- Animaker is an online do-it-yourself (#DIY) animation video maker that brings studio quality presentations within everyone's reach. Animated Videos, Done Right!
- Sep 24, 2019 Best Free 3D Animation Software for Mac. MAC is considered to be the ideal device for animation due to its robust configuration and seamless rendering capabilities. In fact, some of the top Hollywood film production houses use 3D animation software for MAC for their animation requirements. Here are some free animation software solutions for MAC.
Sep 24, 2019 Blender is a free and open-source 3D animation software. It consists of all the main tools required for 3D animation, i.e., modelling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, and video editing. It also provides options for 2D animation pipeline.
Free Animation Software Download Mac Version
Animated Videos have become one of the signature tools of marketers worldwide for telling a story and creating effective marketing campaigns for the future.
Depending on your purpose and skills, you can choose from different types of software available both offline and online, for professionals and amateur users, 2D, 3D, whiteboard or stop motion animation tool, etc.
Below are our picks for the best animation software for mac of 2019. For more background information, see a more detailed buying advice below the picks.
Part1. Whiteboard Animation Tools
Part2. 2D Animation Tools
Part3. 3D Animation Tools
Part4. Stop Motion Animation Tools
Part5. Motion Graphics Software
How to Choose the Right Animation Software for Mac
Part2. 2D Animation Tools
Part3. 3D Animation Tools
Part4. Stop Motion Animation Tools
Part5. Motion Graphics Software
How to Choose the Right Animation Software for Mac
Part1. Whiteboard Animation Tools
#1. Best Whiteboard Animation Software for Mac: VideoScribe by Sparkol
This program is produced by Sparkol and it remains one of the best whiteboard animation software programs for both Mac and PC. You can also use it on a number of mobile devices including devices that run android. There are elements of the program that works through the cloud making it very simple to upload and edit video wherever you might be.
Videoscribe works quite intuitively for building business presentations, TED talk style videos, tutorials, creative marketing solutions and more. What is produced out of this program looks hand-drawn and extremely professional for any type of marketing campaign. The best part is that you can use many of these tools to create these effects with very little animation knowledge.
Even children enjoy using this program because of its ease of use. There is a full library of stock images, animation and more as well as an extensive voiceover soundtrack that can be used with the solutions here.
The yearly and monthly subscription also ensures that there is a flexible use for the program. It also comes with a seven-day free trial with features to try before you buy.
#2. Best Free Animation Software for Mac: PowToon
This is a fantastic online presentation maker for academic use, presentations and infographics.
The program is completely free to use and has a number of animation effects on board that can make anything exported out of the program seem extremely professional.
The free templates available in the program as well as the quality of the animations that are presented within the platform make it a true favorite amongst many brands.
A number of major companies now almost exclusively trust their creative tools to Powtoon and it can be used almost anywhere where there is an Internet connection with mass compatibility.
As a fully cloud-based system there’s no use for installation or downloads to take full advantage of it. Its available for free use on any Macintosh computer as long as you are willing to use the watermark.
Part2. 2D Animation Tools
#3. Best 2D Animation Software for Mac: Toon Boom Harmony
This is a program that actually deserves some surprising recognition. The company has partnered with major film companies like Warner brothers, Disney, and Nickelodeon and it’s currently one of the best and most powerful 2-D animation suites for commercial use.
With the use of this program you can build anything from traditional animation all the way to amazing drawing tools that can produce the future of 3-D animation. The 3-D cameras and integration available in this platform can provide fundamental solutions for drawing, rendering and building beautiful projects.
There are tools and tasks available here that can suit small hobby animators all the way up to professional uses. The premium version delivers the top tool professional solutions that you might expect at of any major animation suite. The essentials level of the harmony program is designed more for hobbyists and it delivers a scaled down version of some of their more high and customization techniques.
Toon Boom not only remains one of the best 2-D animation programs for mac but it is a regular fixture in the animation world today.
#4. Runner-up, Best 2D Animation Software for Mac: Adobe Animate
Adobe is one of the successors to perhaps one of the most popular 2-D animation software is available. At the core of Animate are the flash tools that have been working to create high-quality animations since the early days of the Internet. Today the program uses vector-based publishing to produce intuitive and inexpensive animation results.
Although it may not have all of the professional animation tools that you would find in some major production suites, it’s possible to get very professional looking results.
#5. Best Free 2D Animation Software for Mac: Pencil
This is a simple and open source vector-based program that’s designed for the Mac OS X platform. It’s also available on Linux and Windows and it was originally created for producing digital comics. The platform allows animators to use the basic hand-drawn techniques that were experimented with long in the past. Pencil is an ideal program for beginners that don’t want to invest in expensive license for a program. It can teach the basic principles of animation and with a timeline feature it’s possible to add new layers to arrange fun effects.
This is one of the best programs for beginners and sketching characters as well as setting keyframes can all be done using the pen tool, fill tool and the vector layers tool. The interface on this is actually based off of some of the original Adobe flash platform’s and it produces some good quality graphics even on a tablet device. Perhaps one of the best parts of using this program is that it automatically exports everything in.FLV which gives it mass compatibility with a number of online sources. The videos that you export here will be easy to embed or upload in video sharing sources and more.
Part3. 3D Animation Tools
#6. Best 3D Animation Software for Mac: Maya
Autodesk Maya remains one of the best 3-D modeling software programs that’s designed for Mac, Windows and Linux. The program itself has migrated many of the tools away from Autodesk Mud and now has features that you would normally find in several different pieces of software for creating highly detailed 3-D models. Autodesk Maya is a 3-D modeling software that is designed mostly for professional artists but with the templates that are available for download and the massive amount of tutorials online, it is possible to see quite a difference with this software when you are working with it over time.
#7. Runner-up, Best Free 3D Animation Software for Mac: Blender
Blender is a program that is designed with open source technology for 3-D modeling and it’s made mostly for beginners that want the option to learn how to play and get comfortable with reading modeling on their Mac computer. This open-source program does feature many of the basic features that you can expect to find including rigging, animation, architectural support and even the option to create full games. The philosophy that’s behind it allows for the inclusion of many different templates and it is very well suited to use by a number of creators. Blender remains some of the best 3-D modeling software for creative artists with its completely free use.
Part4. Stop Motion Animation Tools
#8. Best for Making Stop Motion Videos: Dragonframe
Dragonframe remains one of the best stop motion software solutions for mac today. It’s one of the top choices for many of the world’s largest studios like Laika and Aardman. It can produce high-quality masterpieces in stop motion animation and it is a perfectly suited set of professional tools. The program allows for easy capture of a number of precise movements and you can also compose in light various angles using the camera controls on board. Editing images as well as performing advanced image review techniques can all be done through the program as well.
The process of inserting and editing audio can be done according to a characters needs and based off of the animation that you want to create. The advantage to using some of the precise movements and controls in this program is that you can have a wide array of improvements at your fingertips for professional products.
#9. Runner-up: Stop Motion in Movavi Video Editor
We selected this is our runner up because with this program there’s no need to pay for a dedicated piece of stop motion software. This is an open source piece of technology that delivers a full-featured video editor that suitable for many beginners.
The program itself is perfect for getting all of the features that are often teased in many full license software programs. Because it’s open source there are also a number of templates that can make it easy to use. The full-featured video editor is excellent for its features and for the newest features that are being added by the community regularly to keep up with the stop motion technology of today.
Part5. Motion Graphics Software
#10. Best Motion Graphic Animation Software for Mac: After Effects
With a number of motion graphic animation software programs available for Mac, after effects sets itself apart.
Adobe After Effects is truly one of the most masterful programs for any motion graphic artist. Of course many of the features of aftereffects can be found in other Adobe programs, but there is no other piece of software that can be so versatile for the creation of motion graphics. The way to the menus are set up and the way that the program behaves makes it an intuitive leap for 3-D modeling and 2.5 D animation.
The whole goal of aftereffects is to help you produce almost any type of animation that you may want without having to involve 3-D modeling. After effects remains one of the primary pieces of software for motion graphic work in storyboards, motion comics and more. There are elements in this program that are close to Photoshop and illustrator but they have been optimized for the purpose of creating motion graphics here.
How to Choose the Right Animation Software for Mac
When it comes down to choosing the program that you may want to purchase a license for or download on your computer, you need to be very focused into the types of animation that you are looking for and what you need out of any program. The first thing you need to understand is the various styles and techniques for animation and what you might want out of a program:
2d animation
This is the traditional style of animation that comes from the idea of cell shading or digital cell shading. In the past animators would draw images on transparent pieces of paper and then later than one frame at a time to create motion. Today drawings can be rendered and layered on top of one another using a digital timeline and computer vector animations.
3d animation
This is a completely new and different way to look at traditional animation that requires understanding the basic principles of composition, movement and 3-D modeling. Creating 3-D graphics can involve scanning objects or even piecing together various 3-D models to create characters, share complex ideas and then animate all of the items along a storyboard.
Motion graphics
A motion graphic is considered to be one of the newest forms of animation. These motion graphics are fairly common in items like banner ads, short comics and more. Usually these types of graphics are designed for commercial purposes.
Stop motion
Stop motion involves taking photos of an object and manipulating it ever so slightly to eventually produce a storyboard of motion. Completing and repeating this process over and over eventually gives the full allusion of movement. This is a very time-consuming process that often involves manipulating objects slowly over hours of movement to create just a few seconds of animation.
Presentation or whiteboard style
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This is a popular style of animation that has taken off over the past few years. The online marketing videos that are produced and the specific programs that have been created for building whiteboard videos are proving that this is a format that truly keeps people engaged and remains a trend for school projects, business presentations and more.
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Are you on plans to make 2D animation movies and looking for a suitable software for that? There is no dearth of animation software programs for animators but the thing is that not all such programs would be suitable for you. But not to worry as here we have come up with an extensive list of best 2D animation software programs and you can safely settle with any one of them.
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Pencil2D
You are getting an open-source 2D animation software here which uses vector/bitmap drawing interface for producing convenient 2D graphics, drawings & animation. It caters to all major operating systems including Linux, Mac & Windows. The good news is that such an amazing software program is available complete free of charge.
Tupi
Tupi is a great 2D animation software which would be especially good for the beginner & young artists who are new to the animation world. The new version of the software has come up with some boosted improvements and these include- preference dialog, light/dark theme support, redo/undo of object transformation, refactoring of color palette etc.
The Tab
This is another most recommended name when it comes to reliable 2D animation software programs. The Tab is equipped to alter & manipulate lines as well as shapes easily & then the convert the drawings into vector images. It is compatible with PC & Mac and works on tablets too.
DrawPlus
The new version of DrawPlus has come up with improved features like B-Splines that enables the user to draw lines & manipulate curves on his digital canvas easier than ever. The software assures higher line accuracy as well and the latest hairline option of the software ensures all precision that you need while dealing with intricate lines & designs.
CrazyTalk Animator
CrazyTalk Animator offers a novel approach to conventional 2D animation drawing with its innovative tools that enable one to apply the cutting edge 3D motions in 2D characters. You will have latest editing tools here that freely edit the 2D motions & can view them from just any angle in one single click.
DigiCel FlipBook
If you are looking for an easy software for 2D animation, DigiCel FlipBook is the name for you. It will do just everything to let you come up with amazing animated movies. In fact, the software was designed by the animators themselves for the animators & the program is a favorite of major professional animators.
2D Animation Software for Various Platforms
Today you have a versatile gallery of 2D animation software applications for various platforms. The one you take to should suit your system’s OS as otherwise it won’t work for you. Not every such software applications would work for all operating systems and there are some software applications that only work for specific OS.
Free Windows 2D Animation Software – Animation Paper
If you are looking for a highly efficient 2D animation software for professional and experienced animators, Animation Paper is the software for you. It’s powerful & fast as well as comes with a very simple & intuitive interface. In fact, it’s always fun to work with this highly rated 2D animation software.
When you are looking for free Windows 2D animation software, Plastic Animation Paper can be the name for you. It’s one of the best in the market and comes with several useful features like- color insert in drawing, frame rate setting, zooming feature, drawing area etc. It supports various image & video formats.
Free Android 2D Animation Software – Visviva Animation Player
If you are asking for Free Android 2D Animation software, Visviva Animation Player would be a good option for you. The software is able to create 2D & 3D graphic animations for the multimedia presentations, screensavers, games & many other forms of entertainment & instructional applications. It’s simple and very convenient to use.
Free Mac 2D Animation Software – Synfig
What about a good Free Mac 2D Animation software? Well, you can opt for Synfig here which is an open-source vector-based animation software and would be great if you are looking for Flash-animation. It comes with a standard interface so it won’t take much time for you to deploy Synfig for your animated fantasies.
Most Popular 2D Animation Software for 2016 – PowToon
This is one of the best 2D animation software programs in the market today as it has been duly perfected for fluid storytelling & creating Flash movies & presentations. If you have not created motion in your presentation ever, don’t worry, PowToon always assures a convenient use for its users.
If you want to know about most popular 2D animation software for 2016, PowToon is the name. It will create awesome animated presentations which you can easily combine with music, embedded videos or narration. It comes with a wide range of templates and is available in both free and paid versions to choose from.
What is 2D Animation Software?
The 2D animation software programs help to create animation presentations and movies with few clicks of a mouse. These software programs allow the aspiring animators to draw, color as well as animate the desired creations for amazing interactive presentations.
The best ones in the market will even help you with Flash animation. The other features that you will find in the animation software are scene transition facility, ability to put text & word balloons in the project, add sound effects or your own voice narration, sound editing and so on.
Besides, the best ones can help with lip-syncing that will make your characters mouth the dialogues easily as we find in great animation movies.
How to Install 2D Animation Software?
To install 2D animation software, first, you will need to download the chosen software. Every software comes with an executable file. However, make sure to check the software’s compatibility with system’s operating system before you download. As the download completes, you will get the installation link followed by the needed installation instructions.
Benefits of 2D Animation Software
Those who have grown up watching animated movies, secretly have this wish to make their own animated presentations one day. But all cannot attend art schools and not everybody gets a chance to assist at famous animation studios.
The 2D animation software applications come up as a blessing here since these are modeled to help you in creating animation presentations easily just from the comfort of your home. These software applications will do everything to turn your animation project into a reality and the best ones in the market are even used by pro designers & elite animation studios.
The leading 2D animation software programs allow the users to import several files & save the project in various file formats. Your chosen software must support various image and video versions. These software applications are quite easy to use and not always you would have to be a tech geek to operate them.