Best software for animation
best software for animation
And beginning animators don't always have to pay hundreds of dollars to get the software they need to pursue their hobby.
Today, the Internet and open source software have helped us create exceptional 2D and 3D animation software.
Not only are these programs completely free to download, but they often offer powerful add-ons for use by professional animators.
Best animation software
In the following, we will discover the most important programs you can use to design animations.
Pencil 2D is an excellent free and open source program that is at the same time a very powerful program for vector animation and bitmaps.
Pencil 2D allows you to create color compositions using pencil and brush tools.
The design of the program is very simple and intuitive.
Anyone with little experience will be able to use this animation software with ease.
The program also offers excellent overlay tools with a timeline and a simple mainframe manipulation system.
Animators will appreciate the simple and orderly timeline where it is very easy to add new images on different layers, duplicate them, change the frame rate and work quickly to create animations with minimum effort.
With this software, professional animators can do many things with even the simplest tools.
Plastic Animation Paper (PAP 4.0)
PAP 4.0 is probably the best program for making animations from the point of view of many.
Indeed, this program is one of the best free 2D animation tools you can download for Windows.
It is an independent project by animators who love this skill.
PAP 4.0 will remind you of traditional animation, with many features such as onion skinning, light adjustment, layers, blue and red pens to plan and create poses and scenes.
Unfortunately, the design of the app is not nice, but it is packed with features of a traditional animation software.
For many, it will be useful to follow the tutorials on the site.
And once you become familiar with the many small icons (placed in well-designed streamlined windows around the workspace) and their capabilities, you'll discover that there's a lot you can do with PAP 4.0.
The application supports the pressure-sensitive Wacom stylus and has built-in intuitive shortcuts for zooming, rotating, and switching between drag and scan modes.
PAP 4.0 is primarily intended for professionals who plan animation on their computers, eliminating the need for font tests, scanners and cameras, but it is also ideal for teachers and animation students, who can see results quickly and learn just as quickly.
PAP 4.0 is also lightweight and will not overload your device's resources, unlike some other programs that consume a lot of memory.
Synfig Studio is also a feature-rich animation application that can be downloaded and used for free.
In addition to the usual drawing tools, keyframes, drawing tools and shape tools that you will find in applications of this type, Synfig allows you to create bitmap and vector animations.
The program also offers advanced features that guide you through an easy and wonderful learning curve.
Another feature that stands out is that the application automatically adds keyframes, so the workflow is seamless.
The tool works with pressure-sensitive tablets, although some users have complained about a gap between the Wacom pen pointer and the app's screen.
And if you don't have any problems with your tablet and pen, you can take advantage of some amazing business features in this free app.
For example, Synfig supports gradient paths in which you can shade your graphics, manipulate vector lines, choose from a variety of blending methods for drawing and use a grid.
Overall, Synfig is an excellent application for those who have little experience with animation software.
