We’ve been so excited to introduce this new blog to you, our readers. We’re going to be sharing all of the newest developments in collaborative animation software here.
Collaborative animation software is the thing we’re most passionate about, and we know that there are a lot of other people out there who are just as fascinated with it as we are. That’s why we’re publishing this blog—so we can talk about what’s new in the world of collaborative animation software, introduce you to the amazing people behind this technology, and even inspire you with ideas for how you can incorporate it into your own life.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer just starting to get curious about what collaborative animation software is all about, we think you’ll find something here that makes your day better and more interesting. We also welcome your feedback and questions, so don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know what you think!
Collaborative Animation Software
Animated visuals are a lot more engaging than plain, static images. In fact, they generate the highest number of shares on social media compared to other forms of visual content.
Some of the best animation software in the market are Visme, Adobe Animate, Adobe Character Animator, Pencil2D, Biteable and Animaker.
In this guide for beginners, we’re going to explore these options and more to help you find the best animation software for your needs.
So, if you’re (seriously) interested in animation, you’ll need this guide.
Let’s get started.
20 Best Animation Software for 2022
Visme
Adobe Animate
Adobe Character Animator
Blender
Crello
Adobe Spark
PosterMyWall
PixTeller
Animatron Studio
Biteable
Animaker
Canva
Easil
Pencil2D
Powtoon
Procreate
Clip Studio Paint
CelAction2D
Synfig Studio
KeyShot
Software #1: Visme
animation software – Visme-logo
Visme is a cloud-based, online design tool that lets anyone create animated social media images, infographics, presentations, ads, banners and other visuals.
It comes packed with animation and interactivity features to help you create eye-catching designs that do much more than just static images.
Visme’s animation software lets you access thousands of premade templates, a library of free stock photos and videos, customizable pre-animated characters, illustrations and gestures, and much more.
Features:
Friendly and intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
Thousands of animated templates in various categories.
Customizable pre-animated assets: Characters, illustrations and gestures.
Animation timeline feature to customize scenes and sync audio.
14+ different types of animated charts, graphs and maps.
Advanced custom animation that can be applied to any object.
Interactive links, call-to-action buttons and hover effects.
A screenshot of Visme’s animated graphic options.
Searchable libraries of free stock photos, videos, icons and shapes.
Import your own images, videos and fonts.
Embed videos and other online content into your designs.
Team collaboration features: Share your projects.
Brand kit: Save your brand colors, fonts and logos for later use.
Insightful analytics: Access graphs and statistics for project views.
Offline animated download formats: GIF, MP4 video and HTML5.
Publish and share online: Use a link or generate an embed code.
A screengrab showcasing how to add Visme animated graphics to a project.
Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start from $15/month per user, billed annually.
Pros: All-in-one design tool packed with animation and interactivity features, great for both non-designers and designers, millions of free graphic assets inside the editor.
Cons: A variety of design and customizability options can lead to a slightly steep learning curve.
Ideal for: Marketers, corporate teams, teachers, trainers, personal use.
Spice up your designs with animated illustrations
Animated gestures to bring your designs to life
Add animations into any content, from presentations to infographics and more
Customize illustrations to match your brand colors
Spice up your designs with animated illustrations
Software #2: Adobe Animate
Adobe Animate is a new and improved version of Adobe Flash Professional. The software lets you create interactive vector graphics and 2D animations for videos, ads, games, television and more. You can animate characters, avatars, shapes and other assets using timeline controls.
Features:
Vector brushes with size, smoothness, pressure and velocity settings.
Intuitive timeline controls with advanced animation settings.
Virtual camera feature that lets you add pan, zoom and other effects.
Synchronize audio with your animations and create audio loops.
Typekit integration gives you access to premium web fonts.
Export in Flash, HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, SVG and more.
Pricing: Starts from $20.99/month.
Pros: Extensive export and sharing options to publish your animations in virtually any format for any platform.
Cons: Just like any other Adobe software, Animate has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners.
Ideal for: Game designers, YouTubers, cartoon makers.
Software #3: Adobe Character Animator
Adobe Character Animator is another one of Adobe’s animation software stack. But unlike Adobe Animate, Character Animator lets you use motion capture to create live animations of your 2D characters. For example, you can create a character in Illustrator or Photoshop, import it into Character Animator, set it up with tags and then animate it using your own facial movements using your webcam.
Features:
Real-time motion capture and automatic facial tracking.
Download characters from Creative Cloud Market.
Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator.
Move the character’s limbs with your mouse.
Timeline panel for recording and editing scenes.
Pricing: Included in the Creative Cloud All-Apps Plan that costs $52.99/month.
Pros: Easy to replicate real-life movements and expressions with facial tracking. Plenty of import and export options.
Cons: This software is available as part of the all apps pack, not as a standalone product. Also, you need to have a webcam and microphone to use the motion capture feature.
Ideal for: Bloggers, marketers, entertainers, educators.
Software #4: Blender
Blender is an open-source video editing software that lets you have total control over your animations. The tool offers advanced command line and programming features for rendering, modeling and creating 3D animations. It works across different operating systems, so you can use it on Linux, Windows and Mac.
Features:
Powerful rendering, modeling and sculpting tools.
Advanced animation and rigging tools.
Draw and edit in 3D mode.
Video editing and VFX, including motion tracking, masking and compositing.
Powerful and realistic simulation tools.
Extensive Python API for scripting and customization.
Customizable user interface, window layout and shortcuts.
Pricing: Free.
Pros: It doesn’t cost anything to use Blender. Also, advanced animation and rendering tools make it fit for both beginners and expert users.
Cons: Blender has a very steep learning curve as it’s packed with so many features. Beginners will be overwhelmed and might need to spend hours on tutorials before getting it right.
Ideal for: Animators, engineers, scientists, artists, students.
Software #5: VistaCreate
The VistaCreate logo.
More than just your basic animation software, VistaCreate features an extensive library of animated templates and thousands of pre-animated objects and characters. The tool lets you create animated ads, square videos and even Facebook covers with no design skills.
You can also combine videos and animated GIFs with your images, such as a moving background, to create short and eye-catching video posts for social media.
Features:
Thousands of animated templates to use and customize.
Access to over 50 million stock photos.
Library of videos and animations to use in designs.
Upload your own fonts, graphics and animations.
Download in MP4 video format.
Share your animated video directly to social media.
A screenshot of the VistaCreate interface.
Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Pro plan starts from $10/month, billed annually.
Pros: Create animated video artworks in various formats; stories, presentations, social media. Has a mobile app to create designs on the go.
Cons: The free version gives you access to limited storage and creative assets.
Ideal for: Marketers, small business owners, freelancers.
Software #6: Adobe Creative Cloud Express
The Adobe Creative Cloud Express logo.
If you’re looking for a very basic animation software to create video posts for social media, Adobe Creative Cloud Express can help you do that right from your phone.
Use the Adobe Creative Cloud Express iOS app to create short videos with animated text and photos by choosing a template, and customizing it using one of the few animation styles available. As of now, you can only access the animation feature on mobile, not on the desktop app.
Features:
Access customizable templates in various formats.
Sync your designs across multiple devices.
Create animated posts on the go with the iOS app.
Thousands of free images and icons.
Download as an MP4 video or share online.
The Adobe Creative Cloud Express interface.
Pricing: Adobe Creative Cloud Express has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99/month.
Pros: Create animated social media posts on the go with the iOS mobile app. Simple, easy-to-use interface. Sign in with your Adobe account.
Cons: Lack of advanced animation features. Animations only available in the iOS app, not in Android or Web version.
Ideal for: Freelancers, marketers, bloggers.
Software #7: PosterMyWall
animation software – postermywall-logo
This animation software is straightforward and incredibly easy to use. You don’t even need to sign up to start editing a template. PosterMyWall lets you design promotional posters, graphics and videos using a large library of templates and stock videos.
What makes PosterMyWall stand out among other tools is that it lets you download your designs as high-quality videos, including 4K and Full HD. You can also send them off for printing if you’re living in the US.
Features:
Large collection of animated video templates.
Thousands of stock videos to use in your designs.
Bulk printing for your designs on various materials.
Download your videos in 4K and Full HD quality.
Save as high-quality MP4 and GIF files.
Share your designs with a link or embed online.
The PosterMyWall interface.
Pricing: Free plan with free social media downloads. Premium plans start from $9.95/month.
Pros: Create animated videos in high quality; 4K and Full HD. Start editing a template in your browser without signing up.
Cons: Download options are limited in the free plan. Limited animation features.
Ideal for: Individuals, businesses.
Create engaging animated content with Visme
Add animated icons and illustrations
Increase interest and engagement through your design
Add enter and exit effects to create fully animated content
Create engaging animated content with Visme
Software #8: PixTeller
animation software – pixteller-logo
PixTeller’s animation software is great for both business and personal use. It’s a good alternative for a full-featured video editing tool if you’re looking for something more basic.
You can create short animated videos in PixTeller by setting frame-by-frame motions, and then editing the attributes of each frame, such as colors, rotation, opacity and more.
Features:
Hundreds of pre-animated templates to customize.
Customize a frame by frame timeline.
Unique text effects to make your animations pop.
100,000+ shapes to add to your animated videos.
Share the URL of your video to specific people.
Download in MP4 video and GIF formats.
animation software – pixteller-editor
Pricing: Their basic paid plan doesn’t come with animation capabilities. The paid plan with animation features starts from $12/month, billed annually.
Pros: Create animated posts and banners by editing a frame by frame timeline.
Cons: Lack of advanced animation features. Option to download as MP4 or GIF only available in the paid plan.
Ideal for: Marketers, freelancers, bloggers.
Software #9: Animatron Studio
animation software – animatron-logo
This a great option if you’re looking for a feature-rich animation software. Animatron Studio offers a huge gallery of pre-animated elements and templates to help you create explainer videos, HTML5 banners, ads and more.
The customizability options are near endless—you can even customize the expressions of the characters. If you’re looking for a less robust version, you can also check out Animatron Lite.
Features:
Thousands of pre-animated objects, characters and more.
Extensive customizability options.
Import, place and edit your own graphics.
Built-in voiceover features to add narration.
Real-time collaboration and comments.
Export to HTML5, MP4, SVG and GIF formats.
Share online with a link or use an embed code.
animation software – animatron-editor
Pricing: Animatron has a “Lite Mode” with is free with limited features. Paid plans start from $30/month, billed annually.
Pros: Advanced customization options for all pre-animated characters and objects. Download your designs in several popular formats.
Cons: Interface can be glitchy, no free stock videos available inside the software.
Ideal for: Marketers, corporate teams, educators, freelancers.
Software #10: Biteable
animation software – Biteable-logo
If you want to create bite-sized, animated videos like promos, ads and social media videos, Biteable is a good option. It lets you share and download animated videos by editing one of their premade templates.
You can also look through thousands of stock footage clips and scenes to put together an entirely customized video. Biteable also lets you share your project with teammates with its collaboration features.
Features:
Browse hundreds of professional video templates.
Access thousands of stock footage clips and animations.
Add audio tracks using a huge library or upload your own.
Share your video project with other team members.
Publish your video on Biteable with privacy controls.
Download your designs in Full HD MP4 video format.
Share directly to social media, or use a link or embed code.
The Biteable interface.
Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start from $49/month, billed annually.
Pros: Make all kinds of marketing videos, including explainers and demos. Access thousands of stock footage clips to create something unique.
Cons: You can only download in MP4 video format. Free plan exports come with a watermark.
Ideal for: Marketers, trainers, educators.
Software #11: Animaker
animation software – animaker-logo
Animaker is ideal for businesses and educators who want to create interactive presentations and videos. This animation software comes with a large library of templates and pre-animated elements, including illustrations, characters and gestures.
Features:
Large collection of animated templates and assets.
Six unique video styles to edit and remix.
Pro-level animation features like Curve, Camera In and Out.
200+ music tracks and sound effects to add to your videos.
Enterprise and team management features.
Upload directly to YouTube and Facebook or share URL.
Download in MP4 video and GIF formats.
The Animaker interface.
Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Paid plans start from $10/month, billed annually.
Pros: Create animated videos for all kinds of business or personal uses. A variety of video styles, including several for whiteboard videos.
Cons: Only 5 watermarked downloads in the free plan. Only good for creating videos, not animated images.
Ideal for: Marketers, presenters, freelancers.
Software #12: Canva
animation software – Canva
Canva is a popular online design tool that has recently introduced a few basic animation features. It lets you download your graphic designs as a GIF or video by choosing one of the six animation styles available in the app.
Features:
Thousands of editable templates in various categories.
Millions of free and paid photos, icons and other assets.
Six different animation styles to choose from.
Invite team members and share your brand elements.
Organize your designs into folders.
Download your animated designs in GIF and MP4 video formats.
The Canva interface.
Pricing: Starts from $12.99/month or $119.99/year.
Pros: Pay-per-use graphic assets. Good for adding basic animation to images.
Cons: No custom animation capabilities. Limited animation features in the free plan.
Ideal for: Marketers, bloggers and small business owners.
Ready to create your own animated designs?
Customize thousands of premade templates
Access animated characters, gestures and illustrations
Add interactive buttons, links and hover effects
Sign up. It’s free.
Software #13: Easil
animation software – Easil-logo
Easil is another web-based design tool that also supports GIF downloads. However, the only way to make an animated GIF in Easil is by duplicating an image frame several times and making edits to each frame.
Features:
Thousands of editable templates in various categories.
Brand kit feature to save your brand colors, colors and logos.
Creative text effects like drop shadow and masks.
Resize templates and designs for social media or print.
Create color schemes with the color palette generator.
Team and sub-team sharing features.
Download animated GIFs.
animation software – Easil-editor
Pricing: Starts from $7.50/month per user, billed annually.
Pros: Plenty of features for team sharing and enhancing your visual brand.
Cons: The only way to create an animated GIF is to duplicate an image several times and make changes to each “frame”. No GIF download option available in the free plan.
Ideal for: Brand managers, marketers, bloggers.
Software #14: Pencil2D
The Pencil2D Animation logo.
Pencil2D is an open-source animation software that lets you create 2D animated characters using vector drawing tools and traditional animation workflows. It works on all the popular platforms, including Windows, MacOS and Linux.
Features:
Simplified user interface that’s easy to use for beginners.
Customizable toolbar to fit your own creative process.
Layers panel for bitmap, sound, camera and vector layers.
Timeline and keyframes to add, subtract and duplicate frames.
Versatile drawing tools to help you create vector drawings.
Various export formats; GIF, MP4, AVI, WEBM and more.
Pricing: Free.
Pros: It’s free to use and cross-platform, so it can work on any operating system. Simple and minimalistic editor to help you create traditional, hand-drawn animations.
Cons: Pencil2D is great for simple drawings, but lacks advanced animation and character building tools. It’s not ideal for complex or modern-style animations.
Ideal for: Digital artists, cartoon makers, game designers, basic animators.
Software #15: Powtoon
Powtoon is an online animation software that lets you create fun, interactive videos with animated characters and premade graphic assets. It’s a great tool for making video presentations, explainer videos and whiteboard animations.
Features:
Dozens of premade templates spread across five categories.
Thousands of built-in graphics, animated characters and more.
Advanced animation controls and character customization.
Choose from built-in audio, record audio or upload audio files.
Screen and webcam recording to create tutorials and video presentations.
Import and edit Photoshop and PowerPoint files.
Download in various formats or share directly to social media.
The Powtoon interface.
Pricing: Limited free plan. Paid plans start from $19/month, billed annually.
Pros: Easy to use tool for beginners. Plenty of built-in graphic assets. Advanced character customization.
Cons: Limited options for built-in music. Advanced features and removing the watermark are locked for free users. Working on heavy projects can slow down Powtoon’s editor.
Ideal for: Marketers, presenters, educators, trainers.
Software #16: Procreate
The Procreate logo.
Procreate is one of the most powerful and intuitive software that uses frame-by-frame animation techniques. It gives users all the benefits of working digitally while recreating the familiar experience of pencils, pens and paint on paper. Thus, making it an excellent tool for beginners.
If you already have an iPad and an Apple pencil, download the app from Apple Store and start creating animations.
Features:
Get the perfect shape every time with the QuickShape feature.
ColorDrop feature to quickly pick any color you want.
Extra special FX to add gorgeous finishing touches to your work.
Gaussian, motion and perspective blur.
Complete font control to add gorgeous typography to your design.
Paint with filters to add perfect finishing touches to your artwork.
A screenshot of the Procreate website.
Pricing: Procreate comes with one-time pricing of $9.99 exclusively from the Apple Store. No subscription.
Pros: Simple and easy-to-use interface. Wide range of brushes and an option to import Photoshop (.abr) brushes into your app. 120hz performance to take full advantage of Apple’s ProMotion technology.
Cons: Only works with iPad and Apple pencil. It works in pixels, so you can’t create vectors. Difficult adjustment layers.
Ideal for: Beginners, freelancers and hobbyists.
Software #17: Clip Studio Paint
The Clip Studio Paint logo.
Clip Studio Paint is an all-in-one animation solution that lets you create comics, general illustration and 2D animation. The software is compatible with macOS, Windows, iOS, iPad, Android and Chrome OS.
Thus, if you can manage to use its slightly confusing user interface, then Clip Studio Paint can be one of the best animation tools for you.
Features:
Adjustable pen pressure to recreate the natural, high-quality lines of pen and paper.
Automatically taper the beginning and end of brush strokes and reduce shaky and wavering lines.
Use 3D references for accurate compositions.
Light table function for free reference specific keyframes while inbetweening.
Drawing frames between keyframes
A screenshot of the Clip Studio Paint website.
Pricing: Free trial up to 6 months. Clip Studio Paint EX plans start from $53.94/year.
Pros: Multiple export options and advanced vector toolkit. AI technology, 3D Capability, Bundles of brush options, drawing flexibility.
Cons: Stifling Pro or Ex prices. Lack of audio support. Slightly confusing UI. No rigging tools.
Ideal for: Beginners, hobbyists and professionals.
Software #18: CelAction2D
The CelAction2D logo.
CelAction 2D is another powerful animation tool that gives you all the quality of hand-crafted animation. With four editions available — Studio, Professional, Animator and Educational — the software has something for everyone. The tool interoperates well with other software, helping you to choose the best tools for your production pipeline.
Furthermore, you can import 3D CGI models in CelAction2D and position them anywhere in a fully 3dimensional space.
Features:
The software features a dockable tool panel that allows you to work on multiple monitors and increase productivity.
More than 60 special effects to make your animation visually rich with minimal effort and time. Moreover, you can create special effects and save them in the library for reuse.
Advanced Inverse Kinematic Tool that helps you pose your character and model.
You can import drawing assets from other software such as Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and others.
The 2D animation can be rendered in NTSC, PAL and HDTV format and at any resolution.
A screenshot of the CelAction2D website.
Pricing: There are four editions of CelAction 2D. The perpetual license for CelAction Animatic is $449/year.
Pros: Supports large teams. Import your scanned sketches, photos or even 3D CGI and animate them quickly.
Cons: No cross-platform support; works only with Windows. No drawing tools.
Ideal for: Digital artists, cartoon makers, animators.
Software #19: Synfig Studio
The Synfig Studio logo.
Synfig Studio is a more robust tool than the other open-source and free animation software in the market. It gives you advanced controls that help you create high-quality animation exceptionally quickly. It’s a tweeness animation system designed to speed up the animation process by using sprites and digital tweening.
If you want to experiment with newer features, Synfig Studio is best for you. Also, it’s a great alternative to Adobe Animate.
Features:
Transform any vector shape into another with the Vector tweening feature. Thus, eliminating the need for manual tweening.
50+ layers and filters to create complex animation.
Additional Skeleton Distortion layer to apply complex deformations to bitmap artwork.
Vector animation with Lottie export.
Built-in feature to upgrade the animation output using automatic friction effects.
Supported on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Provides advanced controls like link parameters for various layers.
A screenshot of the Synfig Studio website.
Pricing: Free and open to use by anyone.
Pros: Free and open-source. Yet, you will get advanced animation tools that are fit for both beginners and experienced animation enthusiasts. Free video tutorials for an in-depth understanding of the software.
Cons: Software sometimes crashes. Steep learning curve. The user interface is not very intuitive.
Ideal for: Beginners, solo artists and experts.
Software #20: KeyShot
The KeyShot logo.
KeyShot is an easy-to-use, advanced, simplified animation software that helps users create photorealistic, scientifically accurate animations. The tool is well-known for its high-quality 2D and 3D animations without an additional graphics card.
Additionally, it supports 30+ types for rendering 3D animation and comes with interactive labeling, texture mapping, physical lighting, and more.
Features:
750+ templates to help you differently style your animation.
Real-time 3D image rendering workflow.
More than 30 3D file formats.
Adjust and light your scene as per your requirement with its HDRI lighting.
Create interactive, touch-enabled visuals for mobile and web.
Still image animations, interactive web content and mobile content.
A screenshot of the KeyShot website.
Pricing: Plans start from $99/month billed annually.
Pros: Works with both Mac and Windows. Import and export a wide range of model formats. Detailing, accuracy and realism in visualization are unmatched.
Cons: Not a friendly user interface for beginners. Framing, sizing and resizing the window sometimes get complicated. 3D animation is difficult to grasp for a novice.
What is the Best Animation Software?
Choosing the best animation software can be confusing, especially if you’re a beginner and you’re looking for an easy, affordable option that scales with your needs.
For beginners who want to create animated content for marketing and internal communication purposes, we recommend Visme.
With Visme, you can create animated GIFs, marketing videos, explainers, animated charts and graphs, interactive documents with live data and more.
The best part? You don’t need to be a designer or animation expert to use Visme — the drag-and-drop editor works in your browser and makes animation a breeze!
If you’re ready to create animated and interactive content of your own, sign up for a free Visme account and test it out for yourself.
free animation software for beginners
Investigating which are the best animation software for beginners? Check out this selection of animation software including some of the most popular and preferred products on the market, as well as lesser known but still very good animation tools available today.
In this post about best animation software for beginners, you will find premium, free and open source products, as well as online tools for animating. No matter if you are just making your first steps in animating, search for an alternative to the software you are using right now or want to experiment with a completely different type of animation (e.g. traditional frame-by-frame, Flash-style animations, stop motions, 2D and 3D animations, etc.), this post will help you sort out your options. Let’s begin!
Premium animation software for beginners… Who aim big!
A selection of the best animation software available on the market right now and preferred by all levels of users. These products are armed with rich arrays of functions and tools that will allow you to create powerful animation projects. Each of these software products come with subscription plans or as one-time purchases with free trials or free versions included. If you are a complete beginner, don’t worry – all of these programs come with tons of tutorials to start with!
- Adobe Character Animator
Animate in real-time. Really.
Being one of the newest additions in Adobe family, Adobe Character Animator is a powerful tool which allows you to animate cartoon characters in real time very easily and fast. The software works very simply. You plug in your mic and cam. Then import a character specifically prepared for animation in Adobe Character Animator (called a puppet). The program detects your facial expressions and voice in order to animate the character’s face. By using pre-defined triggers and functions, you make the character walk, make gestures, hold objects, and more.
Features:
automatic lipsyncing and animation of facial features like mouth, eyes, 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.
Pricing plans:
Free trial – 7 days
Creative Cloud All Apps – $52.99/month billed annually
Students and teachers – $19.99/month billed annually
Business – from $33.99/month billed annually
If you are interested in the software, check out these 10 Tutorials to Learn Adobe Character Animator. And if you are ready to go with the software – grab these free Character Animator Puppets.
Adobe Character Animator Performer-Mode Unlock Code
Do you know, that you can use the software for free? Use our code and get Character Animator Performer Mode* for free: Free Adobe Character Animator Performer Mode – Exclusively for GraphicMama Fans
- Performer mode is a free version of Adobe Character Animator, with some limitations: you can only use the record and streaming features, but can’t create your own puppets.
- Cartoon Animator 4 (formerly CrazyTalk Animator 3)
Professional 2D creativity and animation design
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.
The software allows you to create custom 2D characters, choose characters from the huge database, and import PSD character templates. You can easily make any static image move by applying different motion templates provided in the library, even 3D motions.
The software also comes with a bone rigging tool, and supports audio lip-syncing, facial detection, and many more simple and advanced features, depending on the edition you are using. Pretty much, Cartoon Animator 4 allows you to have full control over your 2D characters and create professional animation.
Features:
4K video support;
library of pre-made character templates and motion templates;
tools for creating 2D characters including rigging and bone tools;
tools for animating characters including elastic and bouncy curve editing, facial free form deformation, audio lip-syncing;
tools for creating talking heads and employing them on any character;
easy to import PSD files as character templates, and export them to PSD for graphic editing;
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.
Pricing:
Pro Edition – $99 (+80 motions), discount available
Pipeline Edition – $248 (+80 motions), discount available
Special bundle discounts
Free trial – 30 days
- Stop Motion Studio
Stop-motion animation software for beginners
An app perfect for beginners in video making. Stop Motion Studio will help you create amazing 4K stop-motion animations that can easily be mixed with 2D style drawings painted directly onto the image.
With the frame-by-frame editor enriched with super handy features, you have a powerful and affordable app for your device. Stop Motion Studio can be installed on iPhone, iPad, macOS, Android, and Windows, and you can easily open the same project on 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.
Pricing:
for iOS – $4.99
for Mac – $9.99
for Android – $4.99
for Windows – $9.99
- DigiCel FlipBook
Easy to use and powerful enough to create great 2D animations
Considered as one of the easiest 2D animation software on the market, DigiCel FlipBook allows you to create traditional frame-by-frame animation. You can draw directly onto the software or scan your paper drawings – it’s completely up to your personal preferences! The software also allows you to create stop motion animations if that’s the type of animation you are looking for. Boosted with very useful features, DigiCel FlipBook is a powerful and easy-to-understand tool for traditional 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.
Pricing:
Free version with a watermark
FlipBook Lite: $19.99*
FlipBook Studio: $49.99*
FlipBook ProHD: $99.99*
*promotional offer
- Moho (Anime Studio) Debut & Moho (Anime Studio) Pro
Complete 2D Animation Software
While Moho (Anime Studio) Debut is aimed at beginners, even for kids, it includes powerful features that allow you to realize your vision into an animation. The revolutionary tools are combined with an easy-to-understand interface. Once you get the hang of it, you can try the Pro version which is quite more pricy, in fact, but it comes with powerful features that will help you create professional animations.
Features for the Debut version:
available for Windows and macOS with online or offline activation;
multilingual support: English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Simplified), 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.
Pricing:
$59.99
Free trial: 30 days.
Features for the Pro version:
all features included in the Debut version;
advanced bone rigging system, plus a Physics engine, Dynamic bones, and Smart bones to control complex movements;
smart wrap for images and vectors;
frame by frame capabilities;
vector tools with bezier handles, plus accurate SVG, AI, and EPS import;
4k video export, vector export;
realistic motion blur;
easy control of multiple layers and channels, and even more.
Pricing:
$399.99
Free trial: 30 days.
- Toon Boom Harmony
The most powerful software for animation production.
Professional software for animation is used by beginners as well as very experienced animators. Toon Boom Harmony is a product with which you can create any kind of animation, be it traditional drawn animation, Flash-style cut-out animation, particle effects, a combination of 2D and 3D animations, and more. The popular software offers advanced tools and features for drawing, rigging, animation, and pretty much, all that is required from animation software.
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.
Pricing:
Harmony Essentials: $25.50 per month or $209 annual subscription
Harmony Advanced: $64.50 per month or $500 annual subscription
Harmony Premium: $117.50 per month or $954 annual subscription
Free trial: 21 days.
Open-source & Free animation software… To test the waters!
A selection of free animation software for beginners and not only! These completely free software products allow coding gurus from around the globe to contribute and enrich them with even more powerful features. The listed software options are some of the best ones to start learning animating. The suggestions include software for 3D animation, software for traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation, as well as software for Flash-style animations.
- Blender
Open Source 3D creation. Free to use for any purpose.
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;
- Pencil2D
Light and easy to use tool for 2D hand-drawn animations
If you are into traditional hand-drawn animation, then maybe Pencil 2D is a great software to start your animation project. This free software lets you use both raster and vector graphics and you can switch easily between the two types of artwork. Pencil 2D is a cross-platform tool and lets you focus on animating even when you are on the go. Since the software is completely free and open-source, users can have access to the source code and add features.
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;
- Synfig Studio
Open-source 2D animation software
Very easy for those of you who have worked with Flash and are looking for a similar animation software instead of frame-by-frame animation software. Synfig is based on vectors and allows you full control of editing the vector artwork in the animation. You also have advanced control over your characters, as well as the option to create character puppets.
Luckily, Synfig is 100% free and you can use it on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Since the software is open-source, you also have the option to access the source code.
Features:
full-control vector editing which allows automatic calculation of frames;
a variety of over 50 layer types including geometric, gradients, filters, distortions, transformations, etc.;
control over your character by using a bone system and complex deformations;
advanced controls for creating character puppets and other dynamic structures.
Pricing:
Free
Online video animation tools… To create videos in seconds!
Maybe becoming a professional animator isn’t a part of your plan and you just want to create quick animations, let’s say, for your brand. There are many great tools available on the web that will help you realize your ideas.
- Animaker
World’s largest animated library
Animaker is an online tool for animation that offers plans for all kinds of users – from beginners to enterprises. Each version comes loaded with features and assets to help users create amazing animated videos in a diversity of styles. With Animaker, you can create 2D and 2.5D videos, animated infographic videos, handcraft videos, whiteboard videos, typography animations, and more.
Features:
6 styles of videos: 2D, 2.5D, infographics, handcraft, whiteboard, typography;
horizontal and vertical video layouts;
full HD video support;
animated infographic maker with over 100 charts, 1000 icons, and 3000 maps;
advanced features for animation such as record, multimove, curve, camera in and out, transition effects, enter/exit effects;
a deck feature allowing you to use the animation as a video or an animated presentation;
audio features: text-to-speech, background music tracks, sound effects, voice recording, plus the option to import your custom sounds;
a library of pre-designed templates.
Pricing plans:
Free
Basic – $10 per month billed annually
Starter – $19 per month billed annually
Pro – $45 per month billed annually
Enterprise – you have to contact Sales
- Vyond
The easiest way to create professional animated videos.
Vyond Studio offers an online animation-making tool suitable for people of all skill levels to make great professional animations including explainer videos, whiteboard videos, and more kinds of animated videos. Enriched with handy features, this online tool for video animation allows you to build animations based on characters, make engaging data visualizations, and more.
Features:
a convenient drag-and-drop tool;
a rich library with pre-built templates and assets;
import images and MP4s;
an array of enter and exit effects for static images;
automatic lip-syncing;
a library of characters available for full customization;
camera tool – pan zooms and camera angles;
team collaboration.
Pricing plans:
Free trial – 14 days
Essential – $299 per year
Premium – $649 per year
Professional – $999 per year
Enterprise – contact Sales
- Moovly
A cool online tool for creating animated videos for different purposes: social media, advertising, explainer videos, whiteboard videos, presentations, and more. The tool is perfect for users of all levels, as well as big and small businesses. Easy to work with, Moovly provides a library of templates, as well as images, video, and audio files to choose from.
Features:
user-friendly drag and drop interface;
a library of templates, images, video clips, and sound files;
upload your own media easily
download and sharing options
Pricing plans:
Free
Pro – $24.92/month billed annually
Max – $49.92/month billed annually
Enterprise – custom pricing
Bonus software: Wideo
Online animation software for all levels of users
A great online tool for animation that doesn’t require any previous experience in animating. With Wideo, you can create animated videos for different purposes: explainer videos, data videos, promotional videos, animated presentations, videos for e-commerce, business, real estate, and more.
To help you get started easily, the guys from Wideo have provided very useful lessons for beginners that explain the basics of working with the tool.
Features:
HD and full HD support;
a library of scene templates suitable for videos for all kinds for purposes;
a library of graphic assets;
music soundtracks;
video length and storage capacity depending on your plan;
YouTube upload, and more.
Pricing plans:
Free trial – 7 days
Basic – $19/month billed annually
Pro – $39/month billed annually
Enterprise – $79/month billed annually
Ready to make your first video animation?
We hope we’ve been helpful with this selection of animation software for beginners. The good thing is, that all software products offer free versions or free trials. So, you will be able to try before you buy.
Have a favorite animation software for beginners that are not listed on this page? It would be awesome if you share it with us in the Comments below.
Conclusion
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines