High-quality animated videos are engaging, accessible, and entertaining. We've broken down everything you need to know about making the most of your animation budget.
August 1, 2022 / Creative Humans
Animation has many perks. Animation is incredibly flexible, making it easy to create videos that reflect your brand’s style and your audience’s interests effectively. Animation can be used for everything from explainer videos to brand videos, making it a great option for businesses that value versatility.
But how much does animation cost and how can you make the most out of your animation budget? Read on to find the answer and learn how you can make the most of your animation budget.
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Animation costs can vary significantly depending on several factors, including animation style, project length, who you hire to produce your video, and more. The cost for animation can range from as low as $3,000 per minute to as much as $100,000+ per minute depending on several factors, including:
The more you invest in your animated video, the higher quality it’s generally going to be. Though, this doesn’t mean you can’t produce a high-quality animated video while on a tight budget — you just need to know how to optimize your budget for the best results.
Getting the most out of your animation budget requires understanding what factors impact the cost of animation and making strategic production choices to maximize the quality of your video without overspending.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind to help you get the most out of your animation budget.
The animation style you choose will have a significant impact on the final cost of your video. To get the most out of your budget, you need to consider which animation style is the most effective while still being affordable.
There are several popular styles of animation, including 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, illustration, stop motion animation, and more.
Generally, 2D animation will be the most affordable style of animation as it’s less time-consuming and labor-intensive than 3D animation or stop motion animation.
Most animated video projects are priced by the second, or occasionally, by the minute. In either case, the shorter your video is, the more budget-friendly it will be.
Shorter videos aren’t just cost-effective — they are also often better for engagement as viewers are more likely to watch your entire video.
After writing your video script, make sure to read it out loud and time it to determine how long your video is. Make sure to review your script to find portions that can be cut without sacrificing your core message.
The more complex your project is, the more it’s going to cost. This refers to aspects of your video such as the number of characters, scenes, and unique motions or transitions.
If you need to keep costs as low as possible, try to stick to one or two characters and use other tools, like text, graphics, and iconographies to get your message across without using too many characters.
You should also try to limit the number of unique scenes as much as possible as additional scenes require new illustrations, environments, and transitions — all of which are going to impact the price of your video.
Creative Humans is home to countless video production and animation professionals that can help you produce high-quality animated videos that fit your budget.
Here are a few examples of professional animation from the specialists at Creative Humans.
This budget-friendly animated explainer video does a great job of explaining the financial services and products that the client offers to people across the United States. To keep costs low, this explainer video uses simple illustrations, transitions, and typography rather than complex characters and scenes.
Project Day Rate: $800 - $1,200
This explainer video for Symantec Endpoint Security combines 3D animation with live-action to create a short yet engaging and informative video.
Project Day Rate: $1,500 - $5,000
This simple yet effective PSA video uses 2D animation to create a colorful and engaging scene that draws viewers in and gets them to listen to the video’s message. This video keeps costs low by sticking to a single scene and one speaking character.
Project Budget: $2,400 - $6,000
Creative Humans makes it easy to find and hire top video production studios and freelancers. Create a Free Account or Post a Job to get started.
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