It allows you to create vector graphics, which can be ideal for animated character designs. Take Inkscape, for example, which is an open-source illustration application. There are a few other free software apps that may be helpful in your animation journey. The software also includes layers, filters, and bone-rigging, and it supports both bitmap and vector images. One of those advanced features is vector tweening, which allows layers to automatically transform into other shapes. While the user interface looks a bit sterile and comes with a bit of a learning curve, it does have many advanced features. In Animation Desk, you can open the onion skinning feature in the settings. By doing so, artists can see through the frames, and compare the keyframe and the in-between frames. In the making of traditional animations, artists draw on very thin papers and place the papers on a light source. Synfig Studio is an animation app similar in depth to OpenToonz and Adobe Animate. Onion skinning is a 2D animation technique. OpenToonz also supports bitmap and vector images.įor a closer look, check out this beginner OpenToonz tutorial by NobleFrugal Studio.
#Free animation software with onion skinning professional#
It may have more of a learning curve than other beginner apps, but it has a host of professional features - onion-skinning, bone rigging, node-based editing options, and more. OpenToonz is another popular 2D animation application, and it’s widely accepted as a free substitute for apps like Adobe Animate. If you’re totally new to Blender, check out this beginner Grease Pencil tutorial by Dedouze. If you’re already familiar with Blender’s 3D tool set, then you should be able to dive right in.
This tool allows you to draw in a 3D environment, create hand-drawn motion graphics, as well as traditional 2D animation.