# Anime Studio 8: Is it worth it?



## conneich (Dec 14, 2011)

I got some gift cards for Christmas and while browsing software, Anime Studio caught my eye. I was wondering if there are any that use it and if the Pro version is worth the money. I'd use it for animation and image inking mainly, but Im not a huge animator, just a hobbyist.


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## Riis (Dec 15, 2011)

When I found an offer to get anime studio 5 for free, I found it quite disappointing that the debut version is purely a vector animator. You cannot draw like you can like OC1.1, Sai, Illistrator, or even Flash, in 5. It may be the same way in 8 debut. Debut is a cheap and easy to use animator software to play with if you don't mind working with only vectors (of course, you can import stuff into your work too). It even has some neat animating tools such as the skeleton tools to warp and flew parts you apply the skeletons to. Also I do know at least in 5 debut, it sacrafices some effects you put on your animation when saving/exporting it in certain formats(SWF at least, for sure). If you know the right tricks you can make something good out of it.
However much like Manga Studio, there is a quality difference between Debut and Pro versions. I don't know what any Anime Studio Pro has that the Debut doesn't, so I can't say much about that.

Good luck =3


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## Zephyrionitis (Dec 21, 2011)

It might be fun to start out with. but for more serious animation, I'd recommend ToonBoom or Pencil (free!). I haven't been too impressed with what I've seen done with anime studio.


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## mangatanga (Dec 23, 2011)

I would definitely recommend getting Anime Studio if you are interesting in learning how to animate. Anime Studio's claim to fame is the ability to use bone rigging to animate characters and props. This is the key difference between ToonBoom and Flash. Though more recently both Flash and Toonboom now use a rigging system, mostly copied from Anime Studio... they're not as smooth nor work as well. The program is obviously not at all similar to Sai or Illustrator, and the learning curve is different. Those are drawing tools and Anime Studio is an animation tool - obviously different toolsets. But if you have some patience and are interested in animating I would recommend getting it. The other bonus of Anime Studio is that there are 2 versions, a Debut version that is priced around $50 (Amazon price is at least $29.99) and a Pro version that is priced around $200 (Amazon price is at least $129.99). This is fairly inexpensive compared to Flash or Toonboom. So start off with the Debut version, it's inexpensive and then gradually move up to the Pro version.

Here's a comparison of the 2 versions: http://anime.smithmicro.com/comparison.html

As well, there is a vibrant and positive community that can help you get started here: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/

And you should definitely check out their facebook page, there are lots of awesome animations: http://www.facebook.com/animestudio

Check out these animations created in Anime Studio: http://www.youtube.com/user/tazatriste?feature=watch

Hope this was helpful.


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