Animatron (online)
Among the best solutions for make cartoons there is animatronic, an online service that allows you to both use ready-to-use animations and import your own creations. Its free version allows you to export the cartoon in low quality, save a maximum of five projects and, above all, apply a watermark to the movie. To remove these limitations and take advantage of additional features, you need to subscribe to an Animatron paid plan by choosing from For ($ 30 / month or $ 15 / month billed annually) e Business ($ 60 / month or $ 30 / month billed annually).
To start creating your animated videos, connect to the Animatron website and click the button Try free present under the heading Create HTML5 and video animation, dopodiché pigia sul pulsnte Sign up at the top right to create your account. On the page that opens, click on the logo of Facebook, Google o Twitter to register with Animatron by connecting your social account, otherwise enter your email in the field Type your email and click sul pulsating Create an account. Within a few moments you will receive an email with an activation link: press the button Activate your account and, in the new open page, enter your data in the fields Your name, Password e Industry, dopodiché pigia sul pulsnte Create my free account but I will complete the registration.
Adesso, click on the button Start creating at the top right to access the Animatron editor and choose whether to work in beginner mode (Lite) or expert (Expert). Using the left sidebar, select one of the available items to start creating your cartoon.
- Animated sets (the missile icon): allows you to access a catalog of ready-to-use animations and use their individual elements, such as the background and characters.
- Backgrounds (the landscape icon): to choose one of the many backgrounds to apply to the cartoon scenes.
- Text (the T icon): to insert text into the cartoon, choosing its font, size, color and alignment.
- Audios (the music note icon): a library of music files. To wear the songs in your own cartoon, you need to subscribe to a subscription plan.
- Project library (the box icon): to import images, music and files on your computer, useful for making the cartoon. Alternatively, you can import files in JPG, PNG, TIFF, MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, SVG and MP4 format by pressing the button Import present in the top menu.
Once you have chosen the elements of your interest, drag them into the workspace to build your cartoon. To add new scenes, click the button + present at the top right. By doing so you will add a new empty scene, otherwise press the icon of + inside a square to duplicate the previous scene.
You must know that with Animatron you can also dub your cartoon, just click on the icon microphone present in the toolbar at the top. Then press the button Allow to allow Animatron to access your computer's microphone, click the red button to start recording and presses the icon square when you have finished recording. To listen to the recording, click the button Play and, if you like it, press the button Add to add it to your cartoon timeline.
To save the project, click the gear wheel at the top left and enter the data of the cartoon in the fields Name e Description, while if you want to download it to your computer or share it on the web, press the buttons Download e Share.
GoAnimate (Online)
GoAnimate is another online service that allows you to create cute cartoons. It allows you to stage your idea using standard templates and hundreds of characters, with the ability to upload your own animations and record dialogues. New users can try it for 14 days in a limited trial version, after which it is paid with a recurring monthly fee (more on that shortly).
To create cartoons with GoAnimate, connected to the website of the service, enter your data in the fields First name, Last name, Company name, Job role, Work phone, Work email e Password and click sul pulsating Sign up for a free trial to create your account and activate your 14-day free trial. Within a few moments you will receive an email with an activation link: click on the item Activate now to complete the registration.
Nella nuova page aperta, pigia sul pulsating Make a video and click sul pulsating Select related to the option Business Friendly to access the GoAnimate editor. Now, start creating your cartoon by choosing the background of the first scene: then click on the option templates (the icon of one square and two rectangles) at the top left, select a template category from Office, Marketing, Sports, Home, Holidays, Space, Superheros, Pirate, Travel etc. and click on the template you prefer to import it into the GoAnimate workspace.
To modify the added scene, press on the scene itself and choose the type of modification to be made by clicking on the items Option, Narration, Effects e Camera present in the sidebar that appears on the left. If, on the other hand, you want to modify the individual characters of the scene, click on them and, using the sidebar on the left, choose one of the two available options: Action to change the selected character and modify their facial expression or Dialogue to record the "line" of the character in question or load an audio file from your computer.
After editing the scene and individual characters, you can add additional characters, props and background music by clicking on one of the options visible on the left.
- Characters (the little man icon): to add a new character to the scene. Hundreds of characters are available divided by categories, such as Casual, Holidays, Kids, Politics, Sports etc.
- Props (the phone icon): to add props, emoticons, arrows and more.
- Text (the T icon): to insert text to the scene, with the possibility of choosing its font, size and color. It also allows you to insert vignettes.
- Sound (the musical note icon): To add background music or sound effects, such as an ambulance siren.
Once the creation of the first scene is complete, you can move on to the next by pressing the button + present in the timeline below or by clicking on the item Add scene: by doing so, you will duplicate the previous scene. To have an empty scene, instead, click on the added scene and press the option Clear give the menu to compare.
Once you've created your cartoon, click the button Preview present at the top right to view a preview and press the button Save to save the project. You must know that to export the cartoon and remove all limitations (including the watermark), it is necessary to sign up for a subscription choosing between Gopublish ($ 39 / month), GoPremium ($ 89 / month) e Gotés ($ 159 / mese).
Scratch (Online / Windows / Mac / Android / iOS)
Scratch it is not a tool for making cartoons, however it allows you to create animations for free using a block programming language. It allows you to access a rich catalog of characters and backgrounds, creating animations and skits with simple commands. It is available in an online version without registration but requires an internet connection. To use it offline, you can download the software for Windows PC and Mac or the app for Android and iOS tablets.
To use Scratch from a browser, connect to the main page of the service and click on the button Crea to access the editor. Then press the icon of landscape located at the bottom left, under the heading New background, and choose the background to use for your scene, otherwise click the icon of folder to upload one from your computer.
To add new characters, find the voice instead New sprite and presses the icon oflittle man to choose a character from the Scratch library. Alternatively, click the del icon brush to draw a new character or press the icon of the folder and an arrow to load a character from your computer.
Now, select the character inserted just now and use the commands in the central part of the page to create the animations: for example, if you want to make the character move, select the category of commands Movement and drag the command Take [number] steps on the right side of the work area.
As mentioned above, Scratch is also available for computers and tablets. To learn more, I leave you to my guide on how to download Scratch.
Animation Desk (iOS)
Animation Desk is a free application for iPhone and iPad that allows you to create your own animations quite easily. It is a professional tool, suitable for those who have good drawing skills and intend to create a cartoon taking care of the smallest details, starting precisely from the creation of the characters and animations. With iPad it supports the use of Apple Pencil.
After downloading Animation Desk on your device, launch it by selecting its icon (a V upside down on yellow background) e pigia sul pulsating Continue to access the workspace. Then tap the button +, presses on the voice Empty project in the menu that appears, enter the name to be assigned to the project in the field Name and press the ✓ button.
Now, choose the type of pencil to use for your drawing and start drawing. Once the first frame is complete, tap on the icon of freccia rivolta verse destra to go to the next frame and repeat the operation for all the frames that make up the animation. Then press the ▶ ︎ button to see the final result. To export the animation, tap on the item Export and select the option you prefer the most from those available.
Other solutions for making cartoons
If the solutions proposed above have not completely met your needs, you need to know that they exist other solutions to make cartoons on computers, smartphones and tablets: here are some that might be right for you.
- FlipaClip - Cartoon Animation (Android / iOS): it is an excellent free application to draw individual frames of your own cartoon in flip-book style.
- Animation & Drawing by Do Ink (iOS): application available only for iPad that allows you to create animations. It is the ideal solution for novice users who have just entered the world of drawing and animation, but it can also be used by more experienced users who want to create advanced animations using powerful tools. It costs € 5,49.
- Powtoon (Online): is an online service that allows you to create animated presentations. In its free version it allows you to make videos of a maximum length of 5 minutes, to be uploaded later on platforms such as YouTube. It is also available by subscription starting at $ 19 / month.
- Video (Online): an online editor to create cartoons using the objects and characters available in the library of the service. After a 7-day free trial, you need to sign up for a subscription by choosing from Basic ($ 19 / month), For ($ 39 / month) or Enterprise ($ 79 / mese).
