Newgrounds accepts video in most common formats (MP4, MOV, WMV) as well as SWF.
Looking to learn how to animate? The Animator's Survival Kit is a very popular book among animators. We also host various animation tutorials made by artists here on NG.
Size & Aspect Ratio
The standard aspect ratio for video is 16:9. Common resolutions are:
3840 x 2160 - 4K Ultra High Definition aka 2160p
1920 x 1080 - Full HD aka 1080p
1280 x 720 - Standard HD aka 720p
Encoding Your Video
It is best to upload the highest quality version you can within our upload limits, specified on the upload form.
If you need to compress your work, we recommend HandBrake. You can select the 1080p Fast preset, then set quality to 18 (the lower the better but 18 is considered pretty lossless) and VerySlow for encoding speed, if you have the time.
Example screenshot of HandBrake video settings.
If you are setting a bitrate for your work, we suggest 40-50 Mbps for 3840 x 2160, 10-20 Mbps for 1920 x 1080 and 5-10 Mbps for 1280 x 720. Adjust and review your results.
Sound
We recommend lossless audio but if you encode your audio, we suggest the AAC codec (default in HandBrake) and a 384kbps bit rate for the best quality. If you upload with an AAC bitrate of 384K or less it will not be re-encoded on our end.
Example screenshot of HandBrake audio settings.
2D Animation Software
Adobe Animate (formerly Flash) - Part of Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription - Flash has long been the standard application for creating web-based animation, along with games and other applications. The animation tools are easy to learn and are extremely powerful.
Swivel will allow you to convert your Flash animation into video files. Recommended for better streaming and mobile / TV support.
Toon Boom Harmony - Free Trial - Used for a lot of television animation. Has SWF export options but you will likely just export as a video file and showcase on NG with our MP4 upload feature.
OpenToonz - Free, Open-source - Used by Studio Ghibli and Futurama, this software is now freely available!
TVPaint - Pricing varies - More of a learning curve than Flash but a favorite among those who use it. TVPaint is what was used to create The Reward.
Wick Editor - A free, web-based, open source tool for making animation and games. Wick is heavily inspired by Flash, so anyone with a Flash background will like it. Animation can be exported as MP4 or animated gif.
Krita - Free - Krita is a FREE sketching and painting program. Has recently been adding animation features. Krita was used by GoreGG to make #100DaysOfWalkCycles and he recommends it.
Synfig - Free and open source 2D animation software.
Pencil2D - Free and open source!
Moho (formerly Anime Studio) - Powerful 2D rigging system of the market and mix it with traditional animation tools. Used in Song of the Sea.
Papagayo - Lip syncing software for Moho (Anime Studio).
3D Animation Software
Blender - FREE - Used in The Secret of Kells.
Maya - Free Trial - Used in Ice Age and James Cameron's Avatar.
3D Studio Max - Free Trial - Used in I-Robot and X-Men.
Softimage - Free Trial - Used in Street Fighter IV.
Modo - Used in District 9.