Depending on your skills, you can choose from different types of software available both offline and online, for professionals and amateur users, 2D and 3D animation creators, etc. The Moho Pro 12 is one of the best 2D animation tools out there, with tons of features that professionals look for in any high-end animation software. It combines excellent 2D rigging system plus traditional animation tools to provide outstanding results in less time.

1. Top 5 2d Animation Software
2. Best Program For 2d Animation
3. Best Software To Do 2d Animation
4. Best 2d Animation Software Free

2D or two-dimensional software are that dedicated designing and architectural programs that are used by the professional designers, filmmakers, gamers and architects to create high-quality animation work by way of vector and bitmap artwork. These software are less advanced as compared to the 3D animation software that are used for the more developed and advanced level of projects. 2D animation software are entirely different from the simple 2D software as these involves the system of auto lip sync system to the facial puppet. The software listed below are favorable for movie & video creators, educators & students, web & game designers, and artists & illustrators. Production environment, character creation, motion & animation, stage & SFX, and proper input & output system are the main features and functions of most of these software. The basic purpose of all software listed below is same, and that is to deliver the 2D animation artwork system. However, the method of doing so is different in each software. Some are more advanced than others and are totally used for creating a high level of production work. Check out the list of some best and powerful 2D animation software.

1. DigiCel FlipBook

DigiCel FlipBook is one of the best animation programs that have made the animation really easy and straightforward. You can use this animation software for developing your animation projects and can use for teaching the others as well. DigiCel FlipBook makes animation easier to learn because it is easy to use and designed on the principles of best animation systems. At the same time, it is very easy to make the animation as well. The simple and easy to use interface of DigiCel FlipBook makes it easier for the users to learn also makes the animation very simple. The main advantages of using DigiCel FlipBook is only one and that is it does everything you need to make grate animated movies. It is designed for the animators for the animators. You don’t need to remember the complicated steps as DigiCel FlipBook offers the step by step guide to its users while working on the complex projects. You can focus on your animation instead of your software, and you can see your results quicker to help keep those creative juices flowing. From any PC and device, you can use the DigiCel FlipBook. Here you will get all those things that you need to make great animated movies. It will make you able to print your animation to quickly and easily with features that go beyond having to point of click to fill every little sport in the frame.

2. Anime Studio Debut

Anime Studio Debut is a power pack of those features and functions that are designed for both professionals and beginners to make you able to create animation in an easy and exciting way. Anime Studio Debut provides to options for animation making to its users. Either to start with the existing tools or import the digital images and artwork to get started. It deliver the vector based designing tools to the animators to manipulate their inventive work. It’s a first-rate instrument for artistic expression and ultimate for any age crew. Proper on the platform of Anime Studio Debut you received to find your ideas or projects limited through the facets of the program. Anime Studio Debut support for the bone rigging that is regarded as a speedy and effective substitute to tedious frame by frame animation. Add a skeleton to any image by pointing and clicking to create bones that overlay the elements of your photo to manipulate palms or legs. Then convey your image to lifestyles with the aid of relocating any person bone factor to create the pose or motion you wish to have, whilst retaining the task organized with the sequence and time line. Even less complicated to use than earlier than with a more intuitive consumer interface faster entry to vital and mostly used tasks and instruments, Anime Studio Debut is used to manipulate animation timing by means of key frames.

3. Synfig Studio

Synfig Studio is an open source and free two-dimensional software designed for the designers and developers who need an industrial-strength system for creating high-quality animation work by way of bitmap and vector artwork. The best about this software is that it has entirely eliminated the requirement for frame by frame graphing and sketching. That means the users can now easily create the 2D animation of a higher quality by adopting few resources. This software is freely available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. The best about all editions for leading operating systems is that these contains the Cobra rendering engine that means the high possibility of rendering all Synfig Studio layers and new layer FreeTime. These will provide you the easy development of new projects and the availability of transparent integration with Papagayo. Some features and functions of the Synfig Studio are support for multitude of layers of various types, full featured bone system to create cutout animation, spatial resolution independence, most elements are vector based, temporal resolution independence, animation keyframes are automatically interpolated by computer, high dynamic range imaging, floating point math in the image calculation, sound support by way of Sound Layer, pen tablet CrazyTalk Animator friendly tools, the advanced drawing tools, artist-oriented design, path based gradients, etc.

4. CrazyTalk Animator

CrazyTalk Animator is the new way of creating 2D images that is the replacement of the traditional 2D graphics and animation system. It contains innovative tools that will make you able to apply the 3D motions easily to 2D characters. This 2D software is the fine combination of functional and best-drawing features from auto lip sync system to the facial puppet. For its advanced features and functions, CrazyTalk Animator is said to be the best one replacement of the traditional 2D software. The integration of new features and functions in the CrazyTalk Animator have introduced the new level of possibilities for editing the 2D motions and even view them from any angle with a single click. It is combined with the basic features of creative character animation system. This software is favorable for movie & video creators, educators & students, web & game designers, and artists & illustrators. Production environment, character creation, motion & animation, stage & SFX, and proper input & output system are the main features and functions in the CrazyTalk Animator. The other advanced features and functions of the CrazyTalk Animator are the creation of custom multi-dimension characters from scratch, design characters, etc. This 2D software support for the 3D motion as well by way of iMotion format. It will allow you to connect with any 3D motion source.

5. Animata

Animata is a highly advanced open source and real time animation program for the creation of animations and interactive background projections for concerts, games, films and much more. For the same reasons, Animata is said to be the multifunctional animation software that is designed for almost all animation functions. Animata is widely available for the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Being an animation software, creating animation of all types is the specialty of this software. The movement of the puppets, the changes of the background and generating everything in real time are the best qualities of Animata. This ability also permits that physical sensors, cameras or other environmental variables can be attached to the animation of characters or other environmental variables can be attached to the animation of characters, creation a cartoon reacting to its environment. It is very simple to create a virtual puppet brand reacting to live audio input or simply set up a scene of drawn characters controlled by the movement of the dancers. Animata is different from the most of the traditional 2D and 3D animation programs for creating characters in Animata is quite simple and takes only a few minutes. On the basis of the still images that server as the skeleton of the puppets. The movement of the bones in Animata is based on a physical model that allows the characters to be easily moved.

6. Toon Boom Animation

Toon Boom Animation is a highly advanced 2D animation software designed to deal with the mega designing and development projects. It is a like a storyboard for the gamers, designers and developers for creating the best level of animation and publishing materials. It is an all in one animation studios for all animation purposes. The best about Toon Boom Animation is that it is the fine combination of high quality content creation capabilities with the best creative expression. Two main products of the Toon Boom Animation are Storyboard Pro and harmony. Both combines the features of animation. Here we will discuss the Harmony of Toon Boom Animation that is an animation software. When it comes to digital production and creation of advanced level of aniamtions, Toon Boom Animation is the name of a global standard by which all 2D animation software is judged. Toon Boom Animation is the most creative, efficient and easiest way to create the animation is a best way. All these are based on the highly advanced industry standard. The sophisticated animation tools that are for designers will make you able to accelerate your art. Sketch, draw, print and animation with ease are the basic features of Toon Boom Animation. You can apply classic principles of animation to your projects with modern tools to speed up the production process. The efficient and creative environment for artists deliver you the ability to create your entire project in one tool.

7. Autodesk Animator

Autodesk Animator is a 2D animation program for both beginners and professionals to create the interesting animation. It is best for all kinds of animation and even stop animation as well. It is one of the oldest 2D animation program designed for creating the all level of projects. This animation has the ability to do frame-by-frame animation including individual picture that is similar to cel animation. Tweening that is said to be must have feature is the part of Autodesk Animator. Tweening is the system that make the animators able to specify the position, orientation and colour of the first and last frames of an animation and the PC fills in all the intermediate positions. In most of the features and functions, Autodesk Animator is similar to the contemporary piece of software called Deluxe Paint. However, at the same time it is very different from the other traditional 2D aniamtions software as it support for the direct keyboard control over animation functions that is a very useful sprite animation mode and a build in a scripting language named PocoScript. All these properties make the Autodesk Animator ideally suited for producing art for platforms with limited capacity such as game consoles, mobile phones, toys, etc.

8. Spine

Spine is a 2D animation program for the game and software development. It is best for the programmers, artists and animators to bring their projects alive. This program is designed for multiple users; however, gamers will remain at the main edge because most of the features and tools listed here are for the assistance of the gamers. It contains only those basic features and functions that are regarded as the must-have for getting the efficient workflow for creating amazing and best animation for the games. Smaller in size, art requirements, smoothness, attachments of images, mixing of animations and procedural animation are the best advantages of the Spine. Some of the great features and functions of the Spine are dope sheet for best animation, free-form deformation for moving the individual mesh vertices, graph editors for Bezier curves, weights to vertices in mesh to attach to different bones, inverse kinematics for defining animating using inverse kinematics, export formats in various formats, skins for allowing switching between sets of attachments, importing data into binary formats, bounding boxes, texture packer to pack images into a texture atlas or sprite sheets, meshes for specifying a polygon inside your image, etc. Designing amazing animations is still a problem in much 2D software. You need to render those animations in your games. The libraries in the Spine will provide you a toolkit to load and render animations in the games.

9. Animation Paper

Animation Paper is a dedicated platform for the 2D development. Being an advanced level of 2D software, Animation Paper is designed for the professional and experienced animators and designers. Simple and easy yet powerful, and effortless to work with. You can work with rough and quickly test ideas then clean it up. It is loaded with a ton of features and functions that will allow you to train, learn and master the art of animation. Features are limited here but still very great for the professional level of projects. Some features part of the Animation Paper are superfast responsiveness interface, quality lines to build high speed graphics, small to large format frames, real time smooth rotation and zooming of the view, controlled work with gestures, onion skinning that is totally customizable, layers system in multiple colors, easily reposition, clean up the smoothed lines, paint for simple coloring with eyedropper and fill, many alternative ways of flipping, customizable tool bar bad and quick selection system, real time full frame reference on second monitor, play scenes in sequence to check continuity, import and export system for both videos and frame-stakcs and much more. Animation Paper is widely available for the Windows, Mac and smartphone devices. For the assistance of the animators, Animation Paper contains various development ideas.

10. Spriter

Spriter is a 2D animation character creation software that can be used for creating the optimized and flexible modular 2D. By using this 2D animation software, you can easily create the bone-based sprite animators for making games. Spriter is basically designed for the gamers. However, still can be used by other animators and designers as well. It provides its users with the modular method of creating a smooth and professional level of animations where the users will be provided with the way of key-frames are constructed from small and reusable images like the body parts. This system of Spriter makes the animators and game developers able to get advantages for several aspects of a game development and for the ready to use products. Some advantages of using the Spriter are save the time by delivering the precise tools, instant creation of game characters, custom tweaking for the modular images and unlimited character variations. If you want to change your game character instantly, Spriter will be best for that because of delivering the instant creation system. Then there is the custom tweaking system that means much easier to make those tweaks that might become necessary during gameplay testing. It makes it very easy for the professional gamers and animators to deal with whatever tweaks the designer needs to make. Spriter support for the unlimited character variations to get the superfast and painless creation of alternate character based on the data from another character.

11. CelAction 2D

CelAction 2D is the name of a powerful and highly advanced 2D animation program for the perfect creation of 2D animation. CelAction 2D is the known for being the most innovative animation software. Some of the features and functions of the CelAction 2D are simple to use, fast performance, ergonomic controls, handles massively complex projects with unlimited layers, both bitmaps or vectors, definable user workspace, user defined shortcut keys, multiplane camera features, store multiple named views of the scene and much more. It is available for up to 8 version of the Windows operating system. It is available for both 32 and 64-bit versions. It will make you able to select elements in any window and all other windows update automatically. There is a proper context-sensitive help file stored locally, not online. Here you can create a palette from sixteen million colors. The rest of the features and functions of the CelAction 2D are related to workflow & collaboration, import & export in almost all leading formats, vectors based imaging system, use bitmaps, availability of libraries to store and reuse animation/effects/function/colour palette, best animation support system, rigging, dope sheet, rendering of multiple cameras and even support for the 3D. This software is designed for 2D rendering but support for the various 3D functions as well. Availability of effects in all frame by frame, real-time feedback, distortion and much more effects are the part of CelAction 2D.

12. Express Animator

Express Animator is a 2D animation tool for creating animations, presentations, cartoons, game characters backed by sound and music. Most of the features of Express Animator are much similar to the Adobe Flash MX but with some additional tools like skeletal animation and exporting to HTML5 Canvas and Silverlight. The latest version of Express Animator support for the Actionscript so that you can get the genre of vector based graphics programs in that it stores the coordinates of the shapes vertices. You can fill the shapes created with either bitmaps, colours or gradients. The recent version of Express Animator support for even more complex scripts and an improved renderer and various wizards to speed up tasks like creating charts and buttons. The best part of Express Animator is that it provide the skeletal animation that is considered as a simplest way of linking together the multiple shapes like legs or arms to make the animation like a puppet. It make the users able to create moveable characters. Tweening that is said to be must have feature is the part of Express Animator. Tweening is the system that make the animators able to specify the position, orientation and colour of the first and last frames of an animation and the PC fills in all the intermediate positions. It also features the morphing as well that will make you able to animate smooth transformation between two shapes.

13. PowToon

PowToon is a multiple animation and presentation making software for the professional business persons and designers. It is an easy to use and free animation software that contains animated explainer that will make you able to make animation of all level. The availability of dozens of templates will make your work easier. PowToon is the best way for creating animates videos, images and presentations. Engage, explain and sell with impact using just a short, simple PowToon. It is proven to be more efficient than any other form of video or text communications to grab attention in the workplace. Within few minutes you can get the ready to made templates to create a professional looking in few minutes. These ready to use templates support for the fast and drag and drop system that you can use within minutes. If you want to enjoy the features of PowerPoint and other 2D animation software at one place then use the PowToon to get all facility at a single location. PowToon is available in an online environment that requires no installation at all. In addition to a free version, the two paid version of the PowToon are PowToon Pro and PowToon Business. Per month prices of both are $89 and $197 respectively. PowToon Business delivers the highest level of features and functionalities as compared to the PowToon Pro. Just create an account to start with PowToon.

14. Antics 2-D Animation

Antics 2-D Animation is a vector based 2D program for graphic designers and animators. Antics 2-D Animation is widely available for the Windows operating systems only. It is a uniquely simple to use and versatile tool for producing aniamtions and graphics for all kinds. It support for both simple and full scale cartoon character animation. It is integrated with a lot of features and designing tools that will make the animators, artists and designers top create an advanced level of animated projects. The best part of Antics 2-D Animation is that it requires no technical knowledge at all to get start. Even those who are not familiar with animation at all and interesting in doing so they can also start creating with Antics 2-D Animation as well. Antics 2-D Animation is a cel-based system that is related to the traditional techniques but with unlimited potential for creating animation effects and movements automatically. Some of the features and functions of the Antics 2-D Animation are designed for all type of projects, easy to use requires no technical knowledge at all, output direct to digital video at any chosen resolution, drawing can be composed of any number of separate, versatile drawing tools, contouring tool automatically converts photos images into drawn lines, clean uncluttered screen layout, easy to navigate system, drawing tools for all type of drawings, texture mapping system, versatile colour selection, alter any aspect or detail of a drawing instantly, fully-illustrated tutorial and context sensitive help pages, create compositions and patterns, etc.

Best 2D Animation Software of 2019 - Cartoon Making Programs

I spent 84 hours testing and comparing 11 different 2D animation programs this year. Based on my work, I recommend MOHO Debut as the best animation program overall, especially given its relatively low cost. It's a great option for artists and non-artists alike since it comes with a huge library of characters and also provides drawing tools.

MOHO Debut 12

MOHO Debut is perfect for both the seasoned artist and anyone with limited drawing skills. It is packed with drawing tools, so you can create your own scenes and actors, but it also comes with a huge library of character elements that you can mix and match.

Muvizu Play+

Muvizu Play+ is the perfect program for those who don't have artistic abilities. It's inexpensive and gives you access to a library of characters and premade motions so help you quickly tell your stories.

Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony Advanced offers some of the best drawing and animating tools on the market, but it also has the steepest learning curve making it better reserved for serious hobbyists and professional animators.

Best Overall

MOHO Debut 12

MOHO Debut, previously known as Anime Studio, is perfect for beginning, intermediate and advanced animators.

Top 5 2d Animation Software

You can easily toggle between the beginner and standard modes of the software, which makes the interface easier to navigate. This software uses bone rigging so you can move your characters around like puppets for easy animation. There is no motion capture software and no automatic lip syncing so you'll need to move your characters frame by frame within the timeline to give the illusion of talking.
I loved the character library, which offered several different body parts and accessories that we could mix and match to create a unique figure. You'll also find premade effects and backgrounds. I will say that the premade artwork wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but it will still help you make animations in a quickly.
I was able to use my Wacom tablet to sketch using the adjustable brush tools. The layers and pen sensitivity allowed me to create freehand drawing with ease. If you'd prefer to import your drawings from another program, MOHO is compatible with PSD, JPEG and BMP image files. This software also allows you to record audio as well as edit it, which is something you don't always find with animation software. When you are done, you can export your animations as AVI, MP4 and SWF files, but you cannot post directly to social media sites. MOHO works on both PC and Mac so you won't have to worry about computer compatibility.

Best Value

Muvizu Play+

Muvizu Play+ has the best price value of any program we tested, especially considering the huge library of customizable premade characters and backgrounds it comes with.

However, it isn't a good choice for anyone wanting to draw their own characters as it doesn't provide any drawing tools. It's great for established animation hobbyists and beginners alike as the tools are simple but give you plenty of freedom when creating your scenes.
You can mix and match various body parts as well as change the color of skin, clothing and hair to make your own creations. Unlike many other animation programs, this one doesn't use bone rigging. Instead, it comes with a large collection of premade animations which you can apply to your characters throughout the course of your timeline. At the click of a button, characters' mouths respond to audio automatically, giving the illusion that they are talking. This means you won't have to painstakingly choose the correct mouth positions to fit every little sound.
The audio does have one major flaw, while you can record you cannot edit. This is especially bad since you can only play one audio file during the course of a timeline. If you want to have multiple dialogue and sound track files play throughout your animation, you'll have to use an external program to combine them into one file and then import it back into Muvizu Play+. This software can be a bit glitchy, so you'll want to take advantage of the active user forum to see how other users get around specific problems.

Best for Professionals

Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony is the industry standard for professional 2D Animation. That being said, it has a huge learning curve with no beginner mode, so you'll want to take learning courses or be very devoted in order to use it.

It has been used to create popular shows like The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, and Rick and Morty. The program responded beautifully to my Wacom tablet allowing me to sketch and draw my own characters. You can adjust the brushes to different opacity and the pen sensitivity allowed us to add fine and thick strokes.
The program uses bone rigging to allow your characters to move in a realistic fashion. You'll also find an onion skinning feature to help you line your characters up in various frames to create fluid motion. Since this program focuses so heavily on drawing and animating tools, there is no character library and no premade background. You can find a premade character in the resources section of the Toon Boom website, but it's mainly there to help you learn how to use the tools.
Import common image files like JPEG, PNG and BMP, as well as your own PSD and AI creations. This software also lets you import several different audio and video files. When you're finished, export your animations as AVI, MP4, SWF or PNG Sequence. Or, post your creations directly into Facebook or YouTube.

Best for Motion Capture

Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator

CrazyTalk Animator 3 Pro is simple enough for beginners, but also offers the necessary tools to help professional artists animate their works.

I felt that CrazyTalk Animator Pro offered the most professional and aesthetically pleasing premade characters of any other software we tested. You can mix and match clothing, hair and accessories to create the perfect character. Due to the motion capture feature, when you record audio, the premade characters automatically move their mouths to the sounds while their heads match your own movements. This will save you hours of animation work.
The software offers clipping mask tools and pins so you can import stock art or personal images and quickly animate them. When you are done creating, you can export your movies videos with full screen HD as AVI, WMV, MP4 or popVideo3 files. Mac users are also able to export as MOV PRoRes 4444 files. You cannot upload directly to YouTube or Facebook from within the program. CrazyTalk offers a decent range of support features on its website. I found video tutorials, a FAQs page, knowledgebase and a lively user forum. The one thing I didn't find were written tutorials to help guide you through the animation process. If you need to contact a representative, you can do so via phone and email.
You cannot draw from within the program. If you're an artist, you might be interested in the 'Pipeline' version, which allows you to import your PSD and AI files and animate them. This more-in-depth version of the program even has sprite templates for cats, dogs, humans, wings and a general one for spines, which you can attach to your characters within Photoshop. This makes it so your designs will respond to the premade animations found in the animation library to do things like walk, stretch and jump with just the click of a button.

Best for Stop-Motion Animation

Best Program For 2d Animation

Stopmotion Studio

This is a very basic stop-motion program that is perfect for beginners because the interface is designed to be simple and easy to use.

Stopmotion Studio uses onion skinning to help you place your characters in the correct locations, which is a feature most advanced programs use. Since this program expects you to use physical options in your animations, it doesn't include drawing or bone rigging tools.
You can cut, copy, paste, delete and merge images with just a few computer keystrokes or swipes on your phone. You can also add subtitles and credits to your animation projects. The chroma key feature uses a blue or green screen to help you change the background in your videos. Be aware that this feature can be tricky to use and doesn't always do a believable job. You can upload audio files or you can record your voice for use in your videos. It lacks audio editing tools, so you’ll have to make changes using another program. This is one of the most inexpensive programs we evaluated, but it also doesn't do as much as other programs. It will feel frustrating for advanced users looking to do serious stop-motion projects, but it is great entry-level software for beginners and children.

We contacted Caitlin Troughton, marketing content manager at Toon Boom Harmony to get more insights on this top-rated animation software. We also spoke with Tyrel Hanby, an artist with an animation degree, to learn more about his creative process and experiences. Our testers are artists and graphic designers familiar with 2D animation and drawing programs.

Choosing 2D Animation Software
When deciding on 2D animation software, you will need to consider your skill level and your willingness to learn. Experienced users will obviously want a variety of advanced tools and features. Beginners should determine whether they are willing to invest time in learning advanced tools or not.

How Much Does 2D Animation Software Cost?
As fun as it is to use, Animation software can be rather costly, especially if you're wanting to get a version that allows you to draw your own characters and use onion skinning and bone-rigging tools. Fortunately, the larger animation companies tend to offer 2-4 different versions of their software so you can find a software that fits your price range and usage needs.

The most basic programs tend to sell between $35 and $80 while the most advanced versions can be upwards of $400. Some animation programs, like Toon Boom Harmony, are subscription based so you will have to pay a monthly fee in order to have access to the software. This can range from $15 a month for the most basic version or $73 a month for the most advanced.

Some animation software offers student editions and pricing to make the software more affordable. If you aren't sure about spending your money, try to find a software that offers a free trial.

Do I Need a Drawing Tablet?

If you plan on drawing your figures and backgrounds from scratch, then we recommend you invest in a drawing tablet. If you’re using a program, like CrazyTalk Animator, that employs pre-drawn characters, a mouse and keyboard will be a better fit. Most drawing tablets connect through USB or wireless connection and feature programmable buttons to speed up your drawing process without having to touch your keyboard too much. Drawing tablets come in several sizes, from small 4-inch surfaces to upwards of 20 inches. We recommend the Wacom Intuos Pro if you are a beginning digital artist. This tablet is also a favorite device for many professional digital artists. It comes in three different sizes, which affects the price and drawing space. It also works wirelessly, so you won’t have to worry about damaging or tangling any cords.

If you’re willing to spend a lot more, drawing monitors like the Wacom Cintiq Pro are incredibly useful. This type of monitor allows you to draw directly on the screen so you don’t have to look between your drawing tablet and your computer monitor when drawing. These monitors feature pen sensitivity so you can create thicker or thinner pen strokes by pressing harder or lighter on the screen.

Best Software To Do 2d Animation

Which Drawing Tablet Is the Best?

Best 2d Animation Software Free

When it comes to drawing tablets, Wacom is by far the best brand, but it also happens to be the most expensive. Wacom tablets are the standard for graphic designers, animators, illustrators and other digital artists. If you’d like to find something a little cheaper that performs just as well, Huion is a good brand to choose. These tablets work beautifully at a much lower price, though some artists find that they don’t have as much sensitivity or as many features as Wacom products. We recommend the Huion H610 Pro as a good entry level drawing tablet.

Useful Tools to Look For
More-advanced 2D animation programs allow you to create storyboards to visualize each shot of your project. The best storyboards help you add dialogue to each scene, apply sketches and figure out camera placement. Not all 2D animation programs come with storyboards, but if you simply want to have fun with the program, it isn't necessarily a needed feature.

The tools you use to create your characters can give them added depth. Some programs come with a variety of brush types to help you find the right style to match your visions. Example brushes include watercolor, pencil and felt tips. Layers are also useful in helping you design the perfect visual style. Advanced programs will help you add effects to various layers that can be altered independently of the other layers.

When we contacted Troughton at Toon Boom Harmony, she told us that depending on your experience level, it can take anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks to become proficient in the software. But it can be made easier with the help of an extensive learning center complete with forums and tutorials. Many professional-level companies will also offer learning courses on their website or on sites like Lynda.com. While you must pay to attend, you will better understand the software in less time. Troughton also told us that Toon Boom has a huge community of users who 'are creating content to help others learn [the] software.'

Defining Onion Skinning, Bone-Rigging and Tweening
When it comes to animating your characters, there are a few advanced tools that can make your creations move more smoothly and believably. The onion skinning feature can be found in both advanced and beginner programs. This allows you to compare your current frame against the previous and upcoming frames in order to make sure your character moves fluidly.

Rigging is basically the same as puppeteering: It allows you to move your characters in the way you want. Bone-rigging is a more complex tool that basically allows you to create a skeleton within your characters that you can move. This gives you more control so you can orchestrate more lifelike movements. Tweening is a term that refers to making transitional images between various character positions in order to create the illusion of movement. Some programs can complete tweening for you, which saves time and helps your animations move smoothly.

Are Animation Jobs in Demand?

You bet they are. As of 2016 there were over 73,700 people employed as animators and multimedia artists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS), the employment of multimedia artists and animators is expected to grow 8 percent from 2016 to 2026, which is average for all occupations. These types of artists will be needed for video games, movies, TV shows, commercials, advertising, etc. The Bureau goes on to state that the median annual wage for multimedia artists and animators was $70,530 in May 2017. However, just because there are jobs out there doesn’t mean getting hired is a walk in the park. Most employers require animators to have a bachelor’s degree for entry level positions. You’ll also have to prove that you have teamwork skills, a knowledge of animation software and the artistic talents necessary to get the job you want. Many animators are self-employed and work from home, but many others work in an office. Keep in mind that animators are sometimes required to put extra hours in or work through the weekend in order to meet deadlines.

Artist Tips
We asked Hanby where he finds inspiration when creating new characters. He told us that he believes 'all inspiration comes from your own experiences and what you choose to immerse yourself in.' That can include the shows you watch, the music you listen to, the books you read or even the games you play. He added, 'Your personal experiences are unique and you can merge or combine pieces of various things together to form a new character or idea.'

You can find plenty of additional drawing and animation tips online from artists. Additionally, the developers of most animations programs offer tutorials and online courses for you to learn from. If you aspire to improve your drawing and animation skills, you shouldn't be put off by your first drawing attempts. As an artist, I don't know how many times someone has told me something to the effect of, 'I can't even draw stick figures.' Drawing, illustrating and animation are all about adding layers. You start with a basic shape and then you tweak it or add more details to it until you create something you like. If you don't like the way your creations look, change it and keep trying.

It also helps to take a break from your art for 10 minutes or more and then to come back to it with fresh eyes. You might notice an obvious flaw or perception issue that you hadn't seen previously. When we asked Hanby if he had any additional tips, he told us to always have a sketchbook on you and draw from life frequently. He further said, 'If you want to show people your art, have two sketchbooks. One for showing off and one for practicing and working on your skills. Take figure drawing courses or find figure drawing sessions you can attend. Create your own style and develop it.' Learning from life will help you develop an eye for believable body movements and a better understanding of the human figure so you can incorporate those skills into your animations.

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