Software recommendations for animation and digital art
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
I would use Photoshop for the digital art piece (I use this). you can get a monthly subscription that is around $25 US. There are also excellent free software apps too, if you want to start free and then work your way toward $$ apps. I have used Gimp in the past (free). Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud[^] GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program[^] I can't speak to the animation software but I know there is a lot to chose from (free and $$).
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
[Toon Boom Storyboard Pro | Toon Boom Animation](https://www.toonboom.com/products/storyboardpro) Mainly for 2D Animation. Not cheap. I used to work there (15 years ago) , not certain what amount of code I write is still in there (looking at the video, I think all traces of me were erased :sigh: ).
I'd rather be phishing!
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I would use Photoshop for the digital art piece (I use this). you can get a monthly subscription that is around $25 US. There are also excellent free software apps too, if you want to start free and then work your way toward $$ apps. I have used Gimp in the past (free). Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud[^] GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program[^] I can't speak to the animation software but I know there is a lot to chose from (free and $$).
Great - thank you!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Excellent! Thank you!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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[Toon Boom Storyboard Pro | Toon Boom Animation](https://www.toonboom.com/products/storyboardpro) Mainly for 2D Animation. Not cheap. I used to work there (15 years ago) , not certain what amount of code I write is still in there (looking at the video, I think all traces of me were erased :sigh: ).
I'd rather be phishing!
Looks interesting -- thanks! I'll pass it along. Yeah, 15 years is a long time for code to linger. :)
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Blender is becoming a powerhouse for 3D and animation, although it isn't yet widely accepted in the industry. It is free. Some examples from it: [blender shorts](https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=blender+shorts)
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Animation can mean a lot of things. Assuming she'd want transitions between consecutive photos/videos, I could add this one to the mix : Phot-Awe[^] (disclaimer: it's made by me). About GIMP - not sure if that would work for animations, but it's definitely an awesome free tool for editing photos - I've used it quite a bit myself.
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
If it's 2D animation she's interested in, I'd recommend looking at Hippanni (free but capable edition + advanced low cost £31 edition). For 3D, Blender is undoubtedly the 'standard' free package and very capable but takes a while to master. If something easier is required, I'd recommend Art Of Illusion as a good free starter, which can produce results quickly; it's a little buggy but quite capable of producing some nice looking animation. The recent versions of GIMP (2.10) are very good for image manipulation and use similar tools and techniques to Photoshop, but Adobe is the industry standard. GIMP is my image tool of choice, but I don't use it for anything meaningful.
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Animation can mean a lot of things. Assuming she'd want transitions between consecutive photos/videos, I could add this one to the mix : Phot-Awe[^] (disclaimer: it's made by me). About GIMP - not sure if that would work for animations, but it's definitely an awesome free tool for editing photos - I've used it quite a bit myself.
About ten years ago I have used GIMP with GAP to create animgifs. Looks like it works only with 2.8[^] Microsoft had a nicer tool then, but as usual, they have killed it.
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Depends on the type of animation. My main tool of the trade is 3dsMax, but it's not a simple program, also needs several expensive plugins. This being said: 2D and animation 1 Image editing: - Photoshop, it's a must. Alternatively Gimp. 2 Drawing: - SketchBook or ArtRage, I would also recommend a pressure sensitive tablet or screen such as Wacom 22HD but it's expensive ($1500+). There's a huge advantage in using pressure sensitive screen because, once you get used to it, you can create lines of variable thicknesses in one go which saves a ton of time, also, you are using a pen which is great. Software such as SketchBook also have low layers where i/e you can position a 3D dummy in any position, pose and at any angle so you never mess proportions. 3 Animation: - CellAction, ToonBoom, however they are expensive. Alternatively OpenToonz. They are great for frame by frame animation. 3D animation and modeling - This is a hard one. Professional studios either develop their own tools or use Maya, however, I never liked Maya (even scripting is it's strongest side), I'm a 3DsMAx guy, and whichever way you go, learning curve is hard, however, end results are most impressive and possibilities endless. Blender is a different kind of an animal, and probably the best to start with, it went so far since early days that in some segments it's even better than previous 2 mentioned. However, whichever is chosen, a rendering engine will be needed, and there are only two which i could recommend: v-Ray for any and RadeonRender if you have AMD based hardware. Even i'm biased towards 3DsMax, if I was starting today, with what I know, I'd probably go for Blender for start. As an addition, Daz3D and/or Poser can be used for life modeling and animation, meaning, humans, animals etc, then exported to one of previously mentioned programs. Warning: if you opt for 3dsMax, latest versions are NOT always the best. Choose your version wisely. A note: you'll need Photoshop or Gimp for textures. Video editing and SFX - This is a no brainer, Premiere Pro and After Effects. Audio - Well, every video needs audio too. For composing, mixing and mastering: Reaper. Everything else is just fancy buttons for more money. SoundForge is good for cutting audio clips, making loops and adding basic effects, but audio envelopes can be done in Premiere too, also Reaper which is LOADED with effects, so it's not a must even is useful. In addition, I would recommend an older version of ACD See, i/e v7 (NOT pro) to replace Windows image br
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Photoshop was getting to expensive so now I use GIMP. I've also tried KRITA but I like GIMP more.
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Take it from a former content dev, like anything else, you'll want her learning the gold standard in tools for sake of future skill application. Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud subs run around $20. Great for anything 2D and some light 3D as well. For higher end 3D, AutoDesk stuff like 3DSMax and Maya are king. I would toss those names out there, and then direct them to Blender, since it is free. Best of Luck.
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
No matter what software you pick, consider getting her a tablet with a pen for input. (Not like an Ipad, a pad that plugs into the USB port and has a pen.) Wacom sells several. I have a low-end one that I do use for designing woodworking patterns and find it much easier to use for editing graphics than a mouse. It is much more natural and intuitive when drawing. Try signing your name with a mouse and compare that with writing with a pen and you'll see the difference right away.
-- Gene Elston
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
I am by no means an expert, but I have done some 2D and 3D animations for church and school. That said, I have used only open source software and I see how easy you could produce very profesional looking products. If this young friend of yours is willing to work in the open source world, this is what I've tried: 2D tools:
3D tools:
- Here, I've only used Blender, but Blender is a "batteries included" product
Blender is not good in everything it does, but it does everything you need(*); from character design to creating and applying textures, to animation, to video production, and video & audio editing. All the steps necessary to produce high quality, professional looking videos. There is also a myriad of free online resources so you can learn how to use it, even some full courses on youtube. There are many, many free, open source tools to do animation and digital art, INKSCAPE is another tool I've used. Gimp and Krita are other MUST HAVES. Take a look into this article: 11 Free and Open Source Software for Artists but trust me; there is more than just 11 tools. HTH (*) The video editor for example, is dreaded by some people but it was good enough for my (rather simple) needs. And fear not, there are also a few open source video editors which ended up too complicated for a non-expert like me.
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
The right answer depends on her career goals. If she has a path in mind that would be helpful. If not, then start with free tools until they decides what path they have a passion for. For free: Gimp: Graphics drawing/painting Tool. Almost as good as PhotoShop. Blender: 3D modeling and animation tool. Unity: Game development platform to use all of the graphics assets created in the above tools. Once your friend has mastered those and is ready to graduate, then the PhotoShop suite of tools might be a good next step and very likely the tools in use in a lot of commercial shops. A helpful reference after they know what direction they want to take would be to check help wanted adds to see what skills they are asking for for graphic artist position they are interested in, as well as educational requirements. Good luck,
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Hey all, a young (teenager) friend of mine wants to get into learning how to do animation and digital art. She'll be using Windows 10 Pro. Don't worry about hardware, that's taken care of. But the question is, what software would you recommend for that? Free is of course great, but I want to consider all the options. I think the main thing to consider is what would provide a good learning experience and also (if possible) to grow into the full capabilities of the software. Thanks!
Latest Article - A 4-Stack rPI Cluster with WiFi-Ethernet Bridging Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Pixar's Renderman. It isn't free, but there are free options for students. I'm not sure what the requirements are, but it's worth checking out. [Pixar's RenderMan | Renderman Home](https://renderman.pixar.com/) There's also Blender and Brice and a few other popular free ones. List here: [The Best Free 3D Animation & Drawing Animation Software| NYFA](https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/best-free-open-source-animation-software/)
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP.
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Photoshop was getting to expensive so now I use GIMP. I've also tried KRITA but I like GIMP more.
Krita is definitely worth evaluating, as its free that is relatively painless. It seems to suit some styles of work better than Gimp/Photoshop. It's always good to have a number of tools in your box and choose the one best suited for the task at hand.
"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.