Photo Animation Softwares List

The following photograph animation softwares use still photos to create animated movies.

iStopMotion 2
Boinx Software’s iStopMotion 2, version 2.0.3, is a powerful application that both recreational moviemakers and serious Claymation artists can use to their advantage. When it comes to creating stop-motion videos on your Mac, there is simply no substitute for iStopMotion. Although shooting frame-by-frame animations is always a tedious procedure, iStopMotion streamlines the whole process from start to finish. iStopMotion is a Universal Application, which means it’s optimized to run natively on both PowerPC and Intel based Macs. iStopMotion is a fun program designed for stop-motion animation. It can work with the camera built into your Mac, or can quickly import photos to build your animations.

Morpheus Photo Animation Suite
Morpheus Photo Animation Suite Standard is a fun piece of software that allows you to make several different kinds of morphing animation. The creation process is easy and the results are very good. It is designed to transform your photos into other things such as cartoons or animals. The morphing process itself is the extent of the animation involved, but it can be interesting to play with.

Amara Photo Animation
Amara Photo Animation Software creates stunning Adobe Flash player compatible virtual tours through still photos, resulting in a slideshow where your visitors get taken through each image in a way defined by you or let them 'walk through', i.e. pan across the images themselves using their mouse. It allows you to bring motion to your still photos in a slide show, with lots of options such as pan and zoom (the 'Ken Burns' effect), as well as pauses, text over picture, hyperlinks and background music.

3D Animation Softwares List

For the most part 3D is considered to be software for professionals, although the following applications are seeing use at home.

Blender
Blender is a free, open-source 3D rendering program that puts the power of the medium back into the hands of the artist. Blender features a laundry list of animation essentials that can be broken down into categories: Interface, Modeling, Rigging, Rendering, Animation, UV Unwrapping, Shading, Physics and Particles, Imaging and Compositing, and Real Time 3D/Game Creation. The interface, though loaded with complicated tools, is remarkable for neither obscuring nor interfering with the image being worked on. A brief sampling of tools and functions includes 3D paint for vertex weighing, polygon meshes, 2D and 3D procedural brushes, edge rendering, textures, collision simulation, and support for around two dozen 2D and 3D file formats. Extras can be added with Python scripting, and since it's open source, many scripts can be easily found for download in the user forums. Blender has recently made a pretty impressive splash when it was used to create the impressive cartoon Big Buck Bunny. This entertaining and professional cartoon should be all the reason you need to try out this open source animation program.

Anim8or
Truly a personal labor of love, this 3D animation program is the creation of Steve Glanville, a software engineer for NVidia. Anim8or, besides being difficult to spell, is a Windows-only application. It is a good introductory animation program, especially if you’re interested in learning how to animate in 3D. Anim8or is a great program to begin using when you talk about 3d modeling. Anim8or is the perfect way for the inexperienced users to model and to animate their objects and characters. It is very simple to install and use for newbies, who never dreamt that they can afford to enter in modeling animation world.

iClone4
One of the most impressive features offered by iClone 4 Pro by Reallusion that allows users to easily create professional quality films without a great deal of experience with other software. The intuitive interface allows one to implement physics effects, particularly in terms of movement of cloth and set elements. One of the enhanced features of iClone 4 Pro is the motion capture ability. When characters are dressed in the clothing you have selected and designed from the extensive amount of cloth available, you can have them dance run and walk without having their clothing appear stiff or unyielding to their movements. One of the coolest features is the ability to implement an application called music sync that automatically keeps your character in tune with the beat, thus making them able to dance to music exactly as it is being played on the soundtrack. This is a truly amazing future, especially for software that is only $200. Even five years ago this would have been completely unthinkable, thus Reallusion’s IClone software has been a huge hit among casual animators and filmmakers.

Swift 3D
The ultimate 3D software for graphic and rich media designers using Adobe Flash and Microsoft Expression Blend. Swift 3D is the only 3D software to directly integrate with Flash through the Swift 3D File Importer and SmartLayer Technology and exports to Microsoft XAML. Swift 3D's toolset and interface allow anyone to quickly create 3D content, while providing a full set of advanced tools to grow into. Swift 3D is a powerful, easy-to-use 3D solution that delivers high-quality results for an unbeatable price. The original intention of the Swift 3D software was to offer a 3D alternative to Flash users. This animation program will let you model and animate directly in the software, and then export to the Flash-friendly .swf format.

Lightwave 3d 10
Lightwave is a truly professional 3D program, used to create many movies and TV special effects. Tackling Lightwave is not something you should enter into lightly. LightWave 3D graphic design software package for modeling, animation, rendering, particle FX and dynamics. Its available both for Windows 32 or 64-bit and Mac platform. The program has been used in films, game, visualization industries as well as commercial television. Feature films such as Dark Knight, Iron Man,Jumper, Serenity Pan’s Labyrinth, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And features games including Quake IV, The Chronicles of Riddick, Doom III, Halo, Age of Mythology.

3D Studio Max
3D Studio Max wins the dubious honor of being the most exspensive animation software program on this list. You many notice that this and the next program, Maya, are both owned by Autodesk. While it’s a popular program for industrial designers and architects, 3D Studio Max is an acknowledged heavyweight in the 3D design world. It has a large user-base in architectural modeling and virtual walkthroughs, but is also the dominant player in 3D games development. 3D Studio Max is also the only major 3D product that has not bothered developing a Mac version. Probably thinking, not without reason, that the Mac market is already saturated. 3DS Max comes fully featured out of the box, but has gained a huge user base largely due to the enormous amount of third party plug-ins available for it. For example, it was one of the first packages to be able to export directly to Flash, as the result of plug-in development.

Maya
Increasingly Maya is becoming the 3D tool of choice for film, as it allows for a vast array of shading and lighting effects. Maya is also extremely customizeable, allowing for easy integration with third party software. This makes it an easy choice for animation production houses. There’s a Personal Learning Edition that you can download for free, which we recommend if you’re considering this software. Autodesk’s software has a long and prestigious following. Maya, one of their leading programs for digital 3-D creation, has been used in every movie that has won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects since 2001, and is also a favorite of top video game manufacturers. The much anticipated release of the Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010 brings some new features and updates to Autodesk’s popular digital 3-D creation software.

2D Animation Softwares List

The following animation softwares are all designed to function in 2D and the list order is as per the Price.

Pencil v0.4.4b
Pencil is an interesting animation program in that it allows for both vector and bitmap drawings. It’s as if the drawing tools of Photoshop were combined with the powers of Flash. The software itself has been pared down to its most essential elements, meaning it’s an excellent introductory animation program. It doesn’t have all the bells, whistles, and polish that you might find in some more complex (and often expensive) programs, but it is easy to learn the basics and get to the fun stuff quickly.  The tools it does have, give you some pretty neat capabilities, particularly if you have some drawing skill. 

Synfig Animation Studio
Synfig is a strong, industrial-strength vector-based 2D animation program package, designed from the ground-up for producing feature-film quality 2D animation with fewer people and resources. The creators of the Windows-only Synfig have ambitious goals of their animation software being used to create feature film quality animation. After watching an impressive demo it looks like they’re not far away from their goal. Synfig can create complicated lighting and camera effects, it’s up to you, the animator, to use them properly.
Free, synfig.org

CreaToon 3.0
Another Windows-only animation program, CreaToon uses a cut-out animation process, similar to Toon Boom. The application itself seems a bit less polished, but the ability to use bitmap images within the program is useful. Note that without further technical support.

Plastic Animation Paper (PAP:Pro 4.0 is released for free )
Plastic Animation Paper (PAP) is a software package for doing 2D animation. It will allow traditional animators to utilize the powerful and timesaving advantages of computers. Using PAP you see your animation as you create it, removing the need for line tests, cameras and scanners. After getting comfortable with drawing directly to the screen you never want to go back. You will increase your daily output many times. Your workflow becomes more dynamic, you get better quality and your animated character improves his acting.PAP is perfect for big studios and professional animators, as well as small companies and independent filmmakers. Beginners or semi-pro animators get an opportunity to produce great animation from their home office.

Flip Boom Classic
Flip Boom Classic is a fun and creative software for kids designed to animate freely. Based on traditional animation principles, Flip Boom Classic stimulates imagination and self expression while teaching notions of timing and motion. Easy to use, this educational software is intuitive and playful. It is ideal for children who want to start creating animation in seconds.

MotionStudio 4 
MotionStudio 4 is an easy-to-use, all-in-one multimedia authoring software, that combines image, sound, interactivity and animation for you to create stand-alone, royalty-free, executable files. It is an ideal solution for creating your slide shows, interactive and animated stories, educational materials or just "pictures to EXE" for your auto-run CD-ROM. It's compatible with Windows Vista. With MotionStudio 4, you can create scalable, vector-based drawing objects as well as adding photos and pictures. With an array of  time-saving productivity tools, adding interactive actions and animation is easy. 

Animationish
For Kids:- Animation-ish is designed to have your drawings up and moving in minutes. Animation-ish lets you design animations for movies, greeting cards, websites, presentations and school projects, and then share your creations with the world. Animation-ish is the animation program with a mission. Animation-ish is designed to encourage the artist in everyone, from amateur to professional, from kids to grown up kids. The program's simple-to-use tools, engaging design, and multiple levels offer a fun, rewarding experience providing the novice animator the courage to create with confidence. Animation-ish is a great application to learn the basics of cartoons. 

Pro Motion 6
Pro motion is a drawing and animation software for Windows designed similar to the famous Amiga Deluxe Paint (DPaint). It is ideal for artists working on detailed and pixel precise graphics as required for mobile systems like cell phones, smart phones, Pocket PCs, handheld video game consoles like Gameboy / Advance / Nintendo DS or Playstation Portable. It also suites well to create light weight graphics for the web or Macromedia Flash applications. Pro Motion is a Windows-only animation program designed for close-up pixel manipulation. This makes it ideal software for building sprite-based characters such as those found in video games.

SWiSH Max4
SWiSH Max4 is absolutely amazing. I want people to understand that this is a fully featured development environment that is capable of producing anything that flash can. If you are a developer comfortable at building things from the ground up, I feel that SWiSH Max4 is faster, more logically constructed, and easier to work with. SWiSH was initially created to take advantage of the open .swf format established by Flash. Originally billed as a cheaper Flash alternative, SWiSH has become a solid Windows-only text animation program in its own right, allowing you to easily create impressive swooping effects and export them for the internet.

Toon Boom Studio
Home Users:- Toon Boom Studio is the best 2D animation software to learn and create animation with. Ideal for students and hobbyists looking for an easy-to-use animation program, excellent for teachers and educational institutions, Studio makes all animation techniques accessible to users, offering them the most creative and rewarding experience.

CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5
Graphic design software for striking visual communication. Put the power of CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5 behind your ideas and make a bold impact across any media. This versatile graphic design software has it all—vector illustration, page layout, photo editing, tracing, Web graphics and animation in one tightly integrated suite. Designed for professional and aspiring designers alike, it offers a quick, intuitive workflow, high-value digital content, market-leading file compatibility and graphic design tools that let you do more than you thought possible.

Toon Boom Animate 
Professional:- Toon Boom Animate is a unique all-in-one vector based professional animation software that includes content creation, compositing and delivery to audiences no matter what the media. Ideal for the professional Flash animator and educator, Toon Boom Animate is the most complete Flash-style animation software for paperless creation.

CorelDRAW® Premium Suite X5
Premium design software for print, web design and video editing. Open yourself up to new web possibilities with CorelDRAW® Premium Suite X5! Built on the renowned CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5, this premium design collection introduces website creation, complete video editing for web and disc, and flash animation software on top of enhanced illustration, tracing and graphic design tools. What's more, this high-value suite gives you hundreds of dollars in savings, compared to buying the applications separately. Now, do even more than you thought possible.

TVP Animation Standard Edition
TVP Animation is a unique package for the creation of graphic content and 2D animation and is intended for all digital painting and animation lovers. This package offers a complete toolset to create a simple blue-lined rough animation sketch to digital hand-drawn paperless animation. TVP Animation also allows you to import pictures to create cool animation or you can grab the pictures directly from the application and then create and add some cool 2D animated sequences with your own Custom Brushes.

Adobe Flash Professional CS5
CS5 brings out a new version of Flash that will transform the way many use the program, and will open up new possibilities for animation, design, web development, and interactive content sharing. Adobe Flash Professional CS5 software combines expressive design features like a new multilingual text engine and more realistic inverse kinematics effects with timesaving development features like extensible code snippets and enhanced ActionScript authoring options.

Adobe After Effects CS5
After Effects CS5 is Adobe’s powerful motion graphics software for designers and visual effects artists. The program is one of three in the new version of Adobe's Creative Suite to go 64-bit native, taking full advantage of the multicore processors and more RAM. The new version introduces some high-end features: The Roto Brush tool lets you easily isolate foreground elements in complex scenes. It also features native support for the new AVC-Intra 50 and AVC-Intra 100 codecs, as well as expanded native support for RED camera footage. It also offers an auto-keyframe mode, supports custom color lookup tables, includes an updated version of Synthetic Aperture’s Color Finesse 3 LE color correction tool, and now includes the Digieffects FreeForm plugin.

TVP Animation 9.5 Professional Edition
TVP Animation Pro is the best professional solution for the creation of 2D bitmap animation.It is nothing but the favorite tool of professionals who want the best of digital animation: an environment consisting of the traditional animation workflow combined with all the advantages of the digital world. Because artists can now paint, animate and effect in one single application, the first significant result is that you will increase your productivity like never before. And you will paint using a drawing engine that allows you to create any type of content. Your style won't be limited like it is when using a vector application; you're free to bring to life any kind of graphic content.

Toon Boom Animate Pro
Professional:- Toon Boom Animate Pro is the most complete professional animation software for cutting-edge animators. It offers award-winning state-of-the-art content creation, animation and compositing toolset for any style of animation, all within a single desktop application.

Comic Books in 3D, Holographic, Digitized

Comic Books in 3D
The thing about comic books nowadays should have a dramatic make over. High-technology evolution can make that possible. In the era of information technology, comic publishers will have the chance to come up with feasible ideas of changing the fields of comic drawing. With all the technologies springing up like mushrooms, comic book illustrations can have a major facelift. Readers cannot deny it that they are getting tired of seeing their comic books drawn in pencils and inks. It is time to make an awesome change. Comic book publishers should have to think some other ways on how to make over will result to making a valuable impact to the readers and comic book fanatics. But it is time lay down the cards and see if current and useful technologies are suitable for implementing the comic book evolution.

Holographic Comic Books
During the early 80's, hologram was a thing that anybody can find around. From bags to wallets and kitchen utensils. It was a fad among youngsters with even their pencil cases were designed with holographic images of their favorite cartoon characters or movie idols. The reason for this was the unique three dimensional or 3D effect of this optical illusion. Holograms can be done by layers of photographic images. One layer is the original photo and the other layer is the photo being diffused by light. With the combination of it, the image seems to be in 3D appearance. By that sense, comic books can also be in hologram to make it appear in 3D. Usually publishers of comic books do the hologram effects on only the front and back cover of it. Why not do it from start to end? It can be more appealing to the readers and it can certainly attract more fanatics. The reason is, it is really a one of a kind design for comic books. Right now visual entertainments are in 3D so let it go with the flow. But the text dialogue of it, should be like the way it is.

Comic Books Got Digitized
Now that Marvel Comic books have been introduced as one of the several applications available on iPad, there is a concrete reason to make it in 3D. Images on the digital comic books or also known as comic e-books can be easily converted into 3D effects. Aside from that, readers may have the comic e-books anywhere they go with their iPad and access it anytime they want to read it. One more thing that Marvel Comics should really consider is the digital audio for it. With these pieces put together, three of the five human senses can interact, the sense of sight, hear and touch, when accessing a comic e-book. Some kind of a digital experience. Visual 3D entertainment has really come to an age. It will be breath-taking to see how human artistic imagination and mastery can capture its audience. The three dimensional representation of images are advancing to give pleasure and can be almost a real life experience. Maybe give the technology a few more years then it will be totally a great digital experience for all.

Now, Books take on 3D Avatar

SEOUL: Pop-up is so passe: South Korean scientists have developed 3D technology for books that makes characters literally leap off the page. 

The popularity of 3D entertainment has been given a boost by a slew of recent films, including the sci-fi blockbuster " Avatar" and Tim Burton's " Alice in Wonderland". 

Several companies are also offering 3D televisions and a 3D video game console will be launched soon. At South Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, researchers used 3D technology to animate two children's books of Korean folk tales, complete with writhing dragons and heroes bounding over mountains. 

Pictures in the books have cues that trigger the 3D animation for readers wearing computer-screen goggles. As the reader turns and tilts the book, the three-dimensional animation moves accordingly. "It took us about three years to develop the software for this," said Kim Sang-cheol, the team leader of the project. 

Kim said the technology could be used for any type of book and sees it eventually being used for images displayed over smartphones or at museums to enhance exhibits. But those waiting for 3D books may have to wait long. "It will take a while to market this technology to the general public," Kim said. He was not sure of the eventual price but thinks it will be affordable enough to be mass marketed.

Read more: Now, books take on 3D avatar - The Times of India