In This Article
Are you bored of still images and want to try something new? Then you should try picture animation. There are countless programs and mobile apps for animating photos, so you can create this effect as well, even if you have never done it before.
Below, we are going to talk about one of the most popular animation effects – parallax animation. This post also covers 3 ways to transform images with the help of animation – using mobile apps and a desktop program. Got intrigued? Then let’s figure out how to animate photos right now.
What is Parallax Animation
Parallax is a type of animation that is used in many creative spheres of life. For example, it’s widely used in video game production, web design, and presentations. This technique is used to add depth and movement to simple images. So, how does it work?
To create an illusion of movement in your shot, you need to edit its separate layers by changing their speeds, directions, scaling, rotation, opacity, and other settings. In other words, you’re supposed to separately animate each element.
3 Programs to Animate Pictures
Now that you know the basics, it is time to take a look at 3 image animation programs: Movepic, SmartSHOW 3D, and YouCam Perfect. To pick the right app, you need to consider the features, usability, and required level of skill. The selected program should also be compatible with your smartphone or computer. So, let’s see which option works best for you.
1. Movepic
One of the standout features of Movepic is its ability to animate specific parts of an image while keeping the rest static. Here, you can select the area you want to animate, such as flowing hair, rippling water, or flickering flames, and apply movement to those specific elements. This feature of the app provides you with precise control over the animation process. Movepic also lets you adjust the speed and direction of the animation, apply filters and effects, and even add overlays or text to personalize your creations.
Moreover, Movepic allows you to directly share your animated photos on various social media platforms to showcase them to a wider audience in a moment. However, the editing process in this app might feel inconvenient if the screen size of your smartphone is not big enough.
2. SmartSHOW 3D
To animate your pictures on a computer, you can use SmartSHOW 3D, photo animation software. It is designed to be accessible for both beginners and seasoned users. SmartSHOW 3D lets you create custom animation with professional precision – you can adjust speed, rotation, opacity, and other settings of the animated elements of your photos.
Along with parallax animation, SmartSHOW 3D offers lots of other effects you might like: 45+ slide effects, 50+ glow effects, 200+ transitions, and so on. You can also use this software to animate pictures with pan and zoom effects and animation paths. Besides, SmartSHOW 3D lets you create photo collages, add text captions, apply filters, and edit pictures.
3. YouCam Perfect
Another photo animation app you can check out is YouCam Perfect. This is a photo editing program that allows you to change the body shape, enhance the quality of pictures, erase objects, touch up portraits and selfies, whiten the model’s teeth, swap backgrounds, apply funky filters, and even create collages with multiple images. It also has live filters that you can try on and then capture a photo or video with them.
YouCam Perfect also offers some tools for animating your pictures. For instance, in the app, you will find a variety of animated effects and stickers to choose from, including sparkles, sports-themed animations, summer-themed animations, and love-themed animations. Apart from adding animation effects, the app also lets you animate selfies and turn them into video clips using templates.
But there’s a big disadvantage you should take into consideration before installing the app on your mobile device. The app size is quite big – over 200 MB. So, if there’s not enough free space in your storage, you might face app crashes, freezes, and other performance issues. If you don’t mind this downside, you can download YouCam Perfect from the App Store or Google Play depending on the device you are using.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, you can effortlessly animate your photos like a pro, even if you have zero experience in photo or video editing. But to create a motion effect in your pictures, you need to choose the right software or mobile app.
In this post, we’ve talked about a trendy type of animation – parallax animation. What’s more, you have discovered 3 handy programs to edit your images on a PC, Android smartphones, and iOS devices. If you’re still not sure which tool suits you better, consider the ease of use, your budget, needs, and technical requirements of the programs.
Now, choose one of the photo animating tools and give it a try today.