From AI asset to animated emoji: our workflow step‑by‑step

Hey there, motion lovers!

In our recent article, “Using AI in Game Design Without Losing the Human Touch”, we reflected on how AI doesn't replace creativity—it amplifies it. We used tools like MidJourney to generate UI art assets for a mobile game, then refined and hand‑edited everything in Illustrator or Photoshop so that the final pieces carried our studio’s human judgement and craft.

Concepts for UI assets generated in Midjourney

Revamping the UI Art and Motion

It’s this mindset—AI as assistant, not replacement—that we’re applying in our latest explainer‑video project.

Here’s how we’re doing it

Generate a character emoji in MidJourney – for example, a young football player.

We still haven't figured out how to generate a solid green background in MJ

Bring the image into Photoshop, add a solid green background to isolate the character.

Upload that frame back to MidJourney, and use the High Motion setting to generate a 5‑second loop of the emoji.

Bring the animation into After Effects, use the Keylight plugin to remove the green screen and isolate the animated character.

Just like in the UI‑asset workflow: we define the creative vision, use AI to accelerate asset production, and then take full control to craft, refine, and deliver.

For a deeper dive into our UI‑art process, check out our blog post here and our detailed case study here:

Case study

Thoughts?

If this behind‑the‑scenes peek resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have you experimented with AI in your own creative process? How did it change your workflow?

Just hit reply — I read every message.

And if there’s a specific part of our process you’d like me to unpack next (UI transitions, branding animations, or game motion design), let me know.
Your feedback helps shape what we share next.

Thanks for being part of this journey — here’s to keeping motion human.

Thanks for reading

If you are working on a game and need help with motion design, UI animation, or prototyping, we would love to collaborate.

Let's talk!

We appreciate your support and hope you enjoyed our newsletter.

If you have any feedback, questions, or just want to say hi, feel free to email us at hola@bisuala.com—or reach out to me directly at marc@bisuala.com. I’d love to hear from you!

P.S. This newsletter was written with the assistance of an AI — guided, edited, and crafted by a human (Marc) to keep things thoughtful and honest.