We live in a DIY (Do it yourself) world.  Using nothing more than a humble laptop, people can write novels, edit feature films, and record music—all with an ease and flexibility that the creators of the past could never have imagined.  If you don’t believe me about any of this, just visit your nearest coffee shop to see the artists at work. ;-) 

Even if they don’t have expert knowledge of the process, most people can probably make a decent guess as to decent software for each of the examples cited above:

Writing = Word
Film = Adobe Premiere
Music = Pro Tools

But what about whiteboard animation?

In the case of whiteboard animation, the answer isn’t as clear-cut.  Instead of a single go-to application, there are, instead, a spectrum of choices that depend on your level of expertise, time, and (of course) budget.  Right out of the gate, and without naming any names, steer away from the low end completely.  Yes, some of the price points are attractive, but these fall into the too-good-to-be-true category.  Buyer beware! In the end there are three options when it comes to Whiteboard Animation-- Doodly and Videoscribe for the budget conscious and AfterEffects for businesses that want to be professional.

Doodly and Videoscribe have a variety of templates, plus convenient drag-and-drop functionality to simplify and streamline workflow.  Both Doodly and Videoscribe allow users to record their own voiceovers and a built-in library of royalty-free music tracks to give your whiteboard animations punch and vibrancy.

Truthfully, both of these applications are pretty evenly matched, but there are a few key differences that could affect the decision-making of a potential customer.  VideoScribe, for instance, offers the unique ability for the user to upload and generate their own drawing style.  VideoScribe also offers a bigger library of templates and images. Finally, since budget is always a factor, it’s important to note that VideoScribe has a slight edge with a lower per-month subscription price.

In both cases, though, the results leave something to be desired.  Achieving a result that looks professional takes a great deal of practice and trail-and-error.  Even then, there’s a kind of just-add-water generic quality to the Doodly and Videoscribe results. The videos look and feel like something anyone could do because that’s precisely what each software does.  Yes, we live in a DIY world, it’s tempting to believe that anything can be realized just by procuring the latest software and watching a few tutorial videos.  One day that vision might be realized, but at the moment, if you want to truly wow someone, it's best to hire a cheap team of professionals--writers, producers, directors, musicians, and actors. If you are one of those that want to appear professional give us a call.

Whether you want to sell, explain, or inspire, no matter how difficult, a whiteboard animation can help. Contact us today at 929-397-2893.