Have you ever wondered what software is used for creating animations for films, TV shows and video games? In the four-part series “Software of Animation”, we will dissect the workflows of a professional artist and learn about the tools they use to create amazing 3D animations.
Once you have a style established in your work, you need to decide if it’s going to be based on software or traditional mediums. Most animators use a combination of both, but it’s easy to know which one is going to give the biggest impact in the final product.
Finding the best animation software in 2021 just got a whole lot easier. Whether you’re new to the animation scene or you’re a seasoned professional animator on the hunt for something new, this guide covers it all.
However, when it comes to selecting the best animation software for your projects, there’s a lot to consider. For example: your animation style, the software’s available features, tools, and export options, interoperability and compatibility and overall ease-of-use. And let’s not forget the price. All of these things play a critical role in making the right animation software choice.
In this article, you’ll discover our top picks for the best paid-for animation software in 2021. If you’ve got a budget of zero, then skip to the bottom for the best free animation software options. And if you’re after tools rather than full software, see our top animation tools list.
For each piece of software, we’ll cover its pros and cons, what it runs on, and its target users (beginner, hobbyist, or professional) and price. So, without further delay, let’s see what animation software 2021 has to offer.
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The best animation software in 2021
01. Moho Pro
The best animation software for Mac is a powerful rigging tool
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows and MacPrice: $399Best for: Mid-level, hobbyists and professionalsTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Powerful rigging system+Content library
REASONS TO AVOID
-Confusing UI-Steep learning curve
This award-winning animation software for Mac has everything you need to create professional 2D animations. With its powerful rigging system, you’ll have your characters jumping off the screen in no time. Use Smart Bones for better facial expressions and body turns – and in Moho 13.5, you can use the new intuitive V-bones system to help with foreshortening and complex actions.
Moho has been used to create plenty of Oscar nominated films, like The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, Secret of the Kells, and Wolfwalkers, and is one of the industry standards for professional 2D animation.
02. CelAction2D
The best professional animation software for Windows
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: WindowsPrice: From $71/monthBest for: Beginners, hobbyists and professionalsTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Supports large teams+Vector and raster support
REASONS TO AVOID
-No cross-platform support
With four Editions of CelAction2D – Studio, Professional, Animator, and Educational – this 2D animation software for Windows has something for everyone. The Studio edition is an excellent choice if you’re working with a large team, producing feature films, animating television series, or creating animated shorts. This edition also includes upgrades and support and is the first to receive new features.
If you’re working alone or with a smaller team, the Professional edition might be the way to go. But if you don’t need all of the rigging tools, there’s always the Animator editor; however, you won’t be able to build assets – for that, you’ll need the Studio edition.
The Educational edition is identical to the Professional edition but only recognised educational institutions can purchase this edition. You also can’t use this edition for commercial productions.
(Image credit: Procreate/Tammy Coron)
3. 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 – $1.99
4. 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: $69.99*
- FlipBook Pro: $169.99*
- FlipBook ProHD: $199.99*
*up to 80% off promotional price at the time of writing this article
5. Moho (Anime Studio) Debut & Moho (Anime Studio) Pro
Complete 2D Animation Software
While Moho (Anime Studio) Debut is aimed for 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:
- $69.99
- Free trial: 30 days.
Blender
A free, open-source, 3D program, Blender provides a broad spectrum of modeling, texturing, lighting, animation and video post-processing functionality in one package. Through its open architecture, Blender provides cross-platform interoperability, extensibility, an incredibly small footprint, and a tightly integrated workflow.
Price: Free
Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D is a motion graphics artist’s best friend. It is a 3D program for the After Effects user. Very intuitive, and works directly with After Effects without the need to render first. This would not be my first choice for serious 3D film production, since it is designed from the ground up with motion graphics in mind, but it is an amazing versatile program.
Price: $59.99/Month
2D Animation Software
2D animation is a great place to start your animation journey. Most of the programs below are inexpensive and relatively easy to learn.
Animate CC and After Effects are great choices for playing around with 2D animation in both a hand-drawn form or by creating puppets, while Character Animator doesn’t require any drawing at all, and uses your face as the driver for the animation. And if you wanna go pro, Toon Boom Harmony and TVPaint will be your best options.
Animate CC (Formerly Flash)
Probably the most popular 2D animation software out there. Animate has a long lineage of animation making, dating back to the early days of internet video publishing. Its intuitive interface and relatively cheap price point make it a great pick for getting started with 2D animation.
Read: Toon Boom Harmony vs. Flash (Animate)
Price: $20.99/Month
Toon Boom Harmony
Hamony is a more advanced 2D software ideal for both frame-by-frame animation and rig-based animation. It has advanced rigging systems, effects and camera tools. It is vector based, but the more advanced version also has the option for bitmap drawing.
Read: Toon Boom Harmony vs. Flash (Animate)
Price: $24/Month
TVPaint
A french animation software, TVPaint is the all-in-one 2D animation software you’ll ever need. It’s definitely more robust and complex than Photoshop, but it’s also much pricier. This software is for professional animators and studios.
Price: €500 (€250 for students)
Character Animator
A newer animation program with an interesting twist. Instead of animating the traditional way, Character Animator uses you use your web-cam and microphone to automatically animate a pre-built character in real-time, almost like motion-capture. This is a great option for beginners since it requires the least amount of animation experience.
Price: $20.99/Month
After Effects
An interesting choice for 2D animation. After effects gives you great control when creating rigs for 2D using the puppet tool and different expressions. It’s a good choice if you’re already comfortable with the Adobe environment.
Price: $20.99/Month
Conclusions
In this world of technology, the use of animation in our lives has been growing day by day. In media, animation has been used as a way to spread different ideas throughout the world. In fact, there are several ways through which animation can be used to pass a message or a story.