12 Best Animation Software For Beginners & Pros In 2021
Animation software can bring your thoughts to life. Whether you’re working on a video game or a personal project, animation software can assist you in achieving your goals. Animated visuals are much more appealing than plain images.
They produce the largest number of shares on social media compared to different forms of visual content. Looking for the best animation software for beginners?
Check out this collection of animation software including some of the most preferred products on the market.
How has animation affected communication?
Communication is essential in any modern city. Without being able to talk to each other, or exchange information, we would be living in complete isolation.
Animation is a technique of storytelling by communicates emotions and ideas in a way that anyone can understand. Animation has connected more young people all around the world in a way that writing could not.
An animated video can even convert the most boring message to a fun and engaging one. Bright colors, special effects, and simple yet realistic characters are appealing to the eye. Animations make it simpler to express information than to listen to it directly.
Your message is crucial in any form of video production, but with animation, the message is less important in favor of how it’s expressed.
People prefer visual content. It is entertaining and can never get boring. Animated videos are becoming popular day by day, especially among millennials. The videos are everywhere carrying messages on literally everything you can think of.
What are the benefits of animation software?
Interactive animations grasp the audience’s attention. The use of audio, graphics, and animation makes it engaging.
It provides flexibility.
Animation makes learning fun and motivates one to search for more information to learn.
When you build an animated video that addresses the things that are most relevant to your customers, you can increase your credibility.
Studies show that animated films have a great impact on society, especially kids. However, they are watched by every kind of audience because they have jokes for children and adults too.
If you are learning animated storytelling you can try and include it in your marketing strategy, you can deliver uniqueness and a great style performed in an exciting narrative experience.
Using one of the best animation software- Cartoon Animator 4
From smart IK motion editing to full-body motion capture, Cartoon Animator is an animation software that has it all. It is the best 3D animation software for beginners and experienced animators who want to create animations of high quality. It will help you know a lot about graphic design as well.
This animation solution allows you to create custom 2D characters, select characters from the huge database, and import PSD character templates. You can effortlessly make any static image move by employing different motion templates provided in the library.
Features of this platform:
Library of pre-made character and motion templates.Tools for animating characters like facial free-form deformation, audio lip-syncing, and many more.
Flexible toolset for generating talking heads and employing them on any desired character.
Live facial motion capture from any angle.
Supports many popular images and video formats.
Pricing of this 3d animation software:
CTA Facial Mocap Bundle – $299
CTA-4 Animated Video Maker Bundle – $299
2D and 3D Animation Suite – 30 days
There is a Free Trial for 30 days Try Cartoon Animator 4
2. Animaker One Of The Best Animation Software
Animaker is ideal for businesses that want to produce interactive presentations and videos. This animation software comes with a huge library of built-in templates and pre-animated elements, including characters, illustrations, and gestures. With the help of Animation Software, you’ll get to learn about the basics of graphic design as well.
Features of this animation software:
1. Six styles of videos.
2. Horizontal and vertical video layouts.
3. Animated infographic maker with more than 100 charts, 1000 icons, and 3000 maps.
4. Advanced features for animation such as recording, curve, camera in and out, transition effects, etc.
5. Audio features: text-to-speech, background music tracks, sound effects, voice recording, etc.
6. A library of pre-designed templates.
7. Pricing of this animation software:
8. There’s an Animaker Free Plan. You get only a few, very basic video editing features.
9. Basic – $10/month billed annually
10. Starter – $19/month billed annually
11. Pro – $49/month billed annually
12. Try Animaker
3. Adobe Character Animator- A Great Animation Software
Adobe Character Animator is an animation solution you can make use of to efficiently animate your 2D characters. Hailing from the family of Adobe apps this animation software has an intuitive interface and is great for creating character-based high-quality animation. This platform is truly a blessing for those who are eager to learn about 2d animation.
It has all kinds of 2D animation features right from lip-syncing to motion capture technology. And using its advanced features like Photoshop and Illustrator file integration, you can design your characters using your favorite tools and then bring them to life.
Features of this 2d animation software:
Real-time motion capture with automatic facial tracking.
You can download characters from Creative Cloud Market.
Streamline recording and editing.
Scene snapshots that appear like onion skinning.
Replays, magnets, individual frames, and many more functions.
Timeline panel for recording and editing scenes.
Pricing of this 2d animation software:
Free trial – 7 days
Creative Cloud – $79.99/month billed annually
Students and teachers – $19.99/month billed annually
There are various plans for schools and universities too. Try Adobe Character Animator
4. Stop Motion Studio- one of the most used software for animation
This is one of the best animation software for beginners. Stop Motion Studio will help you build amazing 4K stop-motion animation projects that can be mixed with different 2D style drawings painted straight onto the image. This animation software lets a beginner learn about things in a simplified yet very effective way. It is an incredibly powerful software which you must definitely try at least once.
By using the frame-by-frame editor enhanced with super handy features, you have a powerful app for your device. On this platform, you will learn about 4k animation projects like nowhere else.
Features of this animation software:
4K ultra HD videos.
User-friendly interface
Manual or automatic control of the focus, exposure, ISO, and white balance.
Equipped with DSLR camera support.
Green screen option with background library.
Import of images, audio, and video files;
Paint and drawing tools, sound effects, magic erasers, and many more useful tools.
Pricing of this animation software:
iOS and Android – $4.99
Mac and Windows – $9.99
Try Stop Motion Studio
5. Final Cut Pro X: A Great Software For Animation:
Final Cut Pro is a professional-level, non-destructive video editing software. It is useful for improved playback, rendering, and transcoding. It is used for filmmaking, TV, feature films, and streaming media and specialize in video editing. It’s a great video-making platform for those who are willing to learn about video editing. You can create anything in terms of videos here in a professional manner.
You should have this if you wish to learn filmmaking and editing. The clips can be trimmed and reordered without any collisions. Users can quickly create 2D and 3D titles, and apply filters, camera effects, and a built-in chroma key for blue- and green-screen effects. You can create any type of video with the help of this platform whether it long or short videos. You will have the freedom to create what you truly want.
Features of this video editing software:
Seamless video editing.
Provides the means to create spectacular VR videos for immersive experiences.
Offers users the ability to organize their assets like video and audio.Â
Motion graphics templates, video filters, and video effects that users can use to enhance their storytelling.
Built-in tools for eliminating background noise and optimizing sound levels.Â
Fast delivery.
Pricing of this video editing software:
Try Final Cut Pro
6. Digicel FlipBook: A Tool That Will Help You Do the Best Animation
Recognized as one of the easiest and most efficient 2D software animations on the market, DigiCel FlipBook enables you to create traditional frame-by-frame animation. For a beginner too, It could be a really good choice because it is a good platform as a 2d software animation and makes it easy for beginners to learn about 2D software.
In this app, you can create videos with hand-drawn characters. It allows you to draw directly onto the software or scan your paper drawings. The software also lets you build stop-motion animations. It is no doubt one of the leading 2d animation software.
Features of this 2d animation software:
Shoot and scan your drawings or draw directly into the software.
Lipsync support.
Work on one or several frames at a time.
Pan, zoom, rotate, blur, dissolve.
Import/export functions.
Runs on both macOS and Windows.
Pricing of this 2d animation software:
FlipBook Lite – $19.99
FlipBook Studio – $49.99
FlipBook ProHD – $99.99
Try Digicel Flipbook
7. Autodesk Maya: one of the best animation software
Autodesk’s Maya is surely one of the best animator software if you are a professional looking for a strong 3D animation tool. Autodesk Maya enables you to design photo illustrations and mockups that draw clients. It is a great platform to start your career with 3D animations. You should try taking its subscription and learn from here in order to become a good animator.
You get it all: modeling, animation, visual effects, and many more. As if that wasn’t good enough, this animated tool has one of the best physics engines and rendering systems on the market.
Features of this animation software
Faster dynamics for hair and clothes.
High-speed loading of files.
Open multiple projects on the same session at the same time.
Multiple animation tasks that are almost impossible to construct by hand are easily created with robust tools.
Enabling artists to work in an environment that matches the final output.
Maximizes productivity and helps to streamline your design experience.
Pricing of this animation software
Free trial for 30 days
$4,590 every 3 years
$1,700 annually
$215 monthly
Try Autodesk Maya
8. Blender: One of the best animation softwares for a beginner
Blender is an open-source video editing app that lets you have complete control over your animations. But what makes Blender stand out is its feature the fact that it’s a free animation software. It would definitely help you in getting your workflow better in terms of video editing.
The tool extends advanced command lines as well as programming features for rendering, modeling, and building 3D animations. It is the best animation software for YouTube videos.
Features of this video editing app
Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Built-in path-tracer engine that has a real-time viewport preview, PBR shaders & HDR lighting support, CPU & GPU rendering, and VR rendering support.
Reconstruction, real-time preview of all your tracked footage, and more.
Complete animation support including onion skinning, layers and colors for the stroke and fill, and more.
Pricing of this video editing app
Free software
Try Blender
9. Powtoon: One of The Best Animation Software to Become an Animator
Powtoon is an online animation software that will help you create fun, interactive videos using animated characters and graphic assets.
It’s an excellent tool for producing animated commercials, video presentations, screenplays, explainer videos as well as whiteboard animations. It will be very easy to use this platform for you once you get to learn about it.
Features
Several pre-made templates are spread over five categories.
Various built-in graphics, animated characters, and many more.
Advanced animation controls as well as character customization.
Choose from a collection of built-in audio, record audio, or upload audio files.
Screen and webcam recording to generate tutorials and video presentations.
Ability to import and edit Photoshop and PowerPoint files.
Download in different formats or share directly to social media.
Pricing
Free plan with 100MB of storage and access to all free content.
Pro – $89/month or $228/year
Pro+ – $197/month or $708/year
Agency – $1188/yearÂ
Business plan pricing is available on request.
Try Powtoon
10. Vyond
Vyond Studio offers an online tool to make animations that are suitable for people of all skill levels. You can create professional animations including explainer videos, whiteboard videos, and other types of animated videos. If you’re looking for a tool that will help you cover most things, then Vyond is definitely for you. Animation basics will be easy to understand from here since this software gives very simplified explanations of most of the things.
If you are learning to write scripts you can use this software for writing scripts too. It is also a great tool for screenwriting. Vyond presents libraries containing several assets, including characters, actions, backgrounds, music tracks, and sound effects.
Features
Convenient drag-and-drop tool.
A vibrant library with pre-built templates and assets.
Import images and MP4s.
A collection of entering and exit effects for static images.
Automatic lip-syncing.
Library of characters for full customization.
Camera tool – pan zooms and camera angles.
Pricing
Free trial – 14 days
Personal – $299/year
Business – $649/year
Enterprise – $999/year
Try Vyond
11. Visme
Visme is an infographic animation software that is cloud-based and helps in creating animated social media images, infographics, presentations, ads, banners, and several other visuals. This tool also makes animated things much better than before.
It is one of the best animation software for beginners you can get access to a collection of pre-made templates, a collection of free stock photos and videos, customizable pre-animated characters, illustrations and gestures, and many more. By taking its subscription, you’ll know how the platform can do wonders for animated things.
Features of this animation software:
Intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
Animated templates in various categories.
Customizable pre-animated assets.
Animation timeline feature available to customize scenes and sync audio.
More than 14 different types of animated charts, graphs, and maps.
Advanced custom animation that you can apply to any object.
Interactive links, call-to-action buttons as well as hover effects.
Pricing of this animation software:
Free Version of up to 5 projects
Standard – $25/month or $15/year
Business – $39/month or $25/year
Enterprise plan pricing is available on request.
Try Visme
12. Pencil2D: best free animation software
A more conventional 2D animation software, Pencil2D lets users create hand-drawn, animated scenes. Pencil2D is an open-source platform, so various users can contribute to its abilities and features. It could be one of the best tool guides for a beginner since this software works wonders in plenty of ways. If you’re looking for software that’s free yet useful then Pencil2D is just for you.
As a result, it is one of the best free animation software options out there. With its minimal UI design, you can focus on the essential part which is animation.Â
Features of this free animation software:
Operates on Windows, Mac OSX, Linux & Free BSD.
Supports both raster and vector images.
Includes several handy tools.
Equipped with distortion and light effects.
Import/export as a GIF option is available.
Pricing of this free animation software:
This is another free animation software
Try Pencil2D
Conclusion
Whatever your experience level or goals may be, there are several animation software choices to choose from. These tools can bring your ideas to life—and you will also have fun along the way.
Creating an animation video is a whole lot easier when you have the best software available to you. Each business is different, and every individual has their requirements. If you want to become the world’s largest animator, then go ahead and start learning about these above-mentioned animation software as soon as you can.
It is important to establish the specific nature and objective of your work when selecting your software. You need to determine what you aim to achieve with your animation.
Once you have a script and a storyline in mind, you can realize your vision in unique ways.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To The Animation Software:
Q1: What is the best animation software for beginners?
A: For beginners, Animaker is a great choice. It’s user-friendly and perfect for creating simple 2D animations without needing advanced skills. Its online tutorials will help you get a grasp of things in a very simplified way.
Q2: Which animation software is ideal for professional animators?
A: Professionals often prefer software like Adobe Animate or Toon Boom Harmony. These tools offer advanced features and are widely used in animation studios for high-quality productions.
Q3: Can I use free animation software to create quality animations?
A: Yes, there are free options like Blender for 3D animation and Synfig Studio for 2D animation that provide powerful features for creating impressive animations without any cost.
Q4: Is there animation software that works well for both 2D and 3D animation?
A: Yes, software like Blender supports both 2D and 3D animation, making it versatile for animators who want to work in both styles. It is kind of an all-in-one solution for your problems.
Q5: What features should I look for in the best animation software?
A: Look for features like a user-friendly interface, a variety of animation tools, support for multiple formats, and good customer support. Software like Adobe Animate and Toon Boom Harmony are known for their comprehensive features. Looking at these features will surely help you learn seamlessly.