Summer vacation is here, which means many kids have a lot more free time on their hands. Instead of them sitting down in front of the television to watch cartoons, have them make one. Making animated cartoons online is a fun activity that can keep kids entertained for hours. In addition, there are several online free programs that allow anyone to create a cartoon in 15 minutes even if they don't know Flash or any other computer animation programs.
Xtranormal is one of the most popular sites to create animated videos on. To make a video, register on the site. Then choose your background, characters (you can have a maximum of two), background music and write a script.
You can choose your main characters to be celebrities such as Charlie Sheen or Oprah, superheros, fuzzy animals or stick figures. There are also a ton of backgrounds to choose from.
Click on the character icon to write a script for them to say. It is best to stick to one topic in the script so it will keep listeners focused. Also make your video under three minutes as anything longer will likely be boring and the viewer is likely to not pay attention anymore. Remember, most of all have fun and be funny. This is a time for kids to really get creative. Help them with that process.
Once you have figured out a script. Add the camera icon to choose the angle of the shot. Add the smiling icon or movement icon to make your character move or change their facial expression.
Here is an example of a video I made using Xtranormal.
GoAnimate is also a popular site to create cartoons. GoAnimate offers better looking cartoon characters, in my opinion, and the voices are not as bland as those that Xtranormal uses for its characters. You will find more characters like they were straight out of Family Guy and there are also easily recognizable cartoon and video game characters such as UnderDog, Street Fighter and Happy Bunny that you can animate.GoAnimate also allows you to create your own characters and slideshows.
What Xtranormal does have that is better is a downloadable video platform for those who want to animate video off line.
Both sites allow you to easily share videos on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Both sites also have community pages so members can chat and learn tricks to make their videos look better.
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