A selection of software explainer videos I’ve had the pleasure of animating. These projects were led by another studio, which provided the designs and illustrations, while I focused on bringing them to life through animation.
Some of the challenges with these types of animations are file size and Lottie – friendliness. Since both introduce their own limitations, it could sometimes make you compromise with creative decisions. Focusing on the main features of a product and communicating them in a clear way is a priority in such a case – short, to-the-point video with flowy but simple animations. Leave the flashy, fast-paced stuff for ads! (This also benefits the time crunch)
Explainer videos rely on the balance of under- and over-animating. While they should be instructive, they should be entertaining as well. But over-animating can really work against their initial purpose, because explosive and busy surroundings can confuse the user. Balance is key, and always think and focus on the priority feature of the video – introducing a new tool, changing functionalities, etc.
Depending on the process and especially when collaborating with other professionals and teams, an animator can receive the design files in different forms. Sometimes for these videos a big chunk of the process is set aside for preparing a file for animation, especially one which is detailed and has low wiggle room for creative liberties.
And sometimes we miss logical steps. It is important that you try to look through the video through the eyes of a client or set aside some time to think it through. With explainer videos, it is very important to have the correct sequence of events, or it could be confusing to the user.
Lastly, when working on product videos, and especially on saas ones, you need a templated system with ready assets so you can keep the motion consistent and save time. Having a set-up motion identity is key, and an established file set up is a bonus , because keeping videos consistent between different teams of animators, studios, and freelancers is a difficult task.
It has been an absolute pleasure to have worked on these projects, and I wish I could showcase more, but this article will become waay too big.
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