In addition to our beloved Adobe Flash, there are no less good programs for creating 2D animation. And even more - programs that provide much more opportunities than Flash in creating high-quality animation.
So, what programs exist for 2-d animation and which one to choose.
1.Toon Boom (toonboom.com)
Professional software for creating 2-d animation, widely used by professional animators around the world. If you believe Google, then it was in this program that the animation for The Simpsons was made.
Toon Boom offers several animation software packages for every taste, age and wallet size:
A program for frame by frame hand animation. It is mainly used to create classic animation, when each frame
drawn on paper and then scanned. Has a wide range of drawing tools.
The program was previously called Moho... Of all the above, the most affordable in terms of cost.
There are 2 Anime Studio products on the site:
1) AnimeStudioPro- ideal for professional animators (costs about $ 200)
2) AnimeStudioDebut - 2D animation program for beginners (cost $ 49.99)
There are a lot of automated processes in the editor, a big plus of the program is the so-called bones, which allow you to create a skeleton of a character for animation.
There are many tutorials on the program's website on the program's website:
The capabilities of the program are demonstrated by a video presentation:
Anime Studio Pro 9 presentation
Anime Studio Webinar: What "s New in Anime Studio Pro 9
The undisputed leader among professional programs for creating stop-motion animation. To work in Dragonframe, you need to directly connect the camera to a computer (MacOS or Windows) via USB or HDMI, further control is carried out directly from the application. The principle of operation is very simple: the captured image is displayed on the timeline and using the “live view” function becomes transparent, allowing you to build the next frame relative to it. Dragonframe has built-in vector graphics tools that can also be rendered. The program allows you to customize the exposure sheet (X-Sheet) depending on your needs, can synchronize the movements of characters' lips, contains functions for working with exposure, supports automatic control of camera movement (compatible with IOTA controller and Arduino board). To speed up the process of capturing images, you can use a special KeyPad USB controller (it comes with the purchase of Dragonframe 3.6), as well as connect your iPad using special software to use it as a second monitor and not be chained to the camera. It is worth noting that Dragonframe supports not only popular DSLR camera models (Canon and Nikon), but also BlackMagic cameras, USB Webcams, some HDV / HDMI cameras and even RED cameras.
02. StopmotionPro
The program for creating a stop motion, which has all the necessary functionality: connecting DSLR cameras; convenient controller for capturing images; support for Onion Skinning (skinning tool); sound effects and work with the voice of characters; "Removing rigs" tool (erases the structures on which the heroes or the objects around them are held); support for importing video files and images of various formats; intuitive design. While StopmotionPro can only be installed on Windows, the manufacturers promise to make a version for MacOS soon.
03. AnimaShooter
Another professional Windows program for time-lapse animation that can work with DSLRs, web and regular video cameras. The software comes in three versions: Junior (free), Pioner, and Capture. All three have standard tools: flip-flop (fast switching between frames), Onion Skinning, manipulating frames on the timeline, importing images, exporting a sequence of frames in four formats (JPG, PNG, TIFF, WEBP), exposure sheets. But support for SLR cameras is provided only in the Capture version.
04.iStopMotion
Application from the German company Boinx, specializing in the creation of "apple" software for working with photos or videos. iStopMotion is popular with children and educators, but this means that it has a stripped-down functionality. The program works not only with DSLR cameras (Canon and Nikon), but also allows you to capture images from iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (using the free application "iStopMotion Remote Camera"). In addition to the standard Onion Skinning tool, iStopMotion has many other useful features: a filter with Tilt Shift effect, support for Time Lapse, image capture via chroma key, export of projects to iMovie and Final Cut Pro X, as well as the ability to export animation for printing a book in Flipbook format. There is also a mobile version of the program for iPad.
05. Animation Desk ™
Very nice hand drawn animation app for iPad. Despite the seemingly limited capabilities of the tablet, in the Animation Desk you can draw your character using various tools (three types of brushes, pencil, eraser, felt-tip pen, pen, fill and feather) that are sensitive to finger pressure and adjustable in size and transparency level. Special tool "Stamp Tool" allows you to add or copy selected areas from any image. In addition, the program supports such standard functions as Onion Skinning, X-Sheet, various layers, work with audio and so on. The resulting animation can be exported to MOV, PDF or GIF.
06. Animation Creator HD
Another animation video manipulation app for iPad that can work in various HD resolutions: 1280x720, 1920x1080 and even Ultra HD 4K. There is a standard set of tools: brushes with different pressing force, pencil, pen, eraser, spray paint. A large selection of color palette is presented. Available regulation of the frame rate, movements in the frame (zoom and panning), the use of the notorious Onion Skinning and many other functions. The application is integrated into the Cineverse service, a social network where you can upload your animation videos. But unlike Animation Desk, Animation Creator HD costs four dollars.
07. Moovly
Since the time when cavemen learned to make rock paintings, mankind has improved the methods of visual display of the surrounding reality. In different periods of history, artists were equipped with new paints and tools for drawing, sculptors mastered various materials and techniques, and the theater impressed with the realistic scenery.
With the advent of computers, many new ways of constructing images have emerged. Of course, technologies have significantly expanded the previously existing capabilities, including in the field of creating pictures with the effect of motion:
To "stir up" a static image, a program for creating animation must be installed on your computer, and this article will discuss its choice.
A little about animation
In order for the image to be animated, the following conditions must be met:
- Several pictures. It is impossible to achieve the effect of motion with one image at your disposal. Animation is a change of frames, and these frames must be different from each other;
- Similar pictures. If you consistently change a cat for a dog, an elephant and a giraffe, you will end up with something indigestible. Images must have common elements for good animation;
- Frame rate. If the picture changes once a second, then no motion effect can be achieved. In order to get the desired result, you need to change frames more than 16 times per second.
To achieve the desired result, there are various programs for 2D animation, as well as for working with 3D images. Let's start by looking at the 3D format.
3D animation software
Let's consider some popular programs for creating 3D animation.
- 3D Studio Max. This program is popular among those for whom the creation of animation is not the main activity. Also great for modeling three-dimensional objects in computer games:
There are a huge number of constantly updated plugins and rendering capabilities, but not everyone can afford everything (legally) due to financial reasons.
- Realsoft 3D. A distinctive feature of this program for 3D animation is the highest image quality:
This feature is actively used by the creators of commercials and music videos. Also a nice feature is cross-platform.
- Maya. A program for creating high-quality 3D animation, which is widely used in filmmaking:
- Poser 4. This system is most suitable for modeling human behavior, therefore it is used both in the development of computer games and in the creation of cartoons:
Flash animation software
To be placed on site pages, animated images must be lightweight (otherwise the resource loading speed will be depressing). Flash technology allows you to "stir up" boring pictures on the World Wide Web.
Today, the absolute leader in this area is Adobe, which offers a wide range of opportunities for developers:
However, not everyone can afford such a program for flash animation, not to mention the necessary plugins ( in total, the entire package will cost more than $ 1000). Therefore, we will consider options with cheaper components.
- SWiSHpowerFX. This system greatly simplifies the creation of animated text. The main advantages are ease of use by users and speed of image creation;
- Swiff Chart. Program for creating diagrams. The user only needs to enter data and select the type of chart, and the system will do the rest.
Photo animation
Let's consider some software solutions that will help you make an animated image from a static photo.
- Adobe Photoshop. The king of image editing that provides the widest range of possibilities:
Adding various animated effects will help make any photo really live.
- FotoMorph. A program whose action is based on morphing technology ( transition from one image to another):
- PhotoSHOW PRO. An analogue of Photoshop, which is certainly inferior to its eminent competitor in everything, including the price, and for some, this is already a weighty argument not in favor of a product from Adobe:
In order not to get lost in the abundance of the offered tools, we recommend that beginners follow the tips below.
- The great possibilities of the program are the same knowledge of the performer. Don't think that cool programs do everything themselves. Quite the opposite: the cooler the program, the harder it is to work with it ( even the simplest effects can cause difficulties). Therefore, calculate the time you are willing to spend learning new technologies;
- The end must match the means. Of course, we live in a world where not a single person uses non-licensed software, and those who do have bad dreams at night. Therefore, pay for the used software money, which is justified by the task. Roughly speaking, if you need to make a moving bear in order to pass a laboratory work at a university, then it is stupid to pay $ 500 for a fancy program, take something cheaper;
- You'd better trust the professionals. People with experience can be hired to create flash animation and 3D. They will be able to quickly realize most of your whims for the amount of money corresponding to the amount of work.
Thus, there are a huge number of software tools that allow you to create animation, and the choice of the right software depends on your goals, skills and financial capabilities.
Having looked at the most popular utilities, you can make the right choice when developing your own cartoons and promoting them further. There are many options, and each has its own advantages.
Autodesk Maya is an incredibly cool cartoon maker. By loading it and activating the trial period, you touch the tool that created characters and effects in world famous cartoons and films: "Frozen", "Wall-i", "South Park", "Smeshariki", "Fixiki", "Masha and the Bear ”,“ Shrek ”,“ Zootopia ”,“ The Matrix ”,“ The Lord of the Rings ”,“ Spider-Man ”,“ King Kong ”,“ Pirates of the Caribbean ”,“ Golden Compass ”. The list can be continued for a very long time, but the names of the paintings speak for themselves.
Easy GIF Animator, is one of the most popular tools for creating animated cartoons, contains a simple and intuitive interface in Russian, and also allows you to save your work in AVI and Flash video formats. You can receive both story clips and high-quality slide shows or presentations.
Toon Boom Harmony occupies one of the leading positions in its field. The application is designed for serious animation, it is noteworthy that on its basis, the series "The Simsons" was created. Toon Boom can offer the benefits of collaborating on your project with peers and colleagues using the online mode.
Anime Studio Pro will export your materials to high definition video. Widespread among fans of 2D animated images, it boasts a good built-in base with presets of elements and characters. Easily imports files from Photoshop.
iClone is another professional program that can easily create a cartoon or a variety of banners, it contains the unique capabilities of transforming the movements of a real person into animation. Before using the iClone, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the tutorial. Any character can be assigned a photo of your appearance, thanks to the "FaceTrix" technology incorporated by the developers.
Express Animate - software that contributes to the development of cartoons for free, has a fairly simple and effective set of tools, can process your content in batch. The main advantage is a very compact space on your computer's hard drive and relatively high-quality computer graphics.
Plastic Animation Paper plays a primary role in making pencil-drawn videos. In this program, the artist creates and animates characters. It remains only to put them on the background and edit the material. As a free app, Plastic Animation Paper has excellent quality.
The computer program Pivot Animator is usually used to produce small, funny, photo-based animations. You add a picture of a person or several to the plot, add inscriptions, effects, change the appearance of characters, etc. It turns out to be a funny and cute cartoon. The program deserves respect for its highly realistic physics. Every movement of the character looks natural - the computer animation is very realistic.
We all love to watch bright, kind cartoons that plunge into the atmosphere of a fairy tale. But how are these cartoons created? This is a long and laborious process, in which a rather large team of professionals takes part. But there are many programs with which you can also create your own cartoon with unique characters and an exciting plot.
In this article we will look at a list of programs for creating 2D and 3D cartoons. Here you will find software for both novice users and professionals. Let's get started!
One of the most powerful and popular programs for working with 3D images and animation is Autodesk Maya. This program is very often used by professionals in the film industry. Naturally, you should only download it if you have some experience with such programs.
Autodesk Maya has a huge set of tools, which is why it is so popular. With its help you can create realistic 3D models using sculpting tools. The program also calculates the behavior of materials and creates the dynamics of soft and solid bodies.
Also in Autodesk Maya, you can create characters with realistic animation and movement. You can assign any body element to any model element. You will be able to control every limb and every joint of the character.
Although the program is quite difficult to master, this is compensated by the presence of a large amount of teaching material.
Despite the high cost of the software, Autodesk Maya is the most advanced program for creating 3D cartoons.
MODO
Another powerful program for creating cartoons on a computer, which is popular due to its speed. MODO has a wide range of tools for modeling and sculpting, and also has full standard libraries that you can always add your own materials.
A feature of MODO is the ability to fully customize the program for yourself. You can create your own toolboxes and assign hotkeys to them. You can also create your own custom brushes and save them in libraries.
If we talk about rendering models, then MODO does not lag behind Autodesk Maya in image quality. At the moment, the program has one of the best Visualizers for creating realistic pictures. Rendering can take place both automatically and under user control.
On the official website of MODO you can find a trial version of the software, which has no restrictions, except for the time - 30 days. The program is also difficult to master and the training material on the Internet is only available in English.
Toon Boom Harmony is the undisputed leader among animation software. The program is designed mainly for working with 2D graphics and has a lot of interesting tools that greatly facilitate the work.
For example, a tool like Bones allows you to create character movements and control every element of the model's body. With it, you can animate your character without splitting it into separate sectors, which saves time.
Another feature of the program is the True Pencil mode, where you can scan drawings from tracing paper. Anyway, the drawing process in Toon Boom Harmony was greatly facilitated. For example, automatic line smoothing and splicing, pressure control and the ability to adjust each line allow you to create really high quality drawings.
Despite the fact that the program is very demanding on the system resources of the computer, you should definitely pay attention to it.
CrazyTalk is a fun facial animation software that lets you make any image or photo “talk”. Despite the simplicity of the program, it is often used by professionals.
CrazyTalk doesn't have much functionality. Here you simply load the image and prepare it for animation. If you do not have a suitable image, then the program offers you to take a photo from your webcam. Then you download the audio recording, overlay it on the video, and the program itself creates the speech animation. Audio can also be recorded from a microphone. Done!
The program has standard libraries in which you can find ready-made models, audio recordings, as well as face elements that can be superimposed on an image. Although the libraries are small, you can add them yourself or download ready-made materials from the Internet.
Another interesting program is Anime Studio Pro. Here you can also create your own full 2D cartoon. The peculiarity of the program is that it tries to facilitate the user's work. There are a number of special tools and functions for this.
For example, if you do not want to manually draw each character, you can use the standard Editor and assemble a character from ready-made elements. You can also finish the character made in the editor manually.
Also in Anime Studio Pro there is a tool "Bones" with which you can create the movement of characters. By the way, the program also has ready-made animation scripts for some movements. For example, you do not have to draw a step animation, as you can use a ready-made script.
In general, the program is suitable for users who have already dealt with animation and similar programs. But for a novice user, you can find a bunch of tutorials.
Pencil is probably the simplest cartoon drawing program. The familiar Paint interface makes it easy to create animations. Here you will not find such a variety of tools as in the above programs, but you will certainly quickly get used to it.
The program supports multiple layers and frame-by-frame animation. That is, you need to draw each frame by hand. To create animation, move the time bar slider and select the required frame. It couldn't be easier!
Why is the program better than others like it? And the fact that the only completely free program on this list. Of course, Pencil is not suitable for large projects, but small short cartoons can be drawn here. It's a good choice for novice users!
Plastic Animation Paper is a program that is one large painting canvas. It has more tools than Pencil, but it is also very simple and straightforward. The program has a more advanced image editor.
To create animation, you need to draw each frame manually or copy from the previous one. For convenience, there is a sketch mode in which, when drawing the next frame, you can see the past frames. This will help make the animation smoother.
Anime Studio Pro makes it easy to create simple 2D short cartoons, but for larger projects you should turn to more powerful programs. With this program, you should start learning how to draw animations.
It cannot be said which of the reviewed programs is better. Each person will determine for himself what is more convenient and interesting for him. All programs from this list have their own unique set of tools, but still they have something in common - without special software, you cannot create a really high-quality cartoon. We hope that you will find something for yourself on our list and we will see your cartoons soon.
