After you make a doodle, the "Next" button will light up. If you need inspiration, click
on the "INSPIRE ME" button on the bottom left and 10-second videos pop up, givving
ideas to get you started.
This is one of the inspire me videos.
You can also use the "Import" button on the top to bring in a picture. It will be faded
with the words "Now...trace it!" above the picture.
This is "Flipbook-ish," the next level of difficulty. Notice that you can now create as
many panels as you like across the bottom of the screen, and you can move the
panels around.
The third and most advanced level is "Advanced-ish." Now there is a full-blown,
multi-layered timeline across the bottom of the screen.
Another program from the same company is "Comic Boom." It uses a similar
approach to help beginners create 4-panel comics with tremendous ease.
If you don't want the whole Animation-ish suite, you can buy "Flip Boom" alone.
Manga Studio is a more adult-like program with many more features. It is used to
create comics of all sorts (not just manga) and is
the program I am most looking
forward to spending time with. These comics are static images, not animated.
I've had Toon Boom Studio for years, but have never gotten into it. It is used not only
to
create
animated cartoons, but
adds the ability to move objects, cameras, etc in 3-d
space. It is the most advanced tool on this page and can be used at the professional
level.
Software
This page focuses on animation software, most of it so simple that a child can use it and learn the basics of animation.
Animation-ish has three programs which get progressively more detailed (plus lessons and project ideas). Wiggledoodle-ish walks you through the creation of a simple, three-panel animation. Flipbook-ish allows you to add additional panels and adjust the speed of the animation. Finally, Advanced-ish adds a few more tools and a multi-layered timeline.