you use the Bind Points tool directly on an image layer in Moho?
Video class: Part 23/38. Smart Bones for vectors - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 16m
Exercise: When creating a Smart Bone Action to fix a vector rig issue (like an arm bend), what is the correct naming practice for the Action?
Video class: Part 24/38. Rigging an entire character - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 15m
Exercise: Why might you avoid using Bind Layer on the entire head group when rigging a character?
Video class: Part 25/38. Animating a vector character - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: What does using Ctrl+F (Command+F) help you do when adding a pause in a Moho animation?
Video class: Part 26/38. Vitruvian Bones - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m

Video class: Part 27/38. Creating a scene with parallax - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 16m
Exercise: When adjusting layer depth for parallax while keeping the artwork the same size, which key combination is used while dragging a layer?
Video class: Part 28/38. Timeline - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 10m
Exercise: In Moho’s Timeline Sequencer, what is a common use for clicking and dragging a layer (like an audio track) left or right?
Video class: Part 29/38. Controlled Bones - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m
Exercise: In Moho, what does increasing the frame delay in Control Bones (Angle) mainly do for a tentacle rig?
Video class: Part 30/38. Particles - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 07m
Exercise: In Moho, what must you do to make a Particle layer actually generate particles?
Video class: Part 31/38. Frame by Frame layers - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m
Exercise: In Moho, what special layer must you create to draw frame-by-frame artwork that changes per frame on the timeline?
Video class: Part 32/38. Physics - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Exercise: In Moho, what is the correct way to keep a physics-enabled shelf from falling while other objects (like stacked cans) drop onto it?
Video class: Part 33/38. Scripts - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 03m
Exercise: What is a primary benefit of using scripts in Moho 14?

Video class: Part 34/38. Re-use actions - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 09m
Exercise: When adding a saved walk cycle action to the main timeline, what is the key difference between inserting it as a copy vs as a reference?
Video class: Part 35/38. References - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 07m
Exercise: When a referenced character rig is used in a different Moho project file, what must you do to see edits made to the master rig appear in the scene?

Video class: Part 36/38. Quad meshes - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 05m
Exercise: Why would you manually build a quad mesh for a Smart Warp instead of using the default mesh?
Video class: Part 37/38. Advanced brushes - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 07m
Exercise: What indicates that a brush is a multi-brush in the brush panel?
Video class: Part 38/38. Layer Comps - Learning Moho from beginner to expert 08m
Exercise: In Moho, which exporter option lets you render separate outputs for each Layer Comp (e.g., character, background, foreground plants) from the same project?

Free online courses on Character Animation

Learn aboutCharacter Animation

Explore free online Character Animation courses designed to help you master expressive movement, acting, timing, posing, and storytelling for 2D and 3D characters. Learn practical animation techniques at your own pace, build job-ready creative skills, and earn a certificate upon completion to showcase your achievement.

Learn aboutMoho

Explore free online Moho courses and learn to create professional 2D animations, from drawing and rigging characters to timelines, motion, lip-sync, and visual effects. Study at your own pace with beginner-friendly lessons, build practical animation skills, and earn a certificate to showcase your knowledge and advance your creative career.

Learn about2D Animation

Explore free online 2D animation courses and learn essential skills in character design, storyboarding, motion, drawing, and animation software. Study at your own pace with beginner-friendly lessons, practical projects, and expert guidance. Enroll today, build your creative portfolio, and earn a certificate with every completed course.