What Software Is Best for Animation?
You can find paid, free, and open-source goods in this post about the best animation software for beginners. You can also find online animation tools here. This post will help you sort through your options whether you are just starting out with animation, looking for a substitute for the program you are currently using, or want to try out a whole new genre of animation (such as stop motion, 2D and 3D animations, traditional frame-by-frame animation, Flash-style animations, etc.). Let’s begin!
1. Adobe Character Animator
One of the most recent products in the Adobe lineup, Adobe Character Animator is a potent tool that makes it simple and quick to animate cartoon characters in real-time with your actions. The app has a fairly straightforward interface. Plug in your camera and microphone. Next, import a puppet—a character created especially for animation in Adobe Character Animator. The software uses your voice and facial expressions to animate the character’s face. You may make the character move, make gestures, hold objects, and do a lot more by utilizing pre-defined triggers and routines.
Features:
automatic lipsyncing and animation of facial features like mouth, eyes, and eyebrows;
support of real-time animation and live streaming;
in-app template puppets;
streamline recording and editing;
scene snapshots which act like onion-skinning;
walk cycles, behaviors, breathing, blinking, and other animation options;
replays, magnets, and more functions.
Perfect for online education, game streaming, live chat and more.
2. Cartoon Animator 4
Cartoon Animator 4 is software for all levels of users – suitable for beginners as well as professionals who want to create engaging high-quality animations.
With the software, you can import PSD character templates, choose characters from the vast database, and design your own original 2D characters. Any static image may be made to move with ease by applying one of the many motion templates in the library, including 3D motions.
Depending on the version you’re using, the software also enables facial recognition, audio lip-syncing, and a host of other basic and sophisticated functions. It also includes a bone rigging tool. You can animate your 2D characters professionally and with complete control with Cartoon Animator 4.
Features:
4K video support;
collection of pre-made motion and character templates;
tools for creating 2D characters including rigging and bone tools;
tools for character animation, such as audio lip-syncing, facial free form deformation, and elastic and bouncy curve editing;
tools for creating talking heads and employing them on any character;
PSD files are simple to import as character templates and export for graphic alteration;
live facial motion capture – from any angle;
head driven body movements;
up to 360 degrees head-turning;
supports many popular images and video formats;
plus many more advanced animation features.
3. Stop Motion Studio
An ideal software for people who are new to creating videos. With Stop Motion Studio, you can effortlessly combine stunning 4K stop-motion animations with 2D drawings that are painted directly into the image.
You have a strong and reasonably priced app for your device with the frame-by-frame editor enhanced with incredibly useful features. Installing Stop Motion Studio on iPhone, iPad, macOS, Android, and Windows allows you to open the same project with ease across different devices.
Features:
4K ultra HD videos;
runs on iPhone, iPad, macOS, Android, and Windows;
manual or automatic control of the focus, exposure, ISO, white balance
DSLR camera support;
green screen option and background library;
import of images, audio, video files;
frame-by-frame view and easy editing;
grid and onion skinning options;
connect a remote camera as a second device;
paint tools, sound effects, magic eraser, and more handy tools.
4. DigiCel FlipBook
DigiCel FlipBook, regarded as one of the most user-friendly 2D animation programs available, enables you to produce conventional frame-by-frame animation. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to scan your paper drawings or sketch straight onto the program! If stop motion animation is what you’re after, the program also lets you do that kind of animation. DigiCel FlipBook, enhanced with a plethora of practical capabilities, is a potent and intuitive tool for conventional 2D animation.
Features:
shoot and scan your drawings or draw right into the software;
lipsync support;
work on one or multiple frames at a time;
pan, zoom, rotate, blur, dissolve;
import/export functions, and more;
runs on macOS and Windows.
5. Moho (Anime Studio) Debut & Moho (Anime Studio) Pro
Moho (Anime Studio) Debut has strong features that let you turn your idea into an animation, even if it’s meant for beginners—even children. An intuitive user interface is paired with the innovative tools. Once you get the hang of it, you can try the Pro version, which is really fairly expensive but has a ton of tools that will enable you to make animations that look professional.
Features for the Debut version:
available for Windows and macOS with online or offline activation;
support for multiple languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese;
advanced freehand tools;
advanced bone rigging, plus pin bones;
tablet support with pen pressure support;
animated effects for layers and shapes;
easy to edit and animate brushes;
support for images and layered PSD;
keyframe options: additive cycle, stagger, bounce, elastic;
advanced masking options, auto freeze tool, and more.
6. Toon Boom Harmony
Both novice and highly skilled animators utilize professional software for animation. With the help of Toon Boom Harmony, you can make any form of animation, including classic drawn animation, cut-out animation in the style of Flash, particle effects, and more. The well-known program provides sophisticated tools and functionality for virtually all animation software needs, including design, rigging, and animation.
Features:
runs on Windows and macOS;
advanced vector/bitmap drawing technology;
advanced palettes and painting tools providing effective control over texture and color;
a toolset for traditional frame-by-frame animation;
integrating 3D elements with 2D characters;
special effects including volume and lighting effects to characters with auto toning;
different camera angles and control over the composition;
cut-out animation with master controllers;
integration with other software: multilayer PSD and PSB files, Illustrator, PDF, bitmaps, audio;
easy export to game engines.
7. Blender
Blender is a cross-platform free 3D creation suite offering a powerful arsenal of tools. By using Blender, you can create animations, video games, renders, models, and more 3D based projects. The software is open source and developed by many contributors from around the world. The feature-rich 3D suite software is suitable for beginners, as well as advanced users.
Features:
available for Windows, macOS, and Linux;
a built-in path-tracer engine that includes a real-time viewport preview, CPU & GPU rendering, PBR shaders & HDR lighting support, VR rendering support;
advanced modeling, sculpting, and UV tools;
advanced rigging and animation tools;
powerful visual effects: auto and manual tracking, camera reconstruction, real-time preview of your tracked footage and 3D scene, and more;
drawing in 2D mode оnto the 3D viewport;
full animation support including onion skinning, layers and colors for the stroke and fill, sculpt brush strokes, and more;
8. Pencil2D
Maybe Pencil 2D is an excellent program to start your animation project if you enjoy traditional hand-drawn animation. You may utilize both raster and vector drawings with this free program, and switching between the two kinds of artwork is simple. With the cross-platform Pencil 2D tool, animation is still a top priority even when you’re on the road. Users can add features and access the source code of the software because it is fully free and open-source.
Features:
runs on Windows, Mac OSX, Linux & Free BSD
supports raster and vector images;
includes various handy tools;
includes distortion and light effects;
import/export as a GIF is available;
