You want to animate a scene with your characters, but you’re low on funding. In this article I’ll give you a list of free and commercial software you can use to make hand-drawn animation. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on software for animators if you don’t have a lot to spend. All you need is a bit of creativity and a computer with the right software installed.
Hand drawn animation have been making a comeback in the last few years. Hand drawn animation has developed quite a following in film and television. Stop motion is one of the main types of hand drawn animation. And though, stop motion is what many people think, when they hear hand drawn animation, it’s not just about stop motion. It’s also about frame by frame, hand drawn animation that is created digitally, through programs like Flash. There are plenty of art software that will allow you to draw digitally, create storyboards digitally and then animate your hand drawn animations. Here we’ll provide a list of some of the best and most used and recommended art and storyboard software that allows you to create hand drawn animations quickly and easily.
VideoScribe
Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $25 per month for a single user
Compatibility: cloud-based or downloadable software for Mac and PC computers
In case you need cloud-based software you can use for free to create animations in a short period of time, then VideoScribe is probably one of the best choices you can make. The software features huge image, video and music libraries that are well-suited for a broad range of whiteboard animations, and it also offers a wide array of hands, pens, and erasers. In addition, you can import assets you’ve created and VideoScribe will animate them for you. The voiceover feature is particularly useful if you are looking to add narration to your explainer and educational videos or product reviews. VideoScribe can only be used offline if you purchase its Pro version and you won’t be able to export HD video files if you opt to create your whiteboard animations with the free version of this software. This whiteboard animation maker is an excellent option for businesses that want to improve their social media presence through the production of animated whiteboard explainer videos or educational institutions that are looking for a way to keep their students engaged.
Doodly
Price: Pricing plans start at $39 per month
Compatibility: Windows, macOS
Hiring professional animators to create your whiteboard animations for you is both expensive and time-consuming. Doodly solves both of these issues by enabling you to simply drag and drop animated elements to the timeline and produce visually attractive hand-drawn animations at a reasonable price. The software features an extensive collection of male and female hands whose skin color you can adjust with a single click. There are hundreds of pre-made sketches available, and you just have to add the one you like to the canvas and Doodly will automatically animate the drawing for you. You can also choose if you want to use a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard surface as a background for your animation. The Doodly Smart Draw technology lets you import and animate any hand drawing so you don’t have to rely on the software’s built-in library of doodles. The best part is that you can export all animations you create with Doodly in Full HD resolution.
Adobe Animate
When it comes to graphics design, few software developers are so much in the spotlight as Adobe. Of course, it seems that even the 2D animation genre has its own dedicated program in the form of Adobe Animate.
This incredible program breaks the barrier between what can be considered professional software and user products, bringing top-notch tools into a very intuitive interface.
2D animation and control have never been simple thanks to Adobe Animate, from your typical 2D flash video to minimalist anime and kid’s cartoons.
You can use Adobe Animate to design interactive animations for games, TV shows, and the web, and even bring cartoons and banner ads to life.
Even if you’re not a professional, you can still use it to create animated doodles and avatars, add action to eLearning content and infographics.
Once you’re done, you can use Adobe Animate to quickly publish to multiple platforms in just about any format, and reach viewers on any screen.
Here are some of Animate’s key features:
- Fluid Brushes
- Onion Skinning
- Infographics
- Layer parenting
Krita
Krita is arguably the best free hand-drawn animation software, designed primarily to give artists the flexibility to create and deliver riveting animations.
The software is a favorite of thousands (if not more) animators worldwide, and that’s not just because it comes free, thus being accessible.
It’s principally due to it being infinitely better than many of even the commercial hand-drawn animation software out there.
It has a simple interface (akin to the legendary Adobe Flash) to help you access and use its impressive assembly of innovative features.
I am referring to tools like the detailed timeline controls which come in handy when setting the speed of action. This helps you present your ideas in a way that rhymes with your audience’s needs.
On the same note, Krita’s real-time animation playback controls allow you to easily review your animation as you fine-tune cartoons and overall play for the best impression.
This software’s onion-skin display is industry-best. You will thus effortlessly see several frames simultaneously so that you can make the right decisions as far as further creations or changes to drawings are concerned.
The program is in general filled to the brim with such features making it a top choice for both amateurs and professionals.
Mango Animate Whiteboard Animation Maker
Mango Animate Whiteboard Animation Maker is a user-friendly and the simplest free hand drawn animation software which helps develop doodle videos, hand drawing animations, whiteboard explainer videos, and more. The connection is simple to plan and navigate whiteboard animation videos with easy process.
Mango Animate Whiteboard Animation Maker has whiteboard video templates designed and customized to complete doodle videos professionally and gives more excellent effects like interactivity to compile this whiteboard animation software. Moreover, one of the best features of this free hand drawn animation software is that after creating the project, one can publish them as online videos, offline videos, and as well as GIFs.
Mango Animate Whiteboard Animation Maker is an excellent tool to draw design, easier to fix. All you need to do is pick any object, edit the background, customize it accordingly, and final creation can be shared wherever required. One can get to know how to utilize it and get the hang of it quickly because it is user-friendly.
Conclusion
There’s a certain sort of feel that comes from hand-drawn animation, which brings a charm and timelessness to its films. In the early days of America, animation was used as a way to save on costs by utilizing simple images as opposed to creating large studios where thousands of people were needed to animate a scene.