Are you confused about whether to go for Doodly or not? If so, read the following Doodly Reviews to reach a firm decision on the use of Doodly. Read everything you need to know about Doodly.
Doodly is software for producing whiteboard videos using the interface drag and drop.
The final result looks to be filmed as if you had drawn the whole picture by hand. These videos are generally produced for videos based on educational topics, business training, or other products. Hence, most people even call this film an explainer video.
Doodly comes with lots of attractive features. These features are really easy and simple to use without requiring user tech knowledge. It makes quite a capable platform for creating educational videos, advertisements, or promotional materials.
Here, you will learn about the pros and cons of Doodly, along with its other interesting features. As you know, Doodly does not offer a free trial period to try out its features for free.
Hence, this article from Doodly Reviews will help you understand whether Doodly will work for you or not.
What is Doodly?
Doodly is an animation program that works on the drag-and-drop interface. Many people use Doodly to create videos, which give the impression that someone has actually drawn those characters on a whiteboard. This style of video is quite common. Nowadays, most people use this effective program to create interesting videos.
One can use Doodly to create films for various settings, such as school projects or business materials. Doodly has a lot to offer when it comes to creating fascinating videos. Read about some of its special features right below Doodly Reviews!
A. Unique Characteristics of Doodly:
- Doodly allows you to produce videos without any prior experience.
- Make use of its striking sound library and stock image for creating films. Hence, one does not necessarily have to build one’s own media.
- With Doodly, you can edit videos by making changes in style, media appearance, and scenes.
- This program aids you in exporting videos in various combinations of frame rate and resolution.
B. Is Doodly available for free?
Unfortunately, Doodly is not available for free. It does not even proffer a free trial period. This program offers three subscription plans to buy. One can go with a monthly pack or even choose a yearly contract.
The cheapest subscription plan out of these three is the Gold one. In this plan, you need to pay $20 per month if you opt for the yearly contract. Otherwise, there is an option of $39 per month.
The second subscription plan is referred to as Platinum. Under this plan, you do not enjoy commercial rights. It is available for $59 per month.
One can avail of this plan for $30 per month if one goes for the yearly plan. The only difference between Gold and Platinum is that of features. Under the Platinum pack, you can access more resources offered by Doodly.
Enterprise is the third subscription plan from Doodly. It is best for people who want to use Doodly videos for commercial purposes rather than using them for personal use.
If you sell Doodly videos, you need to go for the Enterprise plan. It is available for $69 a month and $40 a month on a yearly basis. On the other hand, Doodly does not offer discounts or bulk license discounts for educational purposes.
C. Is it safe to use Doodly?
Yes, it is absolutely safe to use the Doodly software. This program interacts with your system only at the time of importing or exporting files. On the other hand, Doodly performs these tasks only when you specify these actions.
How to Download Doodly?
Once you have purchased a subscription plan for Doodly, you will receive an email comprising the account details for your Doodly account. Along with these details, there will be a download link as well.
If you click on that link, it will create a DMG file for Mac users. You need to double-click on the link so as to install the program. Before opening the software, you have to go through a one-step installation process.
When you open Doodly for the very first time, you have to enter the login credentials for your Doodly account. Once done, you will be able to access the full program.
What Makes Doodly Different from Others?
Doodly offers a wide range of abilities, which can be broadly categorized into four types. These four types include sound, media, exporting, and editing. The best part about Doodly is that it is available in both Mac and Windows PC versions.
You need to look for the background before opening the Doodly program for working on a new project. To create a video, choose the preferred background for your project and a suitable title.
When it comes to style, Doodle presents you with options like Whiteboard, Chalkboard, and Glassboard.
Out of these options, Blackboard and Whiteboard are easy to follow. However, the third “Glassboard” one is tricky to understand. Using this option, the drawing hand emerges behind the written text.
This makes the hand look like the lettering on the other surface of a glass. On selecting the appropriate board, you need to click on the option “Create” to move further on the interface of Doodly.
The interface of Doodly is categorized into several sections. You will find the foremost section in the middle with the tag “CANVAS.”
In this section, you need to drag and drop files. The other section is named “MEDIA,” where you have five tabs for carrying our five kinds of graphics. There is another section on the right side. This mirrored panel comprises two sections.
The upper section includes tools to playback scenes, while the lower section contains every element you add to your canvas. Now, let’s discuss its features in more detail.
A. Media
In Doodly, there are four major formats available for use. These include Characters, Scenes, Text, and Props. One will find all these options on the screen’s left side. Some of the things are similar to other media types, such as:
- To reorder, flip, resize, or move the media, double-tap or select the item from the media list.
- To change the item’s color, you need to select or double-tap the tiny gear icon.
1. Characters
Doodly offers a vast library of characters and people. A basic subscription plan can access ten characters in around 20 different poses. In plans like Enterprise or Platinum, you can access 30 characters in 25 poses each.
And in addition to this, you enjoy access to the section “Club” with these premium subscription plans. This section comprises two characters in different poses, up to 20 each.
Usually, these characters are in a sitting position, writing position, or exhibiting a universal emotion. On the other hand, these club characters are more specific. You get ballet and yoga poses, soldiers, and other characters based on the ninja theme, where they participate in martial arts.
However, some of these characters would not be relevant to the video you like to create. Overall, all these characters are versatile while offering various poses. To import your individual designs from the system, tap on the blue-colored “+” icon.
2. Scenes
It is a unique feature of the Doodly program. These scenes offer pre-built pictures, which often make a good background for conveying dealings within a particular setting or a lengthy narration.
Please note that a scene is a cluster of objects on a particular canvas slide, whereas a scene object is a kind of media that one can add to a scene.
You get depictions like a doctor’s office, school, or house here. The problem with scenes is that one cannot add personal scenes to the screen.
On the other hand, you can only add one object to each screen. If you want to add a character or car, you have to get these items from the Props or Characters panel.
3. Text
By default, there are only three fonts available in Doodly for use. If you like to use other fonts, there is an option for importing your own fonts to the program. You can import fonts in TTF or OTF files.
There are various options on the internet to get fonts for free. For importing fonts, you need to tap on the blue-colored “+” icon in Doodly.
4. Props
Under the panel “Props,” you get inanimate or inhuman graphics. These graphics include animals and plants, speech bubbles, and popular logos. One can edit or resize these props by double-tapping them.
A green badge against props indicates that a particular image is available only for the Doodly clubs, which include Enterprise and Platinum users.
Here, Gold users do not have plenty of options. But one can import props by clicking on the plus sign.
B. Sound
Doodly provides you with two options when it comes to sound. There is one slot for background music and the other one for voiceovers. There is an option to regulate the volume of these slots so they separate or blend.
One can put in multiple clips for every channel. This means you can enjoy one track in the first half while another track is in the second half of the video. However, the program just supports moving, deleting, and adding audio files.
1. Background Music
The program has a decent library of audio soundtracks. There are 20 tracks available for Gold users, 40 tracks for Platinum users, and 80 tracks for Enterprise users. Most of these tracks sound like standard stock music.
Here, you get a section called “Effects,” where you get 4-second soundtracks and a mix of songs. One can even import music files using the import tool for audio files.
2. Voiceovers
One cannot record a voiceover in Doodly. However, there is an option for placing voiceovers. You can import your voiceovers after creating some mp3 files. It may sound annoying to some, but it is still feasible.
C. Video Editing
The most complex part of video production is video editing. At this point, you have all the items at hand. After that, all you need to do is to add timings, transitions, scene changes, and numerous other small details. Here, you can edit videos in two different ways.
1. Timeline
The first way to edit videos is through the timeline. You will find this option at the interface. Using this option, you can take hold of the entire scene and rearrange the same using drag-and-drop.
On right-clicking on the scene, you will have options like a preview, delete, and duplicate. You can even access settings from the left corner to change the style or modify the hand drawing’s graphics.
2. Media List
To rearrange individual elements, users can make use of the option “Media list.” You will find this option on the right side of the home interface. Under this tab, you will be able to see each and every part you attached to the entire scene, such as characters, props, or texts.
Here, scene objects are also shown in terms of their individual parts. There are options like Duration and Delay. Duration indicates how much time it will take to draw that item, while Delay makes the video hold for a particular time before starting to draw the item.
Adding items to the canvas in the same order that you would like to see them is better. Continue with the rest of the Doodly Reviews.
D. Export/Share
The program Doodly offers a single customized way, i.e., mp4, to export the videos. There are options for choosing the frame rate, quality, and resolution.
One can even go with the default settings. You need to wait for a while when exporting videos to your system.
E. Other Key Features of Doodly
After reading everything in detail, it is time to learn about some key features of Doodly. These features include effectiveness, price, support, etc. So, have a look at these points right below Doodly Reviews!
Effectiveness
Doodly gets the job done for you. With Doodly, you get a huge library of images and club media. It comprises all the essential features for creating and editing videos.
You may take more time to work on your first Doodly video than you expected. You will be able to create videos after becoming a pro.
Price
You get all the advanced features in Doodly, as the program claims. But it is quite expensive compared to other programs available on the internet. It is best for companies that can pay a bit extra, while others can easily look for alternatives available at low prices.
Usability
When it comes to interface, Doodly is quite simple to use. Users do not have to spend much time learning Doodly. It is functional and capable of creating a video of good quality.
Support
Doodly offers great customer service. All you need to do is tap on the “Email Us” button or navigate to the bottom to find a support email.
Best Alternatives to Doodly
If you do not find Doodly much attractive, there are various alternatives available for the same. Have a look below at the best alternatives to Doodly!
1. VideoScribe
It is available for both Windows and Mac. This program offers a simple interface for producing premium-quality videos. It is available for $ 12 per month. It is a great alternative to Doodly at a much lower price range.
2. Easy Sketch Pro
This program works for both Windows and Mac. It comprises more features related to business marketing. Such features include interactivity, analytics, and branding. It is available for $37 per month for commercial videos and $67 a month for adding one’s logo to videos.
3. Explaindio
Explaindio is available for both Windows and Mac. With this program, you enjoy many advanced features, including 3D animation and presets. Users need to spend $59 per year for personal use, while you have to spend $69 per year to create commercial videos.
4. Rawshorts
If you like to insert fewer hand-drawn features and more animation into your videos, go with Rawshorts. It is a web-based program available for $20 per exporting video. However, the video needs to be unbranded or non-commercial.
Conclusion
As you know, whiteboard videos are quite trendy these days. You may like to create one for yourself at one time or another.
Whether you want to use Doodly for personal use or a commercial one, it will help you to achieve great results. Its huge library of characters and unique props will assist you in creating some awesome videos.
However, Doodly does not offer a free trial period. Hence, you do not stand a chance to experiment with Doodly.
On the other hand, Doodly offers a 14-day trial period, where they will initiate your refund if a user is unsatisfied with its features. Now, you can decide whether Doodly is worth the price or not after reading the full Doodly Reviews.
