Video Channel Help

grumpynerd

This might not be the right place but I'll ask anyway.

I want to start my own youtube (and other platforms) channel where I upload content preferably in the form of animated shorts where the characters speak a script I've written beforehand. I want to do stuff on economics and history and so forth but not with just a video of me blethering on.

Even though little animations would be great, I've only found Plotagon to help me and I find it a bit blah.

I've also considered using Natural Reader to voice my texts and then uploading the mp4s to my channel.

Can you guys give me some tips for setting up a channel as I've described above and what free programs would enable me to do short videos (animated preferably) on various topics?

It's halfway between animation and video editing really.

Thanks in advance.

ScumLord

Animation isn't exactly an easy thing to do. Even crappy animation can be pretty labour intensive. I'm not sure but I'd imagine even something like windows movie maker would allow you to import images into layers and move them around. you'd have to make the original drawings in a image editing package like photoshop in a format that has transparency like png or gif. The image itself wouldn't allow anything other than it being moved around the screen. You could make another gif of a mouth flapping away and put it on top for making a basic animation of someone talking.

But basically you're looking for a video editing package that has layers and basic animation. I don't know enough about free packages, it could be achieved in the likes of Adobe premiere but if you want to go more elaborate you'd need photoshop and after effects.

A search for free animation software brought back this link. https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/best-free-open-source-animation-software/ I've only used blender out of that group and it's not user freindly at all, probably over kill for your needs too.

5rtytry56

OP you could also download Open Office DRAW and see if it is any good. Check it out here

grumpynerd

I want an avatar which will vocalise a script which I've written. I want to do a
channel on helping people understand different topics but to have a fun little guy in a room instead of just me talking into a laptop camera etc...

so it's not a case of looking to animate something from the ground up. I just want something really easy to help present my writing, and put up that writing in a youtube channel....

I've found plotagon but it's really clunky to use...

ScumLord

grumpynerd wrote: »

I want an avatar which will vocalise a script which I've written. I want to do a
channel on helping people understand different topics but to have a fun little guy in a room instead of just me talking into a laptop camera etc...

I'm almost sure there is software that does specifically that. There's software called crazytalk 8 that does it but it's expensive, try searching for alternative to that program. I wouldn't say though that I find those kind of voice overs kind of annoying in videos. I'd say you're better off doing the voice over yourself.

You don't have to be on camera, but you'd be saving yourself a huge workload by narrating yourself and concentrating on the visuals.