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Alternative Desktop Animation Software (Pencil2D Curated List)

Note: We’ve updated and re purposed our desktop animation software alternative list to stop using the original reply we had for an unsatisfied user on a different issue. There are relatively few free (as in freedom) 2D animation packages that exist out there, but here we’ll take some time to recommend the closest alternatives for hand-drawn animation software in the market to everyone who needs this information.

Open-source (free as in freedom):

NOTE: Click the software name to visit their respective websites

Pencil2D: Originally we didn’t include ourselves, but for completeness sake here we are.

Pencil2D is a bitmap / vector animation software meant to serve as a CAD software (Computer Assisted Drawing) for traditional animation. It is geared towards ease-of-use and accessibility but it still has a lot of issues or missing features that require improvement. It’s functionality and scope is meant to complement other software as a tool for production and planning stages instead of replacing them, so keep this in mind when choosing your preferred animation tool.

User Showcase 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa9PCu_UZpg

User Showcase 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma52j9B1kEM

Enve2D: “You can use enve to create vector animations, raster animations, and even use sound and video files. Enve was created with flexibility and expandability in mind.” Enve2d is a young animation / motion graphics software but it packs a punch with a layer-based animation workflow reminiscent of industry standard software like After Effects.

It fashions support for Vector & Raster layer objects. Individual properties animation can be done via keyframing or expressions w/ JavaScript. Has vector motion & shape “tweening”. Has a growing library of pre-packaged Vector, Raster and even Temporal effects, like “Frame Remapping” you can contribute to as it also supports hot-reload for custom & shader effects created via code (C++ or JS). Movie & Still image Import / export support many formats ranging from JPG to PNG, MOV to MKV & Animated GIF, it even supports SVG and much more! This truly is a dark horse of FOSS for 2D animation as we’ve never seen before.

Enve2D Intro Video (YT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yg6RtBcjso

Synfig Studio: It is a vector animation program which heavily relies on “tweening” to create animation, and you draw with vector-like tools (2d shapes, pen tool) You can “draw” freehand however there’s no pressure sensitivity. It is very technical but It’s well done. Their windows builds are somewhat slow since they develop mostly for linux, but they have new development builds that address this problem with a new rendering engine. Think of an open-source anime studio.

Product Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8SF_-gJ0_w

OpenToonz: A new contender in the open-source animation arena, if there’s such a thing. It is an incredibly robust software for professional animators, an all-in-one animation suite to do all the creative process with-in your studio. It has been used by Studio Ghibli to perform the Ink & Paint process for some of their films (they still animate it all by hand in paper). A friendly reminder though, there is no hidden “animate like ghibli button”.

Use Cases: http://opentoonz.github.io/e/usecase.html

Tahoma2D This is a new fork from Opentoonz “ (…)developed primarily by Jeremy Bullock, a middle school teacher in Colorado.“ This version is currently in beta stages, and unlike the so called Morevna version which sought to bring new features faster to the public, this one attempts to focus on having a simpler and more streamlined UI & workflow for animators, novice or otherwise. Behind the attempt to leave its convoluted design roots, there is an undeniable amount of hard work behind it as well as a clear vision to improve the software for a wider audience. The fresh transparency and openness is very much welcome, so we hope to see this one succeed.

TupiTube (Desk): It is also a vector program for animation this one recently got a windows version (less than 2 years) and it’s been keeping at it. It’s been mostly used in teaching environments, and relies on tweening as well. It has a more pleasing interface than Synfig, and it’s sketching tool is a bit more forgiving, no pressure support though, but that is something that I wouldn’t worry about. This is one I really think that has potential. It also has a mobile version (Android Only).

What is TupiTube?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj-h8moyDng

Krita: It is primarily a digital painting tool, very stable. After version 4+ Krita has animation support and experimental audio support (no tracks though) The timeline has very nice layer management features which is a great thing and even though the animation workflow can “feel” can be a bit clunky for veteran animators, It has enough tools to make up for it like: perspective visual aids, vector layers w/ SVG support, text & primitive shape tools, scripting features and more.

Feature Highlights: https://krita.org/en/features/highlights/

Blender (2.8+): It is a very robust 3D program that has been recently bundled with a vector 2D capacity through the new “Grease Pencil” object workflow. It might be hard to get used to but the pro’s of drawing on a 3D environment are huge and often overlooked by novice artists. It’s a very complete package that tries to have an all-in-one philosophy and allows you to do: 3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation, Compositing, Video Editing, Motion Tracking, Chroma Keying. In version 2.79 and under, you could even create games with it very easily, but now this capability has been disabled and you are prompted to use an external game engine.

“HERO”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKmSdY56VtY

V-Paint: VPaint was an experimental vector graphics editor based on the Vector Animation Complex (VAC), a technology developed by a collaboration of researchers at Inria and the University of British Columbia, featured at SIGGRAPH 2015.

VPaint is now discontinued to favor its successors, VGC Illustration and VGC Animation. See www.vgc.io for more details.

EasyToon (Abandoned): This is (was) a very cherished program among web-gen Japanese animators, you still see animations done with this on closed niche animator “circles” or groups. The problem is that, even though it comes with the source to change it, it was abandoned and only works under windows OS. It’s pretty much a relic in terms of usability, but perhaps a C++ wizard might be able to update it and expand it further. License terms are unknown so watch out for that.

Web Based

Wick Editor “(…) is a free Flash-like browser-based toolkit for creating small interactive things for the Internet (…) that can run on any device with a web browser.” This one’s really good, and it’s getting better. While the animation workflow and vector handling still needs improvement to really be on par with it’s inspiration, it is highly recommended if you’re looking for an online, browser-based solution.

Ajax Animator: “Ajax Animator is a free, web-based animation suite. Its development began in March 2006 by Antimatter15, then a sixth grader. Ajax Animator was originally intended to be a free replacement to Flash MX,[3][4] but is now a general-purpose animation tool. ”

Freeware

PAP (Pencil Animation Paper): Disclaimer: the original version is FREE, but it’s no longer being developed. This software has been actually thought for animation from the start, and it’s rather functional. Despite some of its quirks becoming shortcomings to some users, people have used it for real animation production which speaks volumes about the usefulness of this application. Note: The author has created a new (paid) and improved version of PAP, simply called <Animation Paper> it now has both macOSX and Windows versions, but you can request to test the beta version before it is released commercially (~$$$).

ClipNote Studio This is a very recent clone of Nintendo’s portable animation software FlipNote Studio. Currently works only under Windows, but the developer has stated that at some point it will port the program to both MacOS & LinuxOS systems.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro An excellent digital drawing tool for illustration. This one used to have two versions (free & paid) but it seems they unified it and made it fully free. The catch? You gotta create an account with them, despite the app being downloadable. But what about animation? This part is a bit limited to be honest. Instead of usual illustration project you need to create a special type of project called “Flipbook” which only allows you to use a maximum of 4 layers and up to 1000 frames only. But hey, it’s free and it has mobile versions.

Web-based

ToonZoom Animate: “ToonZoom Animate is a free web based animation app with tons of features. It helps you turn your artwork into 2D cartoons, animated / non-animated diagrams, GIFs, flow charts, stop motion, flip book and claymation style animated video shorts, slide shows and many other things. ”

Commercial & Professional (Paid)

We can also suggest a few commercial & professional options that are cheap compared to the standard software used in the animation industry (within the budget of a college student / middle-class family):

RoughAnimator This is a relatively new animation software that has been doing some rounds on professional animator circles. It seems pretty good and simple to use based on their videos, plus it’s very affordable. According to the vendor you can export your projects directly into After Effects, Toonboom Harmony & Anmate CC.

Desktop Version (Win & macOS) USD $4.99

Mobile Version (Android & iOS) USD $4.99

Animation Desk: “Animation Desk is an animation app for Windows 10 (UWP), macOS, iOS & Android that allows you to create hand-drawn frame animation“

Animation Desk (Free + Ads on mobile)

Animation Desk Pro: The pricing scheme is a bit confusing. Seems like the pro features are behind the “Creativity 365″ suite subscription for USD $9.99 / month; some stores () say it’s less ($3.99), but it’s not clear.

Procreate “(…) has everything you need to create expressive sketches, rich paintings, gorgeous illustrations and beautiful animations. Procreate is the complete art studio you can take anywhere, packed with unique features and intuitive creative tools. ” Procreate 5 recently added a set of well-rounded animation capabilities that have been tested ever since by many professional artists around the world. So far the consensus is that it’s very good, and even though it still lacks some key features in contrast to desktop counterpart, it is an excellent choice for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Pro Version USD $9.99 ONLY FOR iPAD (iOS)

Digicel Flipbook: (Bitmap) The most similar to Pencil2D in it’s interface, but prettier. This piece of software has been used by Disney Animators in the past to create their stuff. I recall Eric Goldberg (of Aladdin’s Genie fame) to have animated some scenes from the Princess & the Frog with it. They also now have a mobile version (iPad) called Digicel FlipPad check it out.

Right now they also have a SALE going https://digicel.net/buyflipbook/

Perpetual Licenses

Flipbook 6 HD version (limited to 1500 frames per scene / file, has been used for feature films) - Regular Price: USD $798 [Special Educational Price: $119.99]

FlipBook Lite 6 - Regular Price: USD $98 (limited to 300 frames; using one’s that’s about 12 seconds at 24fps or 10 seconds at 30 fps) [Special Educational Price: $19.99]

Clip Studio Paint [is] “fully equipped with all the features required for illustration, design, and comic/manga production, including page management tools. Also includes features for full-length professional 2D animation.”

Perpetual Licenses

CSP Pro: US$ 49.99 (Download Version) (You can only use up to 24 frames per project; yes 24)

CSP EX: US$219.00 (Download Version) (Unlimited Frame Works)

Anime Studio / Moho: (Vector) In the past it has been a heavy hitter in the cut-out animation market, but now it has incorporated frame-by-frame animation ease of use. Look at the trailer below.

Pro Version USD$299 (Allows for frame-by-frame animation via switch layers)

Debut Version (very limited) USD $49.99 You can always upgrade to Pro later on. (doesn’t have frame by frame animation easily available)

Product Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4ThgsX80c

CACANi: (Vector) A relatively new, but rather good sofware, it has an incredible potential for limited and even full animation. It has a powerful auto-inbetweening feature, but it needs a skilled animator nonetheless to use it properly.

Perpetual License: USD $299 / 1 Year License (Sub) USD $129

Product Showcase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3R59FjENWM

Toon Boom Harmony Essentials: (Vector) Toonboom Harmony is one of the standard animation software for animation production, the “Essentials” version comes with severely limited options for a professional but it is actually pretty decent for a hobbyist. You can upgrade your copy later on for more power or if you’re fresh out of art school.

(Essentials) Perpetual License: USD $265 // Subscription: USD $16 / Monthly

Adobe Animate Previously known as Flash, almost everyone knows this one by heart, and they either love it, or hate it equally. The true underdog from a time where animation software was as expensive as a small apartment.It has several key features that still make it widely used, but it also has so many quirks and bugs that people wonder why they keep using it. The keyword is: accessibility.

Subscription: USD $31.49 / Monthly

TVPaint This is professional grade software with a professional grade price tag. It’s a definite standard for traditional animation in Europe and now in Japan.

Perpetual Licenses

TVPaint Animation 11.0 Professional Edition 1250 €

TVPaint Animation 11.0 Standard Edition 500 €

User Gallery: https://www.tvpaint.com/v2/content/article/community/gallery.php

Peace.

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ladyofunknown

4 years ago