2D Animation Programs and softwares

2D Animation Programs and softwares

The following animation programs are all primarily designed to function in 2D.

Toon Boom Studio 4

$299, toonboom.com/products/toonboomstudio, Download Free Trial
Toon Boom Studio is one of the best animation programs for internet users, and is well known for its depth and quality of their technical support. It’s a solid application that is made for animators, by animators. This makes it a perfect choice for creating your own original cartoons.

Animationish

$59.95, toonboom.com/products/animationish
Developed with the premise that animation programs do not have to be overly complicated to produce effective and fun cartoons, Animationish is a great application to learn the basics of cartoons.

Flip Boom

$39, toonboom.com/products/flipboom
The producers of Toon Boom created this animation program with kids in mind. It’s a simple program to get the hang of, with basic drawing inputs and previous/next frame navigation. Even the output controls have been slimmed down to make it as easy as possible for kids to grasp.

Flash

$699, adobe.com/flash
Adobe Flash has been around for a long time in one form or another. It has the benefit of being easy to use, but is missing some key toolsets that would truly benefit animators. That’s why Flash does not currently get top billing from most animation studios.
If the price does not scare you away you’ll find that Flash can provide a great interactive experience but is not an ideal animation program for cartoons.

After Effects

$999, adobe.com/aftereffects
While it’s primarily used for compositing and effects, After Effects can be used to create animation. It’s clearly overkill to use this program just for animation, but the fact that you can means it must go on this list. Frankly, I can think of several things I would rather do with a thousand dollars.

Pencil

Free, les-stooges.org | Download Pencil
Pencil is an interesting animation program in that it allows for both vector and bitmap drawings. It’s as if the drawing tools of Photoshop were combined with the powers of Flash. The software itself has been pared down to its most essential elements, meaning it’s an excellent introductory animation program.

Synfig

Free, synfig.org | Download Synfig
The creators of the Windows-only Synfig have ambitious goals of their animation software being used to create feature film quality animation. After watching an impressive demo it looks like they’re not far away from their goal. Synfig can create complicated lighting and camera effects, it’s up to you, the animator, to use them properly.

CreaToon

Free, creatoon.com | Download CreaToon
Another Windows-only animation program, CreaToon uses a cut-out animation process, similar to Toon Boom. The application itself seems a bit less polished, but the ability to use bitmap images within the program is useful.

Toon Boom Digital Pro

$2,499.99, toonboom.com/products/digitalpro
As internet animation programs go, Toon Boom Digital Pro is strictly for professionals, as indicated by its price tag. They have the credentials to back it up though. Besides the extensive list of TV and movies created with Toon Boom Digital Pro, internet sensations Adam Phillips and Bernard Derriman also use this animation program.

Toon Boom Studio Express

$149, toonboom.com/products/toonBoomStudio
This pared down version of Toon Boom Studio is a good introductory animation program for newcomers. There are limits, however, especially since only one scene can be created at a time. You can easily purchase Express and then upgrade to Studio later if you find that you need the extra punch.

SWiSH

$149.95, swishzone.com | Download Free Trial
SWiSH was initially created to take advantage of the open .swf format established by Flash. Originally billed as a cheaper Flash alternative, SWiSH has become a solid Windows-only text animation program in its own right, allowing you to easily create impressive swooping effects and export them for the internet.

Ulead Gif Animator

$49.95, ulead.com | Download Free Trial
Gif Animator is truly old school animation software. Animated Gifs have, in general, are almost extinct on the internet as Flash and DSL
speeds have become almost ubiquitous. This is a Windows-only application, and does not work in Vista. If you want to party like it’s 1999, this animation program will get you in the mood.

TV Paint

$475, tvpaint.com | Download Free Trial
While TV Paint was a solid animation program before, when they purchased the Mirage name and rolled the two applications into a single animation program simply called TV Paint many animators rejoiced. TV Paint is solid production level animation software, and there is a professional version available for 950�.

Plastic Animation Paper

$99, plasticanimationpaper.dk | Download Free Trial
This truly exciting animation program comes to us from the beautiful country of Denmark. Plastic Animation Paper is meant to be a replacement to a traditional light table/paper animation combination. This software is currently available for Windows and Linux, however they are diligently working on a version for the Mac. There is a free version for you to try, as well as a professional version for 695�.

Motion Studio

$39.95, wisdom-soft.com/ms
This Windows-only is a quirky little program designed only to create .exe files. This could be useful for a slideshow or looping display, however the animation part of the program is relatively limited.

Pro Motion

cosmigo.com/promotion | Download Free Trial
Pro Motion is a Windows-only animation program designed for close-up pixel manipulation. This makes it ideal software for building sprite-based characters such as those found in video games.