November 13 , 2020 Posted by admin
The world’s first animated film “Fantasmagorie” was created in 1908 by Emile Cohl. The French cartoonist’s work led to an entire genre of film and video making that has spanned many segments of business and entertainment.
In business today, animation is an important tool for marketing and other purposes. Explainer videos, video ads and much more is the result of animation integration in the market. Estimates suggest that by 2022, over 80% of network traffic will be for video. That means that creating web-based videos, and animations is not only an important skill now, but it has become essential.
A few years ago, designing even a basic animation required you hire a professional. Today, many online tools have become so easy and intuitive to use that even an amateur designer can create advanced animations like 2D vector graphics, stop motion graphics, CGI, motion graphics and much more. That does not mean that animation specialists have become obsolete. It is skill a lucrative field, and in high demand because while amateurs can create such graphics, animation specialists have also up scaled their skills and expertise. Head over to any freelance platform and you will see many jobs posted requiring a skilled animator or designer.
Whether you are a business owner looking for the best tools to create simple explainer videos or a professional animator looking for suggestions about a new tool, this guide will surely help you. This list contains a mix of premium 2D animation tools, some free tools and the best 3D animation tools out there in 2020.
What does an Animation Software Do?
Animation software is a tool used by animators and designers to help them create frame-by frame motion graphics. After all the frames have been designed, they are combined to create a single motion graphics, which can be used for a business video or an animated movie.
Computer aided graphics were first created during the 1950’s, but it was not until 1988 that a tool called Softimage was created, which started the current modern animation era. That was because for the first time, animation, modeling, and rendering were available within one tool. That made it very popular with many animators, and was used in the making of hundreds of video games and films.
Nowadays, animation is prevalent in almost everything digital. Creating eye-catching presentations, graphic intensive video games, animated feature films and shows and much more, it is all due to the superb animation software.
While you can hire an animator from a number of professionals, if you want to download a tool and give it a hand yourself, this list will help you make the best decision.
Top Animation Software:
Here are some of the best animation tools of 2020:
Renderforest:
It is a subscription based all-in-one tool designed for video animations, still animation, logo design and a website maker as well. It is a useful tool for web designers, business owners, and those who do not require 3D graphics.
For an amateur looking to create a logo, animated video, a video intro or an innovative website, this is the obvious tool.
Specifically, this tool is designed for individuals and businesses who do not want to hire a video animation company, but can follow simple instructions to design simple animations. Using AI and machine learning, they provide good logo options for you to choose. Similarly, there are over a hundred pre-made website templates to choose from, so that you can get started right away on a website for you.
Animaker:
It is a freemium DIY video animation tool launched in 2014. Its wide array of services include creating videos using the in-built sample videos and infographics.
The in-built templates for videos are sufficient to create basic animation such as educational videos or classroom teaching.
It is a cloud-based tool, and uses HTML and Adobe Flash. It provides the functionality to upload animated videos to Facebook or Youtube directly, or to download them as an mp4.
OpenToonz:
It is a tool first released in 2016, and it is a free 2D animation tool. An open source program, a developer can add and modify the code to add features or customize it to their liking. Its purpose is to provide a bridge between academic research, and the field of animation in order to facilitate each other, without hiring professional video animation services.
It is a tool best suited to developers and artists looking for a high-level customization and personalization without breaking the bank. It is also an important tool for educational purposes, as well as the basic animations for a small business.
Synfig:
Synfig, or Synfig Studio is a relatively newer tool providing 2D animation, especially vector graphics. It is a free tool, quite helpful for creating cartoons, animation for publicity campaigns, or any other kind of marketing graphics.
It provides a stable version and a development version, which you can download according to your expertise. A free video training is also available that provides in-depth training of the tool, to help new users get an idea of itself.
Blender:
It is one of the most popular animation tool out there used to create high quality 3D animation, and it is free. First released in 1998, it has now been used extensively across a variety of industries and businesses. Its most common is to create animated films, 3D models and motion graphics.
It is a tool suitable for amateurs and students. While it may not be as commonly in a professional environment, it is a great learning and teaching tool in many smart classrooms. It also has the capability of a game engine, so it can be used to create games as well.
A tool best suited for individuals just starting, or small animation studios who have a limited budget or no heavily demanding projects.
Conclusion:
There is an abundance of animation software available in the market, and their usage depends on why the animator requires them. To put it simply, you need to outline your requirements and goals before selecting the animation software fit you. While other factors such as pricing, ease of usage, support etcetera are also important, this part is of most importance.
If you want to hire a professional animation company to create eye-catching graphics for you or your brand, head on over to LogoMagicians.
Also Read: 5 Things About Brand Development
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