If you are just starting out in media design, or just want to try your hand at animation without spending too much money, then you should definitely look into free animation software for education.
Animation is everywhere around us, but unfortunately its scope can be limited to movies or games. If you are looking for free animation software just to create exceptional art for education purposes, then this is the article for you!
KeyShot
Image courtesy of KeyShot
KeyShot is a fast and user-friendly 3D rendering software with animation capabilities. This tool allows users to go from a simple model to a stunning visual in minutes. KeyShot is a completely free animation software.
KeyShot has a number of features to support animation and 3D rendering, including but not limited to:
- 2D animation and 3D animation
- HDRI lighting that allows you to light and adjust your scene as needed
- Camera control that enables users to simulate real-world camera behavior
- Dynamic texture mapping to simulate the real-world appearance of a landscape
- Focused caustics to ensure objects are properly lighted
What users like
“It’s fast and most of the results come [out] pretty good. And today they can do animation and VR in KeyShot, [which] makes the software even more powerful than ever.”
— Keyshot review by a user in higher education
What users dislike
“The animation configuration could be easier and also give more options of possible movements.”
— Keyshot review by Julia C.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Try it, it is very easy. I do like the animation tool, which you can [use to] make an animation rendering very easy and quick.”
— Keyshot review by Chen W.
PowToon
Image courtesy of PowToon
This free animation software is intended for making short videos and presentations. Users can upload their own content or choose from PowToon’s library of royalty-free content. Animators can customize the existing templates to ensure they fit their needs.
PowToon offers paid options, but its free plan offers the following features:
- Standard video resolution
- Access to some of PowToon’s video content library
- The ability to create videos up to three minutes long
- Export to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and more
- The choice of aspect ratios and sizes
What users like
“I think that what I mostly like is that creating an animation with PowToon is ridiculously easy. First, I get to pick out one from many templates. After a template is selected, I like that it’s even easier to add moving characters to every slide I have for the animation.”
— PowToon review by Esmeralda D.
What users dislike
“I don’t really like that PowToon characters are really simplistic; if they were a bit more complex, this would also be a great tool for making quality animations.”
— PowToon review by Alicia Sarah V.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“This tool provides a lots of attractive templates, which helps users to design their slides and making their presentation better. So, this tool helps me a lot and I recommend this tool for people who usually deal with presentations.”
— PowToon review by Raj M.
Animation for Education
In this support system for educators, iCreate to Educate helps teachers and schools from primary through higher education become better learners by making animation more accessible throughout Europe. It offers some great resources and valuable animation software and resources. It also has a free stop-motion animation tool called SAM.
GoAnimate for Schools
Easy and quick, GoAnimate for Schools is a one-stop shop for creating custom animation that’s well-made and easy to use. Globally accessible to any educator, it’s also secure and educators get a major discount. Schools can sign up about 200 students at a time.
Devolver
Quick animation with some bizarre characters and sleek backgrounds that help make a point or send students into the beginning or end of a lesson makes Devolver a great tool for the educator who moves fast. Students can also use it to email professors their interpretation of a theory or lesson.
Wideo
But, if drawing seems to just get in the way, go to Wideo. Some modern graphics with interesting selections and fonts give users the ability to make unique videos for business and education. Nicely done tutorials provide users with confidence and basic skills to begin quickly.
iKITMovie
Do you love animation and wish to create one? The iKITMovie software is a great educational animation tool for adults as well as children. It helps in creating wonderful animated movies easily and quickly. Whether home or school, iKITMovie animation for educational purposes is used by students all across the globe. The features are-
- Overlay – explosions
- Updated new tutorials and tips and tricks
- 2,200+ Sound F/X
- Compatible with the school network
- Direct animation video upload on YouTube
- Addition of face to your characters
- Smoke or fire addition to your animated clip
- Voiceover, music, or sound addition to the animated scene
Moovly
Moovly is one of the best educational animation tools for creating videos easily by the teachers and the students. Whether delivering presentations or classroom assignments, school marketing, or video journalism, Moovly helps in creating the best animation for educational purposes. The features of this software are-
- Access unlimitedly to over 500,000 illustrations, videos, music, sound, and photos
- Publish unlimitedly to Moovly Gallery
- Personal library storage up to 1GB
- Unlimited access to the Moovly Studio editor
- Free automatic education plan to the users from educational email domains known by Moovly
Conclusion
Animation in education sector is in a gradual boom in the recent years, and it’s not top-down procedure just to add fun features, but it’s an essential component for better learning through interaction with the students. While majority of animation software costs a fortune to get into, the below list shows the best free ones which you can use for various animation requirements.
Are you an educator wanting to teach your students about animation? Then having access to free animation software is very important. But with so many animation tools available, where do you start? Here are our recommendations of the best free animation software for education.