What software do you use to create your animations? I personally have used most of the 2D and 3D software packages that are available to everyone. There is a long list of one that I like and more so a longer list of those that I don't. I personally want to primarily focus on 2D software because that is what this whole blog is about. When I was young like so many out there I loved Walt Disney's cartoons and the Saturday line up.
Back then they only offered a pencil and paper to create you animations. 2D software was not available to the general public. Drawing programs such as Corel Draw where just coming out in high school and by time I made it to college, 3D programs had started to emerge.
2D animation programs have gained traction for the past few decades, giving more amateur and professionals the ability to create animations out side the major studios.
Now these days there are too many choices and the everyday animator is inundated with so many tutorials not only on how to use these programs, but on how to animate as well. There are so few out there that actually are worth following and learning from. Most of the cartoons that are even being produced by big name studios lack the fine art luster that the whole art form was built on. You cannot tell me that most of the "Saturday" cartoons that are produced today have the same quality to inspire and motivate the future generations to pick up a pencil and tell their stories. If you do find other artist who have the qualities and skills that can teach you to hone your own skills as an animator, seek them out and stick with it.
Many animators out there are wondering why they cannot make progress with their own animations, I too have felt this way at times. The reason behind this is that you are so worried with missing out on learning a new technique, or trying to learn someone from someone else on Youtube, that you loose sight and focus on developing your own projects and skills. I cannot tell you how many hours I have lost trying to learn from others, even sites that are there to professionally teach you. Animation is an art of self discipline, You need to find a way to discipline yourself when your creative mind starts to wander.
At the beginning of this post I asked you what 2D software you use, many animators that are just starting out feel that they need the best software out there to create works like that of bigger studios. This is a great way to lead yourself astray. The software is only a tool. Many software companies will boast that they can provide you with tools that will take most of the work out of animating for you. That they have automated the process so that you don't have to waste countless hours animating repetitive task. This type of thinking is what takes the magic out of 2D! I can prove it.
The company who put out the OpenToonz produced this software for Studio Ghibli to composite their work into a finished product. If you notice how beautiful each one of Hayo's films are and then look at the tool set that Toonz software offers, you will notice that there is no magic button that creates these beautiful works of art. The magic is made by the artist that helped create the films, the software just organized their work into a cohesive story. But I have seen since the release of this software so many tutorials explaining that if you learn this software, you too can create films like Miyazaki. This is far from the truth, just another way to commercialize on popularity of something else. You as the artist will be the determining factor to the success of your film, not software. Software is a tool to help you tell the story, your art and ability to translate your ideas and imagination is what will determine your success.
Keep these points in mind when you go to watch another video or consider buying more software that tries to automate everything for you. You will sell your own talents and artistic abilities short.
As for the topic at hand, the 2D software I have chosen is TVPaint Pro. The reason being is that I love the flexibility of being able to use both vector based tools (like Animate CC) and Bitmap(like Photoshop). Other than that the rest of the features are more like a bonus if I have extra time to play around with them. As an example, TVPaint offers an FX stack that allows you to create smoke or particles automatically. It does not look natural or realistic no matter how much you tweak it, the randomness that occurs in nature is hard to reproduce using algorithm's. They do it in 3D programs, but it takes a physicist and a programmer to get good results.
On a final note, the best 2D animation software that you can invest in is YOU! develop and hone your own skills as an artist, use the tools and focus on your own work.
Stay tuned to our next article : Using 3D to create better 2D shots.
