I really enjoy exploring software. Looom by the very clever people at Iorama Studio has given me a genuine thrill. As a web developer, interface designer and all round software enthusiast, I was blown away by the user experience. Intuitive and just beautiful, a genuine pleasure to just use it.

Looom is essentially a flip book tool. Draw a frame, move the playhead wheel, draw the next frame etc etc. What makes Looom so unreal? Timelines which are usually represented in software as horizontal lines are handled with the use of “threads” – rotating wheels. You can have up to 5 threads – each of which can have it’s own duration and frame rate. Masking, onion skin, eraser and the ability to reorder, duplicate and transform threads are all included. Perfectly suited for the iPad format with stylus pen.

An initial thought was that the limited duration and inability to import images or trace were limitations. But this is not a traditional animation tool in any way. It is a beautiful piece of software that encourages play and experimentation. Drawing with the play head “on” is also possible and allows for a very organic feel and is extremely therapeutic. Animating for all it’s joys can be a tedious exercise, but Looom brings a genuine sense of relaxation.