Best Whiteboard Video Creation Software?

by art72
19 replies
Hi All,

Earlier this week, I had read a thread here showing a Fivver video created for another Warrior for $5 and it was pretty awesome The video itself was hand drawn images and text, had a voice over and music.

There were several comments on the thread suggesting it looked like "XYZ" software. The only one I've found (through Google) was Sparkol... is this the best (most affordable option) to create my own videos like these?

Being I want to create several tutorial videos that range from 5 mins - maybe 20 mins... outsourcing this task wouldn't be an affordable option from the pricing I've seen, thus, I'm looking for option B - DIY software.

Thanks,

Art
#creation #software #video #whiteboard
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Most of fiverr's whiteboard gigs use sparkol. Considering the huge amount of vids produced with that software, I would use sparkol.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
    Sparkol's Video Scribe Desktop is the only one I know of. It is fantastic but to create really quality video's, you need the pro version, which is $19/month. I don't consider that expensive.

    You also need to learn how to use Inkscape so your toons draw properly. Very quickly, you will discover that the included graphics are insufficient and you will need your own. And if you just import them with Sparkol, the results will not look good, in general.

    With Inkscape, you can trace paths over any clipart you find and make it draw out really nicely. Take a look at my youtube video to understand the difference:


    As for 20 minute videos, what you'll find is that Sparkol gets slow the longer your video and the files it produces are massive. I was up to 14 minutes and it was making an 800Mb mov file. You'll need to break a 20 min video into 2 10 minute pieces then put them together in Camtasia or other video editing software.

    That 800Mb mov file was turned into about 15Mb mp4 with Camtasia.
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    • Profile picture of the author art72
      Originally Posted by Bruce Wedding View Post

      Sparkol's Video Scribe Desktop is the only one I know of. It is fantastic but to create really quality video's, you need the pro version, which is $19/month. I don't consider that expensive.

      You also need to learn how to use Inkscape so your toons draw properly. Very quickly, you will discover that the included graphics are insufficient and you will need your own. And if you just import them with Sparkol, the results will not look good, in general.

      With Inkscape, you can trace paths over any clipart you find and make it draw out really nicely. Take a look at my youtube video to understand the difference:

      inkscape - YouTube

      As for 20 minute videos, what you'll find is that Sparkol gets slow the longer your video and the files it produces are massive. I was up to 14 minutes and it was making an 800Mb mov file. You'll need to break a 20 min video into 2 10 minute pieces then put them together in Camtasia or other video editing software.

      That 800Mb mov file was turned into about 15Mb mp4 with Camtasia.
      Awesome info here. Honestly, the first time I watched the video, I didn't see the difference... lol. Now, I see exactly what you meant, quicker rendering, and better flow for videos.

      Thanks for pointing that out, and $19 per month is very doable. I just purchased Camtasia 8 for $299 and to tell ya the truth... I don't have a clue what I'm doing yet... so this is my next learning curve to master or at least become efficient at.

      Finally, I realize that many of the tutorials I create will be using pre-recorded video, screen casts, text on screen, images, and (eventually) be created mainly using Camtasia... So, I would guess that a small intro or exit clip (utilizing Sparkol and Inkscape) would not create such a huge file if converted to MP4 format using Camtasia, correct?

      Again, being green to video... I realize the cost to outsource this could be very inexpensive, as Joseph mention's (1) 20 minute video for a $100 is a great deal, and one I would consider.

      But, if I need to create say 40-50 videos... the numbers start to look pretty intimidating at that level, especially, if the product cannot be sold until these videos are finished.

      Final question... I draw some myself... can I use my own drawings and make them come to life using Sparkol Pro as well?
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    • Profile picture of the author kevbo22
      Originally Posted by Bruce Wedding View Post

      Sparkol's Video Scribe Desktop is the only one I know of. It is fantastic but to create really quality video's, you need the pro version, which is $19/month. I don't consider that expensive.

      You also need to learn how to use Inkscape so your toons draw properly. Very quickly, you will discover that the included graphics are insufficient and you will need your own. And if you just import them with Sparkol, the results will not look good, in general.

      With Inkscape, you can trace paths over any clipart you find and make it draw out really nicely. Take a look at my youtube video to understand the difference:

      inkscape - YouTube

      As for 20 minute videos, what you'll find is that Sparkol gets slow the longer your video and the files it produces are massive. I was up to 14 minutes and it was making an 800Mb mov file. You'll need to break a 20 min video into 2 10 minute pieces then put them together in Camtasia or other video editing software.

      That 800Mb mov file was turned into about 15Mb mp4 with Camtasia.
      That is a huge difference! I have been thinking of getting sparkol but I have always known that the library they provide would be insufficient for my needs. Knowing I can import my own work and have it render like that sells me! Thanks for the demo.
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  • We are creating some new videos in the coming days and have been struggling with the best method to create them. Thanks for the info on sparkol it looks great! Super cheap compared to the costs of professional voice overs lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    What happens with Sparkol videos if you quit paying?
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  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    I don't think anything happens if you stop paying because you've created a .mov file that you download and it runs independently.

    Cheers,

    Neil
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    • Profile picture of the author angshuy2k
      I am using sparkol for quite sometime and if you are planning to use it for some time and for your clients then you can surely use sparkol over a period. If you want to create only few products using scribing software then use just fiverr and for $5 you can get it done using the fiverr guys.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      What happens with Sparkol videos if you quit paying?
      Nothing. Once you produce them, they're files on your computer, or on youtube or whatever.

      Originally Posted by art72 View Post

      Awesome info here. Honestly, the first time I watched the video, I didn't see the difference... lol. Now, I see exactly what you meant, quicker rendering, and better flow for videos.

      Finally, I realize that many of the tutorials I create will be using pre-recorded video, screen casts, text on screen, images, and (eventually) be created mainly using Camtasia... So, I would guess that a small intro or exit clip (utilizing Sparkol and Inkscape) would not create such a huge file if converted to MP4 format using Camtasia, correct?
      The size is not really an issue, other than slowing production down. Once you save the mov to your computer and re-produce it in Camtasia, it's not a problem.

      Originally Posted by art72 View Post

      Final question... I draw some myself... can I use my own drawings and make them come to life using Sparkol Pro as well?
      Absolutely. Every image in this demo was not part of the Sparkol library. The only part that is really hard is a color cartoon. You'd have to trace and fill paths with color, with painstaking precision. Or, draw your paths over it in a zig zag form and use a paintbrush. I tried and gave up. Black and white is easy. Here are a few items I've done personally. One of me as a toon with a straight import (you'll see why they need rework), as well as some clipart taken from openclipart.org or Microsoft Office clipart:

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      • Profile picture of the author SuddenHealth
        awesome tips here everyone. I've considering getting sparkle and actually using fiver services too. Wouldn't have found out about it without this forum. Loving it!!!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author juntenx
    Inkscape is too difficult to use, especially when the movement for coloring, I prefer to use Adobe Illustrator, any image can be drawn, but even pictures can also depend on the quality of the image
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  • Profile picture of the author dotgirish
    It is so surprising to see that Sparkol is the only too available without any competition till date !!.
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  • Profile picture of the author hitsintoprofits
    If you just want to create 1 video it could be a good idea to just order it on fiverr. But if you want to sell the videos then I guess 19$ per month for the video scribe software is nothing.

    We actually use the software to create videos for our own blog network. This makes the blogs look very naturally. The investment of 19$ per month is more then ok I think...
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    Cheers!
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    • Profile picture of the author Nicole Thomas
      In order to create such videos do we need any specialized skill? Or this tool will do all the work for you?
      Nic
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      • Profile picture of the author lachbeer
        I have been working with Sparkol now several months. It is easy to learn. I love working with it. i made over 200 animations for a course that i am going to sell.
        Sparkol itself provides tutorials ( i believe there are 3). I myself took 1 or two courses on Udemy, just to get the fundamentals in a step by step way.
        There are new developments :
        1.There is a free App of Sparkol for the Iphone!
        2.Therre is a 6 $ App, fully functional , for the Ipad, even better!
        3.They just releasesed Android..

        So if you want to find out is it is something for you, go for the App on the Ipad.

        there is other software that do whiteboard animation as a part of there program, like Videomaker FX and Easy Sketch pro, but i like Sparkol much better, less robotic.

        You can also buy extra vector drawing packages if you are not happy with the images from the library.
        have fun!
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  • Profile picture of the author papeter
    If you sell this animation concept to offline clients for their websites you could charge a minimum of $199 per 2 min video. That is very cheap compared to professional design companies who charge thousands for cartoon presentations. Once you have mastered the software making a complete video should take you no more than one hour.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alice12345
    Thanks for the kind discussion here. I going to get the software now!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave37
    VideoScribe is an online whiteboard software and you have to pay a recurring fee to use it.

    Alternatives include EasySketchPro, VideoMakerFX, Explaindio.
    EasySketchPro is a good one, haven't tried Explaindio yet.
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