How To Make an Animated Shortfilm Using AI: Guide & Best Tools

For years, I’ve had several ideas for animated short films. But, each time I start pre-production I quickly realize the projects will be too expensive.

Even an animated short video could set you back up to 8000 USD.

Now, thanks to the development of AI animation tools, the cost of creating an animated film has decreased.

And I’m finally able to produce my very own animated short-film!

To be honest, animation can still be VERY expensive if you don’t choose the right tools for your budget, from the START.

And plan your production accordingly.

In this guide, I’ll show you the best AI animation generator tools available. Along with screenshots to give you a glance at their interfaces.

Divided by budget: Low – Medium – High.

And give you an overview of the workflow, for each stage of the production process.

What is AI Animation and how does it work?

In essence, all films consist of a series of images displayed back to back, to create the illusion of movement.

Therefore all animation requires: image creation.

Traditional animation involves manual work, like drawing frame by frame or manipulating 3D models, which is extremely time-consuming and difficult for “normal” people.

Animating through an ai powered platform, on the other hand, streamlines and simplifies many of these processes.

Animation techniques differ from regular image generation by involving motion generation, like: frame generation, lip sync, facial animation, and character creation.

AI tools such as DeepMotion, NVIDIA Omniverse, and Adobe Sensei streamline tasks like:

• Keyframe interpolation

• Motion capture

• Character generation

Making the animation process more efficient and cost-effective.

The Process of Creating an Animation with AI

Like in all forms of filmmaking, many different art forms are involved here.

Depending on your budget, you might be doing everything yourself or using AI animation generators to assist you where you lack the necessary skills.

Here’s an overview of the process from start to finish:

1. Concept Development

This initial phase focuses on brainstorming creative concepts, developing a story, and visualizing key scenes and characters.

Personally, my ideas tend to come from experiences in my own life.

The initial idea is important because it gives you a sense of direction. And helps you make choices along the way.

Most importantly, it clarifies what you feel excited about! Maybe it’s a certain character or a mood.

Besides the storyboard, it’s time to develop your script idea. I recommend chat GPT along with some killer prompts.

Tools to use:

Low Budget: Storyboard That

• Use: Create animation storyboards and visualize key scenes to create animation videos.

• Why: Provides a cost-effective way to map out your animated video ideas.

Medium Budget: Plotagon

• Use: Generate pre-visualizations with 3D characters and environments.

• Why: Helps mock-up scenes and understand animation flow before investing in detailed work.

High Budget: Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

• Use: Develop detailed, professional-grade storyboards with advanced drawing tools and camera controls.

• Why: Industry-standard for intricate pre-visualization, ensuring precise planning and alignment with the creative vision before production.

2. Pre-Production

Once your concept is solidified, pre-production is essential for organizing your creative ideas into actionable plans.

This stage involves:

Script Refinement: Enhance your dialogue, structure scenes, and explore narrative variations, ensuring a polished script for your animation.

Character and Environment Preparation: Develop detailed character models and environmental art. AI image generators and other AI-powered platforms can help create high-quality animated content and characters.

Pre-visualization: Produce rough animations or 3D mock-ups, to visualize scene flow and timing before doing your full-scale production.

Resource Allocation: Plan your animation production schedule, set deadlines, and budget for animation software, AI tools, and other resources to ensure a smooth workflow.

Tools to use:

Low Budget: Artbreeder

• Use: Generate unique character designs and environmental art.

• Why: Provides a budget-friendly way to create distinctive visuals through AI-driven blending.

Medium Budget: DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

• Use: Generate high-quality images of characters, backgrounds, and props.

• Why: Offers detailed visuals that can be integrated into pre-visualizations or inspire more complex animations.

High Budget: MidJourney

• Use: Create artistically rich and stylized visuals.

• Why: Ideal for producing high-quality concept art, guiding the visual direction with creativity and detail.

3. Character & Scene Generation

In this phase, focus on bringing your characters and scenes to life. You want the characters and worlds to be fully developed at this stage.

Because if you start producing the environments and worlds before your story is fully developed. You run the risk of creating stuff that won’t be used in the end and, wasting your time.

Character Animation: Rig your characters and generate movement patterns, enabling smooth and dynamic animations. AI tools can help create more realistic animations by optimizing processes like rigging and texturing.

Tools to use:

Low Budget: Pencil2D

• Use: Basic 2D animation with simple character rigging.

• Why: Beginner-friendly tool for creating basic animations.

Medium Budget: Vyond

High Budget: Adobe Character Animator

Environment Design: AI image generators can create detailed and imaginative backgrounds and environments for your animation.

Low Budget: DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

• Use: Create backgrounds and environmental art from text descriptions.

• Why: Easy to use for generating detailed and imaginative environments.

Medium Budget: ArtStation (For Templates)

• Use: Access high-quality templates and assets to enhance the visual development of your animation.

• Why: Offers a vast collection of professional-grade resources, helping to elevate your project’s artistic quality and streamline the creative process.

High Budget: Unreal Engine (Blueprints)

4. Animation Production

It’s time to do the keyframe generation, motion capture, and facial animation. Unlike traditional computer animation, which relies heavily on manual skills, AI animation leverages algorithms for automation and rapid creation.

Tools to use:

Low Budget: Synfig Studio

• Use: 2D animation with AI-assisted keyframe interpolation.

• Why: Free and simple to use for basic keyframe animation tasks.

Medium Budget: Toonly

High Budget: Adobe Animate

Use: Advanced animation tools with AI features for smooth transitions.

Why: Comprehensive solution for creating high-quality animations with user-friendly features.

Motion Capture: Capture real-life movements and apply them to your characters using tools with a simple setup.

Low Budget: iPi Soft (Basic Camera)

• Use: Simple motion capture with a standard camera.

• Why: Affordable and easy to use for capturing motion data.

Medium Budget: Rokoko Studio (With Suit)

High Budget: MotionBuilder

Use: Professional motion capture with advanced features.

Why: Offers sophisticated tools for detailed and accurate motion data.

Lip Syncing: Use AI to automatically sync character lip movements to dialogue, saving time on manual adjustments.

• Low Budget: Blender with AI Add-on “Parrot Lipsync”

  

  • Use: Basic lip-syncing features.

  • Why: Cost-effective with AI add-ons for simple lip-sync tasks.

Medium Budget: FaceFX

• Use: Advanced lip-syncing and facial animation.

• Why: Offers precision for mid-range budgets.

High Budget: Adobe Character Animator

• Use: Real-time lip-syncing with AI.

• Why: Professional tool for accurate and efficient facial animation. Not the most expensive to start using, but years of membership costs, ad up.

5. Post-Production

Refine your animated videos with editing, sound design, and special effects. AI-powered tools can enhance video editing and sound design, ensuring high-quality final outputs.

Editing: I recommend Davinci Resolve for all budgets. Because the program is available in a free version for low budgets. And more advanced features are available for those who have more money to invest.

Tools to use:

Low Budget Tool: DaVinci Resolve (Free Version)

• Use: Basic video editing and color correction.

• Why: Free software with AI-assisted editing tools for high-quality video creation.

Sound Design: AIVA

• Use: Compose music based on mood or theme.

• Why: AI-driven music composition for customized soundtracks.

Voice Syncing and Dubbing: Use real voice actors for authentic performances and AI tools for temporary voiceovers. (If you have a low budget I recommend Fiverr for finding talent)

6. Rendering and Output

Rendering final animations involves compiling all elements into a complete video file. This stage ensures your animation videos are ready for distribution in high quality, allowing you to create videos that meet professional standards.

Final Rendering: Compile all elements including animation, sound, and effects into a polished final product.

Low Budget: Blender

• Use: Comprehensive rendering options.

• Why: Free and open-source with advanced rendering features.

Medium Budget: Adobe Media Encoder

High Budget: Autodesk Arnold

• Use: High-quality rendering for detailed outputs.

• Why: Industry-standard renderer for professional results.

7. Create Marketing Content

Once your film is ready, focus on marketing and distributing your animated content. This involves creating animations for promotional material and strategizing your film’s release.

Marketing and Distribution: Develop trailers, posters, and social media content to promote your animation and engage with your audience.

Tools to use:

Low Budget:

• Use: Design promotional graphics and posters.

• Why: Easy-to-use and cost-effective for creating engaging marketing materials.

Medium Budget: Adobe Creative Cloud Suite

• Use: Several comprehensive tools for designing and editing promotional content.

• Why: Advanced features for high-quality marketing materials.

High Budget: Unreal Engine

Use: Develop immersive and interactive promotional content, such as VR experiences, AR apps, and real-time rendered trailers.

Why: Known for its real-time rendering capabilities, Unreal Engine is ideal for creating cutting-edge interactive experiences that engage audiences on a deeper level.

Summary

From short videos to full-length films, AI is now an integral part of the animation process, making it more accessible to creators of all levels.

These tools can generate animations by analyzing data, simulating movements, and crafting visuals, allowing users to customize and produce videos.

For those aiming for realism, AI software now includes features like motion capture, physics simulation, and high-quality rendering.

Looking into the future, AI’s role in animation will only continue to grow, by giving us faster, more cost-effective, and creatively diverse productions.

Read my article: “10 Ways AI is Revolutionizing Independent Filmmaking & Best Tools to Use”

To learn more about how AI is changing the world of independent filmmaking.

FAQ

Can AI create animated videos?

Yes, AI can create animated videos. AI tools and platforms have advanced significantly, enabling the creation of animations by analyzing data, generating visuals, and even simulating movements.

Can I use AI to make a film?

Yes, you can use AI to make a film. AI can assist in various stages of filmmaking, from scriptwriting and storyboarding to animation and post-production. While fully AI-generated feature films are still in their infancy, AI can significantly speed up the process and lower costs, particularly for animated films.

What is the best free AI cartoon generator?

Some of the best free AI cartoon generators include:

• Toonify: This tool transforms photos into cartoon-like characters using AI.

• Cartoonify: Allows users to convert images into cartoon-style visuals.

• Deep Dream Generator: Though more art-focused, this tool can create unique, cartoonish effects on images.

For more robust animation features, tools like Animaker offer free plans, but with limitations.

Is there AI-generated animation?

Yes, AI-generated animation is a growing field. AI algorithms can create animations by learning from existing data, simulating movements, and generating new content.

Examples include AI-generated character movements, facial expressions, and even entire scenes. These animations can range from simple GIFs to complex, multi-scene productions.

How to generate realistic AI animations?

To generate realistic AI animations:

1. Choose a High-Quality AI Tool: Use advanced AI animation software that offers realistic rendering options, such as Reallusion’s iClone or NVIDIA Omniverse.

2. Provide Detailed Input: The more detailed your input (e.g., motion capture data, high-resolution images), the more realistic the output.

3. Fine-Tune Animations: Use the tool’s controls to refine movements, adjust lighting, and add textures to enhance realism.

4. Leverage Physics Simulation: Some tools offer physics-based simulations to make movements (like hair, clothing, or water) appear more realistic.

5. Render with High Quality: Ensure your final render uses high-quality settings to capture details and textures accurately.

What is the best AI art generator to use?

The best AI art generators include:

• DALL-E 2: Developed by OpenAI, it’s one of the most advanced tools for generating highly creative and detailed artwork.

• MidJourney: A popular AI tool for creating artistic and surreal images.

• Stable Diffusion: Known for its versatility and ability to create high-quality images from text prompts.

• DeepArt: This tool applies the style of famous artists to your images, producing unique artwork.

These tools vary in features, so the “best” one depends on your specific needs—whether you prioritize realism, creativity, or ease of use.