Introduction to using HUE Animation Studio

^{Disclaimer: We received this product for review purposes. As always, we are not required to write a positive review. All opinions are honest and my own. This post may contain affiliated links.}

The Hue Animation Studio Kit is exactly what you need to keep your kids busy creating imaginative animated movies. It’s perfect to help entertain my three kids. We are a family that loves creative play and this gave us an opportunity to make our own small movies based on whatever we wanted. All three kids really enjoyed making an animated movie with still figures. Maybe, we have the next Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, or Spielberg on our hands.

What we loved most about this product were the giggles our kids had after watching their work and the creative play it brought to them. They were looking for ways to try new things and while a lot of it was silly, it was a great way to keep them entertained. It’s also a great way to get them to use toys they haven’t used in a long time 🙂

Simply, The Hue Animation Studio Kit is a packaged entertainment solution to help encourage creative play with your children.

What’s in the box:

The box comes with a camera, USB cable, a CD for the software, a quick start guide, book of animation tips, and the box can be used as a prop for a backdrop scenery. The camera requires a USB cable so wherever you plan to create your animations, you have a certain amount of distance between your props and the PC. The camera has a flexible frame and the lens focus can be adjusted; allow some spend time to learn how to angle or set your camera for different angles. Aerial views, side angles, or straight shots can all be combined in your animation to help create a robust story.

Don’t Throw out the box!!!!

Installation:

At the current moment, the software is only supported on Mac/Windows Based Operating Systems. Those who are looking to invest in this should ensure that their home pc/laptop fully supports the requirements of the product. If your PC does not have a CD Drive, Hue also allows you to download the software installer from their site. We had a few Chromebooks that were unfortunately not compatible. Hopefully, in the future, they can be compatible with the product.

Installation was a breeze and it does require registration but after that, you are off to the races. One thing we did notice was that our Symantec Security Software would sometimes interfere with the Hue Animation software. Prior to not allowing an exception, the software would cause the application to crash. If anyone else has issues, please check out your security software. There were times we started some clips and the software would crash. After making the adjustments, things went smoothly. Example of Software Crash due to Symantec Security Software

How does it work?

The Hue Animation software package allows you to take pictures, add sounds, and edit frames to adjust your animation as you see fit. The controls system is very user-friendly and simple which helps aid in the creative process.

The package also comes with a Hue Book of Animation to help get you started with cool tips and tricks. The goal of these step-by-step instructions is to help you learn what you can do with your Hue Animation Kit. Afterward, the sky is the limit. I would recommend you go through the Book of Animation before jumping in as you will learn plenty of tips.

Parents will need to help kids with this depending on their age, but even if your child does not go through the animation book, it is very easy to get started. The reason I say to go through the animation book is to learn some cool tips that you can use later in your own projects.

Let’s Spruce up the Animation with Audio & Special Effects

We loved adding soundtracks to our videos as it gives projects extra life. You can even import various sounds as the Camera has a mic for special effects on a frame. I will say recording special effects sounds with three kids participating is not an easy feat. At the end of the day, it’s about letting the kids have fun, so if things do not come out perfect, that is ok.

Hue Intuition

As a secondary feature, Hue throws in Hue Intuition. This software allows you to take normal video, scans, or image captures for use outside of animation. This could be used for various things like recording video sessions or taking picture scans for various projects. I would still need to play with it more, but it does provide a simple user interface that I can probably use in the future.

For Additional Tips, please check out Hue’s Youtube Site: https://www.youtube.com/c/HUEcameras

Our Overall Impressions:

The Hue Animation Studio will be a mainstay item in our home for a while. With the ability to entertain three kids and help unlock the creative juices in their brains, this product is definitely worth it. There is a ton of content to help keep your kids occupied so the investment is well worth it. The only issue is the lack of support for Chromebooks and trying to keep my kids civilized when they all want to do their own thing. At least the product has gotten them to play with each other more and at the end of the day, what more do you want?