BEST 7 ANIMATION SOFTWARE

Ankit Malviya
DealMirror
Published in
5 min readApr 1, 2023

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Animation has been evolving for centuries.

From hand-made drawings to the pixel world Today, animation is an essential part of many industries, from entertainment to education, marketing to video production. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a beginner just getting started, choosing the right animation software can make all the difference.

With so many options available, it can be challenging to decide which software to use. To help you make the right choice, here is a list of 7 best animation software options available.

What makes great animation software?

Great animation software should include a range of essential features and tools to make the work easier, such as :

  • Preloaded templates: Libraries of characters, templates, backgrounds, and graphics speed up the creation process and make it easier if you’re new to animation.
  • Drawing tools: Paintbrushes and blending tools give life to your animation creations and help make them more convincing and interesting to the viewer.
  • Audio editing: Platforms that enable you to edit and merge it with ease.

Animation creation can seem like a complex process that requires technical expertise, design ability, and even some coding. But with today’s user-friendly platforms and guided tutorials, creating professional-standard animations has become easier than ever.

Some animation software is best suited for building games, while others are better suited for creating cartoons. So, software are used according to the utility of the creation. Today, we’ll explore 7 of the best animation software options available, including their features.

Adobe Animate is a 2D animation software

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Adobe Animate is a 2D animation software that’s user-friendly and great for beginners.

Here are some of its features:

Features:

  1. Vector and bitmap drawing tools
  2. Timeline and keyframe animation
  3. Audio and video import and synchronization
  4. Export to multiple file formats, including HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, and GIF
  5. Puppet animation tool for character animation
  6. Code snippets and scripting support for interactivity
  7. Integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud tools

Overall, Adobe Animate is a great choice for beginners who want to create 2D animations with a user-friendly interface and pre-built assets. However, it may not be the best option for those looking for more advanced 3D capabilities or those on a budget.

Vidtoon

Vidtoon is an animation software designed specifically for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows users to create engaging and visually appealing animated videos with ease.

Here are some of its features:

Features:

  1. Easy to use
  2. Large library of assets
  3. Customizable animations
  4. Royalty-free music
  5. HD video export

Crello is a graphic design tool that specializes in creating graphics for social media platforms. It offers various templates and design features that help create stunning graphics for social media posts, stories, and ads.

Features:

  1. Templates
  2. Design Tools
  3. Animation
  4. Collaboration
  5. Social Media Integration

Unity

Unity is a popular animation software designed for creating 2D and 3D games, with a focus on providing a highly scriptable pipeline and real-time rendering for quick feedback.

Here are some of its features :

Features:

  1. Scriptable pipeline and Shader Graph for flexible design of 2D and 3D animations
  2. Real-time rendering for instant feedback during development
  3. Editor with view and game modes for inspecting and analyzing game objects while running the game
  4. Editing and sequencing tools to bring animations to life without coding
  5. Cross-platform compatibility with Windows, Mac, Android, IOS, and Linux
  6. Free resources, forums, documentation, and tutorials for new game developers
  7. Control over timing, angles, movements, and cues in real-time

Powtoon

Powtoon is a user-friendly animation software that comes with a range of features for creating engaging and effective animations.
Here are some of its features:

Features:

  1. Wide range of templates: Powtoon comes with a wide range of templates for creating animations, making it easy to get started quickly.
  2. User-friendly interface: easy to switch over different places to explore tools.
  3. Customizable characters: You can customize the characters to suit your needs by choosing from a range of pre-made options or by uploading your own images and videos.
  4. Easy sharing options: Powtoon makes it easy to share your animations directly to social media platforms and websites.
  5. Integration with other platforms: Powtoon integrates seamlessly with other platforms, including Canva, Adobe, HubSpot, and PowerPoint.

Autodesk Maya is a 3D animation

Autodesk Maya is a 3D animation, modeling, rendering, and simulation software that’s widely used in the film, TV, and game industries.

Here are some of its features:

Features:

  1. Polygon modeling:helps in geometrical shapes
  2. NURBs modeling: allows for the 3D curves.
  3. Bifrost visual programming environment: great for creating highly accurate and detailed environments, with prebuilt graphs that make it easy to create visually impressive effects like snow and dust storms.
  4. Ghosting Editor: enables you to see the exact movement and position of animated objects over time.
  5. Rigging, skinning, and retargeting: helps you accurately create, bind, and transfer characters.
  6. Scripting and plugins: allows advanced users to customize the software to their unique needs.

Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony is a widely used software for creating cartoon animations. It has various features that come with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Here are some of them:

  1. Drawing and Painting Tools — Toon Boom Harmony provides powerful drawing and painting tools that enable artists to create detailed and expressive characters and backgrounds.
  2. These tools include vector and bitmap brushes, pencil and pen tools, and color palettes.
  3. Compositing Tools — Toon Boom Harmony provides an array of compositing tools that enable artists to combine different elements of their animation, including backgrounds, characters, and effects.
  4. Animation Tools — Toon Boom Harmony offers various animation tools, such as bone rigs, pegs, and deformers. These tools allow animators to create smooth and fluid animations effortlessly.
  5. 3D Integration — Toon Boom Harmony supports 3D integration, allowing artists to import 3D models into their animations.

Animation software is an essential tool for creating animations in various sector. A great animation software should have preloaded templates, drawing tools, audio editing etc.

Choosing the right animation software depends on the intended use and level of expertise.

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Ankit Malviya
DealMirror

CEO and Social Media and Marketing Manager at DealMirror. Add me on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/akashkumar1947