Make Your Own Animations For Free

If you've always wanted to make your own animations, but didn't know where to start, there's a cool website that lets you make your own cartoon animations for free - even if you're not an artist and have no experience with animating. It provides all of the tools you need to not only create an animation, but you'll also be able to download your creation to share it with friends or post it to various other sites, like YouTube. Following are the simple steps you'll need to take to create your first animated scene.

1.) Sign Up For a Free Account

The name of the website is GoAnimate.com. The first thing you'll need to do is sign up for a free account. All that's required is an email address, desired username, and a password. It will literally only take you seconds to set up. Now, it's time to create your first animation!

2.) Select Your Background

Once you're logged into the Go Animate "studio", you will first want to choose the desired background for your cartoon. You can access the background scenes by clicking on the icon at the left that looks like a mountain/sunset background. There are multiple backgrounds to choose from including indoor and outdoor themes.

You can select a scene that represents a room, like a kitchen, living room or bedroom, or go for an outdoor background like a backyard setting or beach theme. Many of the backgrounds are free to use, and if you want to have even more choices, you have the option to purchase additional settings. Once you've picked your background theme, you simply need to drag it over to the staging area.

3.) Select Your Main Character

The next step is to choose your main character for your cartoon. The characters can be found by clicking on the icon that looks like a person running. You can choose one of the premade characters available, or use the Character Creator to design your own cartoon star.

4.) Give Your Character Something To Say

After you've picked your character, click on it to bring up a text box. Type something that you'd like your cartoon character to say. The software automatically converts your text to speech in the final animation sequence. Pretty cool, eh?

5.) Finish Creating Your Animation

From this point on, you'll basically be repeating the above steps to complete your animation. For each scene, you'll choose what actions you want your characters to take. You can move your characters around the scene, choose different actions for them like standing, sitting, dancing or even answering a phone. You can also change your character's facial expressions in each scene.

At any time in the process, you can click on the preview button at the top of the stage to see how your animation is developing. Once you've completed the animation, you can save it and download it to your computer. You can then post the saved high-definition video to YouTube or any other website you'd like to share it on.

Illusion Mage 3D Software Review - My Experience

I grew up watching Anime for most of my life but for the most part it was only in 2D, that was up until around 2004. I saw an Anime movie called Appleseed and I was like WOW! The 3D rendering, storyline everything was so amazing to me in that movie and I could tell the whole animation industry was on its way to a more 3D visual appeal for years to come. Boy was I right as kids movies like Toy Story, Shrek all created using 3D software came out shortly after from big studios like Pixar and Dreamworks.

So what is it about these movies that's so stunning? Is it the magnificence of the technology combined with art that astonishes the audience? Or is it their ability to transform us into an entirely different world that captivates the minds of millions? Whatever be it, the few hours of immense cheerfulness that they bring into our lives is unmatched and leaves us only asking for more.

I have a couple close friends that actually create short films using 3D animation software on their computers. Having watched over their shoulders for some time while they are creating these films I became interested in making my own as a hobby. Only problem was the popular 3D animation software they used called Maya, costs around $3,000! I didn't want to shell out that kind of money just yet for a hobby so I seeked out a more cost effective alternative.. That's when I found Illusion Mage.

I thought to myself, OK, it's fairly inexpensive so it can't be that good right? Well, from reading other reviews and looking at the website I decided what the heck, why not? After all it has a 60 day money back guarantee, so that's 2 full months to test it out with nothing to lose! I've been playing with Illusion Mage now for about 2 weeks and here is my review:

Pros:

Easy to use interface to render 3D objects and animate them quicklyStep by step training videos that got me up and running in no timeprofessional grade 3D modeling at a very inexpensive priceCons:Huge video training files from the members area take a few minutes to download and I'm kind of impatientThe software seems fairly unknown still in the 3D animation community but the forums of users is growing everydayThe training videos seem to drag out for me as they also cover basic stuff but I guess that's not too bad for a total beginner

What's my take on Illusion Mage? For me it's a keeper as it has all the functionality of the more expensive 3D animation software with the lower price point. As a matter of fact, I showed it to my friend (who uses Maya) and he couldn't believe the feature set it has for such a low price. He actually got mad he paid so much for other software that does the same thing! When it comes to inexpensive 3D animation software, I HIGHLY recommend Illusion Mage Check it out along with the intro video!

Computer Animation - Best Programs For Animation Design

My interest in animation started in October 2009 following the inheritance of a significant stock of pipe cleaners. My father a man in his dotage and content with retirement by habit took a volume of Sherlock Holmes, an ample glass of single malt and a churchwarden briar stuffed with old shag into the comfy chair of an afternoon before falling asleep by the fire, little did he know that the by product of his muse would account for many hours of his sons time and lead to a hobby of personal exploration and enjoyment that is not only compulsive but at times mentally stimulating to the extreme.

My start point was simple, as when a boy I fashioned the pipe cleaners into the semblance of human form and encouraged the models to stand upright by using office tack, then with felt tip I drew a backdrop of a bar room and proceeded with the aid of a basic computer camera to act out the story line of a colourful old tune, The Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes, by Kevin Ayres.

The camera came ready with its own snapshot program which I linked up with the free version of Windows Video Maker then dragged and dropped the music which was saved into Windows Media Player, the results of this first effort can still be viewed on You tube and have received a number of positive comments.

Two more musical efforts followed, on the later, Blue Xmas by Miles Davies, I added in the use of a new software program "Adobe Photoshop" which is superbly flexible at importing a photograph to change, move by layers or distort in various ingenious ways and then you can even add in lighting effects and much more, my list being in no way exhaustive.

Your purchases may well stop there if your needs are only simple, however I find by nature that once started an unseen force pulls me ever forward to find that one next stage of progression and so dissatisfied with the accuracy of mouse drawing I next invested in a Wacon Intros 4 drawing tablet, I nearly went for the larger of the three size options but in hindsight for compatibility to my needs I find the medium version ideal.

Later I then stumbled on to a software sale and picked up a copy of "Serif Video Studio" which although simple by design I found it more flexible than Windows Video Maker and even a dozen plus videos on I still use this programme as my base to bring forward all developed scenes into.

Music with Windows XP or earlier versions was a simple click of a button job but upon upgrade to Windows 7 I found many such tasks becoming a little less user friendly and so now I work through an "Audio Lab Cleaning" program which is wonderfully simple when cuts, breaks and sound bites are needed.

But my latest purchase and by far the most revolutionary to my style was the bonus pack of " Reallusion Iclone4 and CrazyTalk6.Pro" without a doubt this is the most fabulous of programmes for an enthusiastic amateur like me, try some of my latest efforts on You tube to recognise the difference, these programmes let you work with real 3D animated characters just like in Disney the only barriers being your computers capabilities and your own time and imagination, I believe it is worth paying a little bit more to get the "Pro" rather than "Standard" packages of these programmes because the add-ons and upgrades are much more comprehensive and worth every penny.

So there you have it, if you want to step a toe onto this wonderful Jack and the Beanstalk ladder of animation then this is one do it yourself way that I can recommend.

Hobson Tarrant, author of The Peckham Quixote & Looking Forward to the Past in paperback novel form and animator for pleasure of popular music, see YouTube. Hobson was head waiter to the Duke of Bedford in the 1970's, a midnight baker, milkman, goat breeder and failed Welsh village grave digger in the 80's, multi million pound turnover company director and founder from 1990-2004 and then retired to Greece to enjoy all things creative with his long term wife of thirty years plus.

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If You Haven't Seen The Last Airbender You're Missing Out!

By Robert Blackburn Robert Blackburn
Level: Platinum

Robert Blackburn has been promoting games and his favorite poker playing strategies for many years and enjoys writing about his experiences with Online Poker Play. ...

Everyone knows the success Avatar The Last Airbender cartoon TV series had. Its success is based on the subject chosen by the writers of the script, the characters, the situations, the classic fight between good and wrong explained in a different way so that everyone can understand its meaning. It is the kind of cartoon that can be seen by adults and small children without the risk to get bored during the episode. Everything started with the first season of this TV series, which had a really positive impact among the viewers, thing that made the producers to continue the story with another two seasons.

Each season is presented like a book, and each season episode represents a chapter of that book. The world this TV series imagined is the perfect world where everything and everyone is living in perfect harmony. But like in any story, the dark clouds showed up when the bad character, namely the Fire Lord, ruler of the Fire Nation want to own every territory from this world, and defeat the Water Tribe, Air Nomads and Earth Kingdom. He forgets that there is something with a grater power than his and this something is the Avatar. In fact he didn't forget he imagined that the Avatar no longer exists, because after the death of the last one, one hundred years passed by before the main character, Aang was discovered in an ice block, frozen. After that, when everyone sees a teenager that claims to be the Avatar, they can't believe it. In the end this child learns how to handle and bend all the four elements of the nature, fire, water, earth and air so he can bring back the harmony in the world and save it from the evil Fire Lord. During his journey he learns great things and he is helped by incredible friends to get out from difficult situations created by its enemies so he won't be able to accomplish his mission. It is a very educative cartoon series, which teaches children the importance of ethics and the respect they should have for their friends and family. Beside that grownups can find out new things about old cultures, like Chinese martial arts, Indian ancient mythology and maybe other things as well.

The easiest way you can see The Last Airbender episodes is if you search online. There are many sites where these episodes can be seen for free or where you download them. is maybe the best thing you can do in case you lost one of the episodes and you want to see it, or if you don't want to be disturbed by commercials during your viewing.

This tip is so simple; you can implement it immediately and start seeing results you want! But it doesn't stop there. You can actually take this a step further and increase your understanding using another simple technique. The problem is, I don't have the space here to share it. It is, however, on my website.

So if you want to go further with your knowledge about The Last Airbender, visit my blog for more powerful information, get the best out your Poker Playing Strategies.

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Article Submitted On: January 23, 2011

How To Make Yourself Be Happy

When it comes to happy time, most people think of the time they spend together with their family members. There is no doubt that family is one of the most important things in the world for every person, so when people have free time, they just stay together with their family members. As you know that if there is something fun which makes all family members happy, that will be great.

In order to make themselves happy, people may try to find something fun,for example, they may watch some interesting movies to kill the time. Apart from interesting movies, there is also another thing which can make people happy, that is cosplay. Most people now are familiar with cosplay, but their views toward cosplay are different. Some people think cosplay is for youngsters and some people think cosplay is for all.

When you are in cosplay world, you will definitely experience a different life. You can play those characters you like a lot, you can just be anyone you want to be, but before you replay these characters, you do need to dress up and make up yourself. You need to find some things necessary first.

You may need to find the ideal cosplay costumes, you can either look for these costumes from local shops or online shops. If you want to see these costumes first, then you can choose to buy from local shops and if you want to save some money, you can do online shopping for these costumes. You do have a wide range of choices. Also, you need to find some wigs and other accessories to help to complete this cosplay. The more you pay, the more you gain.

Riaz J is a freelance writer who has written thousands of articles on various niches. He likes to share his knowledge with his readers.He also likes to write about canon coffee cup. He wants to provide readers with the best information on various topics.

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Kids Bean Bag Chairs for Tender Comfort

There is always a high expectation for tenderness and comfort when one thinks of his or her homes. This is a place for ultimate rest at the end of a hard day work whether you are a student or a professional. There are various elements at home that makes life pleasant and worth looking forward to through the hours of the day. One of them is the furniture of your home.

There are different kinds of items that are included within the d?cor of a house that allow you to relax and unwind in the right way. In these bean bag has always been favorite for all members of the family.

About Bean Bags

A bean bag is filled with dried beans and OVC pellets and coupled with polyurethane shredding as well. There are no hard structures for these seats and are absolutely soft and downy. When you sit on these the chairs almost automatically shape up for the size and proportion of your body. This helps in providing that perfect back rest and support that you need whenever you are sitting down. Moreover, this is a necessity when you are tired and trying to relax.

Furthermore, these are available in a variety of choices both in their materials and in colors and combinations. And all of these are extremely beautiful to fit in appropriately to your home d?cor.

Bean Bag Chairs for Kids

The kid's rooms are always special because you want that element of fun and color along with uniqueness for the young minds. And bean bags can fit all of that and much more. These unique bags are soft and provide a tender support for comfort. Then there will be no fear of your child hurting itself against hardwood or metallic furniture items. Kids often hurt their feet or toes when they are in a rush and brush against sofas and chairs roughly.

Bean bags are available in leather, faux leather material and in different kinds of fabrics like velvet and suede. They are available in beautiful colors and combinations to suit different trends of decor ideas.

Whether your child is reading a book or watching television, you can be rest assured to having provided them with a comfortable seat to enjoy.

Mecha Animation of Today Represents War in the Future

Today, we are very much aware that animation is taking a big part in the entertainment industry especially those anime that illustrating gigantic robots or what we called as mecha animation. This anime that features mechanical robots with amazing technical capacities used for fight scenes hook the interest of the kids but as generation gone by adults and experts took interest to this type of anime as well. Example of this anime is Neon Genesis Evangelion, Code Geass and the very popular Gundam Series. Not just the fight scenes and the robots that makes it appealing to the viewers but as well as the characters or the pilots of each robots that were illustrated as kids aging from 13 to 16 years old, we can even barely call them teenagers.

My point in this article is that can this be a glimpse of what will happen in the future? It is not a secret to us that many inventors, scientist and experts in high-technology are eager to discover and even create weapons to help the government protect its country and its people from sudden attacks. Come to think of this, if ever they could really create weaponry such us those gigantic robots we saw on this anime having those monstrous capacities to abolish an entire island, having kids as a pilot for this robots is not impossible to happen as well.

I am not against mecha animation or even new developments or discoveries engaging to create new technologies to help the people for their everyday life, I am just a mere citizen sharing my thoughts of observation of what might happen if this will be the situation in the future. Life is beautiful to waste; we should not create a more cruel life to those people who are already in the war zone or to those who are already engaged in the battlefield.