How to Create Amazing 2D Animation Videos for Your Business. A Step-by-Step Guide
Engaging 2D Animation Videos for Your Business (Step-by-Step Guide)
Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your business and reach your target audience. According to a recent report by socialpilot, Video content will account for 82% of the internet traffic in 2024. That means more and more people are watching videos online. According to viewers, 95% of video information stays in their memory. You want to use this opportunity to showcase your brand and products..
But how do you create engaging videos that stand out from the crowd and capture your viewers’ attention? .
One of the best options is to use 2D animation. 2D animation is a versatile and creative technique that can convey your message in a clear and captivating way. Whether you want to explain a complex concept, showcase a product feature, or tell a story, 2D animation can help you achieve your goals.
This guide will show you how to create your 2D animation videos for your business in five easy steps. Follow along, and you can produce stunning videos to boost your brand awareness, increase your conversions, and grow customer loyalty.
Planning Your 2D Animation Video
Planning ahead is the first step to creating a successful 2D animation video. You need to define your target audience, your video goals, and your video concept. Here are some questions to help you with this process:
- Who are you making this video for? What are their needs, pain points, and interests?
- What do you want to achieve with this video? Do you want to educate, entertain, persuade, or inspire your viewers?
- What is the main message or idea that you want to communicate in your video? How do you want your viewers to feel or act after watching your video?
- What is the best way to present your message or idea visually and auditorily? What kind of story, characters, and scenes can you use to illustrate your point?
Once you have answered these questions, you can brainstorm video concepts and storyboards. A storyboard visualizes your video, where you sketch out the key scenes and transitions. You can use a simple tool like Storyboarder to create your storyboard or draw it by hand. A storyboard will help you organize your thoughts and visualize your video before you start animating.
Another important decision to make at this stage is to choose your animation style and format. There are many 2D animation styles, such as cartoons, motion graphics, whiteboards animation, and stop motion. You can also choose different formats for your video, such as an explainer, infographic, testimonial, or narrative. Your video’s best style and format will depend on your audience, message, and brand identity. For inspiration and ideas, you can browse some examples of 2D animation videos on YouTube or Vimeo.
2D Animation Examples
2D animation offers a variety of styles and formats, making it suitable for different business needs. For example, explainer videos can simplify complex ideas, while cartoon animations can add fun to your brand. Motion graphics are great for presenting data and statistics; whiteboard animations work well for educational content.
These different approaches demonstrate the flexibility and creative potential of 2D animation in engaging audiences and effectively conveying messages.
2D Animation Process
Creating 2D animation involves several stages, including pre-production, production, and post-production. You develop the concept, script, and storyboard in the pre-production phase.
During production, animators create the characters, backgrounds, and scenes, bringing the storyboard to life. Post-production involves editing, adding sound effects, and finalizing the animation. Each step requires careful planning and execution to ensure the final product meets your objectives and resonates with your audience.
2D Animation Techniques
Various techniques can be employed in 2D animation to achieve different effects. Traditional hand-drawn animation, for example, involves drawing each frame by hand, while digital animation uses software to create animations more efficiently. Cut-out animation involves moving pre-made pieces, and motion graphics focus on animating graphic elements and text. Understanding these techniques can help you choose the right approach for your project, ensuring it aligns with your brand’s style and the message you want to convey.
Scriptwriting And Voiceover
The 2nd step to creating a 2D animation video is to write a script and record a voiceover. A script is a written version of your video, where you specify the dialogue, narration, and sound effects. A voiceover is the audio track that accompanies your video, where you or someone else speaks the script.
Writing a good script is crucial for making a good video. A good script should be clear, concise, and engaging. It should also match the tone and style of your animation. Here are some tips for writing a good script:
- Use simple and direct language your audience can understand and relate to.
- Keep your script short and focused. Aim for a video length of no more than 2 minutes, as most viewers lose interest afterward.
- Use the power of storytelling to hook your viewers and keep them interested. Start with a problem or a question, present your solution or answer, and end with a call to action or a takeaway.
- Use humor, emotion, or surprise to make your script more memorable and appealing.
- Read your script aloud and edit it until it sounds natural and smooth.
Recording a good voiceover is also essential for making a good video. A good voiceover should be clear, expressive, and professional. It should also match the tone and style of your script and animation.
Animation Tools and Resources
The third step to creating a 2D animation video is choosing the animation tools and resources you will use. Many 2D animation software options are available, ranging from free and easy to use to paid and professional. The best software for you depends on your skill level, budget, and preferences. Here are some of the most popular 2D animation software options that you can try:
- Vyond: Vyond is a cloud-based platform that allows you to create animated videos with drag-and-drop features and pre-made templates. You can choose from various characters, backgrounds, props, and music and customize them to suit your needs. Vyond is ideal for beginners and non-designers who want to create professional-looking videos quickly and easily. Vyond offers a free trial and a subscription plan starting from $49 monthly.
- Toon Boom Harmony: Toon Boom Harmony is a powerful and versatile software that enables you to create stunning 2D animations with advanced features and tools. You can draw, rig, and animate your characters, backgrounds, and effects and export them to various formats. Toon Boom Harmony is suitable for intermediate and advanced animators who want to create high-quality videos with more control and flexibility. Toon Boom Harmony offers a free trial and a subscription plan starting from $25 monthly.
- Adobe Animate: Adobe Animate is a comprehensive and creative software that allows you to design and animate interactive 2D content. You can use vector and bitmap graphics, audio and video, and code to create engaging web, mobile, and TV animations. Adobe Animate is compatible with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, and supports various formats, such as HTML5, SVG, and WebGL. Adobe Animate is suitable for intermediate and advanced animators who want to create dynamic and interactive videos with more possibilities and integration. Adobe Animate offers a free trial and a subscription plan starting from $20.99 monthly.
In addition to the animation software, you may need additional resources, such as stock footage and music libraries. Stock footage and music libraries are online platforms that offer royalty-free videos, images, sounds, and music that you can use in your projects. They can help you save time and money and enhance your video quality and appeal. Here are some of the most popular stock footage and music libraries that you can use:
- Pexels: Pexels is a free stock footage and image library that offers high-quality and diverse content. You can browse and download thousands of videos and images in various categories, such as nature, business, technology, and more. You can use them for personal and commercial purposes without attribution.
- Envato Elements: Envato Elements is a subscription-based stock footage and music library that offers unlimited access to millions of premium and exclusive content. You can find and download videos, images, sounds, music, graphics, fonts, and more in various styles and genres. You can use them for personal and commercial purposes with a single license.
- Epidemic Sound: Epidemic Sound is a subscription-based music library that offers high-quality and curated music for your videos. You can explore and download thousands of tracks and sound effects in various moods and genres, such as pop, rock, hip-hop, and more. You can use them for personal and commercial purposes with a single license.
Animation Process
The fourth step to creating a 2D animation video is to start the animation process. The animation process can be broken down into four main steps: character design and animation, background creation, sound design and music, and editing and exporting. Here is a brief explanation of each step:
- Character Design And Animation: Character design and animation is the step where you create and animate your characters, which are the main elements of your video. You can use the tools and features of your animation software to draw, rig, and animate your characters, or you can import them from other sources. You can also add expressions, movements, and transitions to make your characters more lively and realistic.
- Background Creation: In this step, you’ll animate the backgrounds, which are the settings and environments of your video. You can draw, color, and animate backgrounds using your animation software’s tools or import them from other sources
Add details, effects, and layers to make your backgrounds more attractive and immersive.
- Sound Design And Music: In this phase, sound and music are incorporated and synchronized into the video. The tools and features of animation software can be utilized for importing, editing, and blending sound and music files, or a separate audio editing software can be used. Additionally, the video’s mood and atmosphere can be enhanced by adding sound effects, voiceovers, and background music.
- Editing And Exporting: This is the final step in polishing and finalizing your video. Use the tools and features of your animation software to trim, crop, adjust, and optimize your video or a separate video editing software. Add titles, subtitles, logos, and credits to your video. Finally, you can export your video to the desired format and quality and save it to your device or cloud storage.
Publishing And Promoting Your Video
The fifth step to creating a 2D animation video is to publish and promote your video. You must choose the right platform for your video, optimize your metadata, and share your video with your target audience. Here are some tips for publishing and promoting your video:
- Choose The Right Platform For Your Video: Depending on your video goals and audience, you may want to publish your video on different platforms, such as your website, social media, YouTube, Vimeo, or email. Each platform has advantages and disadvantages, such as reach, engagement, analytics, and monetization. You should research and compare the different platforms and choose the one that suits your needs and preferences.
- Optimize Your Video Metadata: Metadata is the information that describes your video, such as title, description, and tags. Metadata helps your video to be discovered and ranked by search engines and platforms. It would help if you optimized your metadata using relevant keywords, phrases, and hashtags matching your video content and audience. It would help if you wrote catchy and informative titles and descriptions that entice viewers to click and watch your video.
- Share Your video With Your Target Audience: Once you have published it, you should promote and reach your target audience. You can share your video with various channels and strategies, such as social media, email, blogs, forums, ads, and influencers. You should also monitor and measure your video performance and feedback and adjust your promotion accordingly.
Conclusion
Animated videos are a great way to communicate your message, showcase your brand, and engage your audience. Following this step-by-step guide, you can create your animated videos quickly. All you need is a good plan, a good script, a good voice over, a good animation software, and a good promotion strategy. So what are you waiting for? Start creating your animated videos today and see the results for yourself. blush
If you need any help or guidance with your animated video project, you can contact us at Split Arts Technologies. We are a team of experts and professionals who can help you create stunning and practical animated videos for your business. We can handle everything from planning, scripting, voiceover, animation, and editing to publishing and promoting your video. We can also customize your video according to your needs and preferences. Contact us today