Looking for the best free or paid 2D animation software? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
The animation industry is booming, with so much high-end software available to make outstanding animated videos. Most animation software is accessible to both beginners and experts. 2D animation software is specifically used to make explainers and educational videos.
Suppose you are a newbie in the field of 2D animation and wish to become a professional animator. In that case, you will be interested in our review of the 15 best free and paid 2D animation software.
Table Of Contents
1.Doratoon
Doratoon defines itself as an innovative 2D animation tool with an intuitive and professional UI. As a web-based, free animation program, it offers numerous choices for creating animated characters and presentations using professional-looking effects. It is one of the best solutions for students, marketers, HR professionals, and business owners.
Its greatest strength is its capacity to gather together and provide access to all the animation tools and features that will allow you to produce audience-targeted, customized 2D animated videos. To make things even easier for you, Doratoon offers a wide variety of templates to help you locate and edit relevant videos. This saves you time and frustration.
Features:
- Edit and retouch the still images added to the animation video.
- Convert inputted text into audio using the Synthesis Tool or AI Dubbing Tool.
- Automatically generate drawings with AI Intelligent Drawing.
- Enhance the video’s visual appeal using animations and effects.
- Using the automatic speech recognition feature, you can add subtitles by turning your voice into text.
- Use the best platform templates to create fresh content.
Share your work with the world with just a few clicks.
2.Synfig Studio
The software Synfig Studio is open source and free to use. Using bitmap and vector graphics, it provides sophisticated tools for generating animations with film quality.
You can create animations with 50+ layers, filters, and transformations.
Features:
- You can transform any image with a vector component into another.
- You have access to more than fifty layers, each of which can be used to produce a unique kind of animation.
- This 2D animation tool links layer properties using mathematical equations.
- Its bone technology lets you build cut-out animation and control vectors with bitmaps.
- This 2D animation solution is freely accessible.
3. CelAction2D
CelAction2D is professional software for making 2D animations for movies, TV shows, and commercials. It is the program of choice for many of the industry’s most prominent animators and represents the cutting edge of high-quality, high-volume production.
Character models can be rigged into a skeleton using vectors and bitmaps so that animation can be readily modified and reused. The skeleton can also move automatically between frames in different ways, which makes animation faster than ever.
Features:
- Highly responsive, which makes it appropriate for expert users.
- It contains a variety of multiplane camera-related functions that enhance animation control.
- This 2D animation maker has ergonomic controls as one of its primary characteristics.
- With numerous layers, it is possible to manage complicated tasks.
- It is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit PCs.
- The lifetime use of a single CelAction 2D license is priced at 91,000.
https://images.app.goo.gl/TDCEbFLL6HLEtVPV8
4. Blender
Blender, widely known for its 3D animation software, also offers a 2D graphics application. Use the Blender 2D animation software to create diverse effects, games, and animated films. Even better, you can import and export all of your videos in AVI, QuickTime, and MPEG file formats.
Features:
- Blender has multiple modeling features you can use to design, shape, alter, and edit animations.
- It also provides a Python API for scripting and customization.
- Users can create story art and 2D concept designs.
- It customizes shortcuts.
- Blender path tracer helps in realistic rendering.
- You can preview your footage in real-time.
5. Stop Motion Studio
Are you seeking to wow your bosses with a 2D animated presentation showcasing the qualities of a product? Stop Motion Studio will allow you to accomplish your 2D animation goals. This professional is compatible with DSLRs, so you can easily connect your high-end camera. Your 2D Stop Motion animation video will be a success thanks to a unique, frame-by-frame editor.
Features:
- You can better explain your videos and add voice effects with audio recording and Chroma Key.
- You can examine past frames through a translucent overlay, which facilitates the creation of the subsequent frame.
- One-click YouTube and Facebook uploads
- With a DSLR camera, you can make perfect 1080p recordings.
6. FlipBook
FlipBook is easy to use and designed to help you understand animation basics.
It is straightforward because everything functions as expected. You use a pencil to draw, a paintbrush to paint, or a bucket to fill. Then, click “Play” to view the video. Want to include audio? No problem, just drag an audio file to the “xsheet.” You do not need to spend hours reading a handbook or experimenting to learn how it works.
Features:
- It can directly convert PDF files into flipbooks.
- You can modify the toolbar to your liking.
- Delete or add frames to the software.
- FlipBook can capture your pencil sketches with a single click.
- It is possible to import overlays, backdrops, and videos.
- It also enables the addition of various music tracks.
- Number keys determine the total frame count.
7. Animaker
Animaker is an online animation creation tool equipped with cartoon characters, attributes, icons, background graphics, charts, and maps. You can easily create both personal and professional animated videos.
Features:
- Access to over 100 million stock pictures and movies.
- Six video styles for animated videos, including handcrafted, 2D, whiteboard, 2.5 D, infographics, and typography.
- It has 200 sound effects.
- Thousands of templates.
- Your animation can have several background music tracks.
- Record voice overs for your animated characters
- Export videos in full HD.
- Animaker is a free animation application that offers three premium upgrades.
https://images.app.goo.gl/5oqRZjxBeDmqVuek7
8. Toon Boom
Toon Boom is a 2D animation creator that brings your story to life. It provides three distinct versions of animation tools, notably Harmony 21, Storyboard Pro, and Producer 21, each serving a unique set of creator requirements. It offers a user-friendly interface and a variety of capabilities, such as HDR coloring, stencil brush, an integrated sound editor, etc. Toon Boom provides all the tools necessary to create beautiful 2D animations.
Features:
- Cutout or frame-by-frame animation
- Pipeline integration
- Superior color and texture optimization
- High-pass/low-pass filters
- Live custom artwork
- Iterative import-export
9. TVPaint Animation
TVPaint Animation uses bitmap technology. Using this technology, you can animate traditionally-rendered natural images (gouache, watercolor, oil painting, crayon, and pen). TVPaint Animation does not enforce a certain graphical style or technique.
Features:
- TVPaint allows users to manipulate photos and layers.
- You can create storyboards and preview them as animatics in real-time.
- It permits the combination of many FX (effects) within the FX stack.
- Tvpaint modifies live camera characteristics like color, brightness, color, etc.
- You can edit images with a drawing tool.
10. RoughAnimator
Use RoughAnimator’s customized brushes to create rotoscope animations. The Android application RoughAnimator makes exporting animations such as GIFs, videos, and image sequences simple. Professionals and amateurs use the tool to give their animations a hand-drawn appearance.
Features:
- Onion skinning and preview playback are
- Lip sync function for importing audio files.
- Simple exposure length adjustment for all individual drawings.
11. Pencil2D
Pencil2D is free animation software. It offers a basic user interface with a minimum of distractions. It’s based on old-school animation and comes with instructions on how to use it. For beginners, it doesn’t demand much RAM. It permits the use of paint and ink everywhere.
Features:
- It runs on several platforms.
- You can review work done with rolling or flipping techniques.
- It’s free, commercial software.
- Compatible with the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF).
- Import specified frame photos as new layers.
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12. Maefloresta
You can use your Android or iOS tablet or smartphone to produce free 2D animated videos with the Maefloresta app. If all you want to do is create entertaining films to share with your friends, there is no need to purchase costly software. It is also a great solution for educators and students.
Features:
- You can use this software for free on your smartphone or tablet.
- Simple, tutorial-based animation software
- The user interface is straightforward, making it ideal for novices.
13. Opentoonz
Opentoonz is ideally suited for professional animators because it combines bitmap 2D animation and conventional drawing. To animate drawings, just scan them. It’s a robust, reliable application supports black-and-white, color, binarization, and non-binarization scanning. You can also save the scan settings. It’s suitable for both commercial and non-commercial projects.
Features:
- Opentoonz is compatible with TWAIN specifications.
- It gives a straightforward approach to painting with temporary colors.
- Animation is possible with both vector and raster images.
- Using deep learning technology, you can automatically change the style of a picture.
- GUI can be used to synthesize effects
14. Moho Pro
Moho Pro includes everything necessary to create unique, professional animations. Moho Pro 12 (previously Anime Studio Pro) combines the most sophisticated 2D rigging engine with traditional animation tools for faster, more professional results.
Features:
- Create unique effects and textures for your characters.
- It can build customized bitmap brushes—velocity, pressure, and direction control bitmap brush output.
- Toon shading and material editing give 3D objects advanced support.
- Easily alter 3D object material parameters with enhanced object previews.
- Chat can use keywords, sub-words, and Boolean operations.
- You can also create emails in the conventional format.
15. Krita
Krita is an easy-to-use, workflow-customizable 2D animation software. This free animation software has more than 100 brushes designed by professionals.
Features:
- Krita lets you smooth a brush with a stabilizer.
- You can customize the brush with nine distinct brush engines.
- Built-in vector drawing tools can generate comic panels.
- Use picture references on the x and y-axis to create seamless textures and patterns.
- You can merge, flatten, and rank layers to arrange your artwork.
- You have the option of highlighting the drawing area.
- Krita facilitates its integration into your existing color management pipeline.
Conclusion
The right software makes it much easier to create 2D animated videos. If you have a script and a storyboard in mind, you can now implement your concept in sophisticated and unique ways. We recommend using Doratoon’s 2D animation program if you wish to create a video with 2D animation. It is a strong, simple video editor for all skill levels, from intermediate to advanced.