Animation Software

Today with the internet ruling the lives of every person digital marketing has become a powerful marketing tool. 85% of internet users watch video content at least once a month. And people are asking for more.

Nearly more than half of them feel that brands should be putting their content on videos on the internet. Putting a video is not easy always. It requires a lot of ideas and creativity. You need the necessary equipment as well as the budget to acquire a video.

This is where animated videos play an important role because they reduce your time and investment of course. It is easy to get into animation today more than ever before. Most of the software for animation is getting cheaper or even free.

Also, modern-day computers can handle simple animation tasks as well.

The good news is that you do not have to be a Walt Disney grade animator to create cool animations.

The catch is that even though anyone can start animating now but it takes time to master the art of animation.

Take small and simple steps in the beginning and develop your skills in a unique style. You don’t even have to know how to draw well to get into animation. If you still feel you cannot do it then hire animation artist because there are plenty of animation artists out there in the market.

What is an animation?

When you hear the word animation the first thing that strikes your mind is the animation stuff you have watched since your childhood days of Walt Disney. Well, the animation is the art of bringing to life inanimate objects or illustrated characters.

In traditional animation, images are sketched or painted by hand on transparent sheets that are then photographed and exhibited on film. Today animations are made on computer-generated images. Sequenced images are brought to life by projecting these images quickly one after the other to create an illusion.

An animator’s job is to bring life in the true essence. Today click here now for hire animation artist who uses animation software to help bring your ideas to life or in other words on the screen. Whether the animation is for a feature film, personal project, or video game the animation software can help you achieve working wonders.

12 Best Animation Software for Beginners

There are so many animation software available and if you are serious about developing an animation software then the list below will help in choosing a software:

#1. Visme –

This is a cloud-based designing tool that allows anyone to create animated images, presentations, ads, infographics, banners, and others. Visme comes packed with a lot of interactive features to help create an eye-catching design giving more than just static images. It allows you to access thousands of pre-made templates, customized pre-animated characters, a library of free photos and videos, illustrations, and much more. It has a friendly drag-and-drop editor and more than 14 different types of animated graphs, maps, and charts. Visme allows you to download offline animated formats like GIF, HTML5, and MP4 videos. This software is good for marketers, corporate teams, teachers, personal use. It comes on a free plan with limited features or with paid plans starting at $12 per month per user.

#2. Adobe Spark –

If you are looking for a basic animation software to just creating video posts for social media then Adobe Spark is the right one for you. The Adobe Spark Post iOS app is good for creating short videos with animated text and photos. It allows you to choose a template and customize it by using one of the few styles available in animation. Adobe Spark allows you to sync your designs across multiple devices with access to customized templates in different formats. Thousands of free stock images and icons are provided with an option to download or share online as an MP4 video. It comes free and as of now is accessible only on mobiles and not on desktop apps. You can use this software through your Adobe Reader and is ideal for bloggers, marketers and freelancers.

#3. Crello –

More than being just a basic animation software Crello offers an extensive library of thousands of pre-animated objects and characters and animated templates. Even if you have no design skills Crello allows you to create animated ads, videos, and also Facebook covers. A combination of videos and animated GIFs can be created with your images such as a moving background. This will allow your creation to be an eye-catching video for all on social media. With access to over 140 million photos and thousands of customized animated templates, it comes in a free plan with limited features and a paid plan starting from $7.99 per month with a free trial. This is ideal for marketers, freelancers, and small business people.

#4. Cartoon Animator 4 –

This software is for all kinds of users whether a beginner or a professional who wants to create engaging high-quality animations. It allows you to create customized 2D characters which can be chosen from a huge database. Static images can be moved by applying different motion templates that are provided in the library and even 3D motions can be made. Cartoon Animator 4 supports audio lip-syncing, facial detection, and more simple and advanced features depending on the use. It allows you to create a professional animation giving full control over your 2D characters. Head-driven body movements and up to 360-degree head-turning supporting 4K video are also its additional features. Its tools support elastic and bouncy curve editing. Cartoon Animator 4 comes on a free trial of 30 days and a pro edition of $99 per month with some special bundle discounts.

#5. Pencil2D –

It is a traditional 2D animation software that can be used on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Hand-drawn animated scenes can be created through Pencil2D. It is an open-source platform where multiple users can contribute to its capabilities and features. Thus, it is one of the best free animation software for beginners. This software boasts of allowing the users to seamlessly switch between different workflows as well as add layers. It is easy to use and allows you to primarily focus on animating. But advanced animators do not find the features of Pencil2D robust enough for their work.

#6. Stop Motion Studio –

A perfect software for beginners in video making. Stop Motion Studio helps in creating amazing 4K stop-motion animations that will easily get mixed with 2D style drawings. It can be installed on iPhone, Mac OS, Android, and Windows and can be easily operated on different devices. It has a DSLR camera support and can manually or automatically control the focus, exposure, white balance, and much more. It provides a background library with a green screen option. Stop Motion Studio allows you to connect a remote camera as a second device and even has onion skinning options. You also contain paint tools, magic erasers, sound effects, and more. Coming at various prices for different platforms its price ranges between $1.99 – $9.99 per month.

#7. DigiCel FlipBook –

Considered as one of the easy-to-use 2D animation software it allows frame-by-frame animations to be created. Depending on your preference it allows you to draw directly onto the software or by scanning your paper drawings. DigiCel FlipBook allows stopping motion animations if that is what you are looking for. A powerful and easy-to-understand tool it allows you to work on more frames at one time. It supports lipsync on your videos and import and export functions. It comes free with limited usage and a paid version at three different prices – FlipBook Lite at $19.99, FlipBook Studio at $69.99, FlipBook Pro at $169.99, and FlipBook ProHD at $199.99 per month.

#8. Toon Boom Harmony –

This is professional animation software for beginners as well as experienced users. Any kind of animation can be created with Toon Boom Harmony like traditionally drawn animations, particle effects, a combination of 2D and 3D animations, and more. Toon Boom Harmony offers advanced tools for drawing, rigging, and much more and runs on Windows and Mac OS. It has advanced vector and bitmap drawing technology allowing different camera angles. Special effects like volume and lighting effects to the characters can be done with easy export to game engines. Priced between $16 – $78 per month it has a free trial of 21 days too.

#9. Blender –

This is a cross-platform free 3D animation software offering a wide range of tools. Blender allows you to create video games, models, animations, and more 3D-based projects. It is an open-source platform developed by many contributions from across the world. Available on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux it has advanced modeling, sculpting, and UV tools. A built-in path tracer engine with real-time viewing and previewing with PBR shades and HDR lighting support is also there. It allows auto and manual tracking, camera reconstruction, and drawing in 2D models onto a 3D viewport. Blender allows onion skinning and filling of colors for every stroke, sculpt brush strokes, and more.

#10. Autodesk Maya –

The Autodesk Maya software can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. This software can be used for everyone. Whether you are a beginner or even a pro at animating, this software can be used. Many professional animators use Autodesk Maya. The animation of movies like “Avatar” and “Finding Nemo” was done by this software. The pricing for Autodesk Maya starts at $122/month. They even offer a free trial. This software is free for current students.

#11. Animaker –

Animaker is free software. It is usually suggested for beginners. The drag and drop functionality of Animaker is quite easy. It can be used for typography and infographics. The Animaker also supports 2D and 2.5D videos.

#12. Cinema 4D –

This is a 3D animation software that was originally developed for a computer company named Amiga. However, the Cinema 4D is now available on Windows and Mac operating systems. The software has an intuitive interface. It even has a customizable layout. The annual subscription for the software is available for $60 per month.

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Choosing animation software as per your needs and expertise level can get very draining. This article was an attempt to throw some light on certain useful animation software available in the market.

Author Bio:

Sunny Chawla is a Managing Director at Alliance Recruitment Agency . He specializes in helping client for international recruiting, staffing, HR services and Careers advice service for overseas and international businesses.