So you want to create an animation huh? And now you are scrolling through the internet trying to find the best animation tool in 2023. Well done for taking the time and checking “what the best tools for something” is. That’s my go-to strategy too.

So here goes. If you’re making animations, animated graphics, videos for youtube, animation projects, gifs, or any type of animated videos there are a few choices, but most of them… you know… suck!

There are a few that make the grade. Let me list them for you.

1. Powtoon – Animated Design and Video Maker

Difficulty Level: Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced

My review: Powtoon is my personal top choice, why? It’s cloud-based, it’s a design too, and on top of that a video maker. That means you don’t have to download anything and it has – literally – the only custom animated character maker tool in the market. Don’t get me wrong – if you’re into stick figures or a pro looking for Disney-type stuff (although it comes pretty close), you’re free to choose a different animation tool. But this tool is simply incredible. You can create completely customized animated characters which move and do tons of poses. There are literary infinite character builder styles available, so you can generate 100s of styles (probably even more).

As a bonus, Powtoon offers users an extensive templates gallery, hundreds of different characters, animations, and effects. It’s like Canva but for online animations. With Powtoon, you can use your animations to construct presentations, short movies, or even gifs. All of your creations can be easily exported into videos, jpg, and of course mp4. Powtoon is a great option for businesses, educators, and anyone looking to create animations. The platform also features one of the best AI script generator tools out there.

It’s simply one of the best software tools to create free animation. I Love it!

2. Adobe Animate

Difficulty Level: Advanced

My review: Adobe’s animation software is a popular choice among professionals in the animation industry. It offers advanced features such as motion graphics, character rigging, and traditional hand-drawn animation tools.

Adobe Animate is a powerful animation software that offers a wide range of features, making it suitable for proficient intermediate and professional animators. It has a robust timeline editor, allowing you to create complex animations with ease. Additionally, Adobe Animate offers a wide range of tools, such as a brush tool, vector art, and motion tweening, making it a great choice for creating 2D and 3D animations. Adobe Animate is suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

Overall, Adobe Animate is a great option due to its extensive selection of features and tools, making it suitable for a wide range of proficiency levels. Additionally, Adobe Animate offers plenty of tutorials and resources, making it easy to learn the basics and create stunning animations. Furthermore, Adobe Animate offers an extensive variety of royalty-free music and sound effects, making it easy to add the perfect soundtrack to your animations.

3. Toon Boom Harmony

Difficulty Level: Advanced

My review: Toon Boom Harmony is used by studios and animators around the world to create high-quality 2D animations for television and film. It offers a variety of powerful animation tools, including a bone rigging system and advanced camera controls. It also has a library of pre-made characters and objects, so you can get started quickly.

4. Blender

Difficulty Level: Intermediate and Advanced ( steeper learning curve and requires a good understanding of 3D animation)

My review: Blender is a free and open-source 3D animation and modeling software. It is a great option for those looking to create 3D animations, as it offers a wide range of features and is constantly being updated with new features and improvements. With Blender, you can create animations for video games, movies, and more – but it does have a learning curve.

5. Moho – Moho (formerly Anime Studio)

Difficulty Level: Beginner and Intermediate

My review: Moho is a 2D animation software that is designed for both professional animators and hobbyists. It offers a wide range of tools and features, including a bone rigging system, motion tracking, and lip-syncing tools, making it a great option for creating 2D animations. Moho is suitable for beginners and intermediate users.

Overall winner

In my opinion, Powtoon is the best tool to make animation in 2023. Due to its ease of use and wide range of features, Powtoon allows you to seamlessly create engaging content. It is suitable for beginners, professionals, and anyone in between. With its drag-and-drop interface, you can quickly create good animations with minimal effort. It also offers a wide range of ready-made templates, allowing you to customize your animations to fit your needs. Powtoon’s extensive library of royalty-free music and sound effects makes it easy to find the perfect soundtrack for any animation.

So what are you waiting for? Start creating stunning, professional-looking videos that make people say WOW! Sign up to Powtoon and let the magic happen!

The post 5 Best Tools to Make Animation in 2023 appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

It’s Ilya Spitalnik, Powtoon’s Chief Executive Unicorn — and no, I’m not being tone-deaf to our current situation. I’m just trying to bring a little spark of hope into our day with this message. 

We’re Living Through Unprecedented Times

What we’re living through right now is unprecedented. We’re seeing the world literally change before our eyes. We’re confined to our homes, and yet, bizarrely, life goes on. 

At the moment, I spend my day mostly in video calls, while trying to balance my home life as a husband and father — or shall I say cook and entertainer for the kids. 

The True Lesson of Running a Company Remotely

I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned in the past few weeks being confined to my home while running a business with over 100 employees. 

I can easily sum it up in one sentence: Communication is now more important than ever and it’s more difficult than ever! 

I can’t just walk into my colleague’s office to ask about the status of some project, align on some strategy issue or even just to inquire about their well-being…

Things that we typically take for granted are just not there. 

Instead, we’re forced to chase colleagues on slack or teams in the hope that they will respond immediately. Or we join countless video calls where we put ourselves on mute, switch off the camera and multitask in the background (Oops! Is that just me?).

Why Is Communication More Important Than Ever?

The current crisis has put a magnifying glass to a problem that’s been brewing for quite some time. 

Put simply: 

• Alignment has never been harder 
• Misunderstandings have never been broader, 
• Lack of transparency has never been greater, and let’s face it… 
• Video call fatigue is starting to set in (Oops… Just me again?)

In the past weeks I’ve come to experience something that many of Powtoon’s clients have known for a long time. 

In times when a single message needs to permeate an entire organization, where alignment is needed, where your attention is pulled every which way, and your business may even be in danger…

In strange times like the ones we’re living through now, your method of communication has to work! 

Video calls, whatsapps, team or slack messages don’t do the trick. But short, sharp visual messages make the difference.  

So What’s My Message Today? 

Powtoon is here to help you and your organization get through these trying times! That is to say: we, as a company, are here for you… and Powtoon, the method of communication, is here for you…

We continue to update our remote working and remote learning guides, with video templates, helpful articles, and inspiration to keep your team engaged and succeeding remotely. 

And to ensure that everyone can access the visual communication tools they need, we’re reducing the price of Powtoon Pro+ annual plans by 33%.

Being remote does not mean being distant… and a small gesture goes a long way these days. Please remember to let your colleagues and loved ones know how much they mean to you. 

Stay safe, stay connected…

And stay awesome,

Ilya

The post The Biggest Challenge of Running a Company Remotely — a Founder’s Perspective appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Hi ilya here, Powtoon’s Chief Renegade.

Firstly, with 35 million Powtoons created so far, thank you so much for helping us become the tool to use “when you can’t afford to be ignored!”

Secondly, welcome to the Powtoon 2016 Year-in-Review!

Powtoon 2016 Year-in-Review

I wanted to share all the hard work the Renegade Scientists did to keep pushing Powtoon to be better and more useful for you, our tribe! (And keep reading for some 2017 spoilers…)

Brand New Features in 2016

Storyboard

We’ve had many requests from our tribe, asking for help with the storytelling part of creating a Powtoon.

So we created the Storyboard, which lets you choose ready-made scenes to streamline the beginning stages of creating your Powtoon. Define your overall structure, and then your characters and props are right there on screen. All you have to do is move or swap them to personalise your scene. With Storyboard’s intuitive three-step flow, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 to create a professional looking animated video. Please try it out now!

Move A to B

Move A to B allows you to show a change in size, orientation or location of any character or object on the stage. Just set where you want your object or character to go, and they will automatically move to their new location over 1.5 seconds — making it a snap to animate without worrying about exact timing. Use motion exactly how you choose to create a compelling visual story that connects with your audience.

Major Improvements in 2016

New library

Learn more about the updated library in this post.

Improved publishing flow

Previewing, publishing and exporting your Powtoon is smoother than ever, with the improved publishing flow we engineered this year. And you can also download your Powtoon directly to PDF.

More powerful search

You asked for it, and you got it. Our search function is now more powerful, and available to search templates, characters, styles, objects and just about anything you would need for a rockin’ Powtoon.

Integrated spell checker

Why jump between applications or Google furiously to get your text, right? Our spell checker is now seamlessly integrated into the editor to save you time and effort!

Color picker

Need to match the color in an image, or just want to play around with the palate to find the exact hue you need? That’s what the color picker is for! The intuitive interface makes it a snap to get your custom colors shining bright. Learn more in this blog post.

A better zoom

Get the detailed view you need, without sacrificing the overall picture. Our improved zoom feature helps you spot the small things and the big things with ease.

A more powerful timeline & voiceover per slide

Turning the timeline on transforms Powtoon into a robust video editor. Controlling the timing of entrances, exits and transitions, while syncing perfectly to your voiceover track has never been easier. Oh, and if you need to tweak that voiceover slide-by-slide, we released the “voiceover per slide” feature this year too.

Design Updates in 2016

We’ve continued, as always, to bring you new and fresh designs, including:

New styles

We’re creating new styles all the time. Take a look at this blog post to learn about just five of the beautiful new styles we introduced in 2016.

More pre-made templates

You need ’em; we got ’em — More amazing pre-made templates to fit any situation. Learn more in this blog post.

New soundtracks

A powerful reason your audience loves the Powtoons you create is how gorgeous they SOUND! We added 11 delicious new soundtracks for you in 2016.

Dynamic graphs

Using Powtoon for work should be powerful AND entertaining. That’s why we created Dynamic Graphs, so you can present the data you need to in a way that keeps your audience thirsty for more.

Fresh objects, scenes and characters

Not only did we bring you fresh objects, scenes and characters in 2016 – We created new ways to make them work for you! Like clickable instant scenes, which get you animating in no time!

Animation Research in 2016 – Tanzania Edition

And of course, we can’t forget the lengths we went to in 2016 to uncover the secrets of animation. We visited the Hadzabe people in Tanzania, one of the world’s last hunter-gatherer tribes, to see if cartoons are truly a universal language.

Learn all about it in our full blog post – and don’t forget to watch the video:

If that sounds like a lot — you’re gonna need to hold onto your hats, because 2017 has more in store.

Powtoon Spoilers for 2017

HTML5

We’re looking forward to releasing our new HTML5 editing studio this year. HTML5 means more capabilities, fresh redesigns of all your favorite styles and characters, faster loading times, and more awesomeness for you and your tribe.

Mobile

It also means that mobile capabilities are just around the corner, so you can create awesomeness whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes you.

Business/Enterprise Improvements

Add to that increased functionality for business and enterprise users, and 2017 spells nothing but Rock and Roll for the Powtoon tribe.

Happy New Year!

From all of us at Powtoon, Happy New Year! And stay awesome!

Click here to make your own 2016 Year-in-Review Powtoon today!

The post Powtoon 2016 Year-in-Review: New Features & 2017 Spoilers… appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Out of respect for his privacy, I’ll call him “M.” Watch his Powtoon:

No child should feel bullied or alone — EVER!

M needs your help! We’re asking all our millions of users to make a Powtoon for M this Christmas, to show him our support and love, and to cheer him up.

Leave your Powtoons in the comments to our Facebook post by December 25th to get them to M. In the spirit of giving, everyone who posts a Powtoon for M will get 1 year of Powtoon Pro for free!

That way, there will only be happy google alerts this Christmas.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

From all of us at Powtoon, Happy Holidays!

Update:

Thank you to everyone who created a Powtoon for M! We were overwhelmed with how many Powtoons we received. Many of them are linked in the comments section below this post.

Everyone did such a great an amazing job encouraging M. Some of you shared some basic strategies for him to get help. Some of you shared your own stories of how you overcame a bully. And some of you just wanted to spread the love. It was all awesome.

From all of us at Powtoon and on behalf of M and his family: Thank you! And have an AWESOME 2017!

The post The Saddest Google Alert I’ve Ever Gotten… appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

An Awesome Story!

You wanna hear an awesome story?

In our world of micro-attention-spans and constant distraction, we at Powtoon see how the power of cartoons grabs attention every day. But do we really know why animation is so powerful? Are we simply conditioned to love cartoons from childhood through hours of Saturday morning TV, or is it truly a universal language that everyone can instinctively relate to?

That’s the question we were faced with, before the story you’re about to read transpired… How can we determine if animation is truly a universal language?

The breakthrough came when one of the Powtoon Scientists suggested:

“If we can find people who didn’t grow up watching cartoons, then maybe we’re on the right track. Let’s see what happens when someone sees cartoons for the first time.”

But where – in this day and age – can you find a person who didn’t grow up with Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny?

An image of the deepest, darkest rainforest springs to mind, a monk perched on a rock in the mountains of the Himalayas, a rice farmer in the farthest provinces of China. Surely there was someone out there who had never been exposed to cartoons.

What we didn’t know was that we were about to embark on a journey that would bring us face-to-face with fascinating people – people who would have a truly significant impact on our lives.

As I write this post, I wear a bracelet that serves to remind me about the importance of gratitude — a lesson that I learned on our journey.

Whom to Visit?

It was a pretty bold and crazy idea. But once we had the notion, it just snowballed from there. We started looking for people, cultures or tribes who live their lives without modern technology.

The options were not vast — there just aren’t that many people left who are completely unaffected by today’s culture…

These were the choices found:

The Kuna of Panama

There were the Kuna people in Panama. The Kuna indians are a strongly-knit tribal society living on a chain of islands called San Blas Archipelago. They still live in much the same manner as their ancestors. The Kuna language (until recently, unwritten) is spoken throughout the community, however, Spanish is fast becoming the second language.

The Inughuit of Greenland

The Inughuit are the northernmost, and most remote group of Inuit. They are also the world’s northernmost people, living closer to the North Pole than any other group. They live far above the arctic circle in Greenland.

The Dukha of Mongolia

The Dukha people have developed a unique relationship with neighboring reindeer. They use them as a means of transportation over the treacherous terrain they call home.

The Ikpeng of Brazil

The Ikpeng are an indigenous people of Brazil who live in the Xingu indigenous park. They live near the upper Xingu river. In 2010, their population numbered only 459.

A Side Story — The Deciding Factor

We saw the options before us, but making the decision seemed impossible.

As we were going through this dizzying process of identifying a tribe to visit, I went to see my physician, Dr. Netter, to ask about medical preparations for the journey.

I mentioned that one of the potential places to visit was Tanzania, and he began to gush about how that was one of his favorite places on earth. He had been there four times, and told me that on his trip in 2008, he had saved the life of a child… He showed me these photos; I was simply blown away…

He told me that, in his honor, the mother called the child “DOCTOR.”

That was it. How could I ignore this personal connection? At that point, I made the decision to go to Tanzania — possibly even find “DOCTOR.” All I knew was that he was from the Hadzabe, or the Hadza Tribe.

The Hadzabe

We had discovered the Hadza Tribe in our research, and were considering visiting them. Now we had the motivation to do so.

The Hadzabe are a nomadic people. They are one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in the world. You may have heard about them because they have a distinctive language that uses these unusual clicking sounds. They live completely separate from society and technology, with no electricity or running water. They live only from the land and from barter with other tribes.

The Hadzabe’s staple foods are berries, Baobab fruit, corn and animals hunted with spears and a bow and arrow. They move from place to place, only staying in a location while they are able to collect fruit and hunt for animals in the area. They have almost no interaction with the modern world, and are reluctant to let outsiders in.

Simply put, they live like their ancestors have for tens of thousand of years. Their number has dwindled from 8,000 people, ten years ago, to less than 700 today. I’ll talk about the reasons for the massive decline in their numbers a little later (it’s quite heartbreaking).

The Crack Team

We had to assemble a crack team of brave Powtoon adventurers for this journey, and there was no way I was going to go without our rain maker Danny (my co-founder and our COO). After all, there could be an unforeseen situation, and Danny can handle any situation – no matter how unexpected.

We also needed Talia (our Marketing Awesomeness) for inspiration, and to make sure that we didn’t miss anything important. Not only did we want to test our theory that cartoons can bring even the most distant of cultures together, but we also wanted to bring a spark of awesomeness with us. She kept us on track on our journey through the desert and the Tanzanian bush.

So the three of us set off…

The Journey

We arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport, and were greeted by Samson, our guide.

Our first question was about the way to the Hadzabe.

He answered that the Hadza are an indigenous ethnic group in north-central Tanzania, living around Lake Eyasi in the central rift valley and the neighboring Serengeti plateau. Because they are a nomadic people, i.e. they travel around, we could not be sure of their exact location.

The closest place they could be was in the NgoroNgoro region, one day’s drive away?

It was there that we met Mustafa.

Meeting Mustafa

Mustafa, a friend of Samson’s, is a member of the Iraku tribe. He grew up in a village a couple miles away from the Hadza area. As a child, he used to herd his family’s cattle in a spot where the Hadza children played, and so he spent much time with them, occasionally staying with them in their encampments.

He developed a fascination with the Hadzabe, and when he grew up, he went to study anthropology at Dar es Salaam University. There, he focussed his research on Hadza culture.

He lived with them for years, studying their customs and lifestyle, and was now one of only a handful of outsiders whom they accepted and who had mastered their language.

We met Mustafa in the middle of nowhere.

After some time we encountered a herdsman on the side of the trail. Mustafa approached him. This is when we got excited, we assumed it was someone from the Hadzabe. However, Mustafa identified him as Iraku (same tribe as his) based on his clothing. The Iraku man explained that the Hadza tribe left for the mountains a few days ago.

Mustafa pointed to the mountains in the distance and said that that’s where we’ll find the Hadzabe. So we set off toward the mountains.

Seeking Permission to Visit the Hadza Tribe

Mustafa directed us not to leave the vehicle until he received approval from the chief to approach. So we sat and waited.

Finally, Mustafa came back, and said that the Hadza family were willing to meet us.

We approached. In front of us was a group of men sitting below a tree for shade. Just beyond them we saw a group of women playing with their children. A few meters away there was a group of kids, ranging in age from five to ten years old, playing in their own group.

The tribe members greeted us warmly with the Hadza greeting Mu-X-anna.

First Encounter

HanXa, the chief, asked us to sit down and join him under the tree. As soon as he saw me, he remarked on my beard and told me that he wasn’t able to grow such a big one – his just came out as single strands.

He then started poking?fun at us, saying that we looked “soft.”

-Soft? Me?!

Mustafa translated for us, “He says, ‘They cannot chase even a baboon or a monkey.'”

In a fit of laughter, HanXa and the tribe told me that I would run a million miles if I just heard a baboon sneering from 30 feet away.

Long story short – we bonded!!! In fact, we started to develop a real affection for each other almost instantly.

After some time, Mustafa told us that the Hadza were as fascinated by us as we were by them, and as the day progressed, we exchanged many stories about our respective cultures. We asked about their everyday life, and they showed us how they make fire and taught us to shoot a bow and arrow.

We saw three Hadza hunters returning from the hunt. They had left the evening before, and were now returning with a rich bounty.

They had hunted in an area called X-okkakwa. A feast was planned for that evening and we were invited!

Hadza Art & Powtoon Art

I was curious about how the Hadzabe transmitted their folklore and traditions from one generation to the next. Xande offered to show me what they draw to teach the next generation about which animals to hunt and how. They also shared songs that transmit, among other things, how to proceed with an animal once it has been caught.

We walked for around half a mile to a cave where he had expected to find their drawings, but it turns out that wind erosion and possibly even the rain had rendered them unreadable. I asked Xande to show me the symbols that had been drawn there, and he started drawing in the sand, showing me their depiction of a coyote with his head hanging low, a deer, a zebra and a baboon.

It was an insight into an ancient culture.

Xande was asking many questions about our culture and our drawings.

He wanted me to draw our symbols on the ground and I explained that we transmit our traditions in another way. He wanted to know more and asked me to show him.

With Mustafa’s help we asked the chief if he would allow us to use a computer to show our art. We had piqued his interest. He gave us permission to continue.

From the first moment we opened Powtoon, and they saw cartoons for the first time, the entire tribe was in fits of laughter. It turned out that I was now their designated entertainer and stand up comedian!!!

I made a Powtoon about a Hadza man making fire in the middle of the screen. HanXa pointed out that the fire was burning the man’s legs. In response, I made the fire huge! This was met with raucous laughter from everyone.

We were LITERALLY rolling on the floor laughing. The guys were cracking up, and the children wanted to know how they could get inside the screen.

The connection was instantaneous. The laughter, totally infectious. Even though these Hadza did not grow up with Saturday morning cartoons — they immediately connected to this form of art.

After making another Powtoon about the Hadza “coming of age ritual,” Akko, one of the younger members of the tribe, wanted to try it out for himself.

He had seen me use the touchpad to move the mouse on the screen. The gentleness with which he manipulated the touchpad on my Macbook was extraordinary. He was adding assets to the stage, and created a scene where a Hadza girl is picking berries, and a hunter shoots arrows at a target. In the final scene, Hadza children are waving goodbye to us.

We were way beyond the scope of our mission. We only really wanted to see if cartoons would resonate with people who didn’t grow up with them. But this was truly incredible! Forget about watching animation, here was someone who had never seen a computer in his life, creating a Powtoon within minutes.

Our time together with the Hadzabe was truly unforgettable. It’s difficult to put into words how humbled we felt by their warmth and hospitality.

Offering Medical Assistance

Mustafa had previously explained to us that many Hadza have sensitive eyes due to the dust and lack of clean water.

We had asked local eye doctors to join us, in the hope that we could offer some help…

We asked Mustafa to request from the chief on our behalf if we could bring doctors to treat them.

His answer was that requesting this from the chief was futile, since Mustafa had never seen doctors there and knew that the Hadzabe didn’t normally allow outsiders — and especially medics — into their midst. But we were hoping for the best. He asked, and to his surprise, the chief allowed our request.

When the doctors arrived, many Hadza scattered. Seeing their reticence, the chief came forward and said, “First they will try on me, and if I see it’s safe, I will let them try on the others.” (Now that’s a leader for you!)

Slowly, individual tribe members allowed the doctors to treat them too. When the doctors examined Akko, they noticed that he had some scarring and a damaged cornea. He had scratched his cornea on a branch on one of his hunting trips and was now unable to see well, especially in daylight.

Within minutes, the doctors had treated him, prescribed glasses and ointments, and Akko’s face lit up. “I can see! I can see! I’m going to be the best hunter that ever lived!!” — Mustafa translated for us.

I remembered my conversation with my own doctor. I was so grateful we could contribute a little, in a way that these amazing people wanted to be helped.

After hearing the enthusiasm, the rest of the tribe members slowly approached and let the doctors treat them. The doctors spent hours giving individual treatment to anyone who sought it. By the end of the day, you could see many Hadza walking around with glasses and eye medicine.

A Universal Language

We set out to prove that animation is a universal language, and yes, that mission was accomplished. But something more substantial came from this experience.

We learned that no matter how far apart people are in geography, in beliefs, in culture, that we can always come together with the power of an open mind and laughter. Without that human connection, what else is there?

We will not forget the Hazdabe. With their permission, we have arranged for regular doctor’s visits and have committed to providing food so they can sustain their way of life. Beyond that, we will not forget how we felt together, and how we shared a moment, no matter how small. We will always remember the power of speaking to one another through the universal language of art and animation.

Post Script: Some Sobering Thoughts

You might be wondering if we ever met DOCTOR, the child Dr. Netter helped to cure in 2008. Well, the answer is not that easy. We found three children named Doctor. They had been named after the young man we hoped to meet. He had sadly passed away a couple of years prior and the Hadza have a tradition to name children after a departed soul within three months of his life.

You see, as idyllic as the Hadza existence may appear to an outsider, there are significant challenges.

In the last ten years, the Hadzabe population has declined from 8,000 to less than 700.

The difficulty doctors have reaching the Hadza contributes to this decline. Infant mortality is high, and what might be a small problem can quickly become life threatening.

Of course, the Hadzabe (and many other indigenous peoples) need to be assisted in the way that works best for them. Heavy-handed moves in the past to force a settled lifestyle, or to provide state assistance have often done far more harm than good.

We have suggested our help, and are in close contact with Mustafa to provide any care they need without hurting their traditional lifestyle.

You can help too! The Nature Conservancy works to preserve the Hadza lands and their way of life.

Support The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Tanzania Project

More Images

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More Videos

A day in the life

Eye doctors visit the Hadzabe

Full video

Special Thanks

First and foremost, to the Hadzabe, for their warm hospitality and life-changing experience.

We are also grateful to: Dr. Thomas P. Baboo, Dr. Samuel Wineshah, Samson Gonsalves, Mustafa Ahmed Elmi, Shlomo Carmel, Athumani Nuombwe, Paz Yeffet, Guy Michaeli, Naftali Elbaz, Amir Shmueli, Kobi Hoffmann, Nati Yehezkel, Ifat Cohen and Sefi Shaked.

And to YOU — our amazing Powtoon tribe — for accompanying us on this awesome journey.

The post What Happened When Three Tech Nerds Visited a Remote Tanzanian Tribe? appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Hey, wanna hear a crazy story?

Around four years ago in a random cafe, a couple of friends — or shall we call them renegades? — got together to just hang out, and by chance they created something, well… RADICAL.

At the time I was trying to figure out how I could make a pitch to clients that wouldn’t put them to sleep… or drive them to secretly browse Facebook under the table.

The solution was obvious: “Why not use one of those cool, animated videos?” Which was a great idea…with just one HUGE problem:

Animated videos cost thousands of dollars and take weeks for an agency to complete.

So…

Right then and there, with zero dollars in funding, zero customers and no software, we made the decision to build something that gives everyone the power to animate, just by pressing a few buttons.

And here’s where things get crazy…

Before we went live with Powtoon, I emailed a few friends and colleagues. By the time we were ready to launch, we had over 40,000 people — from I don’t even know where — requesting alpha access.

One year later, we passed one million awesome Powtoon tribe members — and today, just four years later:

• A Powtoon is made every second of every day, all over the world, 24/7
• The Powtoon tribe has over 10 million members and…
• Virtually all fortune 500 companies are using Powtoon for their internal communications

In this day and age, where attention is so hard to get and even harder to keep, Powtoon has become the tool to use “when you can’t afford to be ignored.”

All of us here at Powtoon just wanted to say that we love you, and THANK YOU for this incredible journey together.

The Best Is yet to Come!

And yes, you’re right — the best is yet to come. We’re hard at work rebuilding Powtoon from the ground up with the latest technology, and building an ecosystem for all things video.

We know that it’s still too hard to make an animated movie. This will make it 1000% easier.

If you can think it — you can make it

Let me know what you think in the comments below!!

The post PowToon’s Rags-to-Riches Story (Or: How We Reached 10M Users) appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

The Powtoon scientists have been hard at work developing a formula perfect for you to put in action – especially for those times when you can’t afford to be ignored at work.

And… it seems as though we’ve cracked it! Check it out:

WAKE UP your colleagues and make work as fun as vacation by leveraging our foolproof formula. Go make your attention-grabbing Powtoon now.

And let me know how it goes!

Stay awesome,

Ilya, Powtoon’s Chief Renegade

The post How to Grab Attention at Work appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote, but I have a good excuse – I’ve been hard at work developing a formula that will help you pass all of your classes this year…

Check this out:

Hope this helps. Stay awesome and good luck with your studies!

ilya, Powtoon’s Chief Executive Renegade

P.S. Truth is, nothing worth fighting for is simple. You still have to work hard and study. But, using Powtoon might just get you those extra bonus points. Good luck this year!

The post The Secret Formula to Pass All Your Classes This Year appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Blue Sky in Action

The show of support was overwhelming. Thanks to Jasmine from Harvard Law, and all of the others who were inspired to comment.

A Tribute to Working Effectively

Today, I want to share a little Powtoon I made that shows us how to stay focused and on track in pursuit of anything we truly desire. It’s a tribute to Stephen R. Covey and his beautiful “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Go WOW Your Tribe With a Powtoon Now!

In the spirit of inspiring each other, please share your personal stories in the comments section about hacks and best practices that you have developed to help you stay on track in the daily pursuit of your dreams.

Best,
ilya
Powtoon’s Chief Executive Unicorn

The post The 7 Rules of Working Effectively appeared first on Powtoon Blog.