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Crevist — Advice:Free animation software
Published: 2010-04-21 01:42:26 +0000 UTC; Views: 74795; Favourites: 989; Downloads: 4951
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Description
Related contentIntroduction
For those who can't afford flash(aprox $700 or more for the full adobe version and $200 or more for the student version) or just want to give it a try and make. This is a cheaper way of figuring out if you like to animate than later buying something you wont use at all.
Most of these are completely free but there are some that are in here that are pretty cheap compared to what you spend on for the adobe products.
After a while and you like animating or get the hang of coding it is worth investing your money into getting adobe flash.
Clubs
Recommended Tools:
-wacom tablet or something similar(for animating or just for digital art)
-recording software(if you have none and don't have the money to buy some go to the link herevoiceacting.proboards.com/inde…
-microphone(if you intend on recording voices or sounds)
most of these you can pick up at a Best buy,future shop or any other store that carries electronics.
Random animating communities and other sites
Cartoon Supplies
- a site dedicated to selling supplies and learning aids for animation
Whirled
-a community website where you can play games,make animations, colaborate as well. If your can animate well enough you can earn money from people buying your animated character animation.
Doink
-a website dedicated to making quick little animations with the community
tutorials,tips, and other useful stuff:www.doink.com/forums
Index
#1. Free animation programs
#2. Cheaper animation Programs
#3. Animation books
#4. Suggestions
#1. Free Animation programs
EZ Toon (black and white only)(exports as: Gif )
Click here to download
-The program uses mostly fbf animating. It shares the same onion tool concept as flash though you can only do everything on one layer.
-The animations you make can only be exported as animated GIF's. So you can either post your animations as a whole or try and make an animated DA avatar icon.
Examples and tutorials
begining explaination to examples made by other users: www.conceptart.org/forums/show…
Video tutorials
Pencil (colour supported)(exports as: PNG images, Flash movie or a QuickTime movie for mac's)
www.pencil-animation.org/
-haven't used this but by looking through the tutorials the interface is allot better than Easy Toon and is easier to do frame by frame animating since the onion tool is included that flash uses. Its a whole lot like flash but without allot of the tools flash uses. it has a decent timeline and you can use sounds/music also.
Tutorials:
Pencil tutorials
Pivot Stick Figure Animator (colour supported)(exports as: PIV or .GIFs )
Pivot Stickfigure Animator version 2.2.5
or
Pivot Stickfigure Animator version 3.1 beta
-mostly this software is used to make stick figure animations. Includes a timeline and colour as well for beginneer to advanced animators to start with
video tutorials
thread with tips and examples:
www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/9…
TisFat
click here to download
-another stick animation program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator
video tutorials:www.youtube.com/results?search…
Helium Frog (stop motion)(windows only)(exports as: Avi file)
www.heliumfrog.net63.net/index…
-stop motion software best used with a webcam or video camera.
links and other useful sites
www.heliumfrog.net63.net/heliu…
Audacity (windows & Linux only)
-quick and easy way of editing current audio files as well as recording your own voice's and sounds for either video or animations.
voiceacting.proboards.com/inde…
LiveSwif (windows only)(exports as:swf)
click here to download
-another animation program that is similar to flash but at times can be hard to understand certain things for new people. Its up to you if you want to learn this or not like all things its just another learning curve.
For examples and tutorials
Blender (3d animation) (works on all computer types)
download here
-a free down loadable 3D program you can use if you would like to do some 3D related artworks. Any tutorials or tips in working with the tools can be found on the site.
additional tutorials:www.wonderhowto.com/search/ble…
*for additional free 3D software check out*Advice:3D tutorials for more
Plastic Animation Paper
download here
-is a software package for doing 2D animation. Works well with those who prefer to do traditional animating.
for examples and tutorials:plasticanimationpaper.dk/userf…
Synfig(exports as :AVI, Theora,MPEG,MNG,GIF)
download here
-another program similar to plastic animation paper
video tutorials
#2. Cheaper animation programs
*I normally give my own description of what the software is but since this is going to cost people money I'll leave the description that others have made about the product*
Digicelinc
FlipBook Lite($78) Standard version higher versions cost more www.digicelinc.com/Store/store…
-a software that helps 2D,3D and stop motion animators . Includes online tutorials on the site
some other video tutorials:www.youtube.com/results?search…
Boomer 4.0 under $50
- The program does a multitude of multimedia functions in a simple fast way. Create Flash Movie Web Buttons, Logos, Banner Ads or Slideshows for your Website. Fast, Clean, Audio/Video presentations.
Firestarter 7.2 under $30
- iMB Flare SWFlets(tm) allows you to use either the features of FlareAnimation, FlareBanner, or FlareText SWFlets with simple dialogue-based input windows. You can start with a built-in template and modify it, load a movie from our web site or start entirely from scratch.
MotionArtist 2.0 under $50
- MotionArtist 2.0 makes it easy to create Flash -based photo albums, banners and menus
Namo Freemotion 2006under $100
- Namo FlashCreator has an easy-to-use interface and nine panels to create and modify almost all of the properties or settings of a Flash movie, such as shape, instance, text, or ActionScript.
Selteco Flash Designer 5.0 approx $150
- Selteco released a new version of Flash Designer. It provides more than 130 predefined animation effects (fades, rotations, zooms, shifts, stretches, …) supports basic functions like gotoAndPlay and all built-in ActionScript functions and classes
Sothink Glanda 2005 under $50
-Sothink Glanda is a template based Flash movie maker. With a few clicks you can create a variety of animated flash such as interactive button, navigation, splash movie and graphic logos.
Sothink SWF Quicker 1.5 approx $85
-Sothink SWF Quicker is a powerful Flash movie creation tool. Its capability of editing imported .swf files and the user-friendly interface deserves your choice
SWiSHmax 1.0 approx $150
-SWiSHmax is a new Flash animation tool by Swishzone.com. The features include: advanced scripting capabilities, over 230 built-in effects, advanced set of drawing tools, SWF compression, etc
Ulead Cool 3D 3.5 approx $30
- With COOL 3D 3.5, your text and shapes are easily customizable into eye-catching 3D. Output vector-based Flash with the new EnVector module.
Wildform Linx 1.1 approx $400
- Wildform Linx is an easy to use Flash editor. It lets you import, edit, manipulate and combine virtually any type of Flash SWF file, from simple images, to complex animations, audio and video.
Xtivity 1.0 approx $80
- Xtivity is a new Macromedia Flash Authoring Software program that allows you to visually design interactive Flash web projects in a layout style workflow.
Anime Studio 5 $199
- Anime Studio 5 is your complete 2D animation program for creating 2D movies, cartoons, anime or cut out animations. Create your own desktop animated shorts in the style of South Park and Jib Jab, or use Anime Studio to produce full-length animation for film, video or streaming over the web. Anime Studio allows digital enthusiasts at home and professionals in the studio bring their imagination to life!
here is a list of 22 flash related programs you might want to download that are flash alternative Some are free while others are cheaper to buy than adobe.here
#3 Animation books (Some available to read for free others recommended to buy)
Force Dynamic: Life drawing for animators
Timing for Animation
The Animators work book
Stop Motion Craft skill for model animation
Producing independent 2D character animation
How to make animated films
Flash mx 2004 game art to Actionscript
Animation-Writing-and-Development
The Animators Survival Kit
-nice informative animation book put together by Richard Williams the animation director of the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabit. Its pretty funny to read but allot of the content is technical so if you wanted step by step info its lacking but its useful to those who want to animate both 2D and 3D.
www.scribd.com/doc/25339458/Ho…
Other books to consider
Storyboard Design Course
www.amazon.ca/Storyboard-Desig…
-This book focuses mainly on creating proper storyboards and talks a bit about drawing and other useful things.
- this book can help you for planning out:
media productions
animations
computer games
movies/tv shows
plan out and pitch an idea to clients
-overall the book is really good at explaining different camera shot and how to portray your idea's and thoughts effectively.
Cartoon Animation: by Preston Blair
www.amazon.ca/Cartoon-Animatio…
-this one was very good at instructing you how to properly frame by frame a cartoon. Allot of examples given from the ground up but lacks the technical instructions that the Animator's Survival kit provides.
All About Techniques in Drawing for Animation Production
www.amazon.com/About-Technique…
-this book was very good when it came to learning about animation. Talks about what kind of materials they use,drawing characters and backgrounds,story boarding and giving overall tips and talks about different themes.
#4. Suggestions
Here are various links that have caught my eye that seem useful.
Structure of Man (Beginning to Advanced drawing of the human body from your mind) found by:Senor_Sausage
-very good tutorial for learning how to draw from your mind and goes over lots of steps in order to complete a whole person. It does cost money to get the rest of the DVD's its good to have especially when your the type of person who learns by being shown rather than reading through books and online tutorials.
The first lesson is free:
inventiontocompletehumanbeing.…
BiteyCastle Academy: Learn animation here first couple of video's are free but you have to pay to see the other video's
Art101 looking through the various news pages on this individuals ng page provides allot of information on animation and art in general.
Primer on animation
Angry Animators: Tutorials
Related content
Comments: 140
allot to choose from can be a good thing
pencil and ez-toon are good starts since they have tools to help you do frame by frame animating but pencil has layers and colours over ez-toon where that is limited.
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Nice linkage!!! - FYI - Audacity - works on Linux ( as it was originally only on Linux ).
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Wow this is all amazing
Thank you very much for this!
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np 
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What would you recommend in the 'lower priced' softwares, [for Mac] for making an interactive flash book? like a story, 'click to go to the next page' kind of thing?
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my guess would be to do some research and check out each one see which one provides that the others don't and see if they support any coding/programing. Then look through google "interactive (insert program name) book" and look for the source code to make a interactive book.
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I have Blender!
Yea, it's quite hard, but hey! All you have to do is click buttons! :3
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np
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=o ........ *blows up* OMG! I think i love you :3 lol
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Wow... this is a great resource. 
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like you would any deviant art submission select a file you want to use and upload it. Its allot more forgiving here to post your animation newgrounds.com usually removes animations from those who are starting out and learning unless its good.
da I think accepts avi,swf, and gif's only for if you are using one of these free software some don't save out in certain formats.
you can download [link] which is a free software that allows you to turn a file you have into a different format. I would suggest you make a copy of your animation just in case the format change doesn't work and you lose your hard work.
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Thank you for posting this. I just downloaded pencil and could not find good tutorials on youtube, til I found your link. Very helpful. Going to checkout some of the other stuff you have listed.
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Haha thank you so much for making this! And for the free art and animation books!
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np
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Thank you very much for this great reference
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np
this should help a bit with blender's learning curve [link]
if you want more blender tutorials to get you started or any other kinds of free 3D software you can always check out Advice: 3D tutorials
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np
here is a couple more that you may like
Advice: Free Art books to read
Advice: Free Animation books
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Hi.
Thanks a lot for these been looking for some great animating programs.
I have a question, are they safe for downloading?, i'm a little paranoid about viruses ^-^;;;
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np
They should be ok I haven't had any issues . Majority of the ones I have seen are when people torrent(download) actual products from adobe or games off the internet where they get Trojan horse or worm viruses.
if you don't have a antivirus for the worst case scenario that it might the AVG anti virus program here is a free download and its been pretty good for me [link]
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np
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Good article, the download button for liveswif leads to a nonexisting forumthread though, thus it does not work.
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thanks
oh? sorry about that its been fixed
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Thank you so much! I hope to find time to check out all of these.
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np
look through the books as well if you need some tips to get started.
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You have forgotten to add Tisfat...HOW COULD YOU FORGET TISFAT D:
[link]
The word Tisfat means "This is stick figure animation theater"
it includes custom stick creation, blood spill, onnion skin with timeline
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