How to make an animated video in 8 easy steps

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Animation is one of the toughest art forms, you can argue about art forms being tougher, but animation is something that takes years and years to be fully finished. 

All the animated films that you watch in the theatres from Pixar and other known animation studios take over five years to finish! This is because, in Animation, you have to manually adjust each and every frame.

The technology in Animation has certainly improved, and you are able to make lifelike animation; however, the process has been more or less the same since the time Disney used to make hand-drawn animated videos.

However, don’t feel overwhelmed because animation has also improved, and if you just want to make a simple animated video for a video presentation and other projects, then you have various options available. 

These options are pretty simple, and all the hard work has already been done by the software; you just have to simply select the type of animation that you want for your video.  

As I said, there are a number of different softwares that you can try out for animating your videos, but for this article, we will focus on Animaker. 

Animaker is not a free software, and you have to pay a subscription fee based on the time limit of the animation you want to make. 

The price ranges from $10/month – $50/month, so you can decide which package best suits you. 

Steps to make an animated video

Here are the steps that you need to follow to make an animated video on Animaker. 

Step 1 – Open the browser and search for Animaker

So, obviously, the first step that you will have to do is to open your browser and search for Animaker. Animaker is only available online, and it doesn’t have an app that you can download. 

This is a good option because then you can use the software on any computing device, and you wouldn’t require a hardware that meets the overall criteria of the software to run smoothly. 

You just need a good internet, and that’s all. Once you have opened up your browser and searched for Animaker, you will need to log in or sign up on Animaker to start working. 

If you are a new user, then you will have to choose which pack you want to use, and based on that, you will be able to make a login ID for Animaker.

Step 2 – Select Create video option

Once you have successfully logged in to Animaker, you will find the home page that has many different icons for various different purposes; you don’t need to worry about anything. 

To start a new project, all you have to do is select the ‘Create A Video’ option that is available in the top-left corner of the screen. 

You will see an arrow on the ‘Create A Video’ option, click on it, and you will find two different options, ‘Blank Page’ or ‘Template’. Click on Blank Page. 

Step 3 – Choose the background and the character

Once you have chosen the blank page, you will find that the page will redirect to a page that had a whiteboard in the middle and a bunch of different editing options available on the left-hand side. 

You can choose different types of backgrounds available on the left-hand side settings and choose the type of a colour that you want to have for your videos. 

A good background helps in making the overall video stand out from the rest. Then you also have to choose the characters that you want to have in your video. 

You can choose various options that are available on the left-hand side, depending on the overall look of the character. 

If you aren’t overall satisfied with the characters available, then you also get the option for designing your own character, with more than 300 types of options to play around with. 

Step 4 – Add actions and expressions to your character 

Once you have selected/made the type of character that you want to use on your videos, then you also have to choose the action in which your character will be in and also the expressions your character will have. 

The character action option is available on the right-hand side of the screen. You can make the character look and stand or perform any type of action that you want for him/her. 

There are also a bunch of different options when it comes to the overall expressions of the character, and you can choose which type of expressions you want for your character. 

Otherwise, the character might end up looking pretty boring and bland, so try to use expressions that make the overall video look and feel that much more engaging!

Step 5 – Add movement

After choosing the type of action that you want your character to have, then you have to set a number of different movements for the character.   

You can make the character look like he/she is walking, running, etc., and then you also have the option that is known as ‘Smartmove’ this makes it easy for you to make the overall character move from point A to point B. 

So, you can even choose this option for making your overall character move with the type of movement you choose for him/her. 

On the bottom, you will see a purple band that is running across the screen; you can use this option by simply dragging it to determine the overall time that you want your character to be available on the screen. 

As a default, the screen time for each character is 10 seconds on Animaker, but you can easily switch it by toggling the purple bar that is available at the bottom of the screen. 

Step 6 – Add voice over 

Once you have added the necessary movement for your character and have also set up the duration for the time that the character will be on the screen, then you should also add a voice-over. 

A voice-over for the character will make the overall animation that much more better and a bit believable as well. 

For adding a voice-over, you will need an external microphone and give access to Animaker to read the microphone on your computing device. 

To add a voice-over to your character, you will need to click on him/her, and a small grey box will open on the right-hand side of the screen. The grey box will have a small symbol of a microphone attached to it. 

Click on it, and then you will see various different options for recording your audio using a microphone. You can also upload an audio sample if you don’t have a microphone with you. 

Once you choose the option for recording your audio, then a new screen will open with the character available; you just have to record yourself while looking at the character and hit apply. 

The audio will be then added to the overall video, and your video will have a voice-over attached to it. 

Step 7 – Add text 

Text is also an important function that you should have for all your videos as it helps in conveying the overall message of the video better to the audience. 

To add text to your video, you will see the option available on the left-hand screen with the rest of the tools that are available on it. 

Choose the option of text, and you will have to drag out a box on the whiteboard to define a designated space for the text that you want to play on the video. 

You can also choose a number of different fonts and the colour of those fonts for the text that you are adding. 

You can also decide the overall time for which the text will play on screen and choose the different types of effects in which it will appear on the screen. 

There are also a dozen or more effects that you can try out for the video that you are making, such as choosing background music, adding images, stickers, and many more different things. 

So, you can very easily play around with the number of settings that are available on the screen for the animated video that you want to make.

Step 8 – Save and share 

Once you have used the different settings and tool options avaialble on the website for making an animated video, then all you have to do is save the file and export it on your device so that you can share it. 

Based on the plan that you have bought on Animaker, you have different options for saving your video file in different resolutions. 

Sharing and saving files on Animaker is fairly simple; you have the sharing option that is available in the top-right corner of the screen. 

You simply have to click on it and choose the type of resolution in which you want to save your file, and then you are done!

You have successfully made an animated video!

FAQs

Let’s discuss some of the frequently asked questions regarding this topic. 

What is the best free animated video maker?

You have a good list of options available as a free animated video maker. The most professional tool that is used by a lot of professional animators across the globe is Blender. 

Blender is an open-source software that is used for making animated videos and many other things that are required in the field of animation and visual effects. 

That being said, Blender is not a software that one can easily use, such as Animaker; it requires quite a knowledge of animation to fully utilise the different list of features available on it. 

Animaker also offers a free option that you can try out by simply making an account on it. However, you should note that it has access to only limited features, and it also leaves watermarks on your videos when you share and export them. 

How do YouTubers animate their videos?

YouTubers use many different types of video editing software for making animated videos. Some of them do end up using Animaker for making their animated videos because of how simple and easy it is to use it. 

Others who are a bit more professional might use softwares like Adobe Flash, etc., to manually create characters and their own designs for animating. 

You will also find professional animators and visual effects artists, such as the Corridor Crew, on YouTube, who use many different types of software to animate their videos and create visual effects. 

So, it all basically boils down to the type of animated video that you want to make and for what purpose as well. Whether it is for pitching or marketing purposes, education purpose or is it an animated video as a whole. 

Depending on it, you can choose the type of software that you want to use for making animated videos. 

Also read: Video editing software for Youtube

How to make a video a live photo

How to improve your video editing skills

How to add music to video

How to choose the right Video Editing App

Conclusion 

Well, there you have it. An article dedicated to how to make a basic animated video. I know this sounds a lot like that we are promoting Animaker, but Animaker hasn’t contacted us for anything. 

It is just the software that I found to be working best for these types of videos, and it is just not me who thinks about it. Animaker is used by thousands of different brands and influencers for making animated videos. 

Animation, as I mentioned at the start of this article, is really difficult and tough to do, and softwares like Animaker are only the tip of the iceberg for the tools that are required for animating something. 

It is quite a laborious task, and requires tons of skills to make even a 5 min worth of animated video. If you are looking for those types of skills, then you better start learning Animation!

If that is not the case, then you are better off using softwares like Animakers. As always, would love to know your thoughts on this topic, do share them in the comments down below! 

Sanjit Mansingh

Sanjit Mansingh

Sanjit Mansingh is a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate. While studying in this field he quickly realized what he wants to do in his life: Filmmaking. His interest in writing scripts is what made him give a try in the world of content writing. Sanjit's an avid Movie Geek and is an award winning Director as well.

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