Do you use a wacom tablet? Are you looking to get one? Are you thinking about buying some cool software for your tablet? Well, then I’ve got just what you’re looking for! I have tested a ton of drawing software on my Wacom tablet and have found the perfect free ones that are compatible with nearly all tablets. Let me share with you my favorite free drawing software programs.
Wacom drawing software download is easy if you know what you’re looking for. Whether you like free drawing software for pc or for mac, there are many choices to select from. There are also many different software types to consider as well. I’ve spent a lot of time combing through the internet and testing different programs that I found helpful in finding the best one.
Photoshop (monthly or annual subscription)
It was clear that we were going to be able to use this tablet with the best photo editing program. Adobe has done a great job integrating pressure sensitivity in its software and offers many controls.
Clip Studio Paint
This is a graphics software used by illustrators and comic artists for creating their work. The creators of manga, comics and cartoons extensively use this software as it offers specialized features for drawing comics and cartoons. It has improved features for coloring your comics, cartoons or other artworks. The artist can customize the brushes according to his requirements. Complicated patterns can be drawn with the help of the decoration tool. The user can also access a vast library of free downloadable content, which includes brushes, tones, 3D models and more such items.
Krita
Krita is a free and open source painting program, which has been developed for artists, illustrators and for the VFX industry. This comes with many innovative features to help beginners and professionals alike. The user can have a trouble-free drawing experience and the user interface allows the user to move the docker and panels so that it doesn’t get in the way of drawing. The brush stabilizers offered by Krita will smooth and stabilize the brush strokes. Over 9 unique brush engines let you customize the brush to perform specific needs.
Adobe Character Animator
Adobe Character Animator is another one of Adobe’s animation software stack. But unlike Adobe Animate, Character Animator lets you use motion capture to create live animations of your 2D characters. For example, you can create a character in Illustrator or Photoshop, import it into Character Animator, set it up with tags and then animate it using your own facial movements using your webcam.
Features:
- Real-time motion capture and automatic facial tracking.
- Download characters from Creative Cloud Market.
- Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Move the character’s limbs with your mouse.
- Timeline panel for recording and editing scenes.
Pricing: Included in the Creative Cloud All-Apps Plan that costs $39.99/month.
Pros: Easy to replicate real-life movements and expressions with facial tracking. Plenty of import and export options.
Cons: This software is available as part of the all apps pack, not as a standalone product. Also, you need to have a webcam and microphone to use the motion capture feature.
Ideal for: Bloggers, marketers, entertainers, educators.
Maya
Initially established in 1998, Maya is an Academy Award-winning (2003) 3D computer graphics and animation software. Currently owned by Autodesk, it is especially useful for the creation of interactive 3D applications like motion pictures, video games, TV series, special effects, and more.
It is, without any doubt, one of the best software tools on the market providing 3D animation, and has been acclaimed for its use in notable films like ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Spiderman,’ ‘Star Wars,’ and ‘Ice Age.’
The best part is that it is compatible with all operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Best for:
Maya is one of the best animation software tools for creating animation pictures, video games, and adding 3D effects in motion pictures. If you require high-quality visual effects, then Maya has you covered.
Advanced Features:
- Clip matching feature
- Bifrost liquid creation feature that creates simulations of photorealistic movies
- Excellent Adobe character animator
- Allows deep adaptive liquid simulations
- In-built accelerated modeling workflows
- Paint effect feature that allows you to make 3D shapes by freehand drawing tools and drawing software
- Enhanced viewport 2.0 and DX11Shader rendering engine (blur refFlections, shader effects, imparting translucency)
- Free-form approach to 3D modeling that allows you to add as many layers as you want
- Arnold integration – this RenderView feature can be used to view scene changes in real-time
- Create your own scripts and plugins for better customization (in Maya-embedded Language or python scripting)
- Voice-o-matic provides lip-syncing technology, motion capture, and walk cycles
Pros:
- Complex hand-made animation tasks made extremely easy
- Efficient color management (useful Boolean operations on polygon geometry)
- Create realistic effects including explosions and cloth simulations
- Excellent rendering technology even for the most advanced projects
- Comes with a 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee which are great to take it for a test drive
Pricing:
Maya is easily the best 3D animation software on the market and comes in at a reasonable cost of $1,700/year (or pay $215/month). They also offer a 30-day free trial so you can test the software before making the purchase.
Maya is one of the best on the market and my #2 pick this year.
You can test out Maya for free with a 30-day free trial or purchase a yearly plan and save 34%.
Blender
Blender is an open-source video editing software that lets you have total control over your animations. The tool offers advanced command line and programming features for rendering, modeling and creating 3D animations. It works across different operating systems, so you can use it on Linux, Windows and Mac.
Features:
- Powerful rendering, modeling and sculpting tools.
- Advanced animation and rigging tools.
- Draw and edit in 3D mode.
- Video editing and VFX, including motion tracking, masking and compositing.
- Powerful and realistic simulation tools.
- Extensive Python API for scripting and customization.
- Customizable user interface, window layout and shortcuts.
Pricing: Free.
Pros: It doesn’t cost anything to use Blender. Also, advanced animation and rendering tools make it fit for both beginners and expert users.
Cons: Blender has a very steep learning curve as it’s packed with so many features. Beginners will be overwhelmed and might need to spend hours on tutorials before getting it right.
Ideal for: Animators, engineers, scientists, artists, students.
Conclusion:
When you learn to draw characters and scenes from your imagination, you feel a sense of freedom, of breaking free from all the limitations that restrict you to what you are used to. The feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming. Drawing is a fun pass time for most people. It helps reduce stress & clears your mind when done in regular intervals. It also helps improve memory & concentration.