Motion graphics have been featured in advertising and filmmaking for quite some time. The medium used to be one that required advanced knowledge of animation. Now you don’t even have to know how to draw a straight line thanks to a number of apps.
So which application is best for the task? Well, we’ve compiled a list of the six best applications for creating motion graphics to answer that very question. You may be surprised by some of these entries.
1. Adobe After Effects
After Effects has been Adobe’s top application for motion graphics and visual effects since 1993. The software focuses primarily on visual effects and digital compositing. Some examples include removing backgrounds from video for a green-screen effect or placing computer graphics into a scene.
After Effects is ideal for handling motion graphics with its various animation tools. The app has become a staple in film, television, and video games. It can also be retooled with plugins and scripts to create web animations as well.
2. Adobe Animate
If you want to both design and animate simultaneously, Adobe Animate is an exceptional application. Originally known as Adobe Flash, the program is capable of creating and animating vector graphics. It used to be for web animation and games but now functions more as a general animation and motion graphics software.
Animate can be used to create old-fashioned 2D animation with its frame-by-frame tools. You can also use it to create tweened animations with merely clicking and dragging. The animations created can be exported either as a completed video or an image sequence brought into video editing applications.
3. Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop now contains a video feature that is built mainly for developing animated GIFs. While simple enough for making GIFs, it can be wielded for more elaborate animations and video. The video option uses a frame-by-frame technique for stitching frames together, akin to the classic animation methods.
4. Adobe Premiere Pro
Though primarily known as a video editor, Adobe Premiere Pro is capable of motion graphics. Developed in 1991, the long-running video editor has advanced beyond the basics of cutting and rendering. Additional tools have allowed for editing everything from color to audio.
Clips and images dragged onto the timeline can be animated for crafting motion graphics. Simply click on the Effects tab, click on your clip, and you’ll have several animation tools to use. The tools are pretty similar to After Effects, so Premiere’s animations won’t take much time to learn.
