Animation gives life to imagination. But, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the production of such amazing animated movies, ads, educational videos, or games?
It’s the magic of 2D animation software that illustrates ideas in the most creative way possible. Here is a list of the best 2D animation software that is ruling the current animation world.
Table of Contents
1. Adobe Animate
Widely used in 2021, Adobe animate helps design cartoons, infographics, doodles, and e-learning content effortlessly.
It is globally recognized as the best animation software owing to its uncluttered interface.
Key features
- Huge collection of illustrations and animation tools to create impactful animations for games and web content
- Adobe Fresco Live Brushes lets you add expression and movement of choice by simple steps
- Quick exporting to other platforms like HTML4, WebGL, SVG, Canvas, or Adobe AIR
- Instant sharing options to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.
- Asset Panel offers a catalog of motion effects, audio rigs, backgrounds, and characters
- Tutorials to help beginners and walk them through the nits and grits of the platform
- Paint options to boost creativity and enhance illustrations
- Character rigging
Availability
It is supported by Android, iOS, and Windows. A 30-day free trial is available followed by subscription plans to continue taking the benefits of it.
- Annual plan: US$20.99/month.
- Prepaid Annual plan: US$239.88/year.
- Monthly plan: US$31.49.
2. Synfig Studio
An open-source animation software, Synfig studio is an ideal platform for animation enthusiasts looking for opportunities to create their own features.
Key features
- Available in two versions, namely the Stable version and the development version
- Both front-end and back-end facilities to innovate effects of choice
- Library of more than 45 layering effects to boost creativity (geometric, gradients, fractals, distortions, transformations, etc.)
- Vector tweening
- The integrated bone system along with the skeleton distortion layer aids in producing complex expression of characters and various motions
- In-built sound layers
Availability
It is supported by Windows, OSX, and Linux. Both versions can be downloaded from the official website for free. It is also available as free open source code on GitHub.
3. Harmony 20 – Toon Boom (Best 2D animation software)
Toon Boom Harmony is already an award-winning platform that has been extensively used in classic shows like Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers.
Production houses like Universal Studios, Cartoon Network, Fox Studios, and Ubisoft have relied on it for the last 25 years. As a result, it has given the world the best animation shows and helped artists in exploring their creativity to its maximum potential.
Key features
- Exclusive brush engine along with 2D/3D integration for endless prospects
- High-end color palettes, color levels, color curves, and gamma color fade
- Deformers for animations with the most realistic effects
- Seamless paperless animation
- Stylus pressure and tilt angle responsiveness
- Powerful rigging tools to curate best puppet characters
- Alignment guides
- Pipeline integration
- Can collaborate with tools like Adobe Illustrator and Bitmaps
- Paperless animation
- Learning resources are available to grasp the technicalities of the platform
Availability
Harmony 20 is supported by Windows 7 and 10 with a minimum processor of 5th generation, i.e., i5. It is also compatible with macOS Mojave, Catalina, and High Sierra versions.
It offers a 21-day free trial with the following subscription plans.
- Harmony 20 Essential: $20 per month and $165 for annual billing.
- Harmony 20 Advanced: $51 per month and $395 for annual billing.
- Harmony 20 Premium: $92 per month and $750 for annual billing.
4. OpenToonz
With a theme to develop and create simultaneously, OpenToonz was conceptualized as an open-source platform. It is famous for its use in Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke.
Key features
- Scanning tool, GTS transforms drawings into animations in four different color formats
- It is also compatible with TWAIN standards
- Plug-in SDK effects boosted by deep learning technology execute wavy effects, incident light, and picture style alterations
- Customizes with vector as well as raster images
- Features like tweening, Bitmaps, and dynamic color palettes are also available
Availability
It can run efficiently on Windows 7(64 bit) and macOS 10.14 Mojave and higher versions. Please note that the GTS scanning tool is exclusively available for Windows only.
This software can be downloaded free of cost (commercial and non-commercial use) from the official website.
A special version known as Nightly Build is an experimental code, available for people who want to experiment with the magic of animation by building codes in their own style.
5. Cartoon Animator 4
Previously known as Crazy Talk Animator (CTA), Cartoon Animator 4 is one of the best 2D animation software in the current times. It is utilized for the production of TV series like The Curious Child by Ron De Bruin, and a comic by Francisco.
Key features
- Motion capture via webcam and iPhone facial Mocap that facilitates full-body motion capture, hand movement tracking feature, and lip-sync recording
- Sprite-based facial system to create talking heads
- Auto IK rig and stretch animation
- Pipeline integration with Photoshop that has furnished 360 PSD design templates
- iCloud Motion Link to transform the edits made in 2D design into 3D animation
- Availability of export options from after-effects for fast video composting
- Import option from 3D motion into 2D work for the creation of elastic motion
- Precise IF/IK system
Availability
It can run on Windows and Mac. A 30-day free trial is available with more than a hundred add-on resources for beginners and professionals. The subscription plans are described below.
- Pro: Available for $99.
- Pipeline: Accessible at $199.
Some special discount offers are also available on its official website.
6. Moho Pro
A multipurpose animation software, Moho Pro offers 3D animation capabilities in a package of 2D animation software.
Key features
- Bone rigging system to produce dynamic movements
- Multi-channel supervision
- Bitmap features such as bitmap frames, personalized bitmap brush creation, and bitmap freehand drawing tools
- Extensive import and export facilities such as SVG EPS, AI import, and 4K video and vector export
- Library of add-ons to enhance the existing options such as 100 brush packs, retro space packs, puppets pack, and many more
Availability
It is not a beginner-friendly platform because of its complex technicalities. It is supported by Windows, OSX, and Mac. A 30-days free trial is followed by a subscription plan for $399.9.
7. Pencil 2D
An open-source platform with an easy-to-use interface, Pencil 2D animation software is a pilgrimage platform for people who love traditional hand-drawn animation.
Key features
- Vector and raster to implement sketch and ink workflow simultaneously
- Supports TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
- Doesn’t support tweening
Availability
Pencil 2D is a free cross-platform animation software, compatible with Windows 7,8,10, XP, Vista, Linux, and Mac.
8. Animaker
A web-browser-based animation software, Animaker has a splendid list of clients in its record, some of them being Dell, Nokia, Amazon, Philips, GSK, and Siemens.
It is the best 2D animation software for beginners for curating educational videos, infographics, whiteboard videos, marketing videos, and handcraft visual aids.
Key features
- Magnificent video asset library with a huge collection of pictures, videos, characters, BGs, etc.
- Character builder with more than 12 facial features and 10 accessory slots to create puppets and figures of your imaginations to life
- Auto Lip-sync
- Gradient backgrounds
- Animation studio with a plethora of camera effects, transitions, audios, and video motions
- Supports 4K video quality with size up to 20GB
- Provision to add subtitles
- More than 100 million stock assets with videos, images, and GIFs
- Text-to-speech converter to add human-like voices to your animation
- Real-time collaboration with other platforms for team projects
Availability
Pricing plans include four standard plans, as listed below.
- Basic: Costs $10 per month and $120/year.
- Starter: Available for $19 per month and $228/year.
- Pro: this is the most recommended package, accessible at $49 per month and $588/year.
- Enterprise: This is a personalized plan available at custom prices.
9. PowToon
Conceptualized with the theme of visual communication, PowToon is widely used to generate marketing content, infographics, and communication data.
It is also browser-based animation software that caters to giant organizations like Microsoft, IBM, eBay, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Google.
Key features
- Creative predefined templates to reduce the burden of starting from scratch
- Option of export YouTube Videos, Facebook videos, GIFs, PDFs, and PowerPoints to create animation from the source
- Multiple customization options
Availability
A free plan is available with 100 MB storage and a video length of 3 minutes with assets. There are three paid plans.
- Pro: It is available at ₹279 per month and ₹3348 for the year with 2 GB of storage.
- Pro+: It is accessible at ₹879 per month and ₹10778/year with unlimited exports and 10 GB of storage.
- Agency: It cost ₹1500 per month and ₹18000/ year. The user gets 100 Gb of storage in this account.
10. DigiCel Flipbook
Flipbook is a frame animation software that animates one frame at a time. It has received praise from the legendary Disney Animation Director, Eric Goldberg.
Key features
- Direct scanning of paperwork and artwork and their instant conversion into animation
- Lip-sync support
- Real-time changes can be made, even when animation is on the run
- Efficient import and export facilities
- Allows creation of stop motion videos
Availability
Free-plan lets you download watermarked content. Paid plans offer tailor-made products. The four pricing plans are described below.
- Lite: Accessible at $98, currently at sale for $19 with 300 frames.
- Studio: Available at $298, currently at sale for 49 with 1000 frames.
- ProHD: Listed for $798, currently can be bought for $99 with 1500 frames.
Conclusion
Every artist has a niche and the choice of animation software varies with it. It is recommended to begin with free platforms to sharpen your skills and become well-versed with the nuts and bolts of the software. Watch tutorials, experiment with effects, try facial expressions, and motion capture.
Once you excel in the basics, proceed with paid versions to ace the field of animation with your incredible ideas.
If you are looking for any other software for your business, make sure to check out SaaSworthy.
Also read:
• Top 10 Free Animation Software: 2021 Edition
• How is Zoom Turning into more than just A Video Conferencing Firm
