by Tony Joshie
If you have ever met an individual or a company producing any animated content, one of the significant portions of the budget goes to the software's license that will be used in designing the characters and the animation of the characters.
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Even Pixar, as a company, went the extra mile to develop software for themselves, considering the amount going to license and other things relating to getting the software ready for the project. Fortunately, in any case of projects, you do not have to spend so much on acquiring software because there are free and user-friendly apps for newbies and learners. And this is the reason this article is put in place - that every individual and even organization can benefit from it.
When you hear of animation, it is mostly linked with big names like Pixar that is mentioned earlier, DreamWorks, Studio Ghibli, and Disney. This industry has been growing and even booming progressively because the animated movies are enjoyed and endorsed by almost a wide age bracket - kids, teenagers, and adult people alike. The current global value of the animation industry is estimated to be $265 Billion, according to this source, and it is projected to add another whooping 5 billion dollars in this current year making it a total of $270 billion.
More than showing on big cinemas and film houses, other communities, most especially the online communities, are also enjoying the most recent technology in the industry. In fact, "Animations and films" has been rated the fifth category on YouTube that is most popular. However, beyond being an entertainment tool, animation has been a very strategic tool in the field of education, manufacturing, medicine, and marketing.
Other areas where animation is employed include:
Suppose you accord any credit for the remarkable feat in the animation industry. In that case, it will be straightforward to give it to the amazing ingenuity and creativity of the directors, story writers, animators, and the other crew members alike. The truth is, while they played a very memorable role and a significant factor in this production , much credit should be given to the development and design of the new animation techniques and tools, which is the primary catalyst in the breakthroughs of the animation industry. These tools are not only meant for the big studios and animators alone. Still, they are available for as many individuals that will get hold of it and will be willing to pay attention to its usage, and they are not overly expensive. And that is why this detailed list is put in place.
Software | Key Features | Price |
PowToon |
| Free and paid plan |
Blender |
|
|
Synfig Studio |
| Free |
OpenToonz |
| Free |
Animaker |
| Free and Paid plan |
This animation software is programmed for designing short presentations and videos. It has a very comprehensive library of royalty-free content and templates that can be customized by animators to meet the design's needs, and they can also upload their own designs and productions to the library. The app may be the perfect app for every animator. It is best for product production, idea pitches, how-to videos, company profiles, online advertisements, and infographics.
It is an animation software that is user-friendly. It allows everyone to make an excellent professional looking presentation for free even though it has a paid version of it though, the free version is not very rich in features as the paid ones.
This app is perfect for online content creators as it allows them to create, share, and post their productions online. The creators can also share the productions through emails as well or through individual virtual team workspaces like the Project Management Software. It also integrates very well with social media networks like Vimeo, slideshare Facebook, and YouTube
As noted by users, the only unfavoring side with the app is that the videos exported from it contain the app's Branding, and the max length for any HD videos created with the app is set it 3 minutes. As a matter of online storage, free users get 100MB space only. To upgrade, the starter subscription plan costs around $16 for a month, which is billed annually.
Blender is a very fantastic app that is very instrumental in creating animation content. It includes object tracking features, and with the app, you can quickly pan, track, tilt, and rotate the camera around the objects in 360 degrees. The app includes a Python API that allows advanced users to customize The app interface of the app.
The app integrates well into pipeline tools, which is a beautiful thing for professionals. The app also has been used for creating any award-winning animations with an example of "NextGen," a Netflix animation that was wholly created with Blender. So, to crown it all, it is a free app for anyone interested in learning its mastery.
Synfig is a free Open-sourced animation software that is very straightforward in usage mainly because of its timeline-based user interface and how the app works predicated on the traditional and primitive workflow for animation. Though the overall usage is not as friendly as the other ones, but with tutorials from experts and commitments, you will be able to get the most out of it. In the case of commercial use and production, you will need a very creative artistic thinking to allows the software work for you. Users have, in a way, concluded that the software looks like Microsoft PowerPoint in most ways.
The app is definitely not going to be difficult for those who have master animation production because it is very straightforward in usage relatively. The app is perfect for growing advertising companies or lean and means content department as this will help level up their work.
OpenToonz software is a software made for two-dimensional animation. And it is also an open-sourced app, and it is free of any charge for any personal use or commercial use to everyone worldwide. Advanced users of the app can re-modify the app to make it more relatively easy for them to use. It has a very straightforward interface though there are some advanced and updated tools and some other capabilities that make it a more technical app for animation.
Both novices and experts can make most of this app because it is a mid-level animation software used for any animation project. This app is perfect for content-creating departments, and it allows you to express your wonderful creativity and ingenuity without getting concerned about a very cumbersome interface. There is a paid version of the app that is named Toonz.
Of the list, this may be the best animation in terms of user-friendliness. The app and platform work predominantly with the drag and drop feature. It is a straightforward app and is as easy as the Microsoft PowerPoint and the Google Slides but, in this case, meant for animation. Animaker will help you create different types of videos. It also has other specialized modules that ranged from advertisements to explainer videos.
This app is handy for leveling up your content marketing needs or skills very quickly. It has an extensive and broad library of animated characters and pre-designed templates. Also, the app can be used to make 2D cartoons, whiteboard marker videos, and infographics.
Each of these apps has different and distinct functionalities, so it will be useful to bear the differences with the project need in mind to make the right choice of the software successfully and rightly. But if asked what the best animation app is, it is Blender, based on the fantastic functionality and yet free of all cost.
About Tony Joshie
Tony's journey as a blogger began several years ago when he discovered his love for the visual arts. Fascinated by the stories behind the masterpieces and the artistic techniques employed by renowned artists, he started sharing his thoughts and interpretations on his blog.
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