CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Does anyone here have any experience with animation. I wanted to know if there was anything I could use to animate from home other than flash.

Flash is probably going to be your best bet without going with 3-D or high-end programs like After Effects (which can do basic animation but is mostly used for video manipulation/enhancement).

I really don't know for sure. There might be some freeware that's made specifically for pencil testing or something.

There's a product that allows you to do onion-skinning type sketching that came out for the Mac and I think there's a Windows version. When I get back to my apartment tomorrow, remind me and I'll look up the title. It's relatively inexpensive for a software product as I recall (but even though it's not Photoshop megabuxxxx, it ain't cheap, either).

Well, I'm assuming you mean 2D animation. If so, two of the used software in the industry for that would be The Tab 2.2 Pro (around $200) and Toon Boom Studio (around $140).

Flash is good, though to my knowledge Toon Boom and The Tab are mose specialized and gives more options for 'real' 2D animation.

Toom Boom! That was the one I was thinking of.

My advice is learn to draw. There are no shorts cuts to learning how to animate. Whether it be on the computer or pencil to the paper. Learn how to draw first. No program can animate for you. Also study motion and how things move and react. As for programs that you can animate with I recommend a gif maker or even windows moive maker. Something you can use to animate frame by frame.

I've attempted it before...

And that's why you need the passion to do it and determination as well. You can't expect to animate by doing no work. As I said before there is no magic program that can animate for you. You still need to learn how to animate even if you get a program.

i agree w/ gypsy, flash 3d is your best bet. It's the most basic and simple (compaired to other). Though i forgot how to use it . Most of the other programs cost a lot of money. And if you could find a free-ware program it would most likely have spyware it in
-------------------

It's so true....even though we have a huge assortment of animating software availible to our use; nothing in the end replaces traditional pencil/paper drawing. Especially if you want to get the frames right and you won't be limited to a certain setting of dimension. Since it all is based on your hand, mind and how you draw.

Flash is the only program I knew of for animation (Aside from Jasc very simplistic animation pro), but thanks for the info on the others. I myself, didn't know of them.

Try Art Dabbler. I got it a while back, but I think you can still find it. It's simple animation, you draw something, copy the frame, insert a new frame, paste the previous frame, and make a change.