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5 Easy-to-Use Animation Tools for Beginners

1. Apple Motion

Functions: Titling, motion graphics

Price: $49.99

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Apple Motion, a downloadable graphics app for Mac OS X, is ideal for creating simple titling animations for your business or independent projects. The updated versions include more complex features like 3D-compositing, vector painting and motion tracking.

2. Adobe after effects

Functions: 2D animation, motion graphics 

Price: $999 

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Adobe After Effects is typically used for high-end motion graphics and post-production video effects. But don't let its complex features intimidate you — you can also use the program on a smaller scale for basic 2D animations. Similar to Apple Motion, you can choose from a handful of default animations and drag them into an easy-to-use edit space. Again, it's a great way to create quick animations for content series or titles.

3. Go! Animate

Functions: Animated shorts, character and background template varieties. Price: $25 per month for business plan

Free Trial

Go! Animate is an online application you can use to make customized video animations — for work presentations, school lessons or just after-work side projects. The website offers 50 template cartoon characters (with 150 different poses) to choose from, as well as 20 backgrounds, 20 music tracks and 200 props. You can use the program's template voices for your characters or customize them even further by recording your own.

4.Xtranormal

Functions: 3D-animated videos. Price: $50 per month for professional plan

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Xtranormal operates similarly to Go! Animate, only here the animations are 3D. You can choose between 500 characters (with 80 gestures), 200 background sets and 20 languages and direct up to 12 characters per "scene."

5.Wideo

Functions: Animated shorts, product promotion

Price: Free

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An up-and-coming program (it's still in its beta phase), Wideo is a free platform for creating basic animations. You can choose a template, as well as pictures from your personal library, and customize them into short informational videos. The company says its main purpose is to help businesses create simple animated commercials.