| | |  | Animation | Home » » » » Anime Studio Debut 8 W7/Vista Xp/Mac Os X 10.5/Higher Univ Binary | | | | | | | Description: | | Create Your Own Catoons and Animations | | | Features: | |
• Complete animation software designed for digital artists--perfect for first time animators, hobbyists and digital enthusiasts
• Create art using intuitive vector-based draw, paint and fill tools;
• Choose from pre-built content in the library or automatically convert existing sketches to ready-to-animate vector drawings
• Built-in Character Wizard lets you design your own characters complete with walk cycles, expressions and more
• Then make them talk with built-in Lip Syncing
• Export to the most popular web and video formats, or upload and share on YouTube or Facebook directly from within Anime Studio
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Weight:
| 0.25 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 89 reviews |
| | | System Requirements: | | | Platform:
| Windows Vista / Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard / Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard / Windows XP | | Media:
| CD-ROM | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 89 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 56 found the following review helpful:
 Fun and UsefulAug 23, 2011
By Mike Wallace
I am a photoshop user so the concept of layers and design tools are not foreign to me. I have also been wanting to work with vectors, since I don't have Adobe Illustrator, I thought this might be a good substitute.
This is quick easy animation software. There is a learning curve, but it is not that difficult, if you are somewhat familar with other graphic and movie software. Another nice thing is this software comes with a 20 minute video that shows you how to do many of the important features. The video starts off with the drawing tools, and then moves on to the charactor wizard. It has pre-set facial features and body parts so you can easily create unique charactors with the pre-set tools.
One of the coolest features of this software is the bone rigging, which you can use to make your charactors and animations move. You can also create your own charactor using shapes, drawing, and the library of eyes, mouths, and other features. Another nice thing for artists is charactor tracing. You can draw an image and then scan it into the software, which then traces it, and allows you to add colors and animations. You could use one of the charactor wizard bodies and bring your home drawn animation to life. The power of this software is limited to how well you learn to use the tools and your own talent and creativity.
As far as the learning curve, watching and working through the 20 minute video and then following along with the other tutorials would be a good idea. There is also a beginning tutorial when you first open the software and PDF help files. You can also toggle between regular mode and beginner mode, until you learn all of the functionality of the tools.
As far as making animated video clips it is possible to do some really amazing stuff within a short period of time. The software is powerful and not that difficult to grasp, making it great for beginners and more advanced users would enjoy it too. In fact you can't beat it for the price. That being said, the main feature that Anime Pro has that Debut doesn't is the ability to export as a PSD. If you are not a photoshop nerd then you will not miss this function.
In order to export still images as jpgs; click on file>preview, and then on the bottom left hand corner of the preview menu, you will find a save as button that allows you to save in JPEG, BMP, Targa, PNG or copy to the clipboard. The great thing about this function is that I can use this software to create vector graphics for the web. Over all this is an affordable, easy to use, animation tool that could keep you entertained for hours and also a very affordable vector graphic solution.
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Simple, Fun, and Easy Animation SoftwareAug 25, 2011
By Scott FS
First off, I can't manage to draw a stick figure. Seriously. But I'd like to draw something for entertainment. Cartoons sounded good; I mean, cartoons aren't the Mona Lisa, right? So I should be able to do that, right?
Well, without help, that's not going to work. Along comes Anime Studio Debut 8.
What I really like about this program is that it's easy and fun to use. The tutorial doesn't assume you are an artist and have lots of experience already. It starts with the basics. Drawing a circle. That's about as basic and you can get. Can't draw a circle? You can download one from the program. That's more like it!
By providing stock shapes and images, along with simplified help, Anime Studio allows people without a shred of talent to actually create something on the computer screen. It's so easy to use, there is little of that, 'what does that mean?' and 'I don't understand what to do next!' feelings. Many drawing/art software assume you're at the level of Van Gogh to begin with. Anime Studio doesn't.
Strongly recommended. Finally, a program that doesn't assume you have a lot of drawing talent and familiarity with design software before one even starts out. Anime Studio Debut 8 is a winner of a program!
32 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 I found the features quite limiting in comparison to the Pro versionNov 11, 2011
By J. Maxon
I was interested in this program not because I like anime (which I do), but because I'm an author looking for creative ways to produce book trailers. At first look, Anime Studio Debut had promise.
In the past, I've used Adobe Flash and Windows Movie Maker to make my trailers. Both have their pluses and minuses. Flash, for example, is expensive and comes with a high learning curve, whereas Windows Movie Maker is free (on the Windows OS), but extremely limiting.
Some authors (and publishers) create simple slide transitions with static imagery accompanied by background music. I, personally, find these types of trailers a bit dull, and not all that professional. The more "movie-like" a book trailer can be the better chance it has of gaining interest.
Like Flash, Anime Studio uses both a timeline and layers, which gives you the ability to create detailed motions: such as a character walking with clouds floating in the background. The bone structure in AS (Anime Studio) allows for easy character movements, such as lifting an arm and bending an elbow at the same time. This actually works easier than it does in Flash. I also like how there is a library of pre-made body parts, such as eyes (with different expressions) and mouths that animate automatically based on the words spoken in your audio (you can also change the pitch of your voice to sound more cartoon'ish-which you can record directly in the program). This is a major time saver. There are also wizards that help you to create your own custom characters without much effort (though I wish there was an easy way to create backgrounds too). Another great feature is that you can directly (from AS) upload your animations to Facebook and YouTube.
That said, as an Adobe designer (for over ten years), I found the tools and shortcuts in Anime Studio different enough to make simple tasks somewhat difficult. My thought was to design my vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator, and then import them into AS. After much hair pulling, I contacted SmithMicro (the creator of AS) only to find out that the .eps import feature is only available on the Anime Studio Pro 8 version, not the Debut. For something that should be a basic feature, I think it a poor play to force users to purchase the $199.99 version to get that ability.
Some other limitations to note with the Debut version: a 2 minute animation maximum, limit of 3000 frames, no more than 2 audio tracks, only 1 video track, no 3D support, a 788 x 768 maximum export size, among a plethora of other limitations and missing features. I strongly suggest visiting the SmithMicro website and viewing their comparison chart before purchasing the $49.99 Debut version.
File types you can import:
Images: JPEG, BMP, PSD, PNG, TGA
Audio: WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A
Video: MOV, AVI, and MPEG-4
File types you can export:
Images: JPEG, BMP, PNG, TGA
Video: MOV, AVI, and SWF (vector animations only)
Note: You can use both NTSC and PAL Format, but not HD.
In summary, if you just wish to create basic animations and don't need all the bells and whistles, then for sure, give Anime Studio Debut 8 a try. If you endeavor to make full-length, complex animations, then do yourself a favor and put up the extra $150 for the Pro version.
James D. Maxon
Author of Traphis: A Wizard's Tale
27 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Teacher's ReviewSep 19, 2011
By fake name
I am a teacher and have a high-functioning autistic student who has trouble completing traditional assignments. While very smart, it takes an extremely long time and a lot of prompting to complete assignments and projects. I wanted to try this software, to offer my student an alternative choice for a book report project. We read a book as a class and he was required to summarize the book with a comic. It is much harder than it seems as students have to determine the main idea and then of course use the software to animate.
I was concerned when I loaded the software, watched the videos, and read the directions about the software because it seemed complicated. I made a very basic animation to test it and demonstrate to my student. The student was fascinated with the software and watched all the tutorials on the software and googled all the information they could find. The parents said they researched at home, the fact the student wanted to work on anything at home besides video games, the parents were very happy with. Needless to say the final product was fantastic. It was not perfect but the student put a lot of work into it, their main ideas were spot on and it was a great alternate assessment. The student continues to ask to use this software and as a reward is able to make animations when all their work is completed. I am always looking for products that aid in my teaching and student learning. This product does that.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Seems pretty easy for a beginnerSep 16, 2011
By Samuel Dylan Hrncir
My almost 9 year old son loves art. We received this program and he immediately went to work trying to create animations with it. In a couple of hours, he had the first one going, not fabulous, but he's 9 and he did get it up and running by himself.
I'm trying to learn it with him, in order to help him out. I have a very strong background in Adobe Photoshop, so I'm familiar with really complicated programs and this isn't one of them.
We haven't been able to play that much with it, but it has a beginner mode and a regular mode which you can toggle between so it's pretty easy to learn.
Overall, I'd say it's an easy to learn program. If a 9 year old can learn it with no help, it should be great for adults.
See all 89 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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