What is Genially?
Genially is a cloud-based platform for building interactive learning and communication experiences.
Product Overview
Explore Genially's authoring and content creation features.
What's New
Discover our latest product updates and releases.
Discover how teams use Genially for eLearning, Marketing, and Communications.
K12 Schools
Explore how teachers use Genially to bring interactive learning to the classroom.
Higher Education
Discover how Learning Design teams and Faculty use Genially to build interactive courses.
Contact Sales
START CREATING
Build interactive images
Discover how to make interactive visuals and graphics.
Create interactive slides
Engage your audience with interactive slides and presentations.
Make interactive infographics
Learn how to design interactive data visualizations and diagrams.
More formats
From resumes to reports, make any kind of content interactive.
eLearning templates
Interactive resources for eLearning and corporate training courses.
K12 teaching templates
Interactive classroom resources for primary and secondary education.
Gamification templates
Escape games, quizzes, and other game-based learning activities.
Marketing templates
Interactive microsites, brochures, videos, and branding materials.
Explore all Genially templates
Browse over 1,500 pre-built designs. Save time and create professional interactive materials in minutes.
Explore Genially pricing and plans.
Plans for Teachers
Create interactive learning materials and use Genially in class with your students.
Make interactive presentations
Create show-stopping presentations and clickable slide decks with Genially’s free online presentation builder. Leave boring behind and tell a story that’s interactive, animated, and beautifully engaging.
INTERACTIVE CONTENT
A presentation that works like a website
Engage your audience with interactive slides that they can click on and explore. Add music, video, hotspots, popup windows, quiz games and interactive data visualizations in a couple of clicks. No coding required!
NO-CODE ANIMATION
Make your slides pop with animation
Bring a touch of movie magic to the screen with incredible visual effects and animated page transitions. Add click-trigger and timed animations to make any topic easy to understand and captivating to watch.
INTEGRATIONS
Live from the world wide web
Embed online content directly in your slides for a media-rich interactive experience. From YouTube and Spotify to Google Maps and Sheets, Genially works seamlessly with over 100 popular apps and websites.
TEMPLATES & TOOLKIT
Genius design tools
With Genially, anyone can create a polished and professional presentation. Choose from over 2000 pre-built templates, or create your own design using the drag-and-drop resources, color palettes, icons, maps and vector graphics.
ONLINE PLATFORM
Safe and sound in the cloud
Because Genially is online, you can relax knowing that your slides are always up-to-date. There’s no risk of forgetting to save changes or accessing the wrong file. Log in from anywhere, collaborate with your team, and make edits in real time.
All-in-one interactive presentation maker
Real-time collaboration
Co-edit slide decks with others in real time and organize all of your team projects in shared spaces.
Multi format
Present live, share the link, or download as an interactive PDF, MP4 video, JPG, HTML, or SCORM package.
Engagement Analytics
See how many people have viewed and clicked on your slides and keep tabs on learner progress with User Tracking.
Import from PPTX
Give your old decks a new lease of life by importing PowerPoint slides and transforming them with a little Genially magic.
Keep content on-brand with your logo, fonts, colors, brand assets, and team templates at your fingertips.
Quiz & Survey Builder
Use the Interactive Questions feature to add a fun quiz to your slides or gather feedback from your audience.
Beautiful templates
Make your next deck in a flash with Genially’s ready-to-use slides.
Okr shapes presentation
School notebook presentation
Animated sketch presentation
Minimal presentation
Land of magic presentation
Onboarding presentation
Visual presentation
Animated chalkboard presentation
Online Education Guide
Terrazzo presentation
Startup pitch
Historical presentation
THEMES FOR EVERYONE
Interactive presentation ideas
From classroom materials to business pitches, make an impact every day with Genially.
Education presentations
Pitch decks
Business presentations
Thesis defense
Why the world loves Genially presentations
Share anywhere
Present live
From the front of the room or behind a screen, you’ll wow your audience with Genially. Heading off grid? Download in HTML to present dynamic slides without WiFi.
Share the link
Every Genially slide deck has its own unique url, just like a website! Share the link so that others can explore at their own pace, or download an MP4 video slideshow or PDF.
Post online
Embed the slides on your website or post them on social media. Upload to Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Moodle or any other platform.
The benefits of interactive slides
🗣️ Active participation An interactive slide deck gives your audience cool things to click on and discover, boosting learning and engagement.
👂 Multi-sensory experience Audio, video, animations, and mouse interactions make your content immersive, entertaining and accessible.
🧑🤝🧑 People-friendly format Pop-ups and embeds condense more material into fewer slides so you can break information down into digestible chunks.
🎮 Gamification Games, quizzes and puzzles make information more memorable and enable you to gather feedback and check understanding.
How to make an interactive presentation
With Genially’s easy-to-use presentation platform, anyone can make incredible visual content in moments.
Choose a template or a blank canvas
Get stunning results in less time with a ready-made template. Feeling creative? Design your own slides from scratch.
Customize the design
Add animations and interactions
Resources to become a pro presentation creator
VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to create an interactive presentation: Get started in Genially.
EXPERT TIPS
How to present data without sending your audience to sleep.
MICRO COURSE
No-code animation: Bring your slides to life with cinematic visual effects.
PRESENTATION IDEAS
The art of digital storytelling: Engage and thrill on screen.
Genially in a nutshell
How do I make a presentation interactive and how does Genially work? Find the answers to all of your slide-related questions here!
What’s an interactive presentation?
Interactive slides contain clickable hotspots, links, buttons, and animations that are activated at the touch of a button. Instead of reading or watching passively, your audience can actively interact with the content.
Genially’s interaction presentation software allows you to combine text, photos, video clips, audio and other content in one deck. It’s a great way to condense more information into fewer slides.
If you’re a teacher, you can share multiple materials in one single learning resource. Students can create their own projects using digital media and online maps. For business or training, try embedding spreadsheet data, PDFs, and online content directly in your slides.
An interactive slide deck is more user-friendly than a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or Google Slides document. That’s because you can break information down into chunks with pop-ups, labels, voiceovers and annotated infographics.
The other benefit of interactive content is increased engagement. It’s easier to keep your audience’s attention when they’re actively participating. Try Genially’s presentation software and free slideshow maker to see how it’s better than other presentation websites. You won’t go back to standard presentation apps!
How do you make a clickable slide?
The best way to make slides clickable is to use Genially’s free interactive presentation program. Design your slide then apply an interaction. In a couple of clicks, you can add popup windows, hyperlinks, close-up images, games, animations, multimedia and other content.
Choose from the library of hotspot buttons and icons to show people what to click on. Go to Presenter View to get a preview and see how your content will appear to your audience.
How do I create presentations that look professional?
You’ve got a deadline looming and you’re staring at the screen with a blank presentation. We’ve all been there! Starting a presentation design from scratch is tricky, especially if you’re short on time.
Genially’s free online presentation maker has over 2000 ready-to-use templates for professional slide presentations, photos slideshows, and more. Each slide design has been created by our team of top graphic designers. No need to worry about fonts, centering images, or designing a matching color scheme. It’s all done for you.
Start by browsing our layouts and themes for education, business and then customize with your own text and images.
How do I share or download my slides?
Because Genially is a cloud based presentation software, you can simply share the link to your slides. Like other online presentation tools, there are no files to download or store on your computer. Everything is saved online.
When you publish your slide deck, it gets its own unique url, just like a website. Share the link with others to let them explore the content in their own time. If you’re presenting live, just click the Present button.
You can also embed your presentation on your website, company wiki, or social media. Genially is compatible with WordPress, Moodle, Google Classroom, and other platforms. If you use an LMS, you can also download your interactive design slides in SCORM format.
For slideshow videos and slideshows with music, share online or download as an MP4 video. Check out our free slideshow templates for ideas.
Can I make a free presentation in Genially?
You bet! Genially is an easy-to-use slide maker, with a free version and paid plans. The free plan allows you to create unlimited slides with interactions and animations. Subscribe to one of our paid plans for more advanced features.
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Join the 25 million people designing incredible interactive experiences with Genially.
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16 Best Animation Software Picks for October 2024 (Free and Paid)
Here's our compiled a list of the best paid and free animation software out there to help you make the right decision for your animation needs!
Computer animation has come a long way since inception in the year 1960. The fundamentals of animation software or animation tool can be traced back to the time when William Fetter, a computer graphics designer made a diagram of a human body inside an airplane cockpit. Although the intention was to maximize the efficiency of Boeing’s cockpits, it paved the way towards more sophisticated process flows and thus, towards animation generated by computers. The credit for the first animation software, however, goes to Ivan Sutherland, an MIT graduate. His program Sketchpad (developed in 1963) drew lines that looked like recognizable figures. Little did he know that his idea would become a multibillion-dollar industry in the years to come.
Slowly and steadily, more progress was made in the field. The movie Tron which was released in the year 1982, was one of the first movies to use computer-generated graphics . Movies like the Terminator, Jurassic Park, Toy Story, the Matrix, and Avatar further refined the process, adding more details and sophistication to computer animation. The animation software industry grew to great heights within this period.
Fast forward to 2024, we have a plethora of examples to celebrate the genius of CGI or computer-generated imagery. There are a variety of animation software available in the market, widely used by professionals at animation studios. Depending on the medium you choose —hand-drawn or 2D, 3D, or stop-motion and the price range, there are plenty of options to get started. A well-built animation software provides intuitive controls and flexibility that can be easily understood by a beginner but also has vastly superior tools for an experienced user.
Browse through this list of quality animation software, and select the one that best suits your requirement. We hope it will help you hone your foundation skills, practice animation styles, and help you get professional results.
How we reviewed the list of best animation software's
In our selection of the best animation software, we emphasize tools that balance ease of use with powerful capabilities, perfect for aspiring animators and seasoned professionals alike. These programs offer intuitive interfaces, extensive animation features, and flexibility across various styles, from traditional frame-by-frame animation to cutting-edge 3D modeling. Our list is continually updated to ensure you're equipped with the latest advancements in animation technology, enabling you to bring your creative visions to life with efficiency and flair.
Here is a list of the 16 Best Animation Softwares (2D & 3D)
Top paid animation softwares.
- Adobe Character Animator
- Toon Boom Harmony
- DigiCel Flipbook
- Cartoon Animator 5
- Stop Motion Studio
Top Open Source & Free Animation Softwares
- Synfig Studio
What are the Best Animation Softwares of 2024?
1. adobe character animator.
This animation software comes from one of the biggest development companies in the world and serves up to the hyped expectations. One of the recent additions to the Adobe family, this simple animation software uses facial recognition, gesture recognition , etc. to animate cartoon characters.
The Character Animator is a real-time animator that uses various inputs to animate characters. It is extremely smooth and fast, making it ideal for live streaming your development process to share work with team members or your audience.
Key features of the Character Animator include:
- Facial Expressions: Uses your facial expressions to animate characters.
- Hand Movements: Captures hand movements to add realism to character animations.
- Full-Body Motion Capture: Utilizes full-body motion capture for comprehensive character animation.
- Live Streaming: Allows you to live stream your development process for real-time collaboration and audience engagement.
Just plug in your microphone, web camera and start animating! You can also create a character from your artworks in a few mouse clicks using the built-in Adobe Sensei .
System Requirements 🖥️
To run Adobe Character Animator, you'll need Windows 10 or macOS 11.0 or later, at least 8GB RAM, and a GPU with 2GB VRAM.
Recent Updates 🔄
The recent update of Adobe Character Animator, version 24.6 (August 2024 release), includes improvements and stability updates with no new features, building upon the previous version 23.6 which introduced editable replays and custom background images for Starter mode users
Adobe Character Animator is one of the best animation software and is used by many Hollywood film houses. The software offers a huge variety of options for animating. You can also use the built-in puppets to begin animating as soon as you open the software. Animation options include breathing, walking, blinking, behaviors, etc. It is a great animation software for beginners as well as experienced professionals.
- Creative Cloud All Apps: $59.99/mo - Includes Character Animator and the entire collection of creative apps.
- Students and Teachers: $19.99/mo - Save over 60% on the entire collection of creative apps, including Character Animator.
- Business: $89.99/mo - For businesses requiring a comprehensive suite of creative apps, including Character Animator
2. Toon Boom Harmony
Toon Boom by Harmony is a cartoon animation software for beginners as well as for professionals. The software allows the user the flexibility, fluidity, and the smoothness of traditional animation. The learning curve is moderate since the software is meant for newbies as well as for professionals. The software has been used by leading animation studios for more than 25 years.
GitHub illustrator and animator, Tony Jaramillo writes in his testimonial, “Harmony makes it possible to level up our animation productivity without sacrificing quality...we're big fans”.
Some of the most famous users of Toon Boom are Universal Studios, Fox Studios, Cartoon Network, Ubisoft, and Lucas Film.
To run Toon Boom Harmony, you'll need Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 or later, 8GB RAM, and a modern OpenGL graphics card.
Toon Boom Harmony has been updated to version 24.0.1, build 23019, featuring improvements in 3D model handling, Python scripting, and JavaScript functionality, as well as numerous bug fixes addressing issues in rendering, drawing, effects, and more
Toon Boom Harmony's latest update introduces several new features, including a stabilizer for lines, stylus pressure responsiveness, and tilt and angle responsiveness. These additions enhance the overall user experience and provide more control over the animation process.
Key features of Toon Boom Harmony include:
- Brush Engine: A robust tool for creating and customizing brushes.
- Traditional Paperless Animation: Allows for traditional animation techniques in a digital environment.
- Deformers and Cut-Out Animation: Enables the manipulation and animation of 2D objects.
- 2D/3D Integration: Seamlessly integrates 2D and 3D elements.
- Export to Game Engines: Facilitates the export of animations to various game engines.
- Pipeline Integration: Supports integration with other software and tools, such as Adobe Illustrator, and supports various file formats including PSD, PSB, PDF, and Bitmaps.
Toon Boom Harmony offers three subscription plans with varying features tailored to different user needs:
- Harmony Essentials: Designed for enthusiasts, it provides fundamental drawing, painting, and animation tools. Pricing is $28.50/month or $230.50/year.
- Harmony Advanced: Suitable for students and professional animators, it includes features for traditional and paperless animation. Pricing is $71.00/month or $551.50/year.
- Harmony Premium: Created for professional studios and freelancers, it offers advanced features for sophisticated cut-out rigs, realistic character movement, and unlimited special effects. Pricing is $129.50/month or $1,051.50/year.
Ready to create your animation portfolio website? Get Started
3. digicel flipbook.
This 2D animation software is easy-to-use but don’t let the simplicity fool you. You can do a lot of things with this animation software although it is intended for beginners. Developed by DigiCel, FlipBook runs on both Windows and macOS. You can also call this a frame by frame animation software since the method it employs deals with designing one frame at a time. Since the learning curve is smooth, you can directly dive into animating. The software lets you easily scan your artworks from paper directly onto the software. You can also make stop motion videos if you want.
To run DigiCel FlipBook, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.10 or later, and a graphics card with 512MB VRAM.
Some of the features of FlipBook include a multiple-frame work desk , lip-sync support , pan, zoom, rotate, blur options, import and export capabilities, and scanning options. The software is efficient and super-smooth. The speed is amazing as well. You can make changes while the animation is running and the changes are visible the next time the loop runs! As aforementioned, the animation software is simple to use. However, some big names have complimented the software and recommended it to their followers. Disney’s Animation Director, Eric Goldberg calls it a great program and praises the draw tool provided by the software.
DigiCel FlipBook offers three pricing plans:
- FlipBook Lite: $19.99 - Basic features with 2 layers, 300 frames, and 800x600 resolution.
- FlipBook Studio: $49.99 - Enhanced features with 6 layers, 1,000 frames, and 800x600 resolution.
- FlipBook ProHD: $99.99 - Advanced features with 100 layers, 1,500 frames, and 1920x1080 resolution, including special FX layers, automatic shadows, and highlights
4. Moho Debut 13.5
The Moho Debut is an animation software suitable for beginners interested in learning the art of animation. The interface is easy to understand and allows you to animate real fast. The simplicity does not, however, undermine the strength and the robustness of this software. The tools offered by Moho Debut are powerful and can be used to convert your strangest imaginations into an animated story. The software comes with multilingual support and has the capability to handle English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese.
To run Moho Debut 13.5, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, 4GB RAM, and OpenGL 2.0 graphics.
Moho Debut 13.5 has been updated to version 13.5.5, which includes various improvements such as stability enhancements, workflow updates, support for macOS Big Sur, architectural updates, export/import advancements, and new features like Vitruvian Bones, Quad Meshes, Wind Dynamics, Pin Bones, and an updated GUI, among others
The software runs on both macOS and Windows and offers advanced and sophisticated freehand tools. Features such as bone rigging, pen pressure support for tablets, animated effects for shapes and layers, brushes that can be used to easily edit and animate, PSD support, and keyframe options are available. Advanced masking options and an auto freeze tool are also available.
Moho Debut and Pro 14 Pricing and Plans:
- Moho Debut 14: $59.99 (One-time purchase, Windows/macOS) - Ideal for first-time animators, hobbyists, and digital artists.
- Moho Pro 14: $399.99 (One-time purchase, Windows/macOS) - All-in-one animation tool for professionals and digital artists.
- Upgrade from Moho Debut 14 to Pro 14: $339.99 - For users upgrading from Moho Debut 14 to Moho Pro 141. Free Update for Moho 14 Owners: Current installer version is Moho 14.2, available for free to all Moho 14 or newer owners
5. Movavi
Movavi Video Editor & Animation tool is great software for novice editors and enthusiastic video content creators. It features a simple UI with short tutorial hints to help you get started quickly. It also supports drag and drop, which is perfect for quickly blending multiple video clips into a comprehensive work. You can create everything from gaming videos for YouTube to video tutorials and slideshows.
To run Movavi Video Editor, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13.6 or later, 2 GB RAM and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Intel, AMD, or compatible processor.
Movavi Video Editor has been updated to version 24, featuring a revamped timeline for easier editing, frame-precise cuts with the new Blade tool, AI motion tracking, 13 new blending modes for overlay effects, and pro-quality color correction tools.
The animation tool offers more than just basic video editing tools. Users can take advantage of advanced tools like panning and zooming, animating an object , creating stop motion , applying slow motion, and tracking moving objects. The program also provides plenty of creative transitions and animated titles, which can be used to create eye-catching videos.
Movavi Video Editor:
- 1-month subscription: $17.95 (includes cutting, trimming, joining, effects, transitions, and fast 4K video processing).
- 1-year subscription: $57.95 (includes all features plus 3 effects packs for a quick start)1. Lifetime: $129.95 (55% off, includes all features and future updates).
Movavi Video Suite:
- 1-month subscription: $30.95 (includes Video Editor, Video Converter, and Screen Recorder).
- 1-year subscription: $75.95 (60% off, includes all video-processing apps and 3 effects packs).
- Lifetime: $190.95 (includes all video-processing apps and future updates).
Movavi Video Suite + Photo Editor:
- 1-year subscription: $80.95 (includes Video Editor, Video Converter, Screen Recorder, and Photo Editor with AI features).
- Lifetime: $180.95 (includes all video and photo editing apps and future updates)
6. Moho Pro 4
The Moho Pro is the advanced version of its lighter version, the Moho Debut. The user base is more professional and advanced. The software is costlier but has more features that can be used to create better animations. This 2D animation software includes all the features of Moho Debut. The latest version Moho Pro 14 integrates the best animation technology with the most sophisticated tools.
To run Moho Pro 14, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, 4GB RAM, and a modern OpenGL graphics card.
The latest update, Moho 14.2, includes significant improvements such as enhanced lip sync at lower frame rates, UI compatibility with multiple languages, new features like animated curve profiles and 'smart boil' for vector noise, additional blending modes, and performance boosts for complex projects
Moho Pro offers a bone rigging system, physics engine, dynamic bones, and smart bones to control complex movements, frame by frame capabilities, vector tools with Bezier handles, accurate SVG, AI, and EPS import, 4K video export, vector export, motion blur, and multilayer and multi-channel control. The newest update adds bitmap frame by frame capabilities, bitmap freehand drawing tools, custom bitmap brush creation, 3D objects light manipulation, 3D objects material properties support.
Moho Pricing and Plans:
- Moho Pro 14: The all-in-one animation tool for professionals and digital artists, available for a one-time purchase of $399.99.
- Moho Debut 14: Create your own cartoons and animations in minutes, available for a one-time purchase of $59.99.
Upgrade Options:
- Upgrade from Moho Pro 13 to Moho Pro 14: $119.99 (Save 40%, Limited Time Offer).
- Upgrade from Moho Pro 12 to Moho Pro 14: $199.99 (Save 33%, Limited Time Offer).
- Upgrade from Moho Debut 14 to Moho Pro 14: $339.99.
Academic Discounts:
- 40% Discount for single license purchases of Moho Pro or Moho Debut for students, teachers, and faculty.
- 50% Discount for educational volume pricing on 25+ units.
7. Flipsnack
Flipsnack is a web based flipbook animation software that allows users to create and share publications with a realistic page flip effect. With this tool, you can transform your static documents into all sorts of animated publications such as magazines, catalogs, presentations, portfolios, brochures, you name it, without any effort whatsoever. This software comes equipped with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a plethora of fully customizable templates, therefore it is suitable for every type of user, whether you’re tech-savvy or not. Flipsnack is constantly updating and developing new assets but when it comes to interactivity, some of its key features at the moment are the following: photo slide-shows; GIFs; audio and video elements; map embedding, and social media buttons integration.
If you want to share your animated content, there are various ways in which you can do it, be it publicly, unlisted, or private, with Flipsnack you can select and manage your audience according to your needs. Moreover, if you want to track the performance of your animated flipbooks, you can do that using Flipsnack’s integrated option, which offers insights about every impression, view, share, and average reading duration for each publication. However, for a deeper understanding of your audience and content performance, you can also connect your account to Google Analytics.
In terms of pricing options, Flipsnack offers a free trial that allows you to create up to 3 catalogs of 30 pages each, a Starter plan for 14$/month; a Professional 35$/month; a Business plan for 79$/month, a Business plan for 207$/month and an Enterprise plan for 355$/month.
Do check out these topics
- 12+ Best Animation Website Examples for Animators
- 25 Best Design Portfolio Websites to Inspire You [2024 Updated]
- 47 Best Drawing Apps and Art Apps
- Best Product Design Portfolio Website Examples
8. Cartoon Animator 5
Cartoon Animator 5 is a 2D animation software intended for both beginners as well as for professionals. You can design characters and digitally animate them via expressions and lip-sync capabilities. The Cartoon Animator 5 community is a strong one and materials for learning the software are easily available. Much like Adobe’s Character Animator, you can use your facial expressions and your voice to make animations. A few examples of videos made using this animation software are given here; The Curious Child , a TV series by Eon De Bruin , and an Animated comic by Fransesco .
To run Cartoon Animator 5, you'll need Windows 10 or later, 2GB RAM, a modern CPU, and a graphics card with 1GB VRAM.
The latest update for Cartoon Animator 5, version 5.31.3324.1, released on September 25, 2024, includes new features, bug fixes, and enhancements, and is available for download with a file size of 180 MB
Key features of this amazing animation software include webcam and iPhone facial mocap, hand tracking and digital puppets, full-body motion capture, sprite-based facial system, audio lip-syncing, precise FK/IK system, smart motion retargeting, stretch animation, and so much more. If you want to explore all the features of this superb software, head to this link for a detailed view. The software also lets you integrate your work with Adobe Photoshop and allows you to use PSD templates for designing. Pipeline features include capabilities to import 3D motions into 2D artworks and to create custom and unique elastic motion libraries. Finally, you can work with a huge number of file extensions without any trouble. It supports up to 4K resolution monitors.
- Perpetual License: The full version of Cartoon Animator 5 is available for a one-time purchase of USD $149.
- Trial Version: A free trial is available for 30 days, with limitations such as a watermark and a limit of 5 project saves.
9. Stop Motion Studio
An animation software for beginners, Stop Motion Studio helps to create high-quality stop motion videos. Adopting the frame by frame animation technique, this software can help you make 4k stop motion videos with ease. The software is cross-platform and cross-device and can run on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Your projects are accessible from all the devices where you have your account.
To run Stop Motion Studio, you'll need Windows 10 or macOS 10.15 or later, 1GB RAM, and a graphics card with 512MB VRAM.
The recent update of Stop Motion Studio, versioned as 24.07, introduces a new version numbering system based on a year.month format and includes enhanced features and smoother performance, particularly for the Windows platform
You can use your phone camera to click the single frames or you can even hook up your digital camera to your device. You also have the option to use a second phone to add more perspective to your videos. Editing these images is also easy and just requires a few touches or clicks. You can add audio clips, titles, credits, and filter effects to your videos as you click the frames. There is also the option to add looping to your videos using in and out set points. The software has built-in sound clips that you can use in your videos and you can directly record our voice and apply it on the video as you work your way through the project. Other features include grid and onion skinning options, paint tools, magic eraser, and import of images, audio, video files, etc.
Educational Institutions:
Bulk Purchase Discounts: Available for educational institutions with a 50% discount for purchasing 21+ licenses. Apple School Manager: The full version of Stop Motion Studio Pro is available at a significant discount through the Educational Volume Purchase Program (VPP), now known as Apple School Manager. Android and Chromebook: A special EDU version of the app is available without in-app purchases, which can be pushed directly to devices with a Mobile Device Management (MDM) system. Windows: The Windows version is available as an installer package with all features and no in-app purchases, also eligible for bulk purchase discounts. School Site Licenses: Available for Windows and Chromebook platforms, offering comprehensive coverage for educational institutions.
10. Animaker
Animaker is a browser-based animation software that can be used by beginners, professionals, and animation enthusiasts. It is a great tool for making handcraft videos, whiteboard videos, short marketing bits, animated infographic videos, and educational videos. Used by huge brands such as Amazon, Nokia, Siemens, and Dell, Animaker’s buffed-up client base speaks for itself. With Animaker, you can make 2D and 2.5D videos via a variety of tools and features. You can choose from different plans based on your needs.
To run Animaker, you'll need a modern web browser with WebGL support, 512 MB of RAM and Windows 7 or higher OS.
Version 1.57 Update: The latest update for Animaker resolves the Library Music Search issue, improves the New Music Library implementation, updates cell layouts in the iPad library, enhances the new flow and Dashboard, and fixes the character animation action loop level issue.
Animaker supports full HD and both horizontal and vertical layouts. Animaker provides great features for animation such as record, curve, camera in/out, multimove, transition effects, and enter/exit effects. Along with these, the animation software also has a deck feature that allows users to use animations as videos or presentations. The software also has some amazing audio features such as text-to-speech, preloaded background tracks, sound effects, voice recording, etc. You can also use libraries for pre-defined templates.
Basic: $15/user/month (billed annually), includes 5 mins video length, 5 Premium Downloads/mo, HD quality videos, and 2 GB Storage. Starter: $25/user/month (billed monthly), includes 15 mins video length, 10 Premium Downloads/mo, Full HD quality videos, and 10 GB Storage. Pro: $43/user/month (billed monthly), includes 30 mins video length, 30 Premium Downloads/mo, 2K quality videos, and 100 GB Storage. Enterprise: Custom pricing for teams, includes unlimited video length, unlimited Premium Downloads, 4K Quality Videos, and additional features like Live Collaboration and Brand Kit.
Note: The free plan is no longer available, and users must subscribe to a premium plan to access features
11. Powtoon
Another browser animation software that is free to use, Powtoon is intended for beginners but can also be used by more advanced animators. It can be used to make dynamic video presentations. Used by brands such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, Adobe, Coca Cola, eBay, Cisco, and Starbucks, Powtoon is a trusted software that can be used to develop engaging infographic videos and marketing bits.
The official website describes Powtoon as a platform for visual communicatio n. Hopping on the visual communication description, the animation software is a great means to talent acquisition, change management, internal communications, and marketing. Schools and universities can also use Powtoon to make infographic videos and educational tutorials to teach their students. In fact, during times such as these when the world is fighting against COVID-19, such a tool can come in handy to reach out to colleagues and team members.
Powtoon has recently updated its platform to an HTML5-based studio, introducing new features such as multiple aspect ratios, Storyblocks integration for video backgrounds, overlays, voiceover per slide, and improved video production capabilities, marking a significant departure from its previous Flash-based architecture
With Powtoon’s free version, you can export YouTube videos, Facebook videos, Vimeo videos, and PDFs, and Powerpoints. The version also offers customs styles and you can change the aspect ratio as well as sizes. You can implement image files and animate and make GIFs. Once you get past the beginner level, you can choose from the various packages based on your requirements. Powtoon is one of the best animation software that you can use to learn about animation. You can import themes from Microsoft Powerpoint as well in case you don’t want to start working from scratch.
Powtoon's pricing plans include Free, Lite, Professional, and Agency options, offering features like branding removal, MP4 downloads, HD video, and storage ranging from 100 MB to 100 GB, with varying video lengths and support levels.
12. Terragen
Terragen is a free animation software for Windows. You can use it to make CG animation. It is meant for moderate level users but can be used by beginners who are interested in learning animation. The learning curve is moderate and it requires some time to get the hang of it. The newest feature, the ray-traced preview is great for animation. It can be installed on all Windows devices and is an amazing animation software for 3D animation. Developed by Planetside Software, Terragen 4.4, the latest update is feature-rich.
To run Terragen, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.12 or later, 4GB RAM and a 2Ghz Dual Core CPU.
Terragen 4.7 introduces key updates including improved export of volumetric clouds and terrain, streamlined node graph workflow, and support for exporting HDR files and multi-layer and multi-part EXR files, along with a new five-tier price structure making the Professional edition available to indie artists from $199.
Besides ray-traced preview, some of the other features include photo-real clouds, ozone simulation, faster rendering (almost double), lens effects, and new shaders and enhancements, etc. Terragen Pro comes with FBX, render layers and AOVs, spherical cameras, full 3D motion blur, and stereo cameras. The drawback of this animation software is that its interface looks very complicated. However, with use and understanding, you can work on it effortlessly.
Terragen 4 Professional offers a tiered pricing structure: INDIE 50 at $199 or $10/month, INDIE 100 at $299 or $16/month, SMALL CO at $480 or $27/month, MID CO at $740, and LARGE CO at $980.
Open Source & Free to Use Animation Softwares
1. pencil 2d (open source animation software).
This is a great free animation software for people who are into traditional hand-drawn animation. The software allows you to work with both raster as well as with vector graphics. The minimal design of the interface makes it easy and smooth to work with. The clutter-free UI/UX experience is one of the selling points of this free software.
Pencil2D is a cross-platform software that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The software is open-source which has allowed a great and helpful community to develop around this product.
To run Pencil 2D, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.12 or later, and ICore-5 (3rd Generation or Above) or comparable CPU. 4GB of RAM
Pencil2D has released version 0.7.0 RC1, a release candidate that includes various updates and fixes, and is now available for testing and feedback from users
The software has a variety of handy animation tools and options. You can also upload your Pencil 2D project to aid in the development of the software; one of the plus points of being open-source. You can import GIFs and export them as well. The latest version, v0.6.6 released on year 2021 with several new tweaks and adjustments. Bug fixes and patches were also part of the update.
The biggest disadvantage of using Pencil2D is that the software requires you to fill in your preferences every time you open it.
2. Synfig Studio (Open-source 2D Animation Software)
Another open-source 2D animation software that comes free of cost. If you are not comfortable with a frame by frame animation software, this is the perfect tool for you. You can run this free animation software on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Since the software is open-source, you can make changes to the source code and submit enhancements and upgrades.
To run Synfig Studio, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, or a Linux system with a modern OpenGL graphics card.
Synfig Studio version 1.4.5 has been released, delivering important bugfixes for all platforms, including fixes for line end distortions, image import errors, program crashes, and memory leaks, among other critical issues.
One of the main features of Synfig Studio is vector tweening; you can convert any vector graphic into another form easily . The software offers powerful tools to help you achieve that. Synfig also provides more than 50 layers to make artworks and animations. Some of the layer types are geometric, transformations, gradients, filters, distortions, fractals, etc. The bone system is also full of options and is a powerful tool on its own. The software also provides an additional skeleton distortion layer. Finally, you can connect different layers via mathematical expressions. With the help of this, you can make characters, puppets, and complex dynamic structures. The software has a steeper learning curve for beginners.
3. Blender (Free and Open Source 3D creation suite)
Probably the best free animation software on this list and one of the most recommended software for animation by professionals, Blender is an open-source software that runs on different platforms with ease. It is one of the few 3D modeling and animation software that is free of cost, yet it does not lack any power or robustness of its paid counterparts. In fact, it might just have a slight edge over them. This animation software is suitable for beginners as well as for professionals. With the help of Blender, you can develop animations, games, animated models, animated movies, renders, and other types of 3D prints . It is available on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
To run Blender, you'll need Windows 8 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, or a Linux distribution, with 8GB RAM and a graphics card that supports OpenGL 4.3 or higher.
The recent update of Blender, version 4.2 LTS, released on July 16, 2024, includes significant changes across various modules, including Animation & Rigging, Color Management, Compositor, Core, Cycles, EEVEE, Extensions, Geometry Nodes, Import & Export, Modeling & UV, Physics, Python API, Sculpt, User Interface, and Video Sequencer, with notable updates to hardware requirements, compositor behavior, and add-on management.
Blender is a pretty good animation software when it comes to the features it offers. Blender provides real-time viewport review as well as CPU and GPU rendering. With Blender, you have PBR shaders and HDR lighting support. Other features include VR rendering support, advanced modeling, sculpting, and UV tools, advanced rigging and animation tools, powerful visual effects, auto-tracking, manual tracking, camera reconstruction, drawing in 2D mode оnto the 3D viewport, onion skinning, etc.
Blender is one of the best free animation software that you can use at all levels. Blender has some amazing open projects where you can contribute. Ever since the year 2005, the Blender Foundation has tried to invite developers and animators to contribute to open projects to promote creativity and innovation in Blender. The first such project was called ‘Elephants Dream’, which won the best short film award. Here is the official link to all open projects started by the Blender Foundation. If you are an advanced animator, make sure to check these out.
Some of the drawbacks are that the learning curve is very steep and it would take beginners a lot of time to learn to use this software. It is also not easy to make image animations since the software aims more at 3D animation.
4. OpenToonz (Open Source)
OpenToonz is a free animation software that you can use to make cartoon animations. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. OpenToonz was customized by Studio Ghibli and is in use by the same for many years. It was first used in the making of the famous film, ‘Princess Mononoke’ by Studio Ghibli. Since it is open-source, you can contribute to its source code as well.
To run OpenToonz, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.14 or later, and a 64-bit CPU with at least 4GB RAM.
OpenToonz has been updated to version 1.7.1, which includes an urgent patch fixing the "Import / Load Dialogue not working" bug, following the release of version 1.7 that introduced new features such as pasting external clipboard images, a Preproduction Board panel, Custom Panels, Main Window See Through Mode, and various enhancements in audio, tools, and camera capture functionalities.
OpenToonz has all the features required to make a great animated film. Its unique features have been specifically customised to meet those requirements of the production staff. The scanning tool or 'GTS’ for instance, that specializes in animation. OpenToonz also comes with an effects development kit developed by Dwango. The SDK is a plug-in effect for image processing. Other features include digital drawing tools such as vector and bitmap drawing tools, indexed color palettes, animated special effects, and composite scene, scripting, motion tracking, frame-by-frame animation, motion tweening, bones character animation, particle systems for dust, rain, and similar effects, etc.
It can be used free of charge for both commercial and non-commercial videos. In case you face any issues, you can post your query in the developers’ forum or any community blog. The plug-in effects of this animation software are, however, very limited.
5. TupiTube (Free animation tool for children and teenagers)
Here’s a treat for Mac users; a free animation software with amazing features and lots of content. The software was developed by animators who wanted to allow people to make and edit videos without having to pay for them. The learning curve of this software is moderate and you can create quality 2D videos once you get the hang of it. You can contribute to the Tupi source code as well and tweak it in case you require specific customizations or would like to help the community.
To run TupiTube, you'll need Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.9 or later, or Ubuntu 18.04, and OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphics.
The recent update of TupiTube includes several UX improvements and bug fixes, as part of its ongoing evolution, with the latest version available for download on the official website and Google Play Store.
Features of TupiTube include support for vector illustrations, adding shapes, filling areas, import raster images, export all your finished images into different file formats, support for tweeting positions, etc. You can also make lip-sync animations using TupiTube. The software also supports vector illustrations and different file formats. The official website contains lots of resources for animators of all levels. It features an extensive resource base of examples and tutorials. One of the drawbacks of Tupi is that it cannot be used to make 3D videos.
Although the list of animation software is exhaustive, we have tried to put together the best intuitive software programs, and we hope it'll give you a good start.
You might want to check out our list of the best graphic design software . For Tech-savvy creatives read our review on the best drawing and art apps .
As you get creative with your animation portfolios, do remember to create your portfolio website to showcase your work. Your design portfolio represents a window for the world to view your work and judge your talent, skills, and experience.
So, if you haven’t built a website to showcase your design portfolio, start today with Pixpa. Here are some great examples of graphic design portfolios created on Pixpa for your inspiration. Explore all features that make Pixpa the perfect choice for creative professionals. Get ready to express yourself in stunning new ways and create awesome animation clips with ease and efficiency!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. where can i animate for free.
You can use open source or free to use software like Pencil 2D, Synfig Studio, Blender or OpenToonz to animate for free. Of these Blender is a highly recommended free to use software while OpenToonz is an open source program developed by Studio Ghibli.
2. What is an example of an animation software?
Adobe Character Animator is an example of a popular animation software used to create computer based animations.
3. What is the best 2D animation software?
The best 2D animation software can vary depending on budget and skill level. For professionals, Autodesk Maya is highly recommended, though it's expensive and more suited to 3D work. For 2D animation specifically, Cartoon Animator 5 is versatile and offers a perpetual license for a one-off fee, making it a good choice for those who prefer to own their software.
4. What animation software does Disney use?
Disney uses a variety of software, including proprietary tools developed in-house. They also contribute to open-source projects and share data sets to advance technology in animation. Specific software used by Disney includes tools like Meander (for drawing and animation) and Hyperion (for rendering), though these are not commercially available for public use.
5. What animation software does Pixar use?
Pixar primarily uses its own proprietary software, Presto, for animation and rendering. However, this information is not provided in the given search results. It's worth noting that Pixar also uses other industry-standard tools and collaborates with software developers to create and refine animation technologies.
6. What occurs when you drag an animation in the animations pane of your presentation software?
When you drag an animation in the animations pane of your presentation software, such as PowerPoint or Google Slides, you are reordering the sequence of animations. This allows you to control the order in which animations are triggered and played during your presentation. By dragging an animation up or down in the list, you can make it start earlier or later in the sequence. This feature helps in creating complex animations and ensuring that effects are triggered in the desired order.
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The 15 Best Animation Presentation Software (2024 Rankings)
Last Updated: 07/01/2024
By Scott Winstead
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Are you an instructional designer, educator, or other eLearning professional looking to create engaging animated videos?
The best animation presentation software makes it easy to create animated stories and overlays for explainer videos or presentations.
Some of the software tools are made to work with live-streaming systems. Others are better suited to use for recording and editing videos that will be viewed by users later. Some are presentation systems that can be used online. Others offer an easy way to enhance a video presentation.
As a longtime instructional designer and eLearning professional, I’ve tried dozens of different animated presentation tools and rated my favorites below based on a variety of factors like cost, ease of use, features, and more ( click here to learn about our entire Editorial Process & Methodology for these reviews ).
What are the Best Animation Presentation Software Tools?
Check out my reviews to see which of these animation creation software tools will improve your presentations.
Loom is a powerful screen recording app that lets you create videos of whatever is on your screen or webcam. Easily record, add voiceovers, share, and interact with your videos.
Loom is an incredibly versatile tool for creating engaging presentations and recording animations. It’s possibly the easiest way to capture and share your presentations in an easy-to-view format.
Loom allows you to screen record animations from PowerPoint, Keynote, or any other presentation software. It also offers editing features you can use to polish your videos.
With Loom, you can create video messages or add a speaker bubble to your animated videos to communicate your ideas more effectively, adding a personal touch to your presentations.
- Easy screen recording: Capture your screen, voice, and face to create engaging presentations.
- Integration with presentation software: Record animations directly from PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, or any other software.
- Simple sharing: Share your recorded videos with a link, embed them in your website, or download them for offline use.
- Video editing tools: Trim, cut, and add call-to-action buttons to your videos for a professional finish.
- Viewer insights: Track who watched your video and for how long, providing valuable feedback on engagement.
System Requirements: Loom is a cloud-based service accessible from any device with an Internet connection. It offers a browser extension and desktop application for both Windows and Mac.
2. Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a well-known software solution for making presentations such as an investment deck or a project slide presentation. This software is offered as part of a bundle of Microsoft products that includes PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype.
This bundle is offered as a subscription service on the Microsoft 365 cloud. You can try it free for a month, and then the monthly subscription fee for a single user is $6.99 per month with a discount offered for making an annual subscription payment.
- Create and edit PowerPoint and other files from any mobile device that has an Internet connection.
- A Microsoft 365 Family subscription (two to six people) unlocks a Family safety app. This is a mobile locator and driving safety system.
- OneDrive is included with 1 TB of online storage.
- OneDrive ransomware recovery allows recovery of automatically backed up files for up to 30 days prior to the date of a ransomware attack.
- Using a PC or Mac with Money in Excel allows financial management and budgeting.
- Automatic backup across all devices.
- Easy file sharing for collaborating on PowerPoint presentations with others. Many free templates are available.
System Requirements: Microsoft 365 can be used on any device including a PC, Mac, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It works on Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android systems.
User Feedback “I love having access to all of my files anywhere I go and know they are securely stored. I can work from anywhere and update my PowerPoint presentations. I was amazed at how nicely I could make my presentations using animation.” Joe S.
This video is a tutorial that teaches how to animate a presentation using PowerPoint. It starts with a simple line drawing as a guide for the subsequent overlays of various shapes to create the parts of the drawing. The artist shows how to make a humanlike character from various shapes using the copy, merge, and subtract functions. Then, the artists narrating the video adds colors and motion. The result is a charming drawing of a student with things rotating around him.
For those seeking in-depth training, this two-hour video shows how to start as a beginner and quickly become an expert in making PowerPoint presentations using MS 365.
The Prezi system includes three software tools: Prezi design, Prezi Present, and Prezi Video. These tools are used to create data visualizations, animated presentations, and animated overlays that float on top of a video presentation. The video can either be recorded or streamed live. Animation overlay makes the video have more clarity and reinforces the message being given by the video host.
Prezi offers a 14-day free trial, and thereafter the software is billed on an annual subscription basis with plans ranging from $7 to $29 a month.
- Prezi offers reusable templates that can be customized for any purpose. This makes it very easy to get started using these tools.
- Object animation adds visual excitement and attracts attention to key concepts.
- Prezi maintains a royalty-free image library that can be used to make presentations by subscription members.
- Prezi Plus memberships allow files to be downloaded to be used offline and the use of interactive maps.
- Offers a PowerPoint converter to import PowerPoint presentations into the Prezi system.
System Requirements: The Prezi system is a software as a service (SaaS) cloud offering that can be used by any device connected to the Internet. Prezi Plus users can download the files. Prezi video works with the popular video streaming apps, including Cisco WebEx, Facebook Live, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Google Meet, LinkedIn, Microsoft Team, OBS, Slack, Twitter, YouTube, and Zoom.
User Feedback “I thought the software looked interesting and was surprised at how easy it was to create a more exciting presentation using this system. I am not a graphics guy at all. I have to give accounting reports. My co-workers complained that my presentations were boring before I used these tools, so this helped me make them look more interesting.” Andy A.
This video tutorial shows how to use stock images from the Prezi library and work with a grouping of objects to make animations for your presentations more easily. It shows how to make objects fade in, appear when you click on them and work with layers with an example of how to make an animation of trees growing.
Vyond is an animation production system that can create presentations in three animation styles, which are contemporary, business-friendly, and whiteboard animation . Vyond offers a comprehensive video creation guide that shows a step-by-step way to make an animated video.
Vyond offers a 14-day free trial that does not require a credit card. Thereafter, the service is available on an annual subscription basis for three levels, billed for each user. The plans range from $25 to $92 a month.
- The Essential level allows a user to export the Vyond video in MP4 format at 720p resolution.
- The Premium (or higher) level allows a user to export the Vyond video in MP4 format at 1080p resolution and allows exports as animated gifs in an eight-second loop.
- The Professional or Enterprise level allows collaboration when creating a video with others, shared libraries, an admin user panel, and video sharing feature to allow managed, private video sharing.
- ISO27001 Compliance
- GDPR/CCPA Compliance
- Privacy Shield Compliance
- Live Chat for Support
System Requirements: This is a cloud-based system that can be accessed by any device connected to the Internet. Paid subscription members can download a completed video in MP4 format.
User Feedback “I feel like I can go anywhere that I can imagine with Vyond. It opened up new horizons for all of us. When I found Vyond, it was exactly what I was looking for. I did the trial to be sure and then was sold on the system.” Gina Y.
In this video by Rued Riis, he shows how to make an animated video very quickly using the Vyond Studio system by using free templates and a few clever tricks. The video shows the creation of an animation video for an imagined company. The project is completed within 20 minutes.
5. Zoho Show
Zoho Show is a free online software tool that is a part of the overall comprehensive Zoho cloud offerings. Collaborative teams use Zoho Show to design slides and create visually-engaging presentations.
- Presentation editor with animations, text formatting, backgrounds, transitions, charts, media files, photos, shapes, and tables.
- Automatic contextual formatting in format mode.
- Allows importing presentations made with PowerPoint.
- Supports these formats: ppt, pps, odp, sxi, pptx, and ppsx.
- Each imported presentation must be 100MB or less. There is no limit on the number of imported presentations.
- Presentations can be published online or downloaded, saved, and used offline.
- Zoho supports multi-languages.
System Requirements: This is cloud-based online service accessible by any device that has an Internet connection by using any major browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
User Feedback “I have used Zoho Show for more than a decade, and I can truly say that it is a handy presentation creation tool that helps my ideas for businesses to reach a much larger audience.” Miguel A.
This one-minute video tutorial shows how to animate an object in a presentation to make the object follow a custom path of a curvy line.
6. Google Slides
Google Slides is a free cloud software that can be used to make and share presentations. All you need is a Google account or a Gmail account, and you can sign in to use the software. You can store the presentation that you create online on your Google drive. The presentation can be shared with a collaborative team to help make it and with anyone else on the Internet by giving them a link to the presentation file when it is ready for viewing.
- Google offers a free template gallery.
- Any object can be animated to make it move, fade in, or fade out.
- Animations can play automatically, in sequence, or when they are clicked on.
System Requirements: Google Slides can be accessed from any device with an Internet connection by using a browser.
User Feedback “Google Slides are super easy to use and great for making a simple animation presentation quickly.” Roger S.
This two-minute video tutorial shows how to add animations to Google slide presentations. The narrator suggests using a few animations to make your presentation more visually interesting but not to add too many that make it look silly.
Keynote is pre-installed on every Apple device. Mac and iPad users concrete illustrations and diagrams using Apple Pencil. Then, these objects can be imported to use with Keynote to make presentations.
- Apple offers 30 free themes that can be customized.
- Keynote has 30 cinematic effects to create animations and transitions.
- Objects can be animated to follow a custom path by using Apple Pencil or your finger on an iPhone and iPad.
- Textures, color gradients, and photo overlays can be added to the text for a 3D-like effect.
- The Apple object library has more than 700 shapes, mathematical equations, galleries, and charts.
- Photos taken by an iPhone can be sent directly to Keynote on a Mac for further creative use.
- YouTube and Vimeo videos can play within Keynote presentation slides.
System Requirements: Keynote software comes with any Mac, iPad, iPhone, and can be used with a PC, if the Keynote files are stored on the iCloud.
User Feedback “I appreciate that Keynote presentation display properly on any device no matter what its size and the display configuration. My Keynote presentations look just as good on a smartphone as they do on a desktop monitor.” Barbara T.
This 18-minute video by Grumop Media teaches how to use ten things about everything you need to know to animate in Keynote. These include building ins and outs, creating actions, motion paths, and using motion blur. You will learn how to create a basic animation, apply multiple actions, animate multiple objects, change the pivot point, animate groups, animate text, and the “magic move.”
8. Haiku Deck
Haiku is popular because of the thousands of free templates and a huge library of royalty-free images for making presentations.
Haiku has a seven-day free trial. Paid plans range from $9.99 to $29.99 a month.
- Over 40 million royalty-free photos.
- Thousands of professional templates.
- Privacy locks for presentations.
- Easily add audio narration.
- Embed YouTube videos.
- Save and download the project as video, ppt, or pdf formats.
- Optional Haiku Deck Zuru presentations are created with the aid of artificial intelligence programming.
- The Premium version includes in-depth analytics and lead tracking, view notifications, live web playback, and priority technical support.
System Requirements: Works with iPad, iPhone, and is also accessible by any device on the web. Presentations are in the cloud for ease of collaboration and sharing with viewers.
User Feedback “I think the results from using the AI help of Zuru are terrific. Zuru AI quickly selected images from the millions in the library, which fit my presentation perfectly.” Steve J.
This five-minute, beginner’s level video shows how to create an animation of a bouncing ball by manipulating items on the stage. It teaches how to use timeline-based animation with keyframes and how to smooth transitions between those keyframes.
Visme is a tool that can be used at a basic level for free to make infographics, charts, social media graphics, and presentations. It is easy to include animation that helps you improve your visual communications.
The Basic level free account allows you to create up to five projects with storage of 100 MB, with limited templates, charts, and widgets for publicly-published projects, including Visme branding. The project can be downloaded as JPG.
Paid plans give you more features like the ability to download your creations for offline use, and they start as low as $12.25 a month.
- Useful to create branded content (paid level).
- Creates animated and interactive content.
- Thousands of free templates.
- Thousands of free icons.
- Millions of royalty-free photos.
- 50+ charts, maps, and data widgets.
- Paid subscribers can add video, audio, and embed them. Save your customized digital assets in a private library.
System Requirements: This is a cloud-based service that can be used by anyone with Internet access.
User Feedback “Visme does much more than I expected. I started with a free account, did a couple of projects, and then became a paying member. I love this system.” Wayne D.
This video tutorial, produced by Visme, teaches how to use custom animations in infographics. Visme has over 300 ready-to-use animations that are very easy to add to your presentations, including isometric graphics that give an illusion of 3D animation. There are more than 50 people represented by animation characters that you can use. There are hands with arms, which make gestures. These can be used to emphasize something. There are six categories of special effects and animated icons too.
10. VideoPlasty
VideoPlasty is a source for stock animations, stock animated gifs, and stock motion graphics. There are more than 9,000 royalty-free animation assets to choose from for those who want to use them in making presentations with other software tools. Choosing an appropriate animation from the VideoPlasty library is fun, easy, and saves a huge amount of production time compared to creating your animations from scratch.
A couple dozen of the animations offered on this system are free to use, even for commercial purposes. There are paid animations that range from $5 for one to $99 for a set of up to 100.
- There are dozens of categories to choose from and a handy search tool to help you find a good choice.
- Buy the animations individually or in discounted packs.
- The motion graphics section offers unique video and special effects backgrounds and loops.
- MOV and MP4 formats from 720p to HD resolution.
- VideoPlasty offers a free beginner’s guides and tutorials on how to make explainer videos.
System Requirements: These animations work with the popular video production/editing and presentation software that includes DaVinci, Resolve, Premiere Pro, Filmora, Final Cut Pro, HitFilm Express, Movavi Video Editor, iMovie, Camtasia, Keynote, PowerPoint, and more.
User Feedback “I wanted to add animation to my training videos but do not have any graphics skills. I found something very suitable on VideoPlasty, and for a few dollars, I got it and imported it into my presentation easily. This saved me an enormous amount of time and effort, trying to find someone to make an animation for me.” Sabella H.
This 15-minute video tutorial is about how to make explainer videos using the animation assets found on VideoPlasty. It is beginner-friendly.
Animiz is a software tool to make animated videos that are stored on the system’s cloud server. There is also a related whiteboard animation presentation system, a software program you download to use.
For the animated video Animiz tool, there is a free version for one user with 10GB of cloud storage. The Standard paid level is $29 per month for 100 GB of cloud storage. The Professional level is $299 per year for two users with unlimited cloud storage.
For the whiteboard animation software, there is a Free version that contains a Mango watermark with limited hand animations, free templates, with more than 10 dynamic characters, two backgrounds per project, and a limited video duration of one minute. The Professional version is a one-time fee of $39. It has no watermark, over 40 hand animations, professional templates, more than 30 dynamic characters, 10 backgrounds per project, and a limited video duration of 10 minutes.
The Enterprise level is a one-time fee of $199. It permits your branded watermark, over 80 hand animations, unlimited templates, more than 50 dynamic characters, unlimited backgrounds per project, and no limit on the video duration.
- Easy to use.
- Unlimited customization.
- Drag-and-drop editing.
- Free animated assets.
- Over 300 scene templates.
- Over 1,000 built-in animated roles for characters.
- Over 5,000 royalty-free vector images.
System Requirements: Runs on XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, Win10.
User Feedback “We can create high-quality explainer videos. We use videos to promote our innovative products. This is an excellent whiteboard animation program!” Ronald J.
This three and one-half minute video by Talk Tech shows how to make an animation video using Animiz.
12. Focusky
Focusky is a software tool that you download to make HTML5 presentations, combined with a cloud service to store and publish your viewing presentations.
There is a Free version that includes 10 GB of cloud storage and allows 50 uploads per month. The Standard level is $9.90 per month. It includes 100 GB of storage and allows 200 uploads per month. It also allows publishing the presentation to 720p video and 30 offline presentations per month. The Professional version is $99 per year and allows unlimited cloud storage and unlimited presentations to publish to 1080p HD video and unlimited presentations for offline viewing.
- Uses an innovative mind-mapping style. Instead of making slides, makes links between branches of content trees.
- 3D transition effects.
- Multi-language support.
- Background music.
- Over 1,000 animated characters.
- Over 600 premium templates for the Professional level.
System Requirements: Runs on a MAC and on a PC with XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, and Win10.
User Feedback “The Focusky system is so fun to use, and I can express my creativity freely without having to worry about making ordered slides. I can take my presentation on a tour through my mind map and zoom in on the things as I explain them. That is superb.” Henrietta J.
This 12 and one-half minute video tutorial made by Focusky helps beginners start to use the system to make an animated presentation.
Moovly is an online tool used to make animated tutorials, explainer videos, and promo videos.
A free version can be used to create videos to publish on YouTube or Vimeo containing the Moovly watermark and outro.
Paid plans range from an a la carte $20 a video offering to a subscription at just under $50 a month billed annually.
- Many customization templates.
- Offers automated template videos, data-based videos and live feed videos.
- Drag and drop.
- A huge library of over 1.3 million royalty-free digital assets to use.
- No software to download or plug-in installation.
- Almost all features can be tested with the free version before using them on the paid version.
System Requirements: This is a web-based system accessible by anyone with a browser and an Internet connection.
User Feedback “I started using this system and was making super interesting video presentations with animation and other special features easily. This is a very intuitive system.” Georgia N.
This 19-minute video made by Moovly gives a beneficial overview of how to use the system.
14. VideoScribe
VideoScribe is a whiteboard animation system with a seven-day free trial. Videoscribe pricing is $15 a month and up, depending on the plan you choose.
- Video templates.
- Digital library of more than 7,300 royalty-free images.
- Use your own assets and VideoScribe will draw them.
- Choose from many hands, pens, erasers and more.
- More than 190 royalty-free music tracks.
- Voiceover recording or import the audio file.
- Share to Vimeo and PowerPoint.
System Requirements: Works on Windows and Mac.
User Feedback “For an easy to use whiteboard animation creation system, I would recommend VideoScribe.” Paula T.
The Better Men Society made this 12-minute video tutorial, and it shows the full process of making a whiteboard animation video.
15. Powtoon
Powtoon is an online video and animation presentation creation system used to make training videos, tutorials, internal communication pieces, content marketing, and educational presentations.
Powtoon offers a free trial. It has a variety of plans that range from $15 to $125 a month.
- A library of hundreds of templates, animated characters, video backgrounds, and musical tracks.
- No design or technical skills required to use this system.
- Easy to create visuals to tell your story.
- Help center with Powtoon user tutorials.
- Hire a Powtoonist system.
System Requirements: This is a cloud-based system accessed by using a web browser.
User Feedback “Powtoon has been a terrific tool to improve the look and viewer engagement for our company newsletters.” Tony W.
Blue Brain makes this 15-minute video tutorial. A teacher makes it to show how to use Powtoon to create an animation video for a class.
The most important element of any video presentation, either live-streamed or pre-recorded, is to avoid boring the audience or making them feel confused.
Using animation presentation software helps make the live sharing of video streams and pre-recorded videos more engaging for the audience. Presentations are made more effective by highlighting the key concepts and giving the viewers a concise takeaway of what they need to know. I highly recommend using these tools. I make use of more than one in creating more interesting presentations.
Making a non-animated video? Make sure to check out our guide to the best video presentation software options available.
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Animated presentations can instantly make your slides look more eye-catching. Here's a list of the best animated presentation software to help you create one.
Create clickable presentations and slide decks with animation, infographics, multimedia and beautiful design. Easy to use. 1000+ templates.
In our selection of the best animation software, we emphasize tools that balance ease of use with powerful capabilities, perfect for aspiring animators and seasoned professionals alike.
Create professional presentations, interactive infographics, beautiful design and engaging videos, all in one place. Start using Visme today.
The Best Animation Software in 2024 (Free and Paid) Adobe Animate — Best animation software overall (Editor’s Choice) – Get a 65% discount or a Free 7 Day Trial; Canva Animator — The best free, easy-to-use web-based animation software, perfect for the basics & beginners! (Editor’s Choice) Mango Animate — Best digital animation ...
The best animation presentation software makes it easy to create animated stories and overlays for explainer videos or presentations. Some of the software tools are made to work with live-streaming systems.