Free Cartoon Animation Software

Oh dear, so this has been my third late night trying to install synfig! Is there something I'm missing? I mean, am I SUPPOSED to download all these different things before I can use it or is there one giant .EXE which I can just download and run. At least on this attempt they had instructions on how to install it, but I got a third of the way through, and they started explaining it like I know exactly what they're talking about. I'm an Animator, not a computer technician! Did you have any problems putting it together Will? I'm annoyed I spent a part of my night installing god knows what, just to get lost in a river of computer babble.

@Matthewb, hmm, that is distressing. I only have access to the Mac at the moment, so I'm unable to install the PC version at all. Were you able to figure it out?

No not at all, I mean it looks like such an interesting program to use, everytime I attempt to put it together I really get my hopes up and then end up dissapointed. So is it quite simple to install on mac? I'm keen to get it, one day hopefully. (Of course by then it will probably be shareware ;)

Sadly, they removed the Mac version for download altogether. Presumably the bugs in the program were really nasty. I'm not sure yet when the Mac version will return.

Nice post, Will. I downloaded Pencil & started playing with it, haven't animated anything yet, but so far I must say I love the drawing tools. Very basic for sure, but the pencil tool has a wonderfully natural & sketchy feel when used on bitmap layers. It has a different function on vector layers, more like the stroke tool in TBS. It only draws invisible lines in vector layers but in bitmap ones it's a regular pencil. The color palette is basic for sure, but you can add custom colors to it & also save & import custom palettes, which is nice. My ultimate test is to see how easily I can go from this to TBS. I'm gonna try a simple test animation with it tonight, but so far it's well worth the price! Have you tried it yet? I got the impression that the mac version had a few more features than the pc version.

Well, I played with it a bit & it exports nicely as a series of PNG's into toonboom. Also exports to SWF stright from Pencil, but I think for all but the most basic of animations you'd want to bring it into TBS for camera moves & whatnot. Anyway, I have to say I'm thrilled with the drawing tools. As I said in my last comment the pencil tool feels really natural when drawing on a bitmap layer & it gives a nice sketchy look that I'm a big fan of. I did a short animation of an eye blinking, drawn with the pencil tool as a bitmap in Pencil, then imported the image sequence in to TBS & added color on a layer underneath the pencil. I think it came out looking really cool & I like the style a lot. I'm 100% sure I'll be doing more stuff like that in the near future. If you want to check it out I'll post it to my blog. Overall I'm pretty impressed with Pencil in the short time I've played with it.

Very cool Pat. Thank you for posting about your trials with it. I will have to play with the Mac version some more and see if I can compare it to your experiences. Here's the direct link to your post about Pencil.

This list is probably missing Plastic Animation Paper (PAP). Definetely worth giving it a try. Although the full version comes with a hefty price tag, there's a home version that's free. I've seen some work done with it, and wow, impressive. It's basically a light table. Do your colouring and compositing elsewhere. :P http://www.plasticanimationpaper.dk/

I have tried to install Creatoon but it does not work both with vista or Xp (I ahve used the unlock also)? Any thoughts?

@Daniele, I'm sorry, I only have a Mac to try these things on. Does the Creatoon FAQ page cover your issue?

No it does not help, the program does not run at all, it seems to be starting in the beginning but then it shuts down.

just downloaded creatoon and installed onto xp home sp2...once i ran the unlock it booted up okay..seems a bit buggy and fell over once already..still i'll have a play

I am interested in creating my own cartoon characters and am interested in the know how process of it can you help to provide some good hints on beginers software and professional software for creating carftoons and their animation with edting and mordern techniques many thks tony

I like this program

I like cartoons

Im new in cartoon and will like to know more about cartoon making. so if any one can help me I will be very greatfull.

i,m really new in creating cartoons. and animatin so would love if u could help. thanks

Surprised you haven't listed ARTOONIX which is an excellent piece of 2d animation software. It can be used free for as long as like but needs to be registered if you want a few advanced functions such as tweening. Many examples of Artoonix animations on the internet or in the galleries at the homepage. (The 'Featured' gallery is the one to look at). I've used it a lot for the last year. Also worth pointing out that Creatoon is now not only totally free but that there are a good set of detailed tutorials that can also be downloaded.

I've been playing with Creatoon for about a fortnight. It promises much, but after a steep learning curve I'm close to despair (the tutorials are for 2.5, NOT 3 and although they're good, they're not always accurate or relevant). On XPpro SPK2, it is very buggy. Worst of all, it won't output AVI (the rendering engine in Creatoon seems broken: it's not a codec issue as far as I can tell). Done all the usual tests+fixes, can get good PNGs but not AVIs. I'm trying to make square 425x425 animations, with lots of imported artwork, but few complex moves or alpha blends. It seems to dislike non 4:3 aspect ratios, which is no help to me! The AVI is a broken non-sync raster, with discernable images on it but incorrect color information and missing lines, and it starts mid-line rather than at the beginning. It looks like a collection of PAL/NTSC odd fields rather than frames. PNGs seem fine though. Did you know you can use Windows explorer as a flick-book animation? S.

It's strange how many reports there are of CREATOON being buggy or unstable. I installed it on XP2 and it's been as stable as a rock. For anyone wanting to try it out, the learning curve IS a bit steep, but it's worth it. On Youtube, I posted a very quick run-through of some of the basics of making an animated character. Look for "CREATOON - basic intro to KEYFRAMES and the TIMELINE". Also, of course, Creatoon was used regularly for making animated series for TV and was originally sold as a quite expensive piece of kit ... so actual weaknesses within the software aren't all that likely. But I still can't explain why people are having so many problems. I've also found that rendering to AVI works well - although I tend to use the PNG option more often so that I can import animated extracts into Artoonix.

i'am a student of animation

I've had the same problem creatoon and synfig, my operating system is windows vista so that may be why, but synfig doesn't download, and creatoon comes up and then shuts down...Any suggestions?

Hm... I'm not sure. I'm supposed to get my new computer tower Wednesday, five days away, and I'm really looking forward to Synfig. I'm just hoping it'll work. I've been trying to buy programs like Flash or Aftereffects, but they are outrageously expensive, and Synfig seems PRECISELY like what I want, so I'm just not sure. Has anyone had any luck downloading it?

Synfig downloads do seem to be tricky at times, but actually installing the thing is a nightmare - definitely not a standard approach. I gave up after four total failures. However, I agree that it LOOKS as if it should be a great package. I've heard all sorts of stories from friends about Vista and how they can't get software to run on it, despite it having been fine on XP.

I've finally figured out how to unlock CreaToon, and enjoy trying it out. But I can't figure out how to get a bitmap image (cartoon body, head, etc.) that stands alone without the white space around it. How do you do that? Is that the transparancy that the tutorials talk about? If I can figure out how to get the various parts of the "parent" and "child" to appear without the box of white around them, I can move forward. Can the finished cartoon be incorporated into a video? When I save what I've made it goes into a file that tells me I don't have permission to open. Also, where do you get the manual for CreaToon? Thanks in advance for your help. Bob

When I used to import images into Creatoon, I first used a program such as Irfanview (free) to convert them into the png format. This allowed me to specify the surrounding colours as transparent. WARNING - if your shapes contain white, don't use white as the surrounding colour. In fact, make sure the surround is a colour that doesn't feature inside the shapes. TIP - if you intend importing several shapes, store them in their own folder - you'll see why next: In Creatoon you can use the import function to highlight all the converted shapes at once if they're in the same folder, and import them in one go. It is then quite easy to link them together to animate your character(s) --- but be prepared to spend some time learning how to use keyframing so as to avoid some unexpected results. Be sure to view or download all the associated tutorials, resources and sample movies that can be found on the website - they're inavluable. As for the pdf manual, I can't recall where I found it. However, if you want to send me a message via my Youtube channel, we can exchange email addresses and I can send it to you. Find me via this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZMLzvaUaBg

how the hell do you download this software???? there is a lot about it but you cant download it!!!

hey dude.thanks for your tips.a wee question,when i import an image onto creatoon how do i make the background of this image transparent enabling me to move just my charachter and not full page.help would be much appreciated.thanks

TIM I can't explain the reason for your problem. I just ran a test and it downloads perfectly, as does the free, zipped program with which to unlock it. I assume you're starting at http://www.creatoon.com/ which is where I went. It's also important to grab all the samples and animated tutorials and resources if you want an easier start. I have the manual in pdf form if you can't find it. ---------------------------------------------- STEPHEN I think I covered all this in my earlier message. I use Irfanview. If you want me to make a simple tutorial using screenshots, I can do so and post it onto Youtube. Let me know by replying here.

hey man.I used GIMP to turn image into png but its still not transparent when i import into creatoon.any other ideas dude? Having creatoon and not being able to use it is indeed quite the bummer.thanks man

I had a look at GIMP some time ago, but I didn't find it very user-friendly. I can't remember how GIMP converts to png. Does it ask you to define which colour has to become transparent or is it just an automatic process? If so, that may be the root of the problem. Anyway, I use Irfanview and that has never failed me for making transparent images that can be imported into Creatoon. I have put together a short tutorial and demo to show what I do. It is now on Youtube at ... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oQxEUaO7pSo

I have had a few issues with CreaToon, but it's worth overcoming these as few programs have the cut-out animation technique as their main priority (the ease of placing/moving pivot points is worth it alone). To run under Vista first install to an XP machine and apply the 'unlock'. Then transfer the whole install folder to the Vista system, find the .exe file, right click and select 'run as administrator'. Worked fine for me after this. Have also had issues in XP with the drawing portion of the screen being black or corrupted. Solved by turning Hardware Acceleration down to about one quarter (in Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Troubleshoot). Not ideal, so if anyone else has a better fix please do tell :)

UPDATE - My original tutorial for IMPORTING TRANSPARENT IMAGES INTO CREATOON had a small omission which was kindly pointed out by jsimpson. I've now uploaded a revised version to Youtube, so anyone who has problems with transparency and Creatoon might find it helpful. It will be at -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3BZmotTBHc

Can I just throw in a reminder about ARTOONIX for anyone who wants a really good program for both traditional and experimental animation? The free version has no timebombs and is limited only in having access to a few high-end functions restricted. It's main weakness is that - unlike Creatoon - it only has one centre of rotation which cannot be locked in place, but beyond that it is well worth a look. Unusually, the sound functions are top class and you can easily animate to sound with 1:1 accuracy between soundtrack and visuals. Although I sometimes use Creatoon, I mostly use Artoonix and now have well over 100 animations, demos and tutorials uploaded to Youtube. If you want to check it out go to --- http://www.artoonix.com/en/index.html

Creatoon is here --- http://www.creatoon.com/ --- also grab the tutorials and download all resources and don't forget the free unlock code.

CREATOON EXAMPLES .... I have found several animations on Youtube for which Creatoon was used (sometimes alongside other software). Look at this user's channel if you are interested in this program --- http://www.youtube.com:80/user/caravaggio45

ARTOONIX - If you want an idea of some of the things you can do with Artoonix, I have recently uploaded a sort of 'Showreel' to Youtube. It is a compilation of 12 new mini-movies which demonstrate most of the techniques that I've explored so far. I'm no great artist, so I manipulate a lot of clipart --- but as an introduction to the software, it might be of interest to some of you. Look here --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-za7ynUJog

I need to find someone who can make my characters move and talk. I am working on a children's ministry and need help. I have the characters drawn. Don't know if I can give my email but rjeannie@earth-comm.com

rjeannie --- if you've already drawn your characters without having a specific animation program in mind, you might have a problem. If your bodyparts can be exported and then imported with transparency for any surrounding areas, you'll have to use software that will allow you to link them together using a pinning or bone system. Creatoon could do this, but it's tricky to learn. Anime Studio Pro could do it, but it's also tricky to understand bones. Express Animator could do it quite easily - but the developer is making such a hash of completing the program that I'd never advise anyone to use it. Artoonix has no way to link objects together so would be useless for you. There will be other programs - but those are just the ones I know of. If your characters are 3D --- you really will find it difficult, but I doubt if that's the case or you would have been working towards using a particular animation package. Other contributors may be able to suggest other software. Good luck.

How often is this website monitored? We keep getting pointless messages like 'cool' and 'wat up yals'. Forums get enough of this daftness. Do we want it here?

Thanks for all the tips and info guys. Just want to know what you guys think of Toon Boom Studio as a product? Is it worth getting it? Ease of use etc. etc. Thanks.

Vischal ... Toon Boom Studio is good but extremely expensive unless you have access to discount for educational use. You also have to pay up for the documentation. Current prices for TBS4.5 seem to be around £100 for educational use + around £30 for documentation whereas the main commercial product is closer to £300. However, I think you can buy the student version via Amazon. Not sure if that comes with documentation and not sure if you have to prove you're a student as part of any registration process - I suggest you check that out before buying. Hopefully other users will add their thoughts without those stupid 'Hey Bro, wassup?' type of message.

Unfortunately your links lead straight to a series of googleads, which are no use to me as a teacher at all

Can't see any previous posts by 'Sean' - so what links are you talking about?

GRR it say's to register CreaToon but i don't know how please help!

Registering Creatoon is no problem. As well as downloading the installation file, you also need to download the free unlocking key. Just read and follow the instructions on the Creatoon homepage. Links for the installation file AND the unlocking code are on the same page. Download them both. http://www.creatoon.com/download.php Install Creatoon, then active the unlock code and that's it. Job done. No fee. No emails. No cost. No problem.

Hi Alan, Thanks for the info. I've also spoken to someone who recommends Lightwave by NewTek. Has anyone used this product? Thanks.

Lightwave? I've never used it but have read reviews which rate it as excellent. However, it's way, way, WAY out of reach of my wallet. Last I heard, I think we're talking around £900. I've seen it credited on quite a few top class animations and animated shorts. It won't be as expensive as some of the gear they use in the top studios - but you'd be getting close. I hope you have a friendly bank manager.

Toon Boom Studio is indeed a great product, but it's not the only product they offer. Flip Boom is worthy if you're new to animation, and Toon Boom Animate is professional animation software. Lightwave is very professional, and Alan is correct about it being price-of-a-small-car expensive. I'll do my best to keep the riff-raff random comments like "cool" out of here.

For anyone who wants to delve into the turbulent and deep waters of 3d machinima animation, one program to consider is MOVIESTORM. Just like the excellent midi sequencer 'Anvil Studio', the core of the program is free and fully functional without time limit or restriction. You can then choose whether or not to buy additional resources and packs - but you don't have to. A few words of warning though - (a) Your computer needs to have lots of free disc space and to be pretty modern - (b) You need Java installed to run it - (c) the download is in two stages and is HUGE, in fact it's massive. You begin with a 21mb download which checks your system, tells you of any problems and then prepares everything for the follow-up (and automatic) download of the core program. After downloading and installing this first part of the program, stay online and just let it do its thing as the core download starts automatically (this took over 3 hours on my Broadband 5.4mbps setup) - (d) You will then also need to download any updates which have become available since the last version of the core was released. BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS - once you start the download everything is automatic. There are lots of Moviestorm demos, tutorials and movies on Youtube if you want to investigate further.

Added note ... just checked the size of the Moviestorm folder on my hard drive after its installation. Currently it's 1246mb. And no, I haven't forgotten a decimal point!

Thanks Alan and Will for the advice. I've just downloaded a full access 30 day trial version of Lightwave from their site. Besides being extremely expensive like you guys mentioned, it's extremely complicated! I am now looking for tutorials to get me going... looks quite daunting but also quite interesting as well...

'Kawn' when you say that you are 'studying cartoon software', do you mean that you are looking for some? The best advice I can offer is to go to the top of the page and scan down to see which programs are mentioned - how they work - what they can do - and to decide which ones might suit your needs best. That would be better than just listing them all again. I have also sent an email to the admin team for this forum suggesting free programs that could be listed at the top of the page. But remember - if you look only for freeware software, you won't have a big list of ones that are good. There are probably between 8 and 10 in all. After that you'll need to look at shareware and fully commercial software.

People often ask about free or affordable animation software. Here is my own abridged list. I have not included URL’s because of the way text appears in this forum. Program names are in capitals and are not listed in any particular order within the sections. ARTOONIX is an animation program which allows you to draw frame-by-frame or to import and manipulate images in a range of formats. The program can be used unregistered forever but animations are then watermarked and you cannot access tweening. Registration is very affordable. CREATOON was a commercial program that was widely used by professional studios. It has now been released as freeware along with a small separate download that needs to be used to unlock the program once it has been installed and run. Creatoon is designed for cut-out style animation and not for drawn animation. PLASTIC ANIMATION PAPER (PAP) is a commercial program for the on-screen creation of traditional ‘cel’ type animation. There is a cut-down version that can be used free of charge. This has very limited functions. EASYTOON s is a simple animation program for creating monochrome movies in the gif format. Despite it’s simplicity and lack of colour, it uses the traditional ‘onion-skinning’ method for the drawing of frames. As such, It is an excellent tool for learning the techniques of animation. LIVESWIF is for the creation of FLASH movies. The software is free but is no longer being supported. PENCIL is an excellent free program of the traditional cel-style of animation. It is still being developed but is well worth considering. TWEENMAKER has a 'lite' freeware version and a pro version. As it's name suggests, it is a traditional animation tool built around the principle of in-betweening and onion-skinning. The 'lite' version offers the onion-skin element SYNFIG has a growing following and is described by the developers as ‘….a powerful, industrial-strength vector-based 2D animation software package, designed from the ground-up for producing feature-film quality animation with fewer people and resources….’ Be really careful to download all the files that are needed for installation and to then use them in the correct sequence. PIVOT is for the easy creation and animation of stick figures. It has been around for some time and despite it’s limitations, is very popular. SKELETON is best thought of as a slightly more realistic version of Pivot – although I don’t think it’s being used for animating stories. AIKIDO is designed to animate one or two robot-like characters as a way of modelling martial arts movements – but I found it to be VERY useful for creating and testing walk-cycles. Not all that quick, easy or intuitive to use at first but you can save your work as a movie or as a sequence of images. The free version can be hard to find. BENETON MOVIE GIF is more versatile and useable than most and makes for very easy on-screen drawing of separate images. Creations can also be downloaded in a range of formats – including a sequence of separate images. One word of warning – although it is available from many sites, most take you to a homepage which tries to entice you to follow unwanted commercial links. An older program of the same type is MOVIES 13 which has more limited capabilities but it easy to learn. TALES ANIMATOR is an abandoned project, but there are still one or two sites from which it can be downloaded. It was originally designed for use by children – hence its title. It used a unique script-based method for animation. MONKEYJAM is a digital pencil-test program. It is designed to let you capture images from a webcam, camcorder, or scanner and assemble them as separate frames of an animation. You can also import images and sound files already on your computer. Although it is designed for pencil and paper, MonkeyJam can also be used for StopMotion animation and has several features just for that. TAPPTOONS ANIMATION STUDIO is a free program which allows you to use captured and scanned images to create animation movies. There are no drawing options. In this respect, it is similar to ‘Monkeyjam’. IMAGEtoAVI also does a similar job to Monkeyjam, but seems to be more versatile, especially as regards adding a soundtrack. It makes it easy to assemble a set or sequence of saved images and to then specify frames-per-second before creating a movie or slideshow. It is available for test but is also VERY affordable as shareware. WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER Dear old Bill Gates’ offering for and is really for making home-movies, but as you can import images (2D or 3D), you can use transitions to assist in the post production of movies. . --------- As for fully commercial animation program, ANIME STUDIO PRO is one to look at, but TOON BOOM also offer a range of more affordable ‘introduction’ level programs such as ANIMATION-ISH. ---------- If 3D work is an area that interests you, here are a few ideas for starters. ANIM8OR is a free way to find all that out for yourself. It has been around for many years and is still being developed. It is totally free and is well supported with tutorials and a forum. It is mostly for the creation and rendering of 3D objects but it looks to be moving in the direction where 3D movies are becoming more possible. ALICE …. To quote from a FAQ – ‘…Alice is a modern programming environment designed to be a student's first exposure to object-oriented programming. It allows students to learn basic computer science while creating animated movies, simple video games, where students control the behavior of 3D objects and characters in a virtual world….’. Version 3 is due to be released, but via a bit of inside information, I don’t hold out too much hope for its success. GOOGLE SKETCHUP isn’t for animating stories, but for the easy creation of 3D models. These can be saved as movies (eg: ‘flying’ around a house or a figureThere is a good range of textures and examples to download – but remember that this software is NOT for animating storylines. TRUESPACE 3.2, TRUESPACE 7.6 and MAYA Personal Learning Edition 6.0.1 have all been released as freeware versions but are definitely for the advanced user, or for people with plenty of time to get to know them. BLENDER is rapidly growing in popularity as a 3D modeling and animation program, but also isn’t for absolute beginners unless they have a lot of time in which to learn it. Other free 3d modeling and animation software that might be worth checking out is OFX (Open FX), and K-3D.

thanks for the post. Do you also know any free software for making panels? I draw cartoons, but find it painful in making and arranging panels digitally. Looking for something which can make me life easy.

Can't help with a panel creator - not an area I've ever explored, although I know that comic creation is a big interest for many people. Maybe there's a forum somewhere where you can find suggestions. However, I suspect that the type of thing you want will either be shareware or commercial.

And thus more free animation software bites the dust ... If you have downloaded (or are thinking of downloading) Caligari's freeware release of Truespace 7.6 3D modelling and animation software, you need to know that the plug is being pulled by Microsoft. It can still be downloaded for awhile from the Caligari website (free registration). Resource videos also seem to be available as well - but if you were using version 3.2, pretty well every download site for resources has vanished and 3.2 is no longer avilable anywhere. (Or if it is, I haven't found it).

i downloaded and installed synfig and it says i need libglib or something...

For Synfig (Windows) you need to download 4 separate files and install them in a precise order. I had the same problem described by 'xav' because I'd mistakenly downloaded the wrong 4 files from a set of about 6. After correcting the mistake, it installed and it ran - but personally I didn't like, it so after all that hassle, I deleted it! Synfig suits some people, but others find it a tad strange. It's all a case of what suits you. However, it IS pretty powerful.

i really really want to be an articist when i grow up

Sierra - don't wait until then. Start now.

I'd seen the messages about Creatoon. I'm having the same problem (still). It runs like normal, but then it shuts down after a few seconds. The pop-up (purple Creatoon background) tells me to register for Creatoon. The download file shouldn't be the problem, I'd used it before, just not on the new hard drive I have currently. The transfer file to a XP computer then transfer back solution should work if not for the fact that I don't have access to computers with XP. =( Is there any link to download file that's already unlocked?

'Smith' - not quite sure what you're trying to do or what OS you have. If it's Vista, I think you might have REAL problems. I've heard lots of stories about Creatoon and masses of other software that runs away screaming on Vista. Creatoon works well on '98 and XP2, but you have to use the unlock key after installing the program - I'm pretty sure you can't just transfer a pre-registered copy (not that I've tried, so I may be wrong). I use XP2 and find the program to be 100% stable.

Hey Alan, thanks for the reply. Yea, I'm using Vista. I was trying to use Creatoon, but it doesn't even allow me to click on anything before it shuts down. I'd done a check online and apparently there's no other solution than to transfer the file to a computer with XP first. I'll just work with other programs then. Thanks for the help again.

I am looking for a free and simple program to create timelapse video from still images taken with camera and intervalometer. Typical video editing software only seems to allow images to be imported for times as low as 0.2s or thereabout which is too long and I would really like to produce the video at 25 or 30fps. Any suggestions?

Mike - can't comment on the fps aspect because I've never done anything with stopmo, apart from a few experiments with Tales Animator. Have a look at MONKEYJAM or TAPPTOONS. They're both free and aimed at the type of animation you're interested in. I've no idea how flexible these are for fps settings.

I was trying to use Creatoon, but it doesn't even allow me to click on anything before it shuts down.

Thanks Alan will have a look...fingers crossed!

Maja - if you're using Vista, forget it. This is another example of how that ghastly system refuses to work with a piece of software (no wonder Microsoft are ditching it and aren't even going to release their 'traditional' service pack to patch all the glitches). Check further back in this forum for posts by 'Smith' who reported the same problem.

okay this is my problem i got pencil but it isnt the kind of cartoon im used to using and i tryed creatoon and the synfig they dont work because the creatoon one just shuts off when i enter it and i did unlock it and the synfig one doesnt work and i did download the studio then i went to down load the one that just said synfig and it wouldnt let me please help o and i have a windows xp.

Michael --- that's a very mixed up message, but it looks as if you have XP and haven't been able to run Creatoon or Synfig. I can only suggest that you've done something wrong. Creatoon runs very well in XP2 (but not in Vista). It may be that you lack a DLL, or have a corrupt one somewhere. I can't tell - but I have XP2 and Creatoon has never crashed or hung. Synfig can be VERY confusing to get up and running. You have to install four separate files in a very precise order. If you don't do that, it won't run. You CAN'T install the files in whatever order you like - you MUST follow what is prescribed. I did succeed in the end, but then found the interface very unattractive and not at all suited to my preferred ways of working, so I uninstalled it. Good luck - I hope you get something running soon, or that you find a program that suits you and which does run smoothly. There's a long post earlier on this page in which I list most of the good free animation software.

Why is hash animation master consider the best animation software? Are there other compatible versions? Is it better than the curvy 3d?

Hey I am new to al this video animation stuff... I want to make like 2d cutout videos, I guess they're called vector animated videos or whatever. I wanna make those using my own artwork and drawings... For some funny little videos... Please could anyone with expertise on this email me at night_of44@ymail.com Any information would help!

Cut-out nd vector are two very different things .... unless you use vector graphics to draw your images separately. But vectors are usually used in animation AS part of the main process because you can change them and then 'tween' between them to create movement and change. CREATOON is free and is designed for purely cutout animation, but forget it if you have Vista. (See lots of previous posts on this page for other tips and information). There is other software listed in previous posts as well.

It's a VERY BAD IDEA to give or respond to email addresses in posts. One or two people in this forum do that. You don't know who people are, so it's never worth the risk. If a message is typed here, any responses should be posted and then found here.

For anyone using Artoonix - v1.9 has now been released with a lot of tweaks and improvements, many of which only become active in the registered version .... which is just as it should be with a shareware program which is very affordable anyway. The unregistered version (with some tweaks being active) can still be used free for as long as you wish.

I've a computer with latest Xp but not vista, can somebody assist on how to get started. maybe the necessary software i need to install into my computer, Michael please

Njanga - there's no way to answer your question because you give no idea about what type of animation you want to try (2d ... stop-mo ... 3D ... cut-out ... Flash ... what?) Elsewhere on this page there are lists of suggested free or affordable programs, but you don't say whether you want free, shareware or commercial - and if the latter, whether your budget is low, medium or high. The best advice is to decide what style you want to develop and ten search the internet.

I use a very simple program to make cartoon animation ..its called ikitmovie Might be worth check out to use a cartoon animation software

iKitmovie is for stop-motion animation only. It looks good but at around $50 is moderately expensive considering that there are several excellent freeware stopmo programs out there. However, it might be worth looking at and you can download a free trial if you visit the official website.

I agree with Matthewb, thats exactly what I did. I was up all night downloading the biggest files ever and it says something about a missing dll file. I re-installed it several times and it was the same thing each time!

...and Pencil, it freezes all the time and you can only make a little bit a frames at a time. I NEED A FREE 2D ANIMATION SOFTWARE THAT LETS ME DRAW LIKE THE PAINT PROGRAM ON MY COMPUTER BUT ANIMATED ONES!!!!!!

Synfig is notoriously tricky to install. You MUST follow the instructions EXACTLY when installing all FOUR elements in the precise order that’s described on the download page. Get that wrong and nothing works. It took me several goes before it worked, but I then found the program so strange that I then uninstalled it! If it suits you – fine, but be prepared for weirdness, complexity and a tricky user interface. Pencil is OK, but needs a lot more work before it’s anywhere near finished and fully usable. As with Creatoon, some users report that it freezes. I haven’t had that problem, but unless you are happy with the hand-drawn cel approach, it can quickly become pretty frustrating to use. Many people do like it, however, so it can’t be THAT bad. As for your comment, justin makasa, there’s no alternative other than research and practice ….. find either a good website (there are several FULL of useful tutorials), or find a good book or a good training course. No-one can do it for you.

I am looking into software to introduce kids into the magical stop-motion art. Used to use pro-studio equipment, but now I have to purchase the lot myself... Found Monkeyjam: tried it but it kept inserting numerous black frames into the sheet! So I found the following programs: AnimatorHD and StopMotion Pro. Both cost around 50 buck per license, but how do they compare in real life?

Thunderman - have never used the programs you mention. Maybe someone else in the forum has? Have you looked at Tapptoons? It can also be used for stop-mo as well as line testing. Website --- http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tapptoons/index.htm

Anyone who wants a copy of the beta version of Tales Animator 3 (freeware) can find messages about it in the Artoonix forum (Off topic) or look on Youtube for a movie called 'Tales Animator beta v 3 combined with Artoonix '

Anyone wanting to download almost all the resources for Tales Animator (was always freeware)as well as installation files for version 2 and the beta of version 3 can find out more here (but be sure to also read the info notes) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPpLTXc6SLY

Hey just wanted to say thanks! I've been through the whole art school thing and never once stepped up and tried animation (BIG MISTAKE! Given rockstar sprouted from where i was) Anyway finding a nice wee site like this has given me at least a stepping stone to start playing on. I was wondering and I appreciate you probably get this question alot, in your opinion what's the best full priced prog for 2d animation? I've been looking at some of the things people have made in Pencil and as excited as I am it seems to have a kinda unpolished look to it. I don't wanna sound rude towards the vids i've seen on youtube OR the nice folk who made the actual program but I'm wonder if its due to the animator or the program? Any thought? Once again thanks, I really like the site!

Deviant Dog - this page looks at Free Cartoon Animation Software, so you're not likely to find much info about a 'full priced prog for 2d animation'. If it really is 'full-priced' that you want, then you need to have a deep wallet and look at programs such as ToonBoom or maybe PAP (Plastic Animation Paper'), or Flash. These will cost you many hundreds of pounds or dollars - and probably thousands if you go for the truly high end stuff ... which is why this forum won't be of any help I'm afraid. You mention 'Pencil' but that certainly won't suit the needs of anyone who is looking for fully professional software, nor will any of the other programs mentioned here. Pencil is very glitchy anyway. The programs mentioned here are pretty well all freeware or can be used free with a few restrictions. None can be regarded as being of professional quality with the possible exception of Anime Studio Pro - but there isn't much here about that as it isn't freeware. It does have its own excellent forum, however. You're best advised to go to one of the many forums dedicated to professional animation where professional animators can point you in the direction of software that may suit your needs. (On the other hand, of course, if you're already animating at the level which calls for such software, you probably already have access to the name(s) of programs that will suit your needs.) Good luck.

Can I just ask how often this forum is monitored? We get a lot of gibberish messages which only seem to be taken out every few weeks.

I agree with Alan, but this isn't really a forum. It just looks like a message board which nobody really monitors and there is no way to be told when a reply is posted.

You're both right, Alan and Paul. I do my best to keep up with monitoring the comments, but sometimes I only get to it once every few weeks.

Anyone who uses or wants to try ARTOONIX please note that v1.10 has just been released with blur, sharpen, shadow and shading functions added, plus a much broader application of 'Image Actions'. The program is free with just a few functions held in reserve for those who choose to register. There are a lot of examples of Artoonix animations on Youtube.

Anyone who uses PIVOT weill almost certainly also know about the program STYKZ which works with the same kind of stick figure but which offers a lot more control and flexibility. The latest version (called 'Candidate 4') has just been released and should soon be followed by the release of the first official 'Version 1'. If you haven't yet tried Stykz and if you like this kind of animation, I can strongly recommend it. It runs on Windows and Mac and will eventually also run on Linux. Find it here (freeware) --- http://www.stykz.net/Home.html

this was made with free software "carrara6pro" from macworld http://www.youtube.com/user/wornlimTV#p/u/6/mYqSY5QfU3Q

carrara6pro is a close relative to Daz3D and is featured on the same homepage. To get the full version of either program you have to pay a fair bit of money. If you're interested in the program look here for a lot of excellent and detailed tutorials --- http://www.vtc.com/products/Carrara-6-Pro-Tutorials.htm

Stykz has been updated again and the website now contains a very interesting explanation of all the features and functions that are planned for the future. There is also a very active and interesting forum. I'm not a massive fan of stick-figure animation, but this free program is becoming more and more appealing. You can export animations in a variety of movie or image formats and I recently experimented successfully with two Stykz animations imported as sequences of png images into Artoonix. I strongly recommend that you check it out.

I'm trying to find software that is really close to Flash without actually getting the free trial, since I've used it before and I know it well enough to make a decent animation quickly.I've used pencil before, it was great for a cartoonist like me, but no matter what I did, I couldn't export a video, I could only export a series of bitmaps, and even then it wouldn't work well for me. are either of the other two like flash? Or if anything easy to figure out how to work? I would like to post the animations I make on YouTube. btw I'm a Windows Vista user, that might help...

Sarah --- 'I'm a Windows Vista user, that might help'. Probably not, several animation programs that I've tried transferring from XP fail completely in Vista. Thank heavens MS have dropped it and have now moved on to Windows 7 which does seem to accept a lot of software that fails on Vista. There aren't many alternatives to Flash and of those that I know, none have been completely developed. The most interesting one seems to have been abandoned.

Am leaving this forum - I'm tired of checking for any genuine queries, only to find gibberish or pointless messages such as 'no fighting and blood'. 'Bye.

Hi, I am planning for movie, i have stroy and created complete story board. Creating a complete animated movie is a big challenge, i do not have that much money or i can spend some time. Can make a movie all by myself and still i can get the Disney quality movie? If yes, what are all the things that need to complete my project. Thanks Kumar

Disney quality? I don't think so, not unless you have a HUGE amount of money to spend and a MASSIVE amount of skill and experience. You don't say whether you mean Disney 2D or 3D.

The animation program 'Express Animator' is officially dead. If you already own it, be aware that there can be SERIOUS problems reinstalling it and if you've changed your computer then forget it; the program only ever worked on the computer for which it was downloaded.

If anyone is using CREATOON, there is a channel on Youtube which has several good tutorials. (There are also tutorials for at least one other program as well). Just search for 'CartoonLearning' (one word). There is an associated website, so just put www dot in front of CartoonLearning and follow with dot com.

i tried pencil and really wanted it to work but it was WAY buggy on my XP machine. the controls were fumbly and i really couldnt get anything done. next?

Pencil isn't worth bothering with and its development seems to have come to a standstill. I was recently lucky enough to be given a link for a 'free' file-shared and unrestricted version of ToonBoom which really does work. I've been using it now for 2 months. However, as it can't be classed as freeware, there's no way I'm able to pass on the details. 'Pencil' does have a very smooth drawing tool and excellent onion-skinning, but it's so unreliable that I'd never recommend it. One possibility, if you don't mind working with just monochrome, is EASYTOON.

David - there is no software to send. This page isn't a portal for downloads. You have to search for the software yourself but the notes and comments here will be enough to point you in the right direction.

If you like STICKFIGURE animation and want to explore a free program that lets you work with TWEENING and KEYFRAMES and which also has an unusual simulation of 3D, look for TISFAT (This Is Stick Figure Animation Theatre). There's no real website but there is a download site and a forum.

I recently found a 'free' version of ToonBoom and went in search of some good tutorials. I found an AMAZING sequence uploaded as part of the LEARNING TRACK blog and website. Although focused upon ToonBoom, there are many tutorials which might be of general interest for anyone who wants to explore animation techniques. The headings for the tutorials are as follows: Introduction and Fundamental Concepts 01) It's Elemental - Part 1 02) It's Elemental - Part 2 03) A Good Place to Start - Part 1 04) A Good Place to Start - Part 2 05) Jumping Into Animation - Part 1 06) Jumping Into Animation - Part 2 07) Toon Boom Fundamentals - The Basics Part 1 08) Toon Boom Fundamentals - The Basics Part 2 Key Framed Animation 09) Key Framed Animation - Part 1 10) Key Framed Animation - Part 2 11) Key Framed Animation - Part 3 12) Key Framed Animation - Part 4 13) Key Framed Animation - Part 5 14) Keyframing the Bouncing Ball Cut-Out Animation Series 1 15) Introduction To Photo Cut-Out Animation Part 1 16) Introduction To Photo Cut-Out Animation Part 2 17) Introduction To Photo Cut-Out Animation Part 3 Series 2 18) Animating Cut-Out Characters - Part 1 19) Animating Cut-Out Characters - Part 2 20) Animating Cut-Out Characters - Part 3 Series 3 21) Building a Cut-Out Character in Toon Boom 22) Rigging a Cut-Out Character in Toon Boom 23) Animating a Cut-Out Character in Toon Boom Useful Techniques and Tips 24) Miscellaneous TBS Usage Tips 25) More TBS User Tips and Tricks 26) Perspectives and Counters Some Additional TBS User Tips 27) Using Pegs as Timeline Track Folders 28) A Text Scrolling Technique In Perspective 29) Creating A Custom Color Palette 30) Creating Multiple Shots in a Single Scene 31) Drop Shadow Technique 32) Thumbnail Planning Technique 33) Using A Subtractive Animation Technique To find the site, search for www animationcraft blogspot com and then click on 'Learning Track'.

Synfig is really annoying and the tutorial is even more confusing...

Agree - Synfig is a nightmare to install unless you follow the 4-stage process ABSOLUTELY EXACTLY. The interface is unpleasant and I've seen hardly any evidence of well-developed animations which have been made with it. The project is a laudable one, but until and unless the installation and interface problems are sorted out, I don't think it will be successful.

Is the Artoonix forum dead? Nobody is posting into it and it's been silent for weeks. No signs of any program updates for over 6 months. Anybody know anything?

If you want to install and run CREATOON on Windows 7, this is the way to make it work ... go to: CONTROL PANEL --- SYSTEMS AND SECURITY --- FIND AND FIX PROBLEMS --- PROGRAMS --- RUN PROGRAMS MADE FOR EARLIER VERSIONS OF WINDOWS. Whether or not this also works for VISTA I don't know. (I got this tip from a new friend in America who found the colution).

I looked at artoonix like it mentioned in this place but the forum is silly. Thousands of members but theyre allmost all spammies. Some try to sell you bad things. I use pivot now. That forum is good.

I found this a blurb at download.com that might explain the installation problems: http://download.cnet.com/Synfig-Studio/3000-2186_4-10655202.html?tag=mncol Basically, you have to install four different packages, presumably in a certain order.

Rick is right about Synfig. It's something that's been mentioned elsewhere on this page. To install Synfig you have to download FOUR elements and then install them in PRECISELY the right order. Whether or not you then like Synfig is a different matter - the interface is messy and it's not easy to learn or control, but it IS powerful.

Have heard on the grapevine from a friend in the business that Artoonix is to be abandoned. I don't know if this means it will stop being downloadable, but the free version is worth getting now just in case it vanishes.

Search Youtube for 'ARTOONIX - IS IT DEAD?' the sound is irritating but the moving text is interesting. Maybe this associates with my other post wonderng if Artoonix is about to be abandoned. Not sure, but until something happens on the Artoonix website or forum, things look bad.

Just checked the Artoonix forum. There's a spam message from June 24th that's not been cleared out yet and the administrators used to be VERY quick to do that. Looks like they've given up. I've done some more checking and the signs are definitely that the project is being wound down or abandoned - so grab the free version while you can. If Artoonix goes the way of other similar programs, it may soon disappear.

I had problems downloading synfig on vista at first but then I ran it as administrator,no problem.My favorite is pencil easy and simple to use.But I could not find a way to playback on anything but pencil so its gone.Synfig was too complicated so its gone.Drawing in paint.net and exporting it to Beneton was slow but worked.Beneton was giving my pc problems so its gone.I guess its back to magicmarkers and flip pages.

starkweather ... go through posts on this page. You obviously prefer cel-style animation. There are other options apart from the ones you list.

hiram ... WHAT program? There are LOTS of programs for just DRAWING anime characters (eg: for comics). There are lots programs for ANIMATING characters which can be anime-style or whatever style you prefer. You need to be more specific if you want a definitive answer.

SYNFIG has now been released as an all-in-one installer. This means you no longer have to download the 4 associated packages which had to be installed in a specific sequence before installing Synfig itself. The new upgrade is synfigstudio-0.62.01 and when installed, just look for SYNFIGSTUDIO in the BIN subfolder. This icon can then be copied to your desktop. (There isn't as yet a specific Synfig icon, so you can always choose your own using the usual 'Properties/Change icon' function).

I have a 9 year old son and i think he would really enjoy cartooning. What would be a good software for beginners?

Cleofus20 ... if you're looking for free programs that are easy to use and useful for basic (or even moderately complex) animations, have a look for these: ARTOONIX (The free version runs forever without timebombs but there is a nag screen. Lots of examples on the internet) --- EASYTOON (Only black and white, but versatile) --- PIVOT (classic stick-figure animation, but trickier if you want to use backgrounds. Lots of examples on the internet) --- STYKZ (Similar to Pivot but more versatile. New version due to be released soon) --- Beyond these you get into the territory of software that is harder to use, although there are several free programs available. Look back in this thread of Calico Monkey for lists.

Interesting development for ARTOONIX users --- on the homepage, there is now a way (using 'My Account') for owners of the registered version to transfer their registration as a gift to someone else. This will result in them giving up their own registration and access to future upgrades, but for anyone who's not going to use future releases of the program, it's a useful idea. Click on my 'Onionskinner' name below to go straight to the Artoonix homepage.Look for the message top right of the screen. There has also apparently been a discussion of the development in the Feedback section of the open Artoonix forum.

Hello, I've been reading through and searching for answers without much success. I am looking for a programme that will allow me to imitate this kind of cut-out paper stop-motion digitally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXuCVrEyZl8 As it is bloody hard doing it over a lightbox in a small dark room. Besides the point though, I've downloaded Creatoon, and have got it up and running. Except that the viewing screen remains black and I can do nothing with it. I thought this might be a problem with the scale of the images I was uploading, but am not entirely convinced, they are only 300 DPI. So I was wondering as to whether I am doing something wrong. I am working on Windows 7, but don't think this is the problem. Though I'll try it on my old XP too. Um but any solutions to this, or any recommended software which will allow me to emulate a simular kind of articulation? Thankyou- Aliiak

Playing around still. The images are definetly on the viewer, as at times there are flashes of them, and I can right click to select them whilst they are on screen. It is just constantly black and changing the settings does not work, such as the scene prefrences, and gradient. Am I doing something totally wrong?

Aliak --- Have tried a response but the page won't accept it

Aliak - you could try to PM me via Youtube. Look for one of my Creatoon uploads. Try this title --- CREATOON - basic intro to KEYFRAMES and the TIMELINE

OK - I know this isn't 2d, but if you want to investigate a superb free 3d cartoon-style animation program search for MUVIZU. There are masses of examples and sets of tutorials on Youtube. The program is still under development, but is being very well cupported. There is also a very active forum. http://www.muvizu.com/Landing.aspx

kj --- download what? Muvizu? Go to the website, register (free) and download it (freeware). Simple. The next update will be released in a few weeks. Click on my name to go to the website.

Latest version of Muvizu and also a wholly new website design are due to be available as from Septmber 1st. Muvizu is totally free and is stunningly easy to use to make cartoon-style 3d animations ... just be prepared for a massive download, and be online for the first time you use it so that it accesses all the characters and elements. After that you can use it offline if you prefer.

Forgot to say, the new Muvizu homepage has a new URL - http://www.muvizu.com/

really like to get one of your cartoons softwares