Creating animations today is easier than ever! If you have a great idea about your animation, there are so many free tools available to create it. I will show you some best free software for animation creation. You can use these tools to create animation for everything from icons, presentations, short videos, tutorials, motion graphics, music videos, media design and many other applications.
There are a bunch of software you can use for animation creation. No matter if it’s traditional, 3D or even stop motion. Have a look at the list below and decide what fits your needs best.
Synfig
Synfig is another excellent 2D animation software with a lot of useful features. One of the more advanced 2D animation software is not particularly easy to master, making it hard for beginners/students. But once you get the hang of it, you can create masterful 2D animations. And the icing on the cake is that Synfig is completely free because it is open-source.
- Multiuser support makes it an excellent animation software for team/group projects. This powerful software comes with support for many layers, within animations.
- You can also add geometry, filters, distortions and transformations making it robust and versatile. Additionally, it features a bone system that makes it easy to create animations with bitmap images.
- Synfig also allows you to add and sync audio to animations with the built-in audio editor. It has two versions to choose from, stable or development version. The stable version offers a smooth and bug-free animating experience while the development version offers you access to new features first.
LightWave 3D
LightWave is a 3D animation software for Macs that is developed by NewTek. LightWave has been a part of the development of tons of video games, animated movies, graphics, virtual reality experiences and more.
It is one of the more fully-fledged animation software out there. LightWave 3D offers a free 30-Day trial. It will cost a cool 995$ one-time fee after that, but students and teachers and get it at 195$ for the educational version.
- LightWave uses a node editor making animation and rendering a breeze. It features global illumination giving you more control over lighting in the scene/environment.
- OpenGL support for real-time visual feedback is impressive. It also features properties for clouds and fog using a new in-built volumetric engine.
- Versatile software with support to create motion graphics, product designing, and advertisements and more.
DAZ 3D Studio
DAZ 3D is known for its awesome features for art and animation. You’ll find a enture toolset for composition and GPU accelerated real time rendering with lighting, morphing, textures and even ringing.
It’s the best animation software for MAC users who are interested in graphics and animation. The interface of this software is pretty easy and great for people who are new in venturing into the animation field.
You can import and export files with a lot of other software tools like autodesk, maya etc. You’ll have to purchase this software on their official website.
Best Whiteboard Animation Software for Mac: VideoScribe by Sparkol
This program is produced by Sparkol and it remains one of the best whiteboard animation software programs for both Mac and PC. You can also use it on a number of mobile devices including devices that run android. There are elements of the program that works through the cloud making it very simple to upload and edit video wherever you might be.
Videoscribe works quite intuitively for building business presentations, TED talk style videos, tutorials, creative marketing solutions and more. What is produced out of this program looks hand-drawn and extremely professional for any type of marketing campaign. The best part is that you can use many of these tools to create these effects with very little animation knowledge.
Even children enjoy using this program because of its ease of use. There is a full library of stock images, animation and more as well as an extensive voiceover soundtrack that can be used with the solutions here.
The yearly and monthly subscription also ensures that there is a flexible use for the program. It also comes with a seven-day free trial with features to try before you buy.
Best 2D Animation Software for Mac: Toon Boom Harmony
This is a program that actually deserves some surprising recognition. The company has partnered with major film companies like Warner brothers, Disney, and Nickelodeon and it’s currently one of the best and most powerful 2-D animation suites for commercial use.
With the use of this program you can build anything from traditional animation all the way to amazing drawing tools that can produce the future of 3-D animation. The 3-D cameras and integration available in this platform can provide fundamental solutions for drawing, rendering and building beautiful projects.
There are tools and tasks available here that can suit small hobby animators all the way up to professional uses. The premium version delivers the top tool professional solutions that you might expect at of any major animation suite. The essentials level of the harmony program is designed more for hobbyists and it delivers a scaled down version of some of their more high and customization techniques.
Toon Boom not only remains one of the best 2-D animation programs for mac but it is a regular fixture in the animation world today.
Synfig – Open Source 2D Animation Software for Beginners
Price: Free
Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX
Pro: It offers more than 50 layers to make simple or advanced animation, so you don’t need to worry about its limitation though it is free to use.
Con: Few tutorials are available in the market to start making an animation for beginners.
Synfig Studio is an open-source, free 2D animation software that is the perfect place for beginners to learn about 2D animation. There are two versions available for free download – stable and testing.
The testing version has some experimental features if users want to try those ahead of their introduction into the stable release.
Features:
- Supports multiple layers of content
- The bone system allows for the creation of cutout animations from bitmap images
- Has sound support to allow for the addition and syncing of narration and/or music to the video
Conclusion
Have you ever watched an animated film, TV series or cartoon and wondered how it was produced? If this rings true, then you’re ready to get started with animation! The process for creating animations can be different depending on the medium, but one way to ease into the art of animation is through free software that beginners can utilize.