Do explainer videos work and what’s the best whiteboard animation software?
When it comes to how to make a whiteboard video for your custom purposes – whether you want to make animated videos for business or just some small animated videos – explainer video best practices recommend to use a video explainer template. Check whether or not it is included in Prezi presentation. You need to decide which animated video maker software to use anyway. Before proceeding to the whiteboard animation software download you intend to use for your explainer video production I recommend you to really check various explainer video software reviews and compare because not all sketch video software is created equal. If it were, you probably wouldn’t be doing all your searches for Prezi presentation and be reading this. Prezi presentation is certainly a great whiteboard video software but it is up to you to check which features are important to you. Animated videos for business certainly have other requirements to the producer than a personal 3d doodle pen video.
Steps to Get Your Cartoon Produced
Whiteboard animation is the new upcoming thing in today's video marketing world. Just to make this very clear whiteboard animation and video scribing are one in the same thing. When we first came into the business nobody knew the right words to search for but now since we have created sites to pick up many different keywords it is a little easier to find whiteboard animation companies. I have had some clients tell me they had been searching for months on different search engines to try and locate a video scribing company. They were just searching the wrong terms. Lets get back to the topic. How do you create a Whiteboard Animation Video? It is simple but at the same time it can become very time consuming and complicated.
There you have it a couple of simple steps on how to create a whiteboard animation video. Obviously it is a little more complicated when you start to create professional videos, but the steps are the same. When creating a whiteboard animation video remember to keep it simple. Einstein said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Start with the most powerful script you can create then work down from there.
Why Businesses Need Whiteboard Animation
If you have always wanted to be a 3D artist, having an interest and passion in the career provides you with a good foundation to start from. Although any art related skill requires talent, you can improve your skills if you have a burning desire to learn. However, to make an impact in the industry, there are 7 important things every 3D artist must know. They include:
Camerawork
To make a good 3D artist you need to have some exceptional camera skills. To capture a really good image requires getting a shot that is out of the ordinary. Although you may get with average camera skills and supplementing with good software and editing skills, the initial shot determines the outcome of the final material. No amount of editing can replace a shot of genius. It is about getting an amazing shot that only a very good artist like can see.
Rigging
While doing animation you need to learn to give movement to characters. The process of rigging allows you to give your characters the ability to move and talk. This is one skill that requires patience and once you master it, you will be able to work faster.
Texture
For any image to be seen clearly, it has to have great texture. Even if you produce great work and get the texture wrong, the work will not be appealing. You therefore have to polish and perfect your texture skills over time.
Having looked at the above it is clear that as long as you use your talent, you can produce some good quality material. These tips will improve you and make you an all-round 3D artist.
Why Businesses Need Whiteboard Animation
There is almost no such thing as an easy animation software when you're serious about the subject. Animation is an extremely complex area with an often mind-boggling array of terminology and any animation package worth its weight will almost certainly require a steep learn curve. Whatever package you choose, be it 2D or 3D, do ensure it comes with plenty of tutorials, tips and advice.
This brief line-up, in no particular order of preference, is aimed at the hobbyist, enthusiast and those new to the field. Hopefully there should be something to suit all tastes and pockets. The compilation is not exhaustive, excluding some of the more expensive heavyweights such as Maya, Lightwave and 3D Studio Max; but many of the products listed are free or moderately priced, have good reputations, and are all designed to inspire creativity.
- ANIME STUDIO PRO (2D) create cartoons, anmie and cut-out animations with ease. Add skeletons with the click of a mouse. Import photoshop files with layers intact and build characters from scratch with character wizard. Anmie Studio has excellent lip syncing capabilities, generous multi-sound formats along with full support for YouTube.
- Other popular animation programs with strong YouTube support include, GO ANIMATE (2D), XTRA-NORMAL (3D) and MUVIZU(3D). All three programs allow you to create animations without the need for expensive equipment or specialist training and Muvizu, which is free, provides high-quality sets complete with complex character animation and the facility to collaborate on productions.
- MOVIESTORM, an innovative 3D software program is aimed at amateur film makers wishing to making high quality animated movies and provides the perfect tool with which to learn about film and TV production. Other 3D software packages also popular with artists and filmmakers are DAZ STUDIO (3D) and ICLONE 5 (3D). Iclone 5 is a real-time 3D animation tool with digital actors, visual effects and Microsoft Kinect-ready motion capture whilst Daz Studio, allows you to create stunning digital artwork and animations and is currently free.
- For good lighting and camera effects try SYNFIG (2D). The ambition of Synfig developers was to create an animation software capable of producing film quality output. Synfig is an open source vector based animation program and is free.
- Now if you can, checkout the cartoon strip "Big Buck Bunny" and the film short "Elephants Dream" to see why BLENDER (3D) is a legend in the world of 3D animation software. Software to rival the big boys, available free with a huge fan-base and plenty of tutorials and support.
- For the more adventurous amongst you CRAZYTALK (2D/3D) is a photo to animation engine where you can turn photos, sketches, statues, anything into animatable characters. Media can be inserted directly into the scene and the program supports a variety of formats. Similarly Morpheus (2D/3D) animation software will transform your photos into other things such as cartoons or animals. Blend, mix and exaggerate body parts. Watch a person turn into someone - or something else.
- Remember king Kong and the empire state building? Well if you're into STOP-MOTION photography then IstopMotion (3D) for Macintosh is worth considering. With IstopMotion you can work with your Mac's built in camera or import photos to build your animations. You can even turn your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch into a High Definition camera...
- One free 2D animation package with drawing tools similar to Photoshop is PENCIL. Pencil allows for both vector and bitmap graphics and has proved an excellent introductory animation tool. With pencil you can create traditional hand drawn animations on most computer platforms including Mac OS.
- Another 2D substitute for the traditional light table/and paper animation is PLASTIC ANIMATION PAPER (PAP) 4 which is currently free for download. Also currently free for download (but without technical support) is CREATOON 3 (2D) which utilizes the cut-out animation process.
- Lastly a fine example of a solid 2D animation program, renowned for its depth and the quality of technical support is TOON BOOM STUDIO. An excellent application made for animators, by animators.
Good Luck!
Animation: A Long Journey
I'm sure you've noticed the growth in so-called 'whiteboard animation' videos on the Internet.
You know. The ones where an artist's hand is seen to sketch out text and images in double-quick time to illustrate the message the video is trying to get across.
And I'm sure, like most people, you find this type of video very entertaining to watch and maybe you're curious as to how they are made and would like to know whether you could make them too.
In this article, I will answer some of the most common questions about whiteboard animation videos and demonstrate that they are far easier to create than you probably imagine.
Are you ready? Then let's dive in.
1. Why should you use video?
We'll start at Square One. If you are trying to get a message across, whether to sell something, educate people or just to entertain, why choose video over other formats?
There are at least three good reasons.
Firstly, video is the most accessible, immediate and compelling medium around at the moment. We are all used to watching TV or film and digesting content in the form of moving images. We associate it with being entertained and we like to be entertained.
In other words, people are more likely to stick with a video until the end than they are with pure text or text and images.
Second, the Internet loves video. People will share entertaining or informative video content through social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, with a readiness not found with other formats. (When did you last hear of a printed document 'going viral'?)
And Google loves video. Do a search on almost any subject and you will find a good crop of videos appearing prominently. It has been amply demonstrated that, all else being equal, a video will rank higher and more quickly than the same content in another form will.
Third, if you create a video, you have the means to easily adapt it to present the same information in other formats. You can strip off the audio to create something people can listen to and have that audio transcribed to have something people can read.
If you have a narrative, you will need to play around with timings to make sure what happens on screen dovetails with what is being said.
When you have finished, you hit 'create video' and job done.
Your new whiteboard animation video is now ready to be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, your website or wherever else you want to place it.
6. Should you be using whiteboard animation?
Yes! All else being equal, whiteboard animation videos are going to out-perform run-of-the-mill videos in a whole array of applications.
They have been shown to be more effective at selling, training, presenting and entertaining.
And with very affordable software now on the market to automate the process of creating whiteboard animation, there is no longer any excuse for not using this powerful medium in your online activities.
This is especially true if you aren't the most polished presenter out there. Whiteboard animation carries a highly perceived value because it looks slick and professional and few people realise that it can now be produced cost-effectively.
And here is another reason to use whiteboard animation. It is a whole lot of fun!
When you start enjoying the video production process, not only will it stop feeling so much of a 'chore', that enjoyment will also come across in your finished product, making it even more effective at getting your message across.
The bottom line is that whiteboard animation is a new and exciting medium that has the potential to significantly boost your online activities.
Once the preserve of big business, software now makes whiteboard animation accessible to all. So isn't it time you used it to get your message across in a fresh and compelling way?
