6 Methods to Make Motion Graphics
Motion graphics have become nearly essential for modern video production and video marketing. From fancy animations in commercials, to fun lower thirds, mograph is everywhere.
Over the years, motion graphics have become as foundational to video as the video files themselves. Marketers and business owners not only need to use video marketing to promote their products and services, but also need to communicate with and engage their audience using text and other graphic elements.
In this post we'll show you 6 ways to make motion graphics and how to get started with them.
1. ILLUSTRATION SOFTWARE
If you’re just getting started in motion graphics, you’re probably going to need to learn a program that will help you create graphics for your video. Of course, if you have a graphic designer handy, you might be able to skip this step. However, being familiar with design and illustration will take your videos to the next level.
You could design art assets on your iPad, using an application like ProCreate. Alternatively, on a Mac or PC, you can stretch your horizons into a program like Adobe Illustrator, or Affinity Designer. Honestly, any of these options are good. It's all a matter of what's currently available to you, and how much you are willing to spend.
Adobe Illustrator has a massive amount of community support, and a fair bit of third-party tools available. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay for yet another monthly subscription. $20.99/month gets you access to Illustrator alone, but you'll need Adobe After Effects if you want to animate motion graphics within the Adobe ecosystem. This means you'll cough up $52.99/month, but you'll gain access to EVERYTHING Adobe has to offer.
Affinity Designer, on the other hand, has an arguably more user-friendly interface, AND you can buy it outright for $49.99, without needing to pay monthly.
2. 2D MOTION GRAPHICS SOFTWARE
There are many tools for creating motion graphics videos, like Apple's Motion, or Black Magic Design's Fusion. However, we are going to look exclusively at Adobe After Effects.
EZPZ Strat: Try out After Effects and Illustrator by signing up for Adobe's 7-day free trial. Use that time to see if these tools are right for you and your workflow!
After Effects is one of the most popular and well-rounded programs to create motion graphics.
The program was initially released in 1993 by the Company of Science and Art, then eventually acquired by Adobe in 1994. After Effects allows users to key and track, create visual effects and animations, and of course: motion graphics.
It's a visual effects swiss army knife, and not just because of the plethora of tools it includes, but also because of the gigantic animation community behind it. You can find hundreds of useful plug-ins and third-party tools, as well as an abundance of tutorials and training videos to learn the software.
Of course, After Effects is only going to be an option for you if you are serious about learning motion graphics animation. You'll need to be ready to devote time to watch YouTube videos, learn the interface, keyframes animations, effects, and more.
If you are just looking for quick ways to build out social teasers and promotional content for your business, keep scrolling!
3. 3D MOTION GRAPHICS SOFTWARE (optional)
In most situations, 2D animation is all you need to get started with motion graphics. Flat design can accomplish a lot, but sometimes 3D animation helps to sell your product or service in a way 2D can't.
A 3D environment can teleport the viewer to a fantasy world you couldn't capture on camera. 3D models of miniatures moving through a dungeon with smoke and special effects can be way more captivating than a flat image of the same thing... And maybe easier to animate than to film.
Blender is a free animation and modeling software with an enormous community behind it. While Blender is used in industries outside of video production, like video games and 3D design, it's an excellent tool for anyone looking to jump into 3D.
EZPZ Strat: You can create 2D motion graphics in either Blender or Cinema 4D, but it’s going to be much easier if you use a dedicated software to create 2D elements instead.
Cinema 4D, on the other hand, is much more focused on motion graphics AND translates well for anyone familiar with After Effects. While a bit more user-friendly than Blender, it's also got a substantial price point at either $3,495 to own the current version, or $94/month for subscription pricing.
It should go without saying, 3D is not only a significant step up in complexity compared to flat 2D animation, but once you decide to learn it, you are committing for the long haul.
4. PRE-DESIGNED MOTION GRAPHICS WEB TOOLS
Five years ago, if you wanted motion graphics, you had two options:
Learn them yourself
Hire someone else to do it
But now it's 2021 y'all. “There’s an app for that,” isn’t a phrase that’s used any longer. It’s simply assumed.
Websites like Canva, Crello, and Biteable have plenty of high-quality, pre-designed templates and motion graphics videos for you to choose from. You can pick a template, upload your company logo and assets, and with a few clicks: boom.
Now you have a powerful video to share your company's message and products, AND you don't need to build a working knowledge of After Effects or similar software.
Some of these services do a good job of cycling in new content, there's just one problem with this approach: it's not really custom.
Sure, this won't matter to everyone, but you are pretty limited in the vision and scope of what's capable. Using the same style of graphics, using the same animations, etc.
Plus, you never know when a competitor might be using the same service you're using and you both end up advertising your Labor Day Weekend Sale with... the same video elements and stock music.
5. CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATES FROM STOCK SITES
If you are looking for a quick way to create motion graphics videos, Canva and other sites offer plenty of methods to achieve your goal. However, these sometimes print visual watermarks unless you upgrade your account, plus they aren't 100% customizable.
Another way to build motion graphics quickly is to purchase or download templates for the animation software you are using. Templates can be found all over the internet, but websites like Envato and Motion Array offer plenty of professional options to promote your product or service.
The advantage to buying a template is that it's often much more customizable than something from Canva. You can adjust the effects parameters, change colors and speeds of animations, and much more.
The downside is that you'll not only need working knowledge of After Effects, but you'll also need to learn the layout of the template you are using. Every motion designer organizes their projects differently, so sometimes it can be a little tricky to work your way through a template.
6. HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT
We'd be remiss to mention this step, but sometimes you want a professional teaser for your new product and you don't have 1000 hours to put into learning something new. We understand, and that's why Lucky Whisker and 1000s of other motion graphics animators do what we do.
Yes, you can totally get by with templates and pre-designed assets, but if you want a custom logo animation, quick and targeted social videos, and a personal touch that understands your brand, working with a human is the best way to go.
Plus, someone who works in video every day is probably thinking about things you might not have considered. Like, how to pull together a compelling story to turn your prospects into customers, or how your brand elements can animate and transition from scene to scene.
REMEMBER LEARNING TO RIDE A BIKE?
Remember when you first rode a bike? How often did you fall? Did you have training wheels? Learning new skills can be challenging, and with motion graphics, you've a long journey ahead. Luckily, there are so many resources available to you. No matter where you are on your motion graphics journey, there's always something new to learn and someone who made a tutorial to help.
Of course, if you need a custom video now, Lucky Whisker is here to help! No matter if you are looking for a quick motion graphics explainer, or a how-to-play instructional video, we are ready to assist.