Isn't it funny to see pictures of your friends, family, or even people you do not know as cartoons on their Facebook profiles or as their avatars? If you are curious about how to create some of these cute cartoon faces by yourself, then you might be interested in some cartoon making software. Certain cartoon making software programs can set you back a few dollars, but there are also some free software programs and a host of great sites online that will allow you to create a cartoon for free in just a few simple steps. Take a peek at our list of the top 13 cartoon making software programs and cartoon making websites to help you get creative. If you're looking to do it yourself from scratch, check out this course on 2D animation design to get started.
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Part 1: Best Free Animation Software for Mac. Listed below are free animation software on Mac. Synfig Studio - Mac Software to Animate Video. Difficulty Level: Easy. Pro: You can create many layers once a time and sync audio for your animation. Con: This one needs much time to learn, especially for beginners. Best Free 3D Animation Software for Mac. MAC is considered to be the ideal device for animation due to its robust configuration and seamless rendering capabilities. In fact, some of the top Hollywood film production houses use 3D animation software for MAC for their animation requirements. Here are some free animation software solutions for MAC.
Free Cartoon Making Software
1: Inkscape
Inkscape is a free software program that has imaging editing and creating abilities similar to Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape is an open software that will run on a variety of programs, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux. Here are some features that Inkscape provides:
- Inkscape can create logos and other forms of artwork from scratch.
- It can draw cartoons and artwork for animation use.
- It will convert bitmap images into vector images.
- Inkscape can be used to design websites and interface mockups in a quick and timely manner.
- OpenToonz can be used free of charge for both commercial and non-commercial projects. Available as an open-source so that anyone can modify its source code freely. We aim to develop a new platform for connecting the academic research with cutting edge animation production.
- Free 3D animation software maya download. Design & Photo downloads - Maya by Autodesk Inc. And many more programs are available for instant and free download.
2: Pencil
If you are looking for a free and easy to use cartoon making software program, Pencil might be a good program to start off with. Pencil is an open source 2D cartoon animation and drawing program. It will run on Windows, Mac, and Linux and provide you with the following tools:
- Import background images from a file and draw backgrounds for a picture.
- Use multiple layers to create cartoons and other animated objects.
- Pencil will draw each of its frames manually or apply copy and paste to create images.
- It will export your cartoon or animation in .FLV format or in individual images for each frame.
- You can easily add sound to your cartoon or animation.
3: Tupi
Tupi is a free 2D cartoon and animation drawing program that is limited to Linux processing systems. Tupi is a lot like Pencil and can do everything that Pencil can do, as well as:
- Use a variety of common video formats to export animations.
- It can 'tween' objects from one another. This allows users to not have to manually draw each frame.
- Use and work with vector images.
4: Scratch
If you are looking for a cartoon making software to teach a young person or young adult programming skills, consider Scratch. Scratch is an educational cartoon making software produced by MIT, and can be used to create fun and basic animations and cartoons. Scratch is open source and will run on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Scratch will help you do the following things:
- It can create cartoons and animations by drawing sprites and triggers that can make the sprites move and change.
- Develop interactive games by using dropping and dragging commands to build a code.
- You can share your Scratch creations online with other Scratch users.
5: SynfigStudio
Synfig Studio is a 2D animation and drawing program for more advanced cartoon and animation making. SynfigStudio is an open source platform and is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you are just starting out with cartoon making, you might want to stick to some of the more simple programs above. This particular cartoon making software has a steep learning curve and will enable you to work with vector images.
Free Cartoon Making Websites
These free cartoon making sites will allow you to create a cartoon that you can share online.
6: WeeWorld
In WeeWorld you can create a cartoon of yourself and have access to online social games and mobile applications. WeeWorld gives you the chance to explore and expand your knowledge with thoughtful game play applications from charitable campaigns to drug awareness programs.
7: Manga Avatar Face Maker
Manga is a popular website that allows your to create a cartoon character of yourself using an Avatar Face Maker. This program allows you to select your specific eyes, hair, lips, and mouth to create the ideal cartoon character for you.
8: Custom Anime
This is a great place to create a very specific cartoon character for yourself that focuses not only on your face but your entire body as well. You will be in charge of the dress of your character and any accessories you might find handy.
9: Cartoon Pho.to.
With Cartoon Pho.to, you can take any picture that you want and cartoon it. You can carton your face into different emotions, and you can also cartoon still life photos.
10: Wooz World
If your child, pre-teen, or teenager is interested in playing with some creative magic, Wooz World is a great and safe online place to dive into a virtual world. There are no downloads required and you can play entirely online. It will enable you to cartoon yourself and play in an alternate cartoon world.
11: Build Your Wild Self
This is a fun and interactive website where you can create a cartoon character of yourself using different wild and imaginative body parts. For instance, you can add the wings of a dragon onto your body for a cool and fun effect. Basically, you are combining body parts from various wild animals with that of a human for a fun and imaginative take on the cartooning process.
12: OSOQ
OSOQ is a very easy and fun place to create a cartoon character online that requires almost little to no effort. It is a basic and fun photo avatar editor.
13: Cartoonize
Another website that will allow you to cartoon your face, Cartoonize provides a simple solution to creating a cartoon of your photo. The site will easily allow you to upload a photo directly from your computer and alter it and apply effects as you wish.
Master The Art of Cartooning
These different types of cartoon making software and cartoon making websites will give you the chance to dive into an alternate world of animation that will add fun and entertainment to your image by creating a cartoon version of yourself and others. If you want to be able to master 2D animation, check out this cartoons and animation tutorial using both hand drawn and digital techniques.
Harnessing the power of a child's imagination is not always easy. By giving them access to the right tools and skills it is possible for children to use animation software so that they can bring their drawings and doodles to life on a digital format. There are a number of programs that make it easy for kids to understand and develop their imagination/ storytelling skills in drawings and animations.
Many companies now produce versions of their animation software that are designed with menus for kids. This makes it easier for beginners to take some of their first steps into animation without having to deal with the extensive learning curve for a new program.
In this article we will go through some of the best animation programs that are designed currently for kids in 2-D animation and 3-D animation. By learning some of these programs as possible for children to harness their creativity and enjoy a greater experience with animating their ideas.
Part1. Top 5 Best 2D Animation Software for Kids
#1. Best Overall: VideoScribe
Videoscribe is a program that is designed to assist with whiteboard animation tasks. It's created by a British company named Sparkol. The program itself is very easy to use and it comes with a series of online image tools where users can get access to royalty free images that they can use for all of their own projects.
Videoscribe is a program that also features an add-on which is called TAWE. This can be especially helpful for children because it's easy to turn any image or photo into a simple presentation solution where you can rotate, zoom and animate an image as well as add voiceovers.
Videoscribe software can be one of the simplest programs to use and it remains one of the most user-friendly solutions available for all levels of experience. Even kids with zero animation skills can quite easily reproduce a number of animated videos and create competitive animation styles in a fraction of the time that it would take to learn other programs.
#2. Runner-up: PowToon
Powtoon represents one of the best online applications for building storytelling animations, infographics and academic presentations. There's a number of animation effects that can be added from a drop-down list and kids love experimenting with this online program.
Powtoon also makes the process of creating presentation files very simple, you can use a number of free templates to create presentations and animations with just a small amount of effort and this can be ideal for kids that are complete beginners with presentations and more.
The quality of the animations are excellent in this program and many of the top Leading brands worldwide use premium Powtoon to create videos for their own company. Kids can use the templates and online or learning strategies to really build up a great quality of work here.
#3. Animatron
Another choice that is perfect for children to learn on is Animatron. This is a free animation software that is perfect for kids to turn their ideas into a selection of cartoons.
The application can be used to animate, narrate and draw a wide range of content that will work on various levels. Parents can use Animatron for building whiteboard style presentations and animations as well. The Lite mode here is what makes it the perfect choice for kids as this is a drag-and-drop solution for harnessing their creativity. The program has integrated this mode to make it safe for kids above eight years to use regularly.
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#4. Vyond (Goanimate)
Goanimate remains one of the perfect tools for building attractive animations for students and academic presentations. With corporate professionals and teachers using these tools regularly, the comprehensive online animation and presentation is perfect for building some fantastic experiences. There are some predesigned animations in this program that are perfect for kids of all ages and for individuals in almost every type of industry.
#5. FlipBook
Flipbook remains a program and animation software that can be very simple to use for high-quality 2-D animation tools.
Kids can draw directly on the screen or use a touch display interface to move items around and build animations. It's quite easy to add on soundtracks as well as sync up audio within the program.
Flipbook is a program that's mostly designed for teens and older kids and it is possible to quite easily paint one frame at a time along the program or to generate solutions using some of the templates online.
Part2. Top 3 Best 3D Animation Software for Kids
#6. Best Overall: Muvizu
As an easy and very fun to use animation software, anyone can build some high-quality 3-D scenes with the help of this tool this remains one of our best recommended tools for kids who want to break into 3-D animation.
The animation system within the software helps you to build 3-D animations which are customized with animated characters and a number of predefined characteristics. The developers have created this project to make sure that it's suitable for students, educators, professional animators and even individuals who are building the system for business too.
The software is often some of the best for teens and older kids to pick up and use over time. By setting up some of the template solutions and then dragging and dropping elements using the software, kids can build amazing 3d animated solutions.
#7. Runner-up: Blender
This is our second choice for open source 3-D software that doesn't take a steep learning curve to develop.
This is a program for teenagers that is fairly appropriate and simple to use. If you are looking for some 3-D modeling software or simple animation it's tough to find anything that is better than Blender. The program itself was built by a team of extremely dedicated teachers, enthusiasts and artists.
As an open source project there are new add-ons and improvements being added regularly. It is the perfect program to really start wading into the waters of 3-D animation and it can be especially helpful for picking up some of the nuances of animating in 3-D before investing in software.
#8. Harmony
Toonboom is a company that's responsible for creating this animation software. It's perfect for kids to learn on and it's one of the favored choices for graphic artists. If your children do have some experience using animated tools, this is a perfect segue program that they can use to work their way up to a full license program.
Harmony is a program that's really designed for teens and for beginner graphic artists. There's plenty of free videos and webinars that you can use online to make sure that kids can master the software. Some of the courses that are available on Harmony can make sure that kids can learn at their own pace and that they can get a sense of achievement through badges and skills as they work at learning tutorials.
Part3. How to Choose the Right Animation Software for Your Child
Choosing the ideal animation program that you should invest in with your kids does often take a bit of choice and selection. In order to pick out the right animation software for your kids it's important to look through the different techniques and animation styles to choose what they want.
Understand Different Types of Animation
Some kids may want to animate in 3d, others in 2-D and depending on the type of project that they want to build it is important to invest in a program that can give them the tools they need.
2D Animation
- Inkscape can create logos and other forms of artwork from scratch.
- It can draw cartoons and artwork for animation use.
- It will convert bitmap images into vector images.
- Inkscape can be used to design websites and interface mockups in a quick and timely manner.
- OpenToonz can be used free of charge for both commercial and non-commercial projects. Available as an open-source so that anyone can modify its source code freely. We aim to develop a new platform for connecting the academic research with cutting edge animation production.
- Free 3D animation software maya download. Design & Photo downloads - Maya by Autodesk Inc. And many more programs are available for instant and free download.
2: Pencil
If you are looking for a free and easy to use cartoon making software program, Pencil might be a good program to start off with. Pencil is an open source 2D cartoon animation and drawing program. It will run on Windows, Mac, and Linux and provide you with the following tools:
- Import background images from a file and draw backgrounds for a picture.
- Use multiple layers to create cartoons and other animated objects.
- Pencil will draw each of its frames manually or apply copy and paste to create images.
- It will export your cartoon or animation in .FLV format or in individual images for each frame.
- You can easily add sound to your cartoon or animation.
3: Tupi
Tupi is a free 2D cartoon and animation drawing program that is limited to Linux processing systems. Tupi is a lot like Pencil and can do everything that Pencil can do, as well as:
- Use a variety of common video formats to export animations.
- It can 'tween' objects from one another. This allows users to not have to manually draw each frame.
- Use and work with vector images.
4: Scratch
If you are looking for a cartoon making software to teach a young person or young adult programming skills, consider Scratch. Scratch is an educational cartoon making software produced by MIT, and can be used to create fun and basic animations and cartoons. Scratch is open source and will run on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Scratch will help you do the following things:
- It can create cartoons and animations by drawing sprites and triggers that can make the sprites move and change.
- Develop interactive games by using dropping and dragging commands to build a code.
- You can share your Scratch creations online with other Scratch users.
5: SynfigStudio
Synfig Studio is a 2D animation and drawing program for more advanced cartoon and animation making. SynfigStudio is an open source platform and is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you are just starting out with cartoon making, you might want to stick to some of the more simple programs above. This particular cartoon making software has a steep learning curve and will enable you to work with vector images.
Free Cartoon Making Websites
These free cartoon making sites will allow you to create a cartoon that you can share online.
6: WeeWorld
In WeeWorld you can create a cartoon of yourself and have access to online social games and mobile applications. WeeWorld gives you the chance to explore and expand your knowledge with thoughtful game play applications from charitable campaigns to drug awareness programs.
7: Manga Avatar Face Maker
Manga is a popular website that allows your to create a cartoon character of yourself using an Avatar Face Maker. This program allows you to select your specific eyes, hair, lips, and mouth to create the ideal cartoon character for you.
8: Custom Anime
This is a great place to create a very specific cartoon character for yourself that focuses not only on your face but your entire body as well. You will be in charge of the dress of your character and any accessories you might find handy.
9: Cartoon Pho.to.
With Cartoon Pho.to, you can take any picture that you want and cartoon it. You can carton your face into different emotions, and you can also cartoon still life photos.
10: Wooz World
If your child, pre-teen, or teenager is interested in playing with some creative magic, Wooz World is a great and safe online place to dive into a virtual world. There are no downloads required and you can play entirely online. It will enable you to cartoon yourself and play in an alternate cartoon world.
11: Build Your Wild Self
This is a fun and interactive website where you can create a cartoon character of yourself using different wild and imaginative body parts. For instance, you can add the wings of a dragon onto your body for a cool and fun effect. Basically, you are combining body parts from various wild animals with that of a human for a fun and imaginative take on the cartooning process.
12: OSOQ
OSOQ is a very easy and fun place to create a cartoon character online that requires almost little to no effort. It is a basic and fun photo avatar editor.
13: Cartoonize
Another website that will allow you to cartoon your face, Cartoonize provides a simple solution to creating a cartoon of your photo. The site will easily allow you to upload a photo directly from your computer and alter it and apply effects as you wish.
Master The Art of Cartooning
These different types of cartoon making software and cartoon making websites will give you the chance to dive into an alternate world of animation that will add fun and entertainment to your image by creating a cartoon version of yourself and others. If you want to be able to master 2D animation, check out this cartoons and animation tutorial using both hand drawn and digital techniques.
Harnessing the power of a child's imagination is not always easy. By giving them access to the right tools and skills it is possible for children to use animation software so that they can bring their drawings and doodles to life on a digital format. There are a number of programs that make it easy for kids to understand and develop their imagination/ storytelling skills in drawings and animations.
Many companies now produce versions of their animation software that are designed with menus for kids. This makes it easier for beginners to take some of their first steps into animation without having to deal with the extensive learning curve for a new program.
In this article we will go through some of the best animation programs that are designed currently for kids in 2-D animation and 3-D animation. By learning some of these programs as possible for children to harness their creativity and enjoy a greater experience with animating their ideas.
Part1. Top 5 Best 2D Animation Software for Kids
#1. Best Overall: VideoScribe
Videoscribe is a program that is designed to assist with whiteboard animation tasks. It's created by a British company named Sparkol. The program itself is very easy to use and it comes with a series of online image tools where users can get access to royalty free images that they can use for all of their own projects.
Videoscribe is a program that also features an add-on which is called TAWE. This can be especially helpful for children because it's easy to turn any image or photo into a simple presentation solution where you can rotate, zoom and animate an image as well as add voiceovers.
Videoscribe software can be one of the simplest programs to use and it remains one of the most user-friendly solutions available for all levels of experience. Even kids with zero animation skills can quite easily reproduce a number of animated videos and create competitive animation styles in a fraction of the time that it would take to learn other programs.
#2. Runner-up: PowToon
Powtoon represents one of the best online applications for building storytelling animations, infographics and academic presentations. There's a number of animation effects that can be added from a drop-down list and kids love experimenting with this online program.
Powtoon also makes the process of creating presentation files very simple, you can use a number of free templates to create presentations and animations with just a small amount of effort and this can be ideal for kids that are complete beginners with presentations and more.
The quality of the animations are excellent in this program and many of the top Leading brands worldwide use premium Powtoon to create videos for their own company. Kids can use the templates and online or learning strategies to really build up a great quality of work here.
#3. Animatron
Another choice that is perfect for children to learn on is Animatron. This is a free animation software that is perfect for kids to turn their ideas into a selection of cartoons.
The application can be used to animate, narrate and draw a wide range of content that will work on various levels. Parents can use Animatron for building whiteboard style presentations and animations as well. The Lite mode here is what makes it the perfect choice for kids as this is a drag-and-drop solution for harnessing their creativity. The program has integrated this mode to make it safe for kids above eight years to use regularly.
Best Free Software For Mac
#4. Vyond (Goanimate)
Goanimate remains one of the perfect tools for building attractive animations for students and academic presentations. With corporate professionals and teachers using these tools regularly, the comprehensive online animation and presentation is perfect for building some fantastic experiences. There are some predesigned animations in this program that are perfect for kids of all ages and for individuals in almost every type of industry.
#5. FlipBook
Flipbook remains a program and animation software that can be very simple to use for high-quality 2-D animation tools.
Kids can draw directly on the screen or use a touch display interface to move items around and build animations. It's quite easy to add on soundtracks as well as sync up audio within the program.
Flipbook is a program that's mostly designed for teens and older kids and it is possible to quite easily paint one frame at a time along the program or to generate solutions using some of the templates online.
Part2. Top 3 Best 3D Animation Software for Kids
#6. Best Overall: Muvizu
As an easy and very fun to use animation software, anyone can build some high-quality 3-D scenes with the help of this tool this remains one of our best recommended tools for kids who want to break into 3-D animation.
The animation system within the software helps you to build 3-D animations which are customized with animated characters and a number of predefined characteristics. The developers have created this project to make sure that it's suitable for students, educators, professional animators and even individuals who are building the system for business too.
The software is often some of the best for teens and older kids to pick up and use over time. By setting up some of the template solutions and then dragging and dropping elements using the software, kids can build amazing 3d animated solutions.
#7. Runner-up: Blender
This is our second choice for open source 3-D software that doesn't take a steep learning curve to develop.
This is a program for teenagers that is fairly appropriate and simple to use. If you are looking for some 3-D modeling software or simple animation it's tough to find anything that is better than Blender. The program itself was built by a team of extremely dedicated teachers, enthusiasts and artists.
As an open source project there are new add-ons and improvements being added regularly. It is the perfect program to really start wading into the waters of 3-D animation and it can be especially helpful for picking up some of the nuances of animating in 3-D before investing in software.
#8. Harmony
Toonboom is a company that's responsible for creating this animation software. It's perfect for kids to learn on and it's one of the favored choices for graphic artists. If your children do have some experience using animated tools, this is a perfect segue program that they can use to work their way up to a full license program.
Harmony is a program that's really designed for teens and for beginner graphic artists. There's plenty of free videos and webinars that you can use online to make sure that kids can master the software. Some of the courses that are available on Harmony can make sure that kids can learn at their own pace and that they can get a sense of achievement through badges and skills as they work at learning tutorials.
Part3. How to Choose the Right Animation Software for Your Child
Choosing the ideal animation program that you should invest in with your kids does often take a bit of choice and selection. In order to pick out the right animation software for your kids it's important to look through the different techniques and animation styles to choose what they want.
Understand Different Types of Animation
Some kids may want to animate in 3d, others in 2-D and depending on the type of project that they want to build it is important to invest in a program that can give them the tools they need.
2D Animation
With 2-D animation animators can easily draw images on translucent pieces of paper one frame at a time to create a simple sequence of still images that will move over time. Usually animators will work to test animations with rough drawings but this can be done much more simply using programs.
As animators create the rough drawings and the sequence of still images, they can refine each image in its details in the program. Traditional animation today now usually requires a digital tablet and some drawing skills and there's no actual photography that takes place between individual frames. The process of animating is still a fairly lengthy, difficult and costly affair especially if you want to make something professional.
Most 2-D animation todays completed using computer vector animations that can adopt some of the techniques of traditional cell animations but with the ability to manipulate on-screen still images to progress the frame.
3D Animation
A 3-D animation involves creating 3-D models of various objects and characters and then understanding movement and composition. Traditional animation usually involves moving small elements of the image to create fluid movements. 3-D animation is closer to creating 3-D models and then manipulating them like puppets or wireframes to tell a story.
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Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are a somewhat different type of animation and they are commonly used for building top bar and side bar ads. Usually we see motion graphics prepared for promotional or commercial purposes but they are becoming increasingly more popular for their ease of sharing too.
Stop Motion
The process of stop motion is done primarily by taking a photo of the object, manipulating it ever so slightly and then taking another photo. Photos are then layered on top of one another to give an illusion of movement in a way that is similar to traditional animations. It uses a series of real-life materials instead of drawings or vectors and it can create some powerful effects with some effort involved from the animators.
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Whiteboard / Presentation style
Whiteboard style presentations are a fairly new solution that's become quite popular over a few years with the creation of online marketing videos. The presentation files and whiteboard animations have become a fantastic way to showcase information for an idea or project and it's an excellent way to really keep people engaged for a presentation or sharing ideas.
A Few Other Considerations
Picking out a software that's going to be best for a child to learn on is not always easy. Almost every child is going to be different so it remains very important to consider the way that they learn and to look into the type of projects that they enjoy doing the most. Some of the top considerations that you may want to think of when choosing animation programs include:
- The age of your child and their abilities
- Their patience levels
- How proficient they are with computers.
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