2D Animation Software Review

For years, home users couldn’t find affordable 2D animation software options to make animations from their home office. What they could get their hands on was limited at best and incapable of producing animation that could be considered anywhere near professional. Therefore, they had to settle until the industry evolved to the point where it would allow them to create the animations they wanted without breaking the bank.

Finally, their day came and reasonably priced options began to flood the marketplace. This gave every aspiring animator the tools needed to create sample animations they could send to potential employers on their road to making it big. The opportunities available for every talented animator grew and grew, including in education and in their personal lives.

What the home user can do with 2D animation software is stunning compared to the capabilities of the limited programs we were subjected to years ago. As these programs continue to get better, it proves to us that nothing is out of reach when it comes to our animating aspirations. To begin your search, be sure to check out the top three products in this category: Toon Boom Studio, Claymation Studio and Animation Workshop. In this site, you will also find articles about 2D animation software and comprehensive reviews to aid in the process of finding the right program for you. The side-by-side comparison matches up each program to determine which one is the best.

We chose products that were on the expensive and affordable ends of the pricing scale to address the needs of experienced and beginning animators alike. Someone who has been involved with animation for years is going to want a program that's loaded with features, which usually ends up costing more while a beginning animator might want a basic program that fits within their price range in case they don't like animating.

2D Animation Software: What to Look For

2D animation software should provide you will all the tools you need to get your project done and out the door in the formation you want it to be in while also being easy to use and having enough help and support options to answer any questions if they may arise. Any program that doesn’t meet all of these criteria is likely one you should pass over unless it has some other redeeming quality that makes it warrant a second look.

Features
With any program that caters to artistic, technologically savvy people out there, the more features a program has, the more likely it’s going to go over well with even the pickiest animator. The features have to be useful and functional as well. Companies shouldn’t seek to boggle people’s minds with a bloated set of features. A quality over quantity approach should be the plan before all else.

Import/Export
Having a lot of options when it comes to bringing files into your projects and saving your project as certain file formats can help expand what you can do with 2D animation software. The program you choose must allow you to import many types of files and save your projects in several different file formats. It’s better to have a large amount of options in both areas than not enough.

Ease of Use
Animation is a very complex and intricate process that requires a lot of steps and time to complete even a fraction of an overall creation. It’s important that manufacturers do all they can to make learning how to use and master their product as painless as possible for the home user. 2D animation software that’s easy to use can draw a lot of people into the animation field that otherwise wouldn’t be interested in the craft.

Help & Support
Artists expect the program they choose to work flawlessly and have little or no learning curve. But when it does turn out to be that way, the manufacturer of their program should provide them with enough help options in case any questions arise. Sometimes the success of a program hinges on the quality of the customer service the manufacturer puts behind it. In this section we rated the technical support and customer support of the 2D animation software we reviewed.

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