Now Anyone Can Be An Animator

Xtranormal characters are cute and speak in monotones that can be quite amusing

Xtranormal can turn anyone into an animator thanks to its unique text-to-movie (TM) technology. Through its innovative Web-based platform, movie-making is universally accessible and so easy to do. The very first movie I made with Xtranormal took me literally two minutes. I selected my characters, typed in my humorous script, added some emotion tags, gestures and props, and voila, the clip was complete and ready to share. Today it remains a classic that continues to be laughed at among my friends.

“As easily as adding smileys to instant messaging or chat, Xtranormal animators can bring the characters they create to life by simply dragging and dropping action icons directly into the scripts they write,” said Richard Szalwinski, CEO of Xtranormal Inc.

“Xtranormal distinguishes itself from all other consumer-facing animation packages, in that there are no timelines, time codes or animation curves. Xtranormal keeps it simple with text and icons.”

Although Xtranormal has been around since 2006, it recently gained some attention with the viral video iPhone4 vs. HTC EVO. This is just one example of how creative someone can be with Xtranormal and potentially gain a worldwide reach. Once you create your Xtranormal projects, they’re very easy to share on YouTube or Facebook, too.

The best thing about Xtranormal videos is that you direct your own character performance and cinematography by typing and dropping icons into the dialog lines. And, while you’re doing all this, there are almost no technical barriers that you have to wrestle with.

One big limitation of Xtranormal, though, is the number of characters you can put in your movies. You can pick either one or two characters, so you’re restricted to a monologue or a two-person dialogue.

You do have various characters to choose from, ranging from cutsie-looking animals to robots. The funny thing about these movies are the voices that come out of the characters. It’s always a very monotone/robotic-type voice and makes your video even funnier, especially if you’re doing a parody.

Visit xtranormal.com to start making your own movies.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week – Makeuptagg

Sometimes when I run out of eye shadow, or just want to change-up the colors, I’ll wonder what matches my skin tone, etc. I usually don’t have a color chart handy in my purse, but next time I’m in the store, the Makeuptagg app will give me that option.

When you first launch the app, you choose your skin, hair and eye colors. Push the “Results” tab and you’ll see what colors suit you. If you have the paid version of the app, you can also see the recommended brands to purchase and video demonstrations. All of Makeuptagg’s recommendations come from a collaboration of 14 make-up artists who work in the film, TV and fashion industries.

Makeuptagg is available for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad for free at the iTunes App Store (or $4.99 for the version with more features).