Animation Software Review

Adobe Flash: 4 / 4 STARS

Adobe Flash is expensive software that is used to create animations. As it is vector based the file sizes are smaller than with other animation software. It can be used alongside Flash Action Script but both of these can be very difficult to learn. The readymade components are not internet friendly so this can put some users off using the software. If you want to use Flash to make a web based programme this can take a long time but for animation it is slightly quicker.

Pros:

• Easy to make animations
• Vector based so file sizes are smaller
• Flash Action Script 2.0 can be used alongside it

Cons:

• Expensive
• Can be difficult to learn
• Readymade components are not internet friendly
• Flash based web programming takes a long time

 

Blender: 3 / 4 STARS

Blender is free software used for creating animations. It supports programming in Python and can also be used to develop games. It is very fast and light weight to use but learning the software can be a steep learning curve for users. Because it is in the Alpha stage, the software is nowhere near perfect and may not perform as expected.

Pros:

• Free
• Supports programming in Python
• It can develop games
• Very fast and lightweight

Cons:

• Big learning curve for non-standard graphical user interface
• Alpha software – may not be perfect

Conclusion

As Blender is still in the Alpha stage of development the better software of these two is clearly Flash. Although as Blender continues to develop it could very well become one of the best free animation software programmes around. Flash takes the lead when it comes to animation but you should be willing to sit down and learn the techniques.

Web Site Creation Software Review

Dreamweaver: 4 / 4 STARS

Dreamweaver is used by web designers as it is simple and easy to use. Although expensive, Dreamweaver is a great piece of software to help create professional looking websites. It allows users to choose to view their syntax and design in the same window, something other software programmes do not allow. You don’t need to know much HTML but the techniques of Dreamweaver can be difficult to learn. 

Pros:

• Easy to use if you’ve had previous experience in web design
• Syntax highlighting
• Don’t need to know much HTML Language
• Quick (auto-complete etc.)
• Can choose to view syntax and design in the same window

Cons:

• Doesn’t help with learning HTML
• Expensive
• Can be difficult to learn

 

Notepad ++: 4 / 4 STARS

Notepad ++ is a free piece of software available to download from the internet. To use Notepad ++ you will need to have an understanding of HTML. To learn this can be time consuming and to type it into Notepad ++ can take even longer. There is no preview function in Notepad ++ so you need to view your work in a browser. Notepad ++ can be used to make fully functioning websites for free.

Pros:

• Free
• Syntax highlighting
• Easy to find software code replacement
• Light-weight
• Has free official plug-in’s

Cons:

• Can be time consuming
• Need to know/understand HTML
• No auto-complete
• No preview function

Conclusion

Dreamweaver is the easier option for people if they do not know much about HTML. This can be used if you want to create websites quickly and effectively. Notepad ++ is used mainly for people who are just learning HTML and for those more serious about learning the language and making websites through hard coding.

Audio Editing Software Review

FL Studio: 3 / 4 STARS

FL Studio is a professional piece of software used for recording and editing sound. Although expensive to buy, once purchased you get a lifetime of free updates so you always have the latest version available. You can upload your own original music or pre-recorded music easily and mix the sound with no problem. FL Studio can be quite tricky to learn and may prove difficult for some people if they do not have the time/patience to learn all of the techniques.

Pros:

• Free lifetime updates
• Can upload your own music
• Easily mix sounds

Cons:

•  Difficult to learn all of the techniques
• Expensive

Audacity: 3 / 4 STARS

Audacity is free software available for downloading off the internet. It is fully equipped to deal with most sound editing needs. Some people may find it difficult to download as you may have to install a driver as well and this sometimes does not save to the same place as your Audacity software. Audacity is easy to use for simple projects and if there is anything that you are unable to do there are plenty of tutorials online that may help. There is no video playback support but the software is free so we cannot expect everything from something we do no need to pay for.

Pros:

• Free
• Fully featured
• Lots of online tutorials
• Easy for simple projects

Cons:

• Sometimes difficult to download
• No video playback support

Conclusion

It seems that Audacity is the preferred choice among the online community as it is free and does most basic sound editing whether it be for band recordings or video sound editing, Audacity does everything that you need. If you want to spend money and time learning FL Studio then obviously there are some other advantages such as many more techniques and uses but for the average user Audacity seems to be better of the two.

Vector Image Editing and Creation Software Review

Illustrator: 4 / 4 STARS

Illustrator is a complex piece of software used for creating vector based images. The file sizes in Illustrator are small yet still holds the high resolution which is one of the key features users look for. You can customise your workspace to only use the tools you want. Unfortunately Illustrator is expensive and can be very difficult to learn as you have to think like a vector artist in order to get the kind of images you want.

Pros:

• Small file sizes
• Good resolution
• Custom workspaces

Cons:

• Expensive
• Can be difficult to learn
• Have to think like a vector artist

Inkscape: 3 / 4 STARS

Inkscape is free software available to download off the internet. It can be used alongside other programmes such as PhotoShop/GIMP to finalise the images. It is great for converting black and white sketches into vector images. Unfortunately it can be a bit temperamental and begins to slow down when it hits around 10,000 nodes.

Pros:

• Free
•  Easy to use
• Easily convert black and white line drawings to vector

Cons:

• Can be a bit clunky
• Cannot handle a lot of nodes

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Conclusion

Inkscape is well known for being a good, free software programme throughout the online community but Adobe Illustrator is still miles ahead. They both produce very good vector images but Inkscape is still being developed so it is not as advanced as Illustrator. If you have the money it may be worth buying Illustrator but if not Inkscape will basically do everything you need to create basic vector based images. If Inkscape continues to improve it will probably start to overtake Illustrator in the rankings and eventually could become the favoured piece of software to use.

3D Rendering and Creation Software Review

3d’s Max: 4 / 4 STARS

3d’s Max is a very impressive, yet expensive piece of software; it had one of the best mesh-modelling available to create animated characters etc. You are not limited however to make only characters you can animate anything within 3d’s Max.  It has plug-ins available and had reasonable sized files. It can be very hard to learn everything in 3d’s Max and there are no CAD tools to help with your animations etc.

Pros:

• Complete mesh-modelling software
• Can animate anything
• Plug-ins
• Good file sizes

Cons:    

• Expensive
• Hard to learn everything about the software
• There are no CAD tools

AOI: 4 / 4 STARS

Considering Art of Illusion is free software it is very sophisticated. It is easy to learn as the controls on the drawing window are simple. It has a very good rendering engine and comes with free plug-ins so it can be used for more than simply rendering and 3D work. It is written in Java which means that it will run on all Operating Systems which is a bonus! Unfortunately there is no windows tab so you cannot toggle between the software and, for example, the help tutorials. Overall it is a great piece of free software that is capable of doing most things the expensive versions can.

Pros:

• Free
• Written in Java so runs on all Operating Systems
• Free Plug-ins
• Draw controls on the drawing window are simple

Cons:

• If you open a project you can’t open the help tutorials
• No Windows tab so you cannot toggle between the software and the help

Conclusion

Out of the two, 3d’s Max is clearly the better piece of software, but if you are only a beginner then AOI will be just fine for what you need to create. You don’t need to buy the expensive version if you are not worried about creating something to go out to the public professionally. 3d’s Max would be useful to have in the future but for now I would recommend getting the free software while you can!

Bitmap Image Editing and Creation Software Review

PhotoShop: 4 / 4 STARS

PhotoShop can produce extremely high quality images. When saving you can choose the quality from low to high, depending on what the image is being used for there are a lot of options available. PhotoShop is very capable of doing amazing effects and some of them take time to learn. It is expensive and has strict licencing laws but it is great for professional use. It can be quite daunting for someone who has never used extensive bitmap editing software before and can take a while to learn. PhotoShop can also take up a lot of room on your computer.

Pros:

• High quality images
• Very capable
• Great for professional use

Cons:

• Strict licencing laws
• Expensive
• Uses a lot of memory
• A lot to learn

 

GIMP: 3 / 4 STARS

GIMP is free software available to download off the internet. It is basic and easy to learn but cannot offer the same high quality images as PhotoShop. However it does have most of the functions available in PhotoShop. You can still create similar images as you would in PhotoShop just not to the same extent. PhotoShop tutorials that are available online can be used with GIMP as well.

Pros:

• Free
• Basic and easy to learn
• PhotoShop tutorials can be used
• Has most functions PhotoShop has

Cons:

• Not good for high quality images
• Not as extensive as PhotoShop

Conclusion

Depending on the amount of money available to you and the quality of images you are after PhotoShop would be the better choice out of the two. However, GIMP is an extremely close second and considering it is free it is a great piece of software to go for if you’re a beginner.