Updated Achieving Cinematic Color in Final Cut Pro for 2024

Updated Achieving Cinematic Color in Final Cut Pro for 2024

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Achieving Cinematic Color in Final Cut Pro

Color Correction in Final Cut Pro

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Most of the advanced camera units these days are capable enough to produce shots with rich quality automatically but still some professionals need to edit captured videos for little color correction. The major reasons behind this additional color correction are:

  • Some people need to correct their mistakes on captured videos; it can be due to an incorrect balance of white and due to under or over-exposure at some points.
  • Customize different video clips by matching them so that they appear in sequence even if they are captured at different moments.
  • For creating a specific style or look in order to support your mood; for example, one may need to make scenes appear cold, dark, cheery, warm, bright or foreboding.

No matter what you want to do for the customization of your videos, Final Cut Pro can provide your complete assistance. The details below can help you to collect complete information about color correction techniques.


The steps below can help all beginners to develop easy video edited projects using Final Cut Pro, but if some of you find this platform a little difficult then it is good to start practicing as a beginner on Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a well-known video editor tool for Mac users that contains all powerful features and an interactive user interface to facilitate all beginners.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Related article:

Methods to Correct Color in Final Cut Pro

Those who wish to use FCP for color signal editing need to follow these steps:

Step 1

First you need to open Color Board on FCP as there is an automatic color correction tool available inside. The Video Board can be opened by using three different ways:

  • You can select audio enhancement and color correction options available below the viewer and then hit “Show Color Board”. It can be simply done by pressing CMD + 6.

Show Color Board”.

  • On effect browser you can easily access color correction effects inside the color category; that is also easier to allocate.

Effect Browser

  • Choose Window and then click on Go To, you will find Color Board on the appeared drop-down menu.

Go to Color Board

  • All the color correction effects will start appearing in the effects section available on the video inspector.

 Color correction effects on video inspector.

Step 2

As soon as you start working on Color Board, it is good to open Video Scopes on your system. For this you need to click on a small icon of light switch available at the top right corner of the viewer and then select Show Video Scopes from drop-down menu. It can be also done by simply pressing Command+7.

 select Show Video Scopes from drop down menu.

As soon as you make this selection, the video scopes window will automatically appear on the next viewer. Here users can easily obtain information related to the current video frame, and they can be easily configured as per need. Go to the settings option available on the top right side of the window and then hit the Waveform option.

 Go to settings option available at top right side of window and then hit Waveform option.

Step 3

Now it is time to work on color correction directly. There are three types of color corrections that users need to work upon: Hue, Saturation, and Exposure. Here is some brief information about all of these:

Exposure or Brightness: On the Color board window you can easily make adjustments for brightness levels of video clips. As you move on to different portions of the image ranging between dark and white parts, the scope will keep on displaying waveforms with values between 0 and 100 representing darkness and brightness respectively. The master slider available on screen helps users to make overall adjustments for brightness by using three control options: highlights for white circles, midtones for gray scale and shadows for black parts. Consider waveform values as a guide for adjustment and move controls up and down to adjust contrast as per need.

 Exposure or Brightness

Saturation: It refers to the richness of colors in an image. Simply select saturation pane from the color board and on the video scopes window you can use the settings menu directly to adjust saturation information for every pixel. The image pixels that are far away from the center of vectorscope circle means they are more saturated as compared to pixels that are little bit closure.

 Saturation

Hue: Hue displays the actual color values in images or frames in terms of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. Use color pane from color board to adjust hue that is displayed in the form of a rainbow on screen. It is possible to manipulate values for highlights, midtones and shadows individually as per need. Using the histogram option available on settings menu can help you to make direct adjustments for all these components.

Hue

Step 4

It is possible to preview all the corrections on the original image before making them final. Simple hit the arrow with left-facing formation in the top left corner of the Color Board and then return to the video inspector. Hit on the Blue box to switch between correction On and Off options.

correction On and Off options

Here’s the video tutorial on how to correct color in Final Cut Pro:

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Most of the advanced camera units these days are capable enough to produce shots with rich quality automatically but still some professionals need to edit captured videos for little color correction. The major reasons behind this additional color correction are:

  • Some people need to correct their mistakes on captured videos; it can be due to an incorrect balance of white and due to under or over-exposure at some points.
  • Customize different video clips by matching them so that they appear in sequence even if they are captured at different moments.
  • For creating a specific style or look in order to support your mood; for example, one may need to make scenes appear cold, dark, cheery, warm, bright or foreboding.

No matter what you want to do for the customization of your videos, Final Cut Pro can provide your complete assistance. The details below can help you to collect complete information about color correction techniques.


The steps below can help all beginners to develop easy video edited projects using Final Cut Pro, but if some of you find this platform a little difficult then it is good to start practicing as a beginner on Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a well-known video editor tool for Mac users that contains all powerful features and an interactive user interface to facilitate all beginners.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Related article:

Methods to Correct Color in Final Cut Pro

Those who wish to use FCP for color signal editing need to follow these steps:

Step 1

First you need to open Color Board on FCP as there is an automatic color correction tool available inside. The Video Board can be opened by using three different ways:

  • You can select audio enhancement and color correction options available below the viewer and then hit “Show Color Board”. It can be simply done by pressing CMD + 6.

Show Color Board”.

  • On effect browser you can easily access color correction effects inside the color category; that is also easier to allocate.

Effect Browser

  • Choose Window and then click on Go To, you will find Color Board on the appeared drop-down menu.

Go to Color Board

  • All the color correction effects will start appearing in the effects section available on the video inspector.

 Color correction effects on video inspector.

Step 2

As soon as you start working on Color Board, it is good to open Video Scopes on your system. For this you need to click on a small icon of light switch available at the top right corner of the viewer and then select Show Video Scopes from drop-down menu. It can be also done by simply pressing Command+7.

 select Show Video Scopes from drop down menu.

As soon as you make this selection, the video scopes window will automatically appear on the next viewer. Here users can easily obtain information related to the current video frame, and they can be easily configured as per need. Go to the settings option available on the top right side of the window and then hit the Waveform option.

 Go to settings option available at top right side of window and then hit Waveform option.

Step 3

Now it is time to work on color correction directly. There are three types of color corrections that users need to work upon: Hue, Saturation, and Exposure. Here is some brief information about all of these:

Exposure or Brightness: On the Color board window you can easily make adjustments for brightness levels of video clips. As you move on to different portions of the image ranging between dark and white parts, the scope will keep on displaying waveforms with values between 0 and 100 representing darkness and brightness respectively. The master slider available on screen helps users to make overall adjustments for brightness by using three control options: highlights for white circles, midtones for gray scale and shadows for black parts. Consider waveform values as a guide for adjustment and move controls up and down to adjust contrast as per need.

 Exposure or Brightness

Saturation: It refers to the richness of colors in an image. Simply select saturation pane from the color board and on the video scopes window you can use the settings menu directly to adjust saturation information for every pixel. The image pixels that are far away from the center of vectorscope circle means they are more saturated as compared to pixels that are little bit closure.

 Saturation

Hue: Hue displays the actual color values in images or frames in terms of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. Use color pane from color board to adjust hue that is displayed in the form of a rainbow on screen. It is possible to manipulate values for highlights, midtones and shadows individually as per need. Using the histogram option available on settings menu can help you to make direct adjustments for all these components.

Hue

Step 4

It is possible to preview all the corrections on the original image before making them final. Simple hit the arrow with left-facing formation in the top left corner of the Color Board and then return to the video inspector. Hit on the Blue box to switch between correction On and Off options.

correction On and Off options

Here’s the video tutorial on how to correct color in Final Cut Pro:

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Most of the advanced camera units these days are capable enough to produce shots with rich quality automatically but still some professionals need to edit captured videos for little color correction. The major reasons behind this additional color correction are:

  • Some people need to correct their mistakes on captured videos; it can be due to an incorrect balance of white and due to under or over-exposure at some points.
  • Customize different video clips by matching them so that they appear in sequence even if they are captured at different moments.
  • For creating a specific style or look in order to support your mood; for example, one may need to make scenes appear cold, dark, cheery, warm, bright or foreboding.

No matter what you want to do for the customization of your videos, Final Cut Pro can provide your complete assistance. The details below can help you to collect complete information about color correction techniques.


The steps below can help all beginners to develop easy video edited projects using Final Cut Pro, but if some of you find this platform a little difficult then it is good to start practicing as a beginner on Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a well-known video editor tool for Mac users that contains all powerful features and an interactive user interface to facilitate all beginners.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Related article:

Methods to Correct Color in Final Cut Pro

Those who wish to use FCP for color signal editing need to follow these steps:

Step 1

First you need to open Color Board on FCP as there is an automatic color correction tool available inside. The Video Board can be opened by using three different ways:

  • You can select audio enhancement and color correction options available below the viewer and then hit “Show Color Board”. It can be simply done by pressing CMD + 6.

Show Color Board”.

  • On effect browser you can easily access color correction effects inside the color category; that is also easier to allocate.

Effect Browser

  • Choose Window and then click on Go To, you will find Color Board on the appeared drop-down menu.

Go to Color Board

  • All the color correction effects will start appearing in the effects section available on the video inspector.

 Color correction effects on video inspector.

Step 2

As soon as you start working on Color Board, it is good to open Video Scopes on your system. For this you need to click on a small icon of light switch available at the top right corner of the viewer and then select Show Video Scopes from drop-down menu. It can be also done by simply pressing Command+7.

 select Show Video Scopes from drop down menu.

As soon as you make this selection, the video scopes window will automatically appear on the next viewer. Here users can easily obtain information related to the current video frame, and they can be easily configured as per need. Go to the settings option available on the top right side of the window and then hit the Waveform option.

 Go to settings option available at top right side of window and then hit Waveform option.

Step 3

Now it is time to work on color correction directly. There are three types of color corrections that users need to work upon: Hue, Saturation, and Exposure. Here is some brief information about all of these:

Exposure or Brightness: On the Color board window you can easily make adjustments for brightness levels of video clips. As you move on to different portions of the image ranging between dark and white parts, the scope will keep on displaying waveforms with values between 0 and 100 representing darkness and brightness respectively. The master slider available on screen helps users to make overall adjustments for brightness by using three control options: highlights for white circles, midtones for gray scale and shadows for black parts. Consider waveform values as a guide for adjustment and move controls up and down to adjust contrast as per need.

 Exposure or Brightness

Saturation: It refers to the richness of colors in an image. Simply select saturation pane from the color board and on the video scopes window you can use the settings menu directly to adjust saturation information for every pixel. The image pixels that are far away from the center of vectorscope circle means they are more saturated as compared to pixels that are little bit closure.

 Saturation

Hue: Hue displays the actual color values in images or frames in terms of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. Use color pane from color board to adjust hue that is displayed in the form of a rainbow on screen. It is possible to manipulate values for highlights, midtones and shadows individually as per need. Using the histogram option available on settings menu can help you to make direct adjustments for all these components.

Hue

Step 4

It is possible to preview all the corrections on the original image before making them final. Simple hit the arrow with left-facing formation in the top left corner of the Color Board and then return to the video inspector. Hit on the Blue box to switch between correction On and Off options.

correction On and Off options

Here’s the video tutorial on how to correct color in Final Cut Pro:

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Most of the advanced camera units these days are capable enough to produce shots with rich quality automatically but still some professionals need to edit captured videos for little color correction. The major reasons behind this additional color correction are:

  • Some people need to correct their mistakes on captured videos; it can be due to an incorrect balance of white and due to under or over-exposure at some points.
  • Customize different video clips by matching them so that they appear in sequence even if they are captured at different moments.
  • For creating a specific style or look in order to support your mood; for example, one may need to make scenes appear cold, dark, cheery, warm, bright or foreboding.

No matter what you want to do for the customization of your videos, Final Cut Pro can provide your complete assistance. The details below can help you to collect complete information about color correction techniques.


The steps below can help all beginners to develop easy video edited projects using Final Cut Pro, but if some of you find this platform a little difficult then it is good to start practicing as a beginner on Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a well-known video editor tool for Mac users that contains all powerful features and an interactive user interface to facilitate all beginners.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )


Related article:

Methods to Correct Color in Final Cut Pro

Those who wish to use FCP for color signal editing need to follow these steps:

Step 1

First you need to open Color Board on FCP as there is an automatic color correction tool available inside. The Video Board can be opened by using three different ways:

  • You can select audio enhancement and color correction options available below the viewer and then hit “Show Color Board”. It can be simply done by pressing CMD + 6.

Show Color Board”.

  • On effect browser you can easily access color correction effects inside the color category; that is also easier to allocate.

Effect Browser

  • Choose Window and then click on Go To, you will find Color Board on the appeared drop-down menu.

Go to Color Board

  • All the color correction effects will start appearing in the effects section available on the video inspector.

 Color correction effects on video inspector.

Step 2

As soon as you start working on Color Board, it is good to open Video Scopes on your system. For this you need to click on a small icon of light switch available at the top right corner of the viewer and then select Show Video Scopes from drop-down menu. It can be also done by simply pressing Command+7.

 select Show Video Scopes from drop down menu.

As soon as you make this selection, the video scopes window will automatically appear on the next viewer. Here users can easily obtain information related to the current video frame, and they can be easily configured as per need. Go to the settings option available on the top right side of the window and then hit the Waveform option.

 Go to settings option available at top right side of window and then hit Waveform option.

Step 3

Now it is time to work on color correction directly. There are three types of color corrections that users need to work upon: Hue, Saturation, and Exposure. Here is some brief information about all of these:

Exposure or Brightness: On the Color board window you can easily make adjustments for brightness levels of video clips. As you move on to different portions of the image ranging between dark and white parts, the scope will keep on displaying waveforms with values between 0 and 100 representing darkness and brightness respectively. The master slider available on screen helps users to make overall adjustments for brightness by using three control options: highlights for white circles, midtones for gray scale and shadows for black parts. Consider waveform values as a guide for adjustment and move controls up and down to adjust contrast as per need.

 Exposure or Brightness

Saturation: It refers to the richness of colors in an image. Simply select saturation pane from the color board and on the video scopes window you can use the settings menu directly to adjust saturation information for every pixel. The image pixels that are far away from the center of vectorscope circle means they are more saturated as compared to pixels that are little bit closure.

 Saturation

Hue: Hue displays the actual color values in images or frames in terms of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. Use color pane from color board to adjust hue that is displayed in the form of a rainbow on screen. It is possible to manipulate values for highlights, midtones and shadows individually as per need. Using the histogram option available on settings menu can help you to make direct adjustments for all these components.

Hue

Step 4

It is possible to preview all the corrections on the original image before making them final. Simple hit the arrow with left-facing formation in the top left corner of the Color Board and then return to the video inspector. Hit on the Blue box to switch between correction On and Off options.

correction On and Off options

Here’s the video tutorial on how to correct color in Final Cut Pro:

author avatar

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Best Whiteboard Animation Software for Hand-Drawn Videos

Top 5 Hand Drawing Whiteboard Animation Makers [Online Tools Included]

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Maximizing the conversion rates is the ultimate goal of every web marketing professional. The statistics clearly indicate that video content boosts conversion rates, more than any other type of online content, which is the reason why a growing number of marketers choose to incorporate video into their social media marketing strategies. Whiteboard animations have been around since the early days of animation, but their spike in popularity coincides with the rise of digital marketing in the mid-2000s. A little over a decade later, whiteboard animations are used for a wide array of purposes that range from explainer to educational videos. We’ve combed the Internet to find the best whiteboard animation makers in 2020, so let’s dive in and see what these software products and web-based platforms have to offer.

In fact, if you are already a Filmora user, you can try making whiteboard animation with Filmora, which gives you 100% freedom of what you want to make.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version


Top Five Hand Drawing Whiteboard Animation Makers in 2021

The so-called doodle videos are entertaining to watch because the viewer can see a hand drawing shapes or writing in front of their eyes. Creating this type of animated videos no longer requires years of training and hours of hard work, since there are countless options that enable marketers to produce whiteboard animations in just a few minutes. Here are some of the best whiteboard animation makers online you can find on the market in 2020.

1. Moovly

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24.92 per month billed annually

Compatibility: web-based

Moovly is much more than an online destination where you can create whiteboard animations effortlessly as it grants you access to more than a million royalty free images, videos, and sounds. The platform’s video editor lets you choose the gender of the hand that is drawing the animation or its skin color. In addition to simulating the hand drawing process of virtually any object you can think of, the Moovly’s editor also enables you to adjust the size of the elements you add to your story or incorporate handwritten text into the animation video you’re producing. The free version of the platform watermarks all videos you export and lacks any of the advanced features that are available if you opt for one of the education or subscription plans. Even so, Moovly is still one of the best web-based whiteboard animation makers you can find on the Internet because it lets you create new videos in just a few quick steps.

Moovly free online animated video maker

2. VideoScribe

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $25 per month for a single user

Compatibility: cloud-based or downloadable software for Mac and PC computers

In case you need cloud-based software you can use for free to create animations in a short period of time, then VideoScribe is probably one of the best choices you can make. The software features huge image, video and music libraries that are well-suited for a broad range of whiteboard animations, and it also offers a wide array of hands, pens, and erasers. In addition, you can import assets you’ve created and VideoScribe will animate them for you. The voiceover feature is particularly useful if you are looking to add narration to your explainer and educational videos or product reviews. VideoScribe can only be used offline if you purchase its Pro version and you won’t be able to export HD video files if you opt to create your whiteboard animations with the free version of this software. This whiteboard animation maker is an excellent option for businesses that want to improve their social media presence through the production of animated whiteboard explainer videos or educational institutions that are looking for a way to keep their students engaged.

videoscibe-interface

3. Explaindio

Price: Subscription plans start at $37 per month

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

You can make attention-grabbing whiteboard animations with Explaindio even if you have no previous experience as an animator. The software is equipped with more than 800 doodle sketches, hundreds of HD video backgrounds, 200 ready-made animated scenes, over 300 fonts, and countless full 3D animations. Explaindio also lets you import your own fonts, audio files or external 3D elements and it features a timeline with multiple videos and audio tracks. What’s more, the software has a rich library of transitions you can use to avoid hard cuts between the shots or to change scenes in your whiteboard animations smoothly. Besides whiteboard animations, you can use Explaindio to animate typography, create intros and outros for YouTube videos and to make logo strings. Cloud storage is also available so that you can access your creations while you’re on the go, which is one of the reasons why more than 35.000 YouTubers, marketers, and animators are already using Explaindio.

explaindio-interface

4. Doodly

Price: Pricing plans start at $39 per month

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Hiring professional animators to create your whiteboard animations for you is both expensive and time-consuming. Doodly solves both of these issues by enabling you to simply drag and drop animated elements to the timeline and produce visually attractive hand-drawn animations at a reasonable price. The software features an extensive collection of male and female hands whose skin color you can adjust with a single click. There are hundreds of pre-made sketches available, and you just have to add the one you like to the canvas and Doodly will automatically animate the drawing for you. You can also choose if you want to use a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard surface as a background for your animation. The Doodly Smart Draw technology lets you import and animate any hand drawing so you don’t have to rely on the software’s built-in library of doodles. The best part is that you can export all animations you create with Doodly in Full HD resolution.

doodly-review

5. Vyond

Price: 14-day free trial available, subscription plans start at $299 per year for a single user

Compatibility: web-based

Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond has been one of the best cloud-based video animation platforms for more than a decade. Its Whiteboard Animation theme offers a huge selection of props, character actions and other animated elements that can be useful for videos that cover a broad spectrum of topics. Simply select an element you want to add to your video, fine-tune its size on the screen and it will be drawn automatically. Vyond also enables you to import assets you’ve created which grants you more creative freedom, as you don’t necessarily have to rely solely on the built-in whiteboard animation elements this platform offers. The only downside is that you can’t record voiceovers directly from Vyond, and you either have to use an online voice recording service or utilize a desktop-based software product that enables you to record the narration for your upcoming animated video.

Vyond


Conclusion

Finding ways to attract the attention of your potential customers is never a simple task, but software products and cloud-based video animation platforms make this process somewhat easier. You don’t have to be a skilled animator in order to create hand drawing whiteboard animations since each of the options we featured in this article requires a minimum amount of technical skill.

However, if you somehow think about making more than just whiteboard video, say normal video editing, why not try out Filmora ? With Filmora, you can make any type of video that you want, including whiteboard videos.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Maximizing the conversion rates is the ultimate goal of every web marketing professional. The statistics clearly indicate that video content boosts conversion rates, more than any other type of online content, which is the reason why a growing number of marketers choose to incorporate video into their social media marketing strategies. Whiteboard animations have been around since the early days of animation, but their spike in popularity coincides with the rise of digital marketing in the mid-2000s. A little over a decade later, whiteboard animations are used for a wide array of purposes that range from explainer to educational videos. We’ve combed the Internet to find the best whiteboard animation makers in 2020, so let’s dive in and see what these software products and web-based platforms have to offer.

In fact, if you are already a Filmora user, you can try making whiteboard animation with Filmora, which gives you 100% freedom of what you want to make.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version


Top Five Hand Drawing Whiteboard Animation Makers in 2021

The so-called doodle videos are entertaining to watch because the viewer can see a hand drawing shapes or writing in front of their eyes. Creating this type of animated videos no longer requires years of training and hours of hard work, since there are countless options that enable marketers to produce whiteboard animations in just a few minutes. Here are some of the best whiteboard animation makers online you can find on the market in 2020.

1. Moovly

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24.92 per month billed annually

Compatibility: web-based

Moovly is much more than an online destination where you can create whiteboard animations effortlessly as it grants you access to more than a million royalty free images, videos, and sounds. The platform’s video editor lets you choose the gender of the hand that is drawing the animation or its skin color. In addition to simulating the hand drawing process of virtually any object you can think of, the Moovly’s editor also enables you to adjust the size of the elements you add to your story or incorporate handwritten text into the animation video you’re producing. The free version of the platform watermarks all videos you export and lacks any of the advanced features that are available if you opt for one of the education or subscription plans. Even so, Moovly is still one of the best web-based whiteboard animation makers you can find on the Internet because it lets you create new videos in just a few quick steps.

Moovly free online animated video maker

2. VideoScribe

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $25 per month for a single user

Compatibility: cloud-based or downloadable software for Mac and PC computers

In case you need cloud-based software you can use for free to create animations in a short period of time, then VideoScribe is probably one of the best choices you can make. The software features huge image, video and music libraries that are well-suited for a broad range of whiteboard animations, and it also offers a wide array of hands, pens, and erasers. In addition, you can import assets you’ve created and VideoScribe will animate them for you. The voiceover feature is particularly useful if you are looking to add narration to your explainer and educational videos or product reviews. VideoScribe can only be used offline if you purchase its Pro version and you won’t be able to export HD video files if you opt to create your whiteboard animations with the free version of this software. This whiteboard animation maker is an excellent option for businesses that want to improve their social media presence through the production of animated whiteboard explainer videos or educational institutions that are looking for a way to keep their students engaged.

videoscibe-interface

3. Explaindio

Price: Subscription plans start at $37 per month

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

You can make attention-grabbing whiteboard animations with Explaindio even if you have no previous experience as an animator. The software is equipped with more than 800 doodle sketches, hundreds of HD video backgrounds, 200 ready-made animated scenes, over 300 fonts, and countless full 3D animations. Explaindio also lets you import your own fonts, audio files or external 3D elements and it features a timeline with multiple videos and audio tracks. What’s more, the software has a rich library of transitions you can use to avoid hard cuts between the shots or to change scenes in your whiteboard animations smoothly. Besides whiteboard animations, you can use Explaindio to animate typography, create intros and outros for YouTube videos and to make logo strings. Cloud storage is also available so that you can access your creations while you’re on the go, which is one of the reasons why more than 35.000 YouTubers, marketers, and animators are already using Explaindio.

explaindio-interface

4. Doodly

Price: Pricing plans start at $39 per month

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Hiring professional animators to create your whiteboard animations for you is both expensive and time-consuming. Doodly solves both of these issues by enabling you to simply drag and drop animated elements to the timeline and produce visually attractive hand-drawn animations at a reasonable price. The software features an extensive collection of male and female hands whose skin color you can adjust with a single click. There are hundreds of pre-made sketches available, and you just have to add the one you like to the canvas and Doodly will automatically animate the drawing for you. You can also choose if you want to use a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard surface as a background for your animation. The Doodly Smart Draw technology lets you import and animate any hand drawing so you don’t have to rely on the software’s built-in library of doodles. The best part is that you can export all animations you create with Doodly in Full HD resolution.

doodly-review

5. Vyond

Price: 14-day free trial available, subscription plans start at $299 per year for a single user

Compatibility: web-based

Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond has been one of the best cloud-based video animation platforms for more than a decade. Its Whiteboard Animation theme offers a huge selection of props, character actions and other animated elements that can be useful for videos that cover a broad spectrum of topics. Simply select an element you want to add to your video, fine-tune its size on the screen and it will be drawn automatically. Vyond also enables you to import assets you’ve created which grants you more creative freedom, as you don’t necessarily have to rely solely on the built-in whiteboard animation elements this platform offers. The only downside is that you can’t record voiceovers directly from Vyond, and you either have to use an online voice recording service or utilize a desktop-based software product that enables you to record the narration for your upcoming animated video.

Vyond


Conclusion

Finding ways to attract the attention of your potential customers is never a simple task, but software products and cloud-based video animation platforms make this process somewhat easier. You don’t have to be a skilled animator in order to create hand drawing whiteboard animations since each of the options we featured in this article requires a minimum amount of technical skill.

However, if you somehow think about making more than just whiteboard video, say normal video editing, why not try out Filmora ? With Filmora, you can make any type of video that you want, including whiteboard videos.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Maximizing the conversion rates is the ultimate goal of every web marketing professional. The statistics clearly indicate that video content boosts conversion rates, more than any other type of online content, which is the reason why a growing number of marketers choose to incorporate video into their social media marketing strategies. Whiteboard animations have been around since the early days of animation, but their spike in popularity coincides with the rise of digital marketing in the mid-2000s. A little over a decade later, whiteboard animations are used for a wide array of purposes that range from explainer to educational videos. We’ve combed the Internet to find the best whiteboard animation makers in 2020, so let’s dive in and see what these software products and web-based platforms have to offer.

In fact, if you are already a Filmora user, you can try making whiteboard animation with Filmora, which gives you 100% freedom of what you want to make.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version


Top Five Hand Drawing Whiteboard Animation Makers in 2021

The so-called doodle videos are entertaining to watch because the viewer can see a hand drawing shapes or writing in front of their eyes. Creating this type of animated videos no longer requires years of training and hours of hard work, since there are countless options that enable marketers to produce whiteboard animations in just a few minutes. Here are some of the best whiteboard animation makers online you can find on the market in 2020.

1. Moovly

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24.92 per month billed annually

Compatibility: web-based

Moovly is much more than an online destination where you can create whiteboard animations effortlessly as it grants you access to more than a million royalty free images, videos, and sounds. The platform’s video editor lets you choose the gender of the hand that is drawing the animation or its skin color. In addition to simulating the hand drawing process of virtually any object you can think of, the Moovly’s editor also enables you to adjust the size of the elements you add to your story or incorporate handwritten text into the animation video you’re producing. The free version of the platform watermarks all videos you export and lacks any of the advanced features that are available if you opt for one of the education or subscription plans. Even so, Moovly is still one of the best web-based whiteboard animation makers you can find on the Internet because it lets you create new videos in just a few quick steps.

Moovly free online animated video maker

2. VideoScribe

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $25 per month for a single user

Compatibility: cloud-based or downloadable software for Mac and PC computers

In case you need cloud-based software you can use for free to create animations in a short period of time, then VideoScribe is probably one of the best choices you can make. The software features huge image, video and music libraries that are well-suited for a broad range of whiteboard animations, and it also offers a wide array of hands, pens, and erasers. In addition, you can import assets you’ve created and VideoScribe will animate them for you. The voiceover feature is particularly useful if you are looking to add narration to your explainer and educational videos or product reviews. VideoScribe can only be used offline if you purchase its Pro version and you won’t be able to export HD video files if you opt to create your whiteboard animations with the free version of this software. This whiteboard animation maker is an excellent option for businesses that want to improve their social media presence through the production of animated whiteboard explainer videos or educational institutions that are looking for a way to keep their students engaged.

videoscibe-interface

3. Explaindio

Price: Subscription plans start at $37 per month

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

You can make attention-grabbing whiteboard animations with Explaindio even if you have no previous experience as an animator. The software is equipped with more than 800 doodle sketches, hundreds of HD video backgrounds, 200 ready-made animated scenes, over 300 fonts, and countless full 3D animations. Explaindio also lets you import your own fonts, audio files or external 3D elements and it features a timeline with multiple videos and audio tracks. What’s more, the software has a rich library of transitions you can use to avoid hard cuts between the shots or to change scenes in your whiteboard animations smoothly. Besides whiteboard animations, you can use Explaindio to animate typography, create intros and outros for YouTube videos and to make logo strings. Cloud storage is also available so that you can access your creations while you’re on the go, which is one of the reasons why more than 35.000 YouTubers, marketers, and animators are already using Explaindio.

explaindio-interface

4. Doodly

Price: Pricing plans start at $39 per month

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Hiring professional animators to create your whiteboard animations for you is both expensive and time-consuming. Doodly solves both of these issues by enabling you to simply drag and drop animated elements to the timeline and produce visually attractive hand-drawn animations at a reasonable price. The software features an extensive collection of male and female hands whose skin color you can adjust with a single click. There are hundreds of pre-made sketches available, and you just have to add the one you like to the canvas and Doodly will automatically animate the drawing for you. You can also choose if you want to use a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard surface as a background for your animation. The Doodly Smart Draw technology lets you import and animate any hand drawing so you don’t have to rely on the software’s built-in library of doodles. The best part is that you can export all animations you create with Doodly in Full HD resolution.

doodly-review

5. Vyond

Price: 14-day free trial available, subscription plans start at $299 per year for a single user

Compatibility: web-based

Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond has been one of the best cloud-based video animation platforms for more than a decade. Its Whiteboard Animation theme offers a huge selection of props, character actions and other animated elements that can be useful for videos that cover a broad spectrum of topics. Simply select an element you want to add to your video, fine-tune its size on the screen and it will be drawn automatically. Vyond also enables you to import assets you’ve created which grants you more creative freedom, as you don’t necessarily have to rely solely on the built-in whiteboard animation elements this platform offers. The only downside is that you can’t record voiceovers directly from Vyond, and you either have to use an online voice recording service or utilize a desktop-based software product that enables you to record the narration for your upcoming animated video.

Vyond


Conclusion

Finding ways to attract the attention of your potential customers is never a simple task, but software products and cloud-based video animation platforms make this process somewhat easier. You don’t have to be a skilled animator in order to create hand drawing whiteboard animations since each of the options we featured in this article requires a minimum amount of technical skill.

However, if you somehow think about making more than just whiteboard video, say normal video editing, why not try out Filmora ? With Filmora, you can make any type of video that you want, including whiteboard videos.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Maximizing the conversion rates is the ultimate goal of every web marketing professional. The statistics clearly indicate that video content boosts conversion rates, more than any other type of online content, which is the reason why a growing number of marketers choose to incorporate video into their social media marketing strategies. Whiteboard animations have been around since the early days of animation, but their spike in popularity coincides with the rise of digital marketing in the mid-2000s. A little over a decade later, whiteboard animations are used for a wide array of purposes that range from explainer to educational videos. We’ve combed the Internet to find the best whiteboard animation makers in 2020, so let’s dive in and see what these software products and web-based platforms have to offer.

In fact, if you are already a Filmora user, you can try making whiteboard animation with Filmora, which gives you 100% freedom of what you want to make.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version


Top Five Hand Drawing Whiteboard Animation Makers in 2021

The so-called doodle videos are entertaining to watch because the viewer can see a hand drawing shapes or writing in front of their eyes. Creating this type of animated videos no longer requires years of training and hours of hard work, since there are countless options that enable marketers to produce whiteboard animations in just a few minutes. Here are some of the best whiteboard animation makers online you can find on the market in 2020.

1. Moovly

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24.92 per month billed annually

Compatibility: web-based

Moovly is much more than an online destination where you can create whiteboard animations effortlessly as it grants you access to more than a million royalty free images, videos, and sounds. The platform’s video editor lets you choose the gender of the hand that is drawing the animation or its skin color. In addition to simulating the hand drawing process of virtually any object you can think of, the Moovly’s editor also enables you to adjust the size of the elements you add to your story or incorporate handwritten text into the animation video you’re producing. The free version of the platform watermarks all videos you export and lacks any of the advanced features that are available if you opt for one of the education or subscription plans. Even so, Moovly is still one of the best web-based whiteboard animation makers you can find on the Internet because it lets you create new videos in just a few quick steps.

Moovly free online animated video maker

2. VideoScribe

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $25 per month for a single user

Compatibility: cloud-based or downloadable software for Mac and PC computers

In case you need cloud-based software you can use for free to create animations in a short period of time, then VideoScribe is probably one of the best choices you can make. The software features huge image, video and music libraries that are well-suited for a broad range of whiteboard animations, and it also offers a wide array of hands, pens, and erasers. In addition, you can import assets you’ve created and VideoScribe will animate them for you. The voiceover feature is particularly useful if you are looking to add narration to your explainer and educational videos or product reviews. VideoScribe can only be used offline if you purchase its Pro version and you won’t be able to export HD video files if you opt to create your whiteboard animations with the free version of this software. This whiteboard animation maker is an excellent option for businesses that want to improve their social media presence through the production of animated whiteboard explainer videos or educational institutions that are looking for a way to keep their students engaged.

videoscibe-interface

3. Explaindio

Price: Subscription plans start at $37 per month

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

You can make attention-grabbing whiteboard animations with Explaindio even if you have no previous experience as an animator. The software is equipped with more than 800 doodle sketches, hundreds of HD video backgrounds, 200 ready-made animated scenes, over 300 fonts, and countless full 3D animations. Explaindio also lets you import your own fonts, audio files or external 3D elements and it features a timeline with multiple videos and audio tracks. What’s more, the software has a rich library of transitions you can use to avoid hard cuts between the shots or to change scenes in your whiteboard animations smoothly. Besides whiteboard animations, you can use Explaindio to animate typography, create intros and outros for YouTube videos and to make logo strings. Cloud storage is also available so that you can access your creations while you’re on the go, which is one of the reasons why more than 35.000 YouTubers, marketers, and animators are already using Explaindio.

explaindio-interface

4. Doodly

Price: Pricing plans start at $39 per month

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Hiring professional animators to create your whiteboard animations for you is both expensive and time-consuming. Doodly solves both of these issues by enabling you to simply drag and drop animated elements to the timeline and produce visually attractive hand-drawn animations at a reasonable price. The software features an extensive collection of male and female hands whose skin color you can adjust with a single click. There are hundreds of pre-made sketches available, and you just have to add the one you like to the canvas and Doodly will automatically animate the drawing for you. You can also choose if you want to use a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard surface as a background for your animation. The Doodly Smart Draw technology lets you import and animate any hand drawing so you don’t have to rely on the software’s built-in library of doodles. The best part is that you can export all animations you create with Doodly in Full HD resolution.

doodly-review

5. Vyond

Price: 14-day free trial available, subscription plans start at $299 per year for a single user

Compatibility: web-based

Formerly known as GoAnimate, Vyond has been one of the best cloud-based video animation platforms for more than a decade. Its Whiteboard Animation theme offers a huge selection of props, character actions and other animated elements that can be useful for videos that cover a broad spectrum of topics. Simply select an element you want to add to your video, fine-tune its size on the screen and it will be drawn automatically. Vyond also enables you to import assets you’ve created which grants you more creative freedom, as you don’t necessarily have to rely solely on the built-in whiteboard animation elements this platform offers. The only downside is that you can’t record voiceovers directly from Vyond, and you either have to use an online voice recording service or utilize a desktop-based software product that enables you to record the narration for your upcoming animated video.

Vyond


Conclusion

Finding ways to attract the attention of your potential customers is never a simple task, but software products and cloud-based video animation platforms make this process somewhat easier. You don’t have to be a skilled animator in order to create hand drawing whiteboard animations since each of the options we featured in this article requires a minimum amount of technical skill.

However, if you somehow think about making more than just whiteboard video, say normal video editing, why not try out Filmora ? With Filmora, you can make any type of video that you want, including whiteboard videos.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

12 Best Free Animation Programs for PC and Mac Users

Best 12 Free Download Animation Software for Windows and Mac

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 Synfig Studio - Mac Software to Animate Video

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: You can create many layers once a time and sync audio for your animation.

Con: This one needs much time to learn, especially for beginners.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 Synfig Studio - Mac Software to Animate Video

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: You can create many layers once a time and sync audio for your animation.

Con: This one needs much time to learn, especially for beginners.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 Synfig Studio - Mac Software to Animate Video

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: You can create many layers once a time and sync audio for your animation.

Con: This one needs much time to learn, especially for beginners.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 Synfig Studio - Mac Software to Animate Video

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: You can create many layers once a time and sync audio for your animation.

Con: This one needs much time to learn, especially for beginners.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Get Noticed on LinkedIn: The Art of Creating Custom Video Thumbnails

How to Custom LinkedIn Video Thumbnail Size

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

If you have been looking for options to grab the potential of video posting on LinkedIn you are reading on the right page.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail

We will guide you through the importance of Linkedin thumbnail, and effective ways to create a thumbnail. Keep reading!!!

In this article

01 [What is a Linkedin Video Thumbnail and Its Size Specifications?](#Part 1)

02 [Publishing Videos On Linkedin](#Part 2)

03 [Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin](#Part 3)

04 [Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video](#Part 4)

05 [Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail](#Part 5)

Part 1 What is a LinkedIn video thumbnail and its size specifications?

A thumbnail for a video is like a preview image of the video and acts like its cover. The viewer will get an idea about what the video contains through its thumbnail image. Though the site chooses the first frame of the video as the thumbnail, you can even set a customized one that is attractive and interesting.

The LinkedIn video thumbnail size specifications are as follows:

Image size: 1200 X 627 pixels

Format of the image: JPG or PNG

Maximum size of the image: 2MB

Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of the thumbnail should match that of the video itself.

Part 2 Publishing videos on LinkedIn

If you are planning to publish a video on LinkedIn, the first thing to know is the place where it will be published. LinkedIn allows adding the videos on the personal feed as well as on the Company pages.

If you are into an established business or a brand having a large number of followers, paid video posts on the company page work best.

For the small- setups and businesses who are looking to promote their products and brands posting a video on the personal feed is a good idea. Initially, you can start by posting on your feed and then can later create a company page.

Part 3 Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin

After you have decided that whether you will be posting a video on your company page or your personal feed, the next thing is to decide that how the video will be published. There are 3 different ways for posting a video as enlisted below.

Using YouTube and Vimeo links

If you have your videos on Vimeo or YouTube you can paste their link on your LinkedIn account. To watch the video, a person needs to click on the link and it will then open in the hosting platform.

Using LinkedIn Native Video

This is the most effective method where a video can be uploaded directly on your LinkedIn account from your system as well as your phone. While posting videos directly on LinkedIn, you can even add customized thumbnails, stickers, subtitles, and titles. A native video will play automatically as it is seen by the people in their feed and thus, they reach a larger number of people.

Using LinkedIn video ads

To reach the target audience, a sponsored post is also an effective way and the video ads can be posted only through a company page. Depending on the type of product or the brand to be promoted, the video can be created.

Part 4 Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is one of the important factors that make your video engaging and interesting. Before a person starts watching your video, you need to ensure that they get interested in it and click it. For grabbing this first-time attention, a custom thumbnail works great. You can use any interesting graphic or an image related to your video and edit it to create a customized thumbnail.

A thumbnail can only be used when videos are posted as native LinkedIn videos.

Part 5 Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail

The following tips will help you create interesting thumbnails for your LinkedIn videos that will grab the viewers’ attention.

Search for thumbnail templates

There are several sites like Canva, Visme, Postermywall, and others where you can get ready-made templates for creating impressive thumbnails. A variety of designs in different categories are available at these sites to choose from.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail Templates

Edit files using an editing tool

To edit the selected template or a fresh image to be used as a thumbnail, you would need a good editing tool. We recommend Wondershare Filmora Video Editor here as excellent software that can edit your files in multiple ways. The software can be downloaded on your Windows and Mac systems in a hassle-free manner and then multiple editing tools can be used to get the desired thumbnail image. Some of the key features supported by the software include enhancing files with effects, rotating, merging, cropping, flipping, adding text & tiles, adding overlays and filters, transitions and elements, motion tracking, color tuning, and much more.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

filmora-video-editor

The interface of the software is simple and the process is fast which makes the software perfect for all types of users.

Wondershare Filmora

Keep it simple and uncluttered

The thumbnail should be kept simple and without any clutter. Since LinkedIn is a professional platform there is no need for any unnecessary details needed.

Let the thumbnail speak of your content

Create a thumbnail that speaks about the content of your video. If the thumbnail is interesting and gives an idea about your video, the viewer will open and watch it.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is a cover image for your videos posted on LinkedIn.

The videos on LinkedIn can be posted on the company page or as a personal feed.

The videos can be posted as YouTube or Vimeo links, LinkedIn ads, or as native LinkedIn videos.

There are several factors to create an effective LinkedIn video thumbnail and one of them is using professional editing software like Wondershare Filmora.

Try It Free Try It Free

If you have been looking for options to grab the potential of video posting on LinkedIn you are reading on the right page.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail

We will guide you through the importance of Linkedin thumbnail, and effective ways to create a thumbnail. Keep reading!!!

In this article

01 [What is a Linkedin Video Thumbnail and Its Size Specifications?](#Part 1)

02 [Publishing Videos On Linkedin](#Part 2)

03 [Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin](#Part 3)

04 [Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video](#Part 4)

05 [Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail](#Part 5)

Part 1 What is a LinkedIn video thumbnail and its size specifications?

A thumbnail for a video is like a preview image of the video and acts like its cover. The viewer will get an idea about what the video contains through its thumbnail image. Though the site chooses the first frame of the video as the thumbnail, you can even set a customized one that is attractive and interesting.

The LinkedIn video thumbnail size specifications are as follows:

Image size: 1200 X 627 pixels

Format of the image: JPG or PNG

Maximum size of the image: 2MB

Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of the thumbnail should match that of the video itself.

Part 2 Publishing videos on LinkedIn

If you are planning to publish a video on LinkedIn, the first thing to know is the place where it will be published. LinkedIn allows adding the videos on the personal feed as well as on the Company pages.

If you are into an established business or a brand having a large number of followers, paid video posts on the company page work best.

For the small- setups and businesses who are looking to promote their products and brands posting a video on the personal feed is a good idea. Initially, you can start by posting on your feed and then can later create a company page.

Part 3 Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin

After you have decided that whether you will be posting a video on your company page or your personal feed, the next thing is to decide that how the video will be published. There are 3 different ways for posting a video as enlisted below.

Using YouTube and Vimeo links

If you have your videos on Vimeo or YouTube you can paste their link on your LinkedIn account. To watch the video, a person needs to click on the link and it will then open in the hosting platform.

Using LinkedIn Native Video

This is the most effective method where a video can be uploaded directly on your LinkedIn account from your system as well as your phone. While posting videos directly on LinkedIn, you can even add customized thumbnails, stickers, subtitles, and titles. A native video will play automatically as it is seen by the people in their feed and thus, they reach a larger number of people.

Using LinkedIn video ads

To reach the target audience, a sponsored post is also an effective way and the video ads can be posted only through a company page. Depending on the type of product or the brand to be promoted, the video can be created.

Part 4 Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is one of the important factors that make your video engaging and interesting. Before a person starts watching your video, you need to ensure that they get interested in it and click it. For grabbing this first-time attention, a custom thumbnail works great. You can use any interesting graphic or an image related to your video and edit it to create a customized thumbnail.

A thumbnail can only be used when videos are posted as native LinkedIn videos.

Part 5 Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail

The following tips will help you create interesting thumbnails for your LinkedIn videos that will grab the viewers’ attention.

Search for thumbnail templates

There are several sites like Canva, Visme, Postermywall, and others where you can get ready-made templates for creating impressive thumbnails. A variety of designs in different categories are available at these sites to choose from.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail Templates

Edit files using an editing tool

To edit the selected template or a fresh image to be used as a thumbnail, you would need a good editing tool. We recommend Wondershare Filmora Video Editor here as excellent software that can edit your files in multiple ways. The software can be downloaded on your Windows and Mac systems in a hassle-free manner and then multiple editing tools can be used to get the desired thumbnail image. Some of the key features supported by the software include enhancing files with effects, rotating, merging, cropping, flipping, adding text & tiles, adding overlays and filters, transitions and elements, motion tracking, color tuning, and much more.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

filmora-video-editor

The interface of the software is simple and the process is fast which makes the software perfect for all types of users.

Wondershare Filmora

Keep it simple and uncluttered

The thumbnail should be kept simple and without any clutter. Since LinkedIn is a professional platform there is no need for any unnecessary details needed.

Let the thumbnail speak of your content

Create a thumbnail that speaks about the content of your video. If the thumbnail is interesting and gives an idea about your video, the viewer will open and watch it.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is a cover image for your videos posted on LinkedIn.

The videos on LinkedIn can be posted on the company page or as a personal feed.

The videos can be posted as YouTube or Vimeo links, LinkedIn ads, or as native LinkedIn videos.

There are several factors to create an effective LinkedIn video thumbnail and one of them is using professional editing software like Wondershare Filmora.

Try It Free Try It Free

If you have been looking for options to grab the potential of video posting on LinkedIn you are reading on the right page.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail

We will guide you through the importance of Linkedin thumbnail, and effective ways to create a thumbnail. Keep reading!!!

In this article

01 [What is a Linkedin Video Thumbnail and Its Size Specifications?](#Part 1)

02 [Publishing Videos On Linkedin](#Part 2)

03 [Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin](#Part 3)

04 [Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video](#Part 4)

05 [Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail](#Part 5)

Part 1 What is a LinkedIn video thumbnail and its size specifications?

A thumbnail for a video is like a preview image of the video and acts like its cover. The viewer will get an idea about what the video contains through its thumbnail image. Though the site chooses the first frame of the video as the thumbnail, you can even set a customized one that is attractive and interesting.

The LinkedIn video thumbnail size specifications are as follows:

Image size: 1200 X 627 pixels

Format of the image: JPG or PNG

Maximum size of the image: 2MB

Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of the thumbnail should match that of the video itself.

Part 2 Publishing videos on LinkedIn

If you are planning to publish a video on LinkedIn, the first thing to know is the place where it will be published. LinkedIn allows adding the videos on the personal feed as well as on the Company pages.

If you are into an established business or a brand having a large number of followers, paid video posts on the company page work best.

For the small- setups and businesses who are looking to promote their products and brands posting a video on the personal feed is a good idea. Initially, you can start by posting on your feed and then can later create a company page.

Part 3 Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin

After you have decided that whether you will be posting a video on your company page or your personal feed, the next thing is to decide that how the video will be published. There are 3 different ways for posting a video as enlisted below.

Using YouTube and Vimeo links

If you have your videos on Vimeo or YouTube you can paste their link on your LinkedIn account. To watch the video, a person needs to click on the link and it will then open in the hosting platform.

Using LinkedIn Native Video

This is the most effective method where a video can be uploaded directly on your LinkedIn account from your system as well as your phone. While posting videos directly on LinkedIn, you can even add customized thumbnails, stickers, subtitles, and titles. A native video will play automatically as it is seen by the people in their feed and thus, they reach a larger number of people.

Using LinkedIn video ads

To reach the target audience, a sponsored post is also an effective way and the video ads can be posted only through a company page. Depending on the type of product or the brand to be promoted, the video can be created.

Part 4 Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is one of the important factors that make your video engaging and interesting. Before a person starts watching your video, you need to ensure that they get interested in it and click it. For grabbing this first-time attention, a custom thumbnail works great. You can use any interesting graphic or an image related to your video and edit it to create a customized thumbnail.

A thumbnail can only be used when videos are posted as native LinkedIn videos.

Part 5 Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail

The following tips will help you create interesting thumbnails for your LinkedIn videos that will grab the viewers’ attention.

Search for thumbnail templates

There are several sites like Canva, Visme, Postermywall, and others where you can get ready-made templates for creating impressive thumbnails. A variety of designs in different categories are available at these sites to choose from.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail Templates

Edit files using an editing tool

To edit the selected template or a fresh image to be used as a thumbnail, you would need a good editing tool. We recommend Wondershare Filmora Video Editor here as excellent software that can edit your files in multiple ways. The software can be downloaded on your Windows and Mac systems in a hassle-free manner and then multiple editing tools can be used to get the desired thumbnail image. Some of the key features supported by the software include enhancing files with effects, rotating, merging, cropping, flipping, adding text & tiles, adding overlays and filters, transitions and elements, motion tracking, color tuning, and much more.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

filmora-video-editor

The interface of the software is simple and the process is fast which makes the software perfect for all types of users.

Wondershare Filmora

Keep it simple and uncluttered

The thumbnail should be kept simple and without any clutter. Since LinkedIn is a professional platform there is no need for any unnecessary details needed.

Let the thumbnail speak of your content

Create a thumbnail that speaks about the content of your video. If the thumbnail is interesting and gives an idea about your video, the viewer will open and watch it.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is a cover image for your videos posted on LinkedIn.

The videos on LinkedIn can be posted on the company page or as a personal feed.

The videos can be posted as YouTube or Vimeo links, LinkedIn ads, or as native LinkedIn videos.

There are several factors to create an effective LinkedIn video thumbnail and one of them is using professional editing software like Wondershare Filmora.

Try It Free Try It Free

If you have been looking for options to grab the potential of video posting on LinkedIn you are reading on the right page.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail

We will guide you through the importance of Linkedin thumbnail, and effective ways to create a thumbnail. Keep reading!!!

In this article

01 [What is a Linkedin Video Thumbnail and Its Size Specifications?](#Part 1)

02 [Publishing Videos On Linkedin](#Part 2)

03 [Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin](#Part 3)

04 [Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video](#Part 4)

05 [Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail](#Part 5)

Part 1 What is a LinkedIn video thumbnail and its size specifications?

A thumbnail for a video is like a preview image of the video and acts like its cover. The viewer will get an idea about what the video contains through its thumbnail image. Though the site chooses the first frame of the video as the thumbnail, you can even set a customized one that is attractive and interesting.

The LinkedIn video thumbnail size specifications are as follows:

Image size: 1200 X 627 pixels

Format of the image: JPG or PNG

Maximum size of the image: 2MB

Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of the thumbnail should match that of the video itself.

Part 2 Publishing videos on LinkedIn

If you are planning to publish a video on LinkedIn, the first thing to know is the place where it will be published. LinkedIn allows adding the videos on the personal feed as well as on the Company pages.

If you are into an established business or a brand having a large number of followers, paid video posts on the company page work best.

For the small- setups and businesses who are looking to promote their products and brands posting a video on the personal feed is a good idea. Initially, you can start by posting on your feed and then can later create a company page.

Part 3 Ways To Publish Videos On Linkedin

After you have decided that whether you will be posting a video on your company page or your personal feed, the next thing is to decide that how the video will be published. There are 3 different ways for posting a video as enlisted below.

Using YouTube and Vimeo links

If you have your videos on Vimeo or YouTube you can paste their link on your LinkedIn account. To watch the video, a person needs to click on the link and it will then open in the hosting platform.

Using LinkedIn Native Video

This is the most effective method where a video can be uploaded directly on your LinkedIn account from your system as well as your phone. While posting videos directly on LinkedIn, you can even add customized thumbnails, stickers, subtitles, and titles. A native video will play automatically as it is seen by the people in their feed and thus, they reach a larger number of people.

Using LinkedIn video ads

To reach the target audience, a sponsored post is also an effective way and the video ads can be posted only through a company page. Depending on the type of product or the brand to be promoted, the video can be created.

Part 4 Importance Of Thumbnails In Linkedin Video

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is one of the important factors that make your video engaging and interesting. Before a person starts watching your video, you need to ensure that they get interested in it and click it. For grabbing this first-time attention, a custom thumbnail works great. You can use any interesting graphic or an image related to your video and edit it to create a customized thumbnail.

A thumbnail can only be used when videos are posted as native LinkedIn videos.

Part 5 Tips To Create An Interesting And Effective Linkedin Video Thumbnail

The following tips will help you create interesting thumbnails for your LinkedIn videos that will grab the viewers’ attention.

Search for thumbnail templates

There are several sites like Canva, Visme, Postermywall, and others where you can get ready-made templates for creating impressive thumbnails. A variety of designs in different categories are available at these sites to choose from.

LinkedIn Video Thumbnail Templates

Edit files using an editing tool

To edit the selected template or a fresh image to be used as a thumbnail, you would need a good editing tool. We recommend Wondershare Filmora Video Editor here as excellent software that can edit your files in multiple ways. The software can be downloaded on your Windows and Mac systems in a hassle-free manner and then multiple editing tools can be used to get the desired thumbnail image. Some of the key features supported by the software include enhancing files with effects, rotating, merging, cropping, flipping, adding text & tiles, adding overlays and filters, transitions and elements, motion tracking, color tuning, and much more.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

filmora-video-editor

The interface of the software is simple and the process is fast which makes the software perfect for all types of users.

Wondershare Filmora

Keep it simple and uncluttered

The thumbnail should be kept simple and without any clutter. Since LinkedIn is a professional platform there is no need for any unnecessary details needed.

Let the thumbnail speak of your content

Create a thumbnail that speaks about the content of your video. If the thumbnail is interesting and gives an idea about your video, the viewer will open and watch it.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The LinkedIn video thumbnail is a cover image for your videos posted on LinkedIn.

The videos on LinkedIn can be posted on the company page or as a personal feed.

The videos can be posted as YouTube or Vimeo links, LinkedIn ads, or as native LinkedIn videos.

There are several factors to create an effective LinkedIn video thumbnail and one of them is using professional editing software like Wondershare Filmora.

Also read:

  • Title: Updated Achieving Cinematic Color in Final Cut Pro for 2024
  • Author: MdadeLe
  • Created at : 2024-05-19 08:27:42
  • Updated at : 2024-05-20 08:27:42
  • Link: https://smart-video-editing.techidaily.com/updated-achieving-cinematic-color-in-final-cut-pro-for-2024/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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Updated Achieving Cinematic Color in Final Cut Pro for 2024