Updated In 2024, Apple Video Editing Essentials Top Software Choices

Updated In 2024, Apple Video Editing Essentials Top Software Choices

Ava Lv12

Apple Video Editing Essentials: Top Software Choices

Apple is widely known for its iPhone, iPad, and Macitonsh computer around the world, but do you know that it also provides some fantastic video editing software for creators? In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best Apple video editing software on the market right now, including free, freemium, and premium solutions.

With these apps, you can modify videos on your smartphones or computers easily. And if you’ve invested in an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max that can capture video in the high-resolution ProRes standard, you’ll find reliable software to make the most of your video. We’ll go over which applications are excellent for specific chores and provide statistics to help you discover the best match. Let’s get started!

Apple Apps for Video Editing You Should Try

In today’s world, photos and videos are an integral part of everyone’s life. Mobile phones, laptops, and cameras may all be used to capture them. But, it might not be easy to organize and decorate them according to one’s unique preferences. Fortunately, there are several tools available to help Apple users with these tasks.

In the following part, I will introduce 5 best apple video editing software, including its unique features listed.

1. Photos

Supported By: iOS/macOS/iPadOS

Pricing: Free to use

The number one on our list is the Photos app. It’s among the most well-known application for video editing enthusiasts in the iOS community. This is an application mostly used by professional designers and developers who are into the video editing profession.

What Can You Do with Photos App?

Apple Inc. created Photos, a picture storage and editing program. Its main features are its simplicity and ease of usage. Its very name is a lovely and obvious indication of its use. Since 2015, this Mac picture editing app has been offered for OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 and tvOS v.10.

Filters and Smart Sliders are among the editing tools available in this program. It also has the Mark-up tool that allows you to add text, shapes, and doodles, as well as signatures. What’s more, you can rotate, crop and auto enhance videos in this app as well. Like photos editing, if you are not satisfied with the editing, you can tap Revert to restore to the original version.

If you are using the Photos app on iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, you can adjust the focus points and the depth of the field in Cinematic mode to make a cinematic-looking video easily.

  • Edit Videos Anywhere with iCloud Photo Library

The connection with iCloud Picture Library is where Photos outperforms every other Mac image editing tool. This fantastic feature allows users to fill out their libraries rather than their devices. This is accomplished by syncing photographs and videos across all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, MacBook and Apple Watch.

  • Moments

Photos employs Moments as an organizer, which may be used to build categories and years. Moments are a mix of the photo’s time and location information. Furthermore, facial recognition enables users to create groups based on a person, among other things.

  • Themes

Themes, which allow users to make calendars, picture albums, and other projects, complement the modifying and organizing capabilities. The program also provides printing capabilities for professional results.

2. QuickTime Player

Supported By: iOS/macOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to use

Next on our list is the QuickTime Player that lets you do almost whatever you want to do with your videos and pictures. The app is built to support both beginners and professionals. However, we would lean more towards beginners because most professionals today prefer apps like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. But that’s not to say this one doesn’t have excellent features to offer.

What Can You Do with QuickTime Player App?

  • Trim, Combine, Rotate, Split MOV Video

Everyone wants to make their lengthy videos short. QuickTime allows you to do precisely that with its trimming feature. Make your videos short and catchy with this feature. Further, you can combine two videos to make one excellent video for your presentation. The app also allows you to split different videos and combine them to produce more quality content.

  • Record Screen and Voiceover

If you think your video footage can do well with a background voiceover of someone else, QuickTime Player allows you to record your audios in the background while your video plays smoothly. You can also record the desktop screen with the Player.

Check how to use QuickTime Player to Record Desktop Screen and Audio

  • Shrink Video

If you believe your video looks better with a small size in appearance, try shrinking it using the shrink feature in the QuickTime Player. You can lower the video quality from 1080p, 720p to whatever your phone or Mac storage deems compatible.

3. Clips

Supported By: iOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to Use

You might not have heard of Clips as much as you may have heard about the others on this list. But don’t sleep on this one. Clips have slowly but surely gained the attraction of expert video editors, and you’d see almost all of them having Clips on their iPhones or Macs.

What Can You Do with Clips?

Apple Clips is interesting to check out when you’re an iOS fan. You can use this free video editing app to record and edit 16:9, 4:3 or square videos with various camera effects, stunning filters, animated text, music, emoji, stickers, and more, and then share it with your friends or family.

  • Family-Oriented

Apple Clips is mainly oriented towards families and children, and it isn’t even close to the capabilities of iMovie. Nonetheless, it is moving closer to be a genuine video editing program with each new version.

  • AR Spaces

Apple Clips, for instance, introduced AR Spaces, an augmented reality function for iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro owners, in April.

  • Cinematic Mode

Furthermore, the most recent version in September enables you to import and edit video shot in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 and ProRes footage from the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max.

4. iMovie

Supported By: iOS/iPadOS/macOS

Pricing: Free to use

One of the most recognizable apps in the Apple market for video editing software is the iMovie app. Almost all professional experts are reaping the benefits of using the iMovie app. The app developers have emphasized greatly equipping the professionals and the newbies who so desperately want to make their mark into the video editing profession.

What Can You Do with iMovie?

iMovie, is more like Final Cut Pro X’s younger sibling. But it’s free with your Mac, so there’s no danger in giving it a shot. It’s an excellent option for newcomers learning to use editing software, casual enthusiasts, and even YouTubers who wish to cut up their films.

  • Merge, Cut, Trim: Pull off Everything!

Although iMovie is rather simple, this may be considered a benefit for inexperienced editors. You can combine, cut, and rearrange your original video and audio with iMovie.

  • 4K Video Editing

You may even export your work in 4K quality at up to 60 frames per second once you’ve done it. Many effects, transitions, filters, and fine-tuning settings for white balance, color matching, and audio isolation are also included.

  • Cinematic Mode

In September, iMovie received a major upgrade, which included importing and editing footage taken in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 to Macs. You may now add, tweak, and delete focus points, as well as change the depths of field effect in a video shot in Cinematic mode, assuming you have a modern iPhone or iPad.

Check this complete guide about how to use iMovie to explore more features in iMovie.

5. Final Cut Pro

Supported By: macOS

Pricing: $299.99 for lifetime

Final Cut Pro is worth your attention if you would like a video editing program that you can use even if you may not have much expertise (and you plan on learning as a video editor when using it). It is one of the best video editing software for professionals to use on MacBook or iMac.

What Can You Do with Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro is powerful editing software that experts use all over the world. It comes with extra features that are sure to appeal to Mac customers. It may require a few introductory videos to prepare yourself to start doing anything. Still, you can do basic editing and gradually master more complex techniques after you get your toes wet.

  • Easy-to-Use Interface

Furthermore, Mac users would recognize the layout, which would make it much easier to use. But don’t be fooled by the product’s accessibility. It’s still a strong tool, and once you get used to it, the magnetic interface makes editing film a breeze.

  • 360-Degree VR and 3D Tilting

Multicam editing, XML imports, and 360-degree VR content are supported, and color grading capabilities have been enhanced. Additional abilities, such as 3D titling and an outstanding Flow transition to ease out jump cuts, have been added to these functions.

  • 90-Day Free Trial

Apple provides a free 90-day trial, so you can see whether this is something you’d be interested in before committing. HDR material may be created. That’s simply the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it – your best Apple Video Editing apps to make video editing easier for you. Nowadays, when someone asks you about the kind of video editing software you’re using on your IOS device, you can proudly tell them about the one you like here the most.

Some of the apps we have reviewed here are ideal for beginners, but they are even more customized for professional video editors to make their videos appear flawless.

What Can You Do with Photos App?

Apple Inc. created Photos, a picture storage and editing program. Its main features are its simplicity and ease of usage. Its very name is a lovely and obvious indication of its use. Since 2015, this Mac picture editing app has been offered for OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 and tvOS v.10.

Filters and Smart Sliders are among the editing tools available in this program. It also has the Mark-up tool that allows you to add text, shapes, and doodles, as well as signatures. What’s more, you can rotate, crop and auto enhance videos in this app as well. Like photos editing, if you are not satisfied with the editing, you can tap Revert to restore to the original version.

If you are using the Photos app on iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, you can adjust the focus points and the depth of the field in Cinematic mode to make a cinematic-looking video easily.

  • Edit Videos Anywhere with iCloud Photo Library

The connection with iCloud Picture Library is where Photos outperforms every other Mac image editing tool. This fantastic feature allows users to fill out their libraries rather than their devices. This is accomplished by syncing photographs and videos across all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, MacBook and Apple Watch.

  • Moments

Photos employs Moments as an organizer, which may be used to build categories and years. Moments are a mix of the photo’s time and location information. Furthermore, facial recognition enables users to create groups based on a person, among other things.

  • Themes

Themes, which allow users to make calendars, picture albums, and other projects, complement the modifying and organizing capabilities. The program also provides printing capabilities for professional results.

2. QuickTime Player

Supported By: iOS/macOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to use

Next on our list is the QuickTime Player that lets you do almost whatever you want to do with your videos and pictures. The app is built to support both beginners and professionals. However, we would lean more towards beginners because most professionals today prefer apps like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. But that’s not to say this one doesn’t have excellent features to offer.

What Can You Do with QuickTime Player App?

  • Trim, Combine, Rotate, Split MOV Video

Everyone wants to make their lengthy videos short. QuickTime allows you to do precisely that with its trimming feature. Make your videos short and catchy with this feature. Further, you can combine two videos to make one excellent video for your presentation. The app also allows you to split different videos and combine them to produce more quality content.

  • Record Screen and Voiceover

If you think your video footage can do well with a background voiceover of someone else, QuickTime Player allows you to record your audios in the background while your video plays smoothly. You can also record the desktop screen with the Player.

Check how to use QuickTime Player to Record Desktop Screen and Audio

  • Shrink Video

If you believe your video looks better with a small size in appearance, try shrinking it using the shrink feature in the QuickTime Player. You can lower the video quality from 1080p, 720p to whatever your phone or Mac storage deems compatible.

3. Clips

Supported By: iOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to Use

You might not have heard of Clips as much as you may have heard about the others on this list. But don’t sleep on this one. Clips have slowly but surely gained the attraction of expert video editors, and you’d see almost all of them having Clips on their iPhones or Macs.

What Can You Do with Clips?

Apple Clips is interesting to check out when you’re an iOS fan. You can use this free video editing app to record and edit 16:9, 4:3 or square videos with various camera effects, stunning filters, animated text, music, emoji, stickers, and more, and then share it with your friends or family.

  • Family-Oriented

Apple Clips is mainly oriented towards families and children, and it isn’t even close to the capabilities of iMovie. Nonetheless, it is moving closer to be a genuine video editing program with each new version.

  • AR Spaces

Apple Clips, for instance, introduced AR Spaces, an augmented reality function for iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro owners, in April.

  • Cinematic Mode

Furthermore, the most recent version in September enables you to import and edit video shot in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 and ProRes footage from the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max.

4. iMovie

Supported By: iOS/iPadOS/macOS

Pricing: Free to use

One of the most recognizable apps in the Apple market for video editing software is the iMovie app. Almost all professional experts are reaping the benefits of using the iMovie app. The app developers have emphasized greatly equipping the professionals and the newbies who so desperately want to make their mark into the video editing profession.

What Can You Do with iMovie?

iMovie, is more like Final Cut Pro X’s younger sibling. But it’s free with your Mac, so there’s no danger in giving it a shot. It’s an excellent option for newcomers learning to use editing software, casual enthusiasts, and even YouTubers who wish to cut up their films.

  • Merge, Cut, Trim: Pull off Everything!

Although iMovie is rather simple, this may be considered a benefit for inexperienced editors. You can combine, cut, and rearrange your original video and audio with iMovie.

  • 4K Video Editing

You may even export your work in 4K quality at up to 60 frames per second once you’ve done it. Many effects, transitions, filters, and fine-tuning settings for white balance, color matching, and audio isolation are also included.

  • Cinematic Mode

In September, iMovie received a major upgrade, which included importing and editing footage taken in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 to Macs. You may now add, tweak, and delete focus points, as well as change the depths of field effect in a video shot in Cinematic mode, assuming you have a modern iPhone or iPad.

Check this complete guide about how to use iMovie to explore more features in iMovie.

5. Final Cut Pro

Supported By: macOS

Pricing: $299.99 for lifetime

Final Cut Pro is worth your attention if you would like a video editing program that you can use even if you may not have much expertise (and you plan on learning as a video editor when using it). It is one of the best video editing software for professionals to use on MacBook or iMac.

What Can You Do with Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro is powerful editing software that experts use all over the world. It comes with extra features that are sure to appeal to Mac customers. It may require a few introductory videos to prepare yourself to start doing anything. Still, you can do basic editing and gradually master more complex techniques after you get your toes wet.

  • Easy-to-Use Interface

Furthermore, Mac users would recognize the layout, which would make it much easier to use. But don’t be fooled by the product’s accessibility. It’s still a strong tool, and once you get used to it, the magnetic interface makes editing film a breeze.

  • 360-Degree VR and 3D Tilting

Multicam editing, XML imports, and 360-degree VR content are supported, and color grading capabilities have been enhanced. Additional abilities, such as 3D titling and an outstanding Flow transition to ease out jump cuts, have been added to these functions.

  • 90-Day Free Trial

Apple provides a free 90-day trial, so you can see whether this is something you’d be interested in before committing. HDR material may be created. That’s simply the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it – your best Apple Video Editing apps to make video editing easier for you. Nowadays, when someone asks you about the kind of video editing software you’re using on your IOS device, you can proudly tell them about the one you like here the most.

Some of the apps we have reviewed here are ideal for beginners, but they are even more customized for professional video editors to make their videos appear flawless.

What Can You Do with Photos App?

Apple Inc. created Photos, a picture storage and editing program. Its main features are its simplicity and ease of usage. Its very name is a lovely and obvious indication of its use. Since 2015, this Mac picture editing app has been offered for OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 and tvOS v.10.

Filters and Smart Sliders are among the editing tools available in this program. It also has the Mark-up tool that allows you to add text, shapes, and doodles, as well as signatures. What’s more, you can rotate, crop and auto enhance videos in this app as well. Like photos editing, if you are not satisfied with the editing, you can tap Revert to restore to the original version.

If you are using the Photos app on iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, you can adjust the focus points and the depth of the field in Cinematic mode to make a cinematic-looking video easily.

  • Edit Videos Anywhere with iCloud Photo Library

The connection with iCloud Picture Library is where Photos outperforms every other Mac image editing tool. This fantastic feature allows users to fill out their libraries rather than their devices. This is accomplished by syncing photographs and videos across all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, MacBook and Apple Watch.

  • Moments

Photos employs Moments as an organizer, which may be used to build categories and years. Moments are a mix of the photo’s time and location information. Furthermore, facial recognition enables users to create groups based on a person, among other things.

  • Themes

Themes, which allow users to make calendars, picture albums, and other projects, complement the modifying and organizing capabilities. The program also provides printing capabilities for professional results.

2. QuickTime Player

Supported By: iOS/macOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to use

Next on our list is the QuickTime Player that lets you do almost whatever you want to do with your videos and pictures. The app is built to support both beginners and professionals. However, we would lean more towards beginners because most professionals today prefer apps like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. But that’s not to say this one doesn’t have excellent features to offer.

What Can You Do with QuickTime Player App?

  • Trim, Combine, Rotate, Split MOV Video

Everyone wants to make their lengthy videos short. QuickTime allows you to do precisely that with its trimming feature. Make your videos short and catchy with this feature. Further, you can combine two videos to make one excellent video for your presentation. The app also allows you to split different videos and combine them to produce more quality content.

  • Record Screen and Voiceover

If you think your video footage can do well with a background voiceover of someone else, QuickTime Player allows you to record your audios in the background while your video plays smoothly. You can also record the desktop screen with the Player.

Check how to use QuickTime Player to Record Desktop Screen and Audio

  • Shrink Video

If you believe your video looks better with a small size in appearance, try shrinking it using the shrink feature in the QuickTime Player. You can lower the video quality from 1080p, 720p to whatever your phone or Mac storage deems compatible.

3. Clips

Supported By: iOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to Use

You might not have heard of Clips as much as you may have heard about the others on this list. But don’t sleep on this one. Clips have slowly but surely gained the attraction of expert video editors, and you’d see almost all of them having Clips on their iPhones or Macs.

What Can You Do with Clips?

Apple Clips is interesting to check out when you’re an iOS fan. You can use this free video editing app to record and edit 16:9, 4:3 or square videos with various camera effects, stunning filters, animated text, music, emoji, stickers, and more, and then share it with your friends or family.

  • Family-Oriented

Apple Clips is mainly oriented towards families and children, and it isn’t even close to the capabilities of iMovie. Nonetheless, it is moving closer to be a genuine video editing program with each new version.

  • AR Spaces

Apple Clips, for instance, introduced AR Spaces, an augmented reality function for iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro owners, in April.

  • Cinematic Mode

Furthermore, the most recent version in September enables you to import and edit video shot in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 and ProRes footage from the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max.

4. iMovie

Supported By: iOS/iPadOS/macOS

Pricing: Free to use

One of the most recognizable apps in the Apple market for video editing software is the iMovie app. Almost all professional experts are reaping the benefits of using the iMovie app. The app developers have emphasized greatly equipping the professionals and the newbies who so desperately want to make their mark into the video editing profession.

What Can You Do with iMovie?

iMovie, is more like Final Cut Pro X’s younger sibling. But it’s free with your Mac, so there’s no danger in giving it a shot. It’s an excellent option for newcomers learning to use editing software, casual enthusiasts, and even YouTubers who wish to cut up their films.

  • Merge, Cut, Trim: Pull off Everything!

Although iMovie is rather simple, this may be considered a benefit for inexperienced editors. You can combine, cut, and rearrange your original video and audio with iMovie.

  • 4K Video Editing

You may even export your work in 4K quality at up to 60 frames per second once you’ve done it. Many effects, transitions, filters, and fine-tuning settings for white balance, color matching, and audio isolation are also included.

  • Cinematic Mode

In September, iMovie received a major upgrade, which included importing and editing footage taken in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 to Macs. You may now add, tweak, and delete focus points, as well as change the depths of field effect in a video shot in Cinematic mode, assuming you have a modern iPhone or iPad.

Check this complete guide about how to use iMovie to explore more features in iMovie.

5. Final Cut Pro

Supported By: macOS

Pricing: $299.99 for lifetime

Final Cut Pro is worth your attention if you would like a video editing program that you can use even if you may not have much expertise (and you plan on learning as a video editor when using it). It is one of the best video editing software for professionals to use on MacBook or iMac.

What Can You Do with Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro is powerful editing software that experts use all over the world. It comes with extra features that are sure to appeal to Mac customers. It may require a few introductory videos to prepare yourself to start doing anything. Still, you can do basic editing and gradually master more complex techniques after you get your toes wet.

  • Easy-to-Use Interface

Furthermore, Mac users would recognize the layout, which would make it much easier to use. But don’t be fooled by the product’s accessibility. It’s still a strong tool, and once you get used to it, the magnetic interface makes editing film a breeze.

  • 360-Degree VR and 3D Tilting

Multicam editing, XML imports, and 360-degree VR content are supported, and color grading capabilities have been enhanced. Additional abilities, such as 3D titling and an outstanding Flow transition to ease out jump cuts, have been added to these functions.

  • 90-Day Free Trial

Apple provides a free 90-day trial, so you can see whether this is something you’d be interested in before committing. HDR material may be created. That’s simply the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it – your best Apple Video Editing apps to make video editing easier for you. Nowadays, when someone asks you about the kind of video editing software you’re using on your IOS device, you can proudly tell them about the one you like here the most.

Some of the apps we have reviewed here are ideal for beginners, but they are even more customized for professional video editors to make their videos appear flawless.

What Can You Do with Photos App?

Apple Inc. created Photos, a picture storage and editing program. Its main features are its simplicity and ease of usage. Its very name is a lovely and obvious indication of its use. Since 2015, this Mac picture editing app has been offered for OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 and tvOS v.10.

Filters and Smart Sliders are among the editing tools available in this program. It also has the Mark-up tool that allows you to add text, shapes, and doodles, as well as signatures. What’s more, you can rotate, crop and auto enhance videos in this app as well. Like photos editing, if you are not satisfied with the editing, you can tap Revert to restore to the original version.

If you are using the Photos app on iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, you can adjust the focus points and the depth of the field in Cinematic mode to make a cinematic-looking video easily.

  • Edit Videos Anywhere with iCloud Photo Library

The connection with iCloud Picture Library is where Photos outperforms every other Mac image editing tool. This fantastic feature allows users to fill out their libraries rather than their devices. This is accomplished by syncing photographs and videos across all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, MacBook and Apple Watch.

  • Moments

Photos employs Moments as an organizer, which may be used to build categories and years. Moments are a mix of the photo’s time and location information. Furthermore, facial recognition enables users to create groups based on a person, among other things.

  • Themes

Themes, which allow users to make calendars, picture albums, and other projects, complement the modifying and organizing capabilities. The program also provides printing capabilities for professional results.

2. QuickTime Player

Supported By: iOS/macOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to use

Next on our list is the QuickTime Player that lets you do almost whatever you want to do with your videos and pictures. The app is built to support both beginners and professionals. However, we would lean more towards beginners because most professionals today prefer apps like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. But that’s not to say this one doesn’t have excellent features to offer.

What Can You Do with QuickTime Player App?

  • Trim, Combine, Rotate, Split MOV Video

Everyone wants to make their lengthy videos short. QuickTime allows you to do precisely that with its trimming feature. Make your videos short and catchy with this feature. Further, you can combine two videos to make one excellent video for your presentation. The app also allows you to split different videos and combine them to produce more quality content.

  • Record Screen and Voiceover

If you think your video footage can do well with a background voiceover of someone else, QuickTime Player allows you to record your audios in the background while your video plays smoothly. You can also record the desktop screen with the Player.

Check how to use QuickTime Player to Record Desktop Screen and Audio

  • Shrink Video

If you believe your video looks better with a small size in appearance, try shrinking it using the shrink feature in the QuickTime Player. You can lower the video quality from 1080p, 720p to whatever your phone or Mac storage deems compatible.

3. Clips

Supported By: iOS/iPad

Pricing: Free to Use

You might not have heard of Clips as much as you may have heard about the others on this list. But don’t sleep on this one. Clips have slowly but surely gained the attraction of expert video editors, and you’d see almost all of them having Clips on their iPhones or Macs.

What Can You Do with Clips?

Apple Clips is interesting to check out when you’re an iOS fan. You can use this free video editing app to record and edit 16:9, 4:3 or square videos with various camera effects, stunning filters, animated text, music, emoji, stickers, and more, and then share it with your friends or family.

  • Family-Oriented

Apple Clips is mainly oriented towards families and children, and it isn’t even close to the capabilities of iMovie. Nonetheless, it is moving closer to be a genuine video editing program with each new version.

  • AR Spaces

Apple Clips, for instance, introduced AR Spaces, an augmented reality function for iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro owners, in April.

  • Cinematic Mode

Furthermore, the most recent version in September enables you to import and edit video shot in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 and ProRes footage from the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max.

4. iMovie

Supported By: iOS/iPadOS/macOS

Pricing: Free to use

One of the most recognizable apps in the Apple market for video editing software is the iMovie app. Almost all professional experts are reaping the benefits of using the iMovie app. The app developers have emphasized greatly equipping the professionals and the newbies who so desperately want to make their mark into the video editing profession.

What Can You Do with iMovie?

iMovie, is more like Final Cut Pro X’s younger sibling. But it’s free with your Mac, so there’s no danger in giving it a shot. It’s an excellent option for newcomers learning to use editing software, casual enthusiasts, and even YouTubers who wish to cut up their films.

  • Merge, Cut, Trim: Pull off Everything!

Although iMovie is rather simple, this may be considered a benefit for inexperienced editors. You can combine, cut, and rearrange your original video and audio with iMovie.

  • 4K Video Editing

You may even export your work in 4K quality at up to 60 frames per second once you’ve done it. Many effects, transitions, filters, and fine-tuning settings for white balance, color matching, and audio isolation are also included.

  • Cinematic Mode

In September, iMovie received a major upgrade, which included importing and editing footage taken in Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 to Macs. You may now add, tweak, and delete focus points, as well as change the depths of field effect in a video shot in Cinematic mode, assuming you have a modern iPhone or iPad.

Check this complete guide about how to use iMovie to explore more features in iMovie.

5. Final Cut Pro

Supported By: macOS

Pricing: $299.99 for lifetime

Final Cut Pro is worth your attention if you would like a video editing program that you can use even if you may not have much expertise (and you plan on learning as a video editor when using it). It is one of the best video editing software for professionals to use on MacBook or iMac.

What Can You Do with Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro is powerful editing software that experts use all over the world. It comes with extra features that are sure to appeal to Mac customers. It may require a few introductory videos to prepare yourself to start doing anything. Still, you can do basic editing and gradually master more complex techniques after you get your toes wet.

  • Easy-to-Use Interface

Furthermore, Mac users would recognize the layout, which would make it much easier to use. But don’t be fooled by the product’s accessibility. It’s still a strong tool, and once you get used to it, the magnetic interface makes editing film a breeze.

  • 360-Degree VR and 3D Tilting

Multicam editing, XML imports, and 360-degree VR content are supported, and color grading capabilities have been enhanced. Additional abilities, such as 3D titling and an outstanding Flow transition to ease out jump cuts, have been added to these functions.

  • 90-Day Free Trial

Apple provides a free 90-day trial, so you can see whether this is something you’d be interested in before committing. HDR material may be created. That’s simply the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it – your best Apple Video Editing apps to make video editing easier for you. Nowadays, when someone asks you about the kind of video editing software you’re using on your IOS device, you can proudly tell them about the one you like here the most.

Some of the apps we have reviewed here are ideal for beginners, but they are even more customized for professional video editors to make their videos appear flawless.

Animate for Free: Top 12 Options for Windows and Mac Users

Best 12 Free Download Animation Software for Windows and Mac

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 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.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 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.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 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.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

In your search for quality animation software, you may have found that many of the programs cost a lot of money no matter it is 2D animation software or 3D animation editor. The good news is that you can choose free animation tools to make different animation types easily.

That is why we created a list of the best animation software on both Mac and Windows. Whether you are a professional editor or just a beginner to start making animation, you will find the tools listed below are easy to use without watermark and won’t cost money to improve your skills.

The best part is you will find these free animation programs are also very useful for content creation on Mac and Windows. Besides, we have listed the pros and cons of each software. Keep reading!

Here we have made a table of 12 free animation software without watermark on Windows and macOS. Take a look.

6 Free Animation Software for macOS

5K-3DMiddleIt is a great tool for 3D artists6KritaDifficultPerfect software for 2D animation

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 Synfig Studio Easy Calculate vector shape to animation automatically
2 Pencil2D Animation Easiest Straightforward interface for beginners
3 Tupi Middle Its community is active to offer solutions
4 Blender Difficult It is a powerful animation tool to render and make modeling

6 Free Animation Software for Windows

Number Software Difficulty Level Highlight
1 DAZ Studio Difficult For professional users with the fast animation process
2 Terragen Middle It can make realistic CG environments
3 Anim8or Difficult 3D animation is Anim8or’s main function
4 Seamless3d Easy It has many features for 3d modeling
5 OpenToonz Middle Make cartoon animation with plugins
6 Stykz Easy Quickly make animation if you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator

Best Animation Software on Windows and Mac - Filmora

Looking for a simple while powerful Mac video editing tool ? We recommend using Wondershare Filmora. You can use it to create 2D/3D animated texts, shapes, or anything you like for YouTube videos.

The keyframing features will help you make animation effects smooth and precise. When exporting, you can also make it transparent.

Besides, various title templates and transitions are also available for you. Download it now to have a try! Or learn more from Wondershare Video Community .

Key features

  • Create various shapes that you like
  • Add keyframing to make it move
  • Fine-tuning to make it smooth
  • Add visual effects/text/color before export it

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

Download Filmora9 Mac Version

You can even create photo cut animation which has been very trendy on Tiktok and Instagram. Here is a video to present you how you can do it in Filmora.

Part 1 Best Free Animation Software for Mac

Listed below is free animation software on Mac. Take a look.

01 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.

An open-source 2D animation software that works on Macs, Synfig Studio delivers multiple players while you are creating content. Whether you want to add geometric, filters, distortions, or transformations, it is all possible! And thanks to the high-end bone system, you can create cut-out videos using bitmap images!

The thoughtful part is there are two download versions on the homepage: the stable version and the development version. If you want to enjoy a stable and smooth animation editing experience, choose the stable one. However, the development package gives you access to the use of the latest features.

For a novice, you can learn Synfig from step by step guide in Wikipedia and video tutorials. Four languages are available including English, Russian, Dutch, and French for a video course.

You can free download its latest version 1.3.11. The upcoming version is 1.4.

Features:

  • It offers support for many layers within the animation.
  • The program’s bone system means that you can easily create animations with bitmap images or vector artwork.
  • It allows you to sync your creative work with any sound that you want. Has a full-featured audio editor.

02 Pencil2D Animation - Animation Program for 2D Pencil Lover

Difficulty Level: Easiest

Pro: Easy to start and make animation as the interface is user-friendly for many people.

Con: You need to set your preference every time to open it up, so it takes up some time

Pencil2D Animation is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn tools available. It will work flawlessly on Mac computers. It is ideal for beginners, as the commands and interface are very easy to understand.

Whether you want to create a simple one, or you want something with many layers for videos on YouTube, you can use Pencil2D animation to get it done. Its timeline is easy to use at first glance. You can add and duplicate different frames on a different track.

The frequency of releasing the new version is very fast as Pencil2D is committed to bringing the lasted features to each user. The newest version is v0.6.4 (as of August 2019). Its user guide is informative with video tutorials, FAQs, and manual material.

Features:

  • Lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for beginners.
  • Features raster and vector workflows, with easy switching between them. You can paint and sketch as you want!
  • Will run on all platforms - Mac, Windows, and Linux.
  • Completely free and open source.

free animation software Pencil2D

03 TupiTube - Free Animation Application for Mac Users

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It supports vector illustrations. Besides, various formats are available.

Con: If you want to make 3D animation, it will fail. You can only make 2D effects.

A free software application for YouTube, Tupi will allow you to create 2D animations to your heart’s content. The tool was started by animators who wanted to create something that others could use.

It is an open-source tool, which means that users can make tweaks to the program if they have some interesting ideas. The program works on both Windows and Mac. You need to use Tupi and Papagayo to make lip-sync animation with different mouth shapes.

It also offers a solution for schools with related features including academic license, technical support, and ads-free, so many schools choose to use this one to teach kids how to make an animation video.

Features:

  • Support for vector illustrations. You can add rectangles, lines, polygons, and other shapes as you please. To fill areas, just use the paint bucket.
  • You can import raster images using this program.
  • You can export all your finished images into different file formats.
  • Support for tweeting positions, scale, shear, and rotations.

TupiTube free animation software mac

04 Blender - Need Some Time to Learn This Animation Tool

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Really powerful software that you can make for professional users.

Con: It is not easy to make image animation as it focuses on 3D.

Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation suite without a watermark. If you find that 2D is a little bit limiting, we think that you will be very happy with what this free program offers. You can take your projects to a whole new level when you can use this program on your Mac.

You can use Blender to make a video game, modeling, and high-quality animation. However, it involves a steep learning curve. Luckily, there are many tutorials to guide you through the journey. You can also ask for help in the Blender community that millions of talented people like you are there.

Features:

  • Creating renders is no problem with this program.
  • Modeling, such as sculpting, retopology, and creating curves is not an issue either.
  • VFX and animation features are better than any option on the market.
  • It offers powerful simulation tools.
  • Integration with pipeline tools is easy.

free download 3D animation software blender

05 K-3D - Best for Animation and Modeling in 3D

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: Ideal for designing simple 3D animations and models.

Con: It has an old-fashioned interface. Also, the built-render (RenderMan) feature is difficult to use by beginners.

K-3D is an animation and 3D modeling software. You can download this tool for free on your Mac. Besides, you can also install and run it on your Windows and Linux systems. If you look at the design, you will find that the software is quite old. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Why so? It is because K-3D is one of the strongest and most versatile tools for 3D artists with many options.

For example, K-3D offers extremely systematic and methodological workflows. You can easily adjust the properties of the features in real-time and get instant results. It has a node-oriented visualization pipeline to enjoy more freedom. That means you can create animation using a variety of combinations.

One of the best things about K-3D is that it has three subdivisions of animation. You can work on your model on one side while showing the other side in a mirrored form. Then, experience the final result combined together. And in case you need to make the changes to the end results, you can simply work on the first subdivision and savor automatic changes to the results.

K-3D has an advanced redo and undo mechanism to ensure you can go back or move forward to make corrections or amendments without limits. Additionally, the tool is developed keeping in mind all the industrial standards. For instance, it has complete support and integration of native RenderMan™ to its user interface. This is an excellent feature because most free animation software for Mac requires third-party render plugins.

Features:

  • Parametric workflow.
  • 2D and 3D animation tools.
  • Allows Python and K3DScript scripting.

K-3D

06 Krita - For Professional 2D Animators

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Advanced tools with numerous animation options and online training material.

Con: Not suitable for beginners.

If you love 2D animation, then you’ll surely love Krita. It is entirely free software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Also, it offers a full platform for drawing and frame-by-frame animation.

The number one reason for adoring Krita is its brush library. There are more than 100 professional brushes to give you a wide range of effects. Moreover, the strokes are pretty amazing and similar to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Another great thing about Krita is the brush stabilization feature designed for shaky hands. You can add a stabilizer to your chosen brush to smoothen its flow. Besides, there’s a special Dynamic Brush tool to make animation more fun. At the same time, you can also customize your brushes through different brush engines, including filter engines, color smudge engines, and many more.

Apart from the basic brush options, the preloaded vector tools are next to admire. These tools help you make great comic panels. All you need to do is choose and drag the word bubble template on your canvas. Then, make changes with the anchor point to make new shapes. At the same time, you can also add text to your animation by using the text tool.

Last but not least, there’s a wrap-around mode to create seamless patterns and textures. That means the image or drawing makes its own references along the x-axis and y-axis. This gives you the freedom to continue painting and enjoy updates to your animation instantly.

Features:

  • HDR painting.
  • PSD support.
  • Python scripting.
  • Selection and transformation tools.
  • Proper group, filter, vector, and file layer management.
  • Complete color management for extraordinary results.
  • Drawing assistant to help you with straight lines and vanishing points.

Krita

Part 2 Best Free Animation Software for Windows

Below is free animation software on Windows. Keep reading.

01 Anireel - Easy to Use Animation Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Anireel is a simple yet powerful Video Creativity tool used to make 2D animated explainer videos. Developed by Wondershare, one of the most popular Windows software and tool developers, Anireel uses rich, ready-to-use, and diverse assets to help one effortlessly make animated videos.

Download Win Version

Features:

  • There are tons of drag and drop characters, actions, props, text, and audio assets.
  • Easy Text-to-Speech conversion via deep studying technology.
  • Animate integrated and imported assets.
  • Tons of templates that match many script types.

anireel animation software

02 DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering.

Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep learning curve.

Daz 3d is a powerful and completely free 3D creation tool that will let you create the short videos that you want. Whether you are using this for business or pleasure, you will find the program is very easy to understand. Within a day, you will be completely used to its interface.

3D effects are the core focus of DAZ Studio. You can build a model, render, and pose animation within the skin texture level. It has a high requirement for the device. For Windows 64 bits, its recommended RAM is 3G.

Features:

  • Options for 3D morphing, animation, and rendering.
  • GPU accelerated real-time rendering, which delivers the best results.
  • Interactive tutorials to help you become a better 3D artist.
  • Everything you make is yours, royalty-free!

DAZ animation software

03 Terragen - Use It to Make CG Animation

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: The recently updated version is the best one. Ray-traced preview is a great function to help us make animation.

Con: The interface looks complicated, but it gets easy to know after you are familiar with it.

A completely free program that you can download and install on all Windows computers and tablets, Terragen is the ideal program for you to create the 3D animations and environments that you want. If you want a photo-realistic CG environment, using Terragen is the best way to do it!

Releasing imagination instantly, Terragen Creative is the one tool you’d like to consider. You can use it to make beautiful scenery.

For advanced tools, you can choose FBX to make animation quickly. The featured image gallery on its homepage will give you a deep understanding of the final outcome you can achieve with Terragen.

Features:

  • Ray-traced preview. Without watermark after exporting
  • Photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulation
  • Rendering is twice as fast as the previous version of the program.
  • Adding terrain, objects, and shader to your final product is very easy with the intuitive interface.

Terragen animation software

04 Anim8or - Free Tool to Make 3D Modeling

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Pro: Anim8or supports 3D modeler and TrueType fonts to meet advanced needs.

Con: Beginners will find it difficult to learn.

Anim8or is a free 3D modeling program that will let you create the unique work that you want. It is a personal project from an animator, but the program does get regular updates and troubleshooting.

It is not going to give you the same features as something like Studio Max or Maya, but you will get the basics. Beginners who are getting into animations will love this program.

Anim8or is a great tool to step into 3D animation ff you think other software is too different to start. In some way, it means you need to give up some advanced features. But all in all, it’s still recommended for you.

Features:

  • A full 3D modeler that allows you to create spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, and any other objects that you want.
  • Features support for TrueType fonts.
  • Easy to create 3D scenes and output them as video files or images.

Anim8or video animation software

05 Seamless3d - Open-source Free Software

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is an open-source 3D modeling package. The good thing is the handy infinite Undo/Redo operation.

Con: Some advanced features are missing like drawing.

Seamless3d, an open-source 3D modeling software that you can download, is among the best animation worktables if you want to create specialized images, animated videos, or 3D characters.

It supports FFmpeg video format, so you can use AVI, MP4, and more. Besides, the forum is not active compared with before, but you still can find answers from many tutorials .

Features:

  • It comes with infinite undo and redo options for complete flexibility to correct mistakes.
  • It allows for partitioned and seamless texture mapping for YouTube videos.
  • Has a specialized tree view interface.

animation software for windows Seamless3d

06 OpenToonz - Support Plug in to Make Animation Freely

Difficulty Level: Middle

Pro: It is open-source software, so you can change the code freely.

Con: The plug-in effects are limited.

This animation program is made for beginners on Windows. It is among the best 2D animation software in the market. You can use plug-in effects to change image style, add lights, and distort details. It supports Windows 7/8/10 only for 64 bit.

Features:

  • You can add provisional colors to make your animation more colorful.
  • Smooth correction without frame losing.
  • Compatible with black-and-white, colored, or without binarization scanning.

OpenToonz animation program

7 Stykz - Simple to Use Animation Program for Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pro: It is the best stick figure animation if you want to make this kind of video.

Con: The UI is not modern to use and needs time to adapt to using it.

Stykz is completely free to use and without a watermark. If you have used Pivot StickFigure Animator, then you will find Stykz is similar to it, but you can import the previous .stk files to animate it again. You can use it to make animation smooth frame by frame.

With its frame-based feature, Stykz is easy to customize each frame. You can change previous and current frames to get what you want. You can download it to have a try considering its easy-to-use features.

Features:

  • There is some animes file on this website, so you can have a reference.
  • Edit animation in the software without using another editing window.
  • You can share the final work with others including information.

Stykz best free animation software

Part 3 FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

01 Are Macs good for animation?

To be frank, Mac is a better choice to make animation if you want to have a smooth animation experience. For example, screen resolution is a crucial factor to make excellent animation. The good is Mac’s screen will never let you disappointed.

02 What is the best animation software for Mac?

The best animation software on mac includes Synfig Studio, Pencil2D Animation, Tupi, Blender, and more. Mentioned are free-to-use. Maya is also worth considering animation software if you are a professional user. Maya offers a 1-month free trial. After it is ended, the paid plans are month, 1-year, and 3-year.

03 Can you animate in Photoshop?

Yes, you can make basic animation in Photoshop. However, it only supports frame-based animation making. In this case, you need to use other professional software to make animation. But, you still can use Photoshop to meet your needs if you are a beginner.

Conclusion

With any of these free animation maker programs on Mac and Windows, you will have an easy time creating your next 2D or 3D video. Ensure you choose the program that has the features and compatibility that you desire. Then it is up to your creative mind to come up with stunning animations! If you want to make animation easily, you can also find inspiration through classical animated cartoon types with examples .

author avatar

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Get Windows Movie Maker: A Comprehensive Download and Installation Guide

Microsoft produced the movie editing software known as Windows Movie Maker. You can download Movie Maker Windows 10 or even in previous versions. This application can combine video, sound, still photos, and transcripts to make a customized movie. Its functions are simple to use and enjoyable to explore with, and its XML code enables users to create new transitions and effects or change current ones. It’s also simple to upload finished Windows Movie Maker productions to video and social media platforms.

This guide explains everything you need to know about downloading windows movie maker. You can choose to use windows movie maker installation guide as well. With this Windows Movie Maker, you can choose from five different thumb sizes, which is probably plenty, and you can enlarge these clip representations using the zoom button at the bottom. Using the cursor insertion point and edit buttons, you can cut or divide clips. Once you’re used to the app’s distinct editing method, it becomes pretty simple.

Part 1. System Requirements for Windows Movie Maker

Beginners should use Windows Video Maker. Along with fundamental capabilities and workflow components seen in professional video editing systems, it is available for free on Windows PCs. Even inexperienced editors may understand it because to its simple chronology in the form of an understandable interface. Windows Movie Maker allows you to create your own movies. Create professional movies from your still and moving images. To aid in telling your tale, use transitions, sound, subtitles, and special effects.

Requirements Compatibility of Windows Movie Maker
Support System Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 are all versions of Microsoft Windows.
Processor 1GHz Intel/AMD processor or above such as an Intel Pentium III, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Athlon, or equivalent processor
For Audio An audio capture device to capture audio from external sources
Hardware Memory 300MB space for installation
Graphics Card Super VGA (800x600) resolution graphics card with at least a 16-bit graphics card
Other Requirements 256MB RAM (512MB or above recommended)

Part 2. Download and install Windows Movie Maker Windows 10

Anyone who wants to easily modify movies should use Movie Maker. The program offers every fundamental feature you need to create edited videos. Effects, transitions, titles and credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie are just a few of the features available in Windows Movie Maker. XML code may be used to create new effects and transitions as well as modify already existing ones. An easy-to-use tool for altering audio tracks is Windows Movie Maker. To audio tracks, Windows Movie Maker can add simple effects like fade-in and fade-out.

Steps to Download and Install Windows Movie Maker on Win 10

Step1 Download the File

You may download Windows Movie Maker to produce videos from photographs. Transitions, a soundtrack, title and credit text, among other things, are simple to add to your video. Complete the necessary file downloads by clicking on the download button(s) below. Depending on your download speed, this might take anything from a few minutes to many hours.

Download Windows Movie Maker

Step2 Run the Downloaded program File

The installation launch screen is given in the following image. To install the program, run “setup.exe” by double-clicking the downloaded setup file that you previously downloaded.

run windows movie maker installer

Step3 Set Personalized Installation

Follow the instructions to install Windows Movie Maker. .Net framework is a required for Windows Movie Maker. Launch the Windows Movie Maker Installer program to install Windows Movie Maker on Windows 10.

install all windows essentials

Step4 Hit Install Button

Press the “Install” button after selecting Messenger, Photo Gallery, and Movie Maker as the apps to be installed. You can now access Windows Movie Maker.

installing windows essentials 2012

Naturally, Microsoft also offered new video editing tools for Windows users once they ceased upgrading Windows Movie Maker. The complete version of Windows Movie Maker 2022 is now installed on your Windows 10 OS computer without any restrictions.

Part 3. Download and Install Windows Movie Maker Windows 7/8

Windows Movie Maker is a user-friendly and effective movie creation and editing software program created for the most recent versions of Windows 11 and Windows 7/8/10. Windows XP and Vista are compatible with the previous version. Only the Essentials package, a free collection of lifestyle and utility software for Windows 7 and Windows 8, which also contains Windows Photo Gallery, allows you to install Movie Maker. The single installer for all the Essentials applications gives you the choice to install all of them at once or just some of them.

Steps to Download and Install Windows Movie Maker on Win 7/8

Step1 Download the Installer

Start downloading Windows Live Essentials Movie Maker 12 by clicking on one of the links below. Windows Live Essentials Movie Maker has a standalone, complete offline installation available here. Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 64-bit versions of Windows are all supported by this offline installation solution for Windows Movie Maker.

Download Installer

Step2 Open and Customize the File

Access the “Patch” folder. Apply the fix by running “windows.movie.maker-patch.exe”. Although Windows Essentials installation is requested by the Windows Movie Maker installer, it is not required. You may click “Choose the programs you wish to install” instead to bypass it. You may now view your selections. We just need the picture gallery and the movie creator, so uncheck the boxes next to Writer, Messenger, and Mail. Click the “Choose the apps you wish to install” button after that.

Step3 Hit Install Button

Following this, the installation of Windows Movie Maker will begin when you click the install button. The installation is finished in a short while. After a successful installation, Windows Movie Maker can be added to your taskbar and a desktop shortcut can be made.

select programs to install windows

Step4 Launch the Editor

Free video editing software with a simple UI is called Windows Movie Maker. Click the provided download button to start the Windows movie maker download. The Windows Movie Maker utility download is completely secure and virus-free.

launch windows movie maker software

Part 4. Best Windows Movie Maker Alternative to Use

While there are now several excellent video editors available on the market, we will here suggest Filmora by Wondershare as the best replacement for Windows Movie Maker. Filmora is an extremely user-friendly video editor in terms of UI. It offers a simple user interface that even beginners may quickly grasp. By holding the mouse over any clip in the Media view, you can navigate through it thanks to a handy UX touch.

You may download Filmora for free on your computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11 and it is a very user-friendly movie editor. For novices who want to create explainer videos, training videos, demo videos, and more rapidly, Filmora is a simple yet advanced feature-packed tool. The great video templates make screen recording more alluring. You can make use of annotation tools like callouts, arrows, and drawing gestures to attract attention to essential information. Its structure is quite straightforward and easy to understand since it utilizes the timeline as the editing UI.

How to Edit Videos with Filmora:

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Install Filmora on your Windows PC

You must to download and install Wondershare Filmora on your computer before using it. This TV recorder on the fly may be used for your requirements. You can find every version of the Filmora software, including Windows and Mac versions, as well as the most current version.

You can now install it on your computer once you’ve done downloading it before you can use it with your laptop. It will bring you to the user-friendly UI of Filmora, where you may use the documentation function right away, as illustrated in the following figure:

install filmora on windows pc

Step2 Import the Content

A significant component of managing your raw footages is the Media library. All of the imported material, including the images, audio files, and movies, are now kept in Import Window. The media files are also included in the Music, Pictures, and Videos sections. This top free video editing program has new built-in sound tracks to simplify your job. As the video backdrop music, you can either choose the built-in music or local audio files.

import the content

Step3 Create the Movies

Finally, you may edit your audio recordings using tools that are completely customizable. Use the editor in Filmora to edit your recorded audio files, using simple to advanced editing techniques. Your recorded video can be improved using Filmora’s Editor by adding animated titles, spectacular effects, audio enhancements, and more.

create the movies

Step4 Add Special Effects to Your Video

Wondershare Filmora was created primarily to give your films a polished appearance. You may utilize a variety of its eye-catching and adjustable effects to make your video productions stand out from the competition. In this area, we’ve covered some of the best effects for bringing life to your dull, unprofessional films.

add special effects to video

Step5 Save or Share the Videos

Finally, you can use the complete Filmora editor as previously mentioned when you’ve done editing the recorded video. When you want to submit your creative work right away to YouTube or another well-known website, click the Export option and choose the platform where you want to share your video clip. If you like, you may even make changes to the video before uploading it.

The Bottom Line

Looking to create captivating movies from video clips? The best tool for the purpose can be Windows Movie Maker. While Windows Movie Maker allows for basic track editing, such as the addition of fade-in and fade-out effects for audio tracks, yet, using Filmora program gives you a variety of tools to create professional-looking films, including timeline narration, transition overlays, animations, and audio choices. This way, you might use the suggested movie maker to make movies with a professional tool and sharing it with others.

Part 2. Download and install Windows Movie Maker Windows 10

Anyone who wants to easily modify movies should use Movie Maker. The program offers every fundamental feature you need to create edited videos. Effects, transitions, titles and credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie are just a few of the features available in Windows Movie Maker. XML code may be used to create new effects and transitions as well as modify already existing ones. An easy-to-use tool for altering audio tracks is Windows Movie Maker. To audio tracks, Windows Movie Maker can add simple effects like fade-in and fade-out.

Steps to Download and Install Windows Movie Maker on Win 10

Step1 Download the File

You may download Windows Movie Maker to produce videos from photographs. Transitions, a soundtrack, title and credit text, among other things, are simple to add to your video. Complete the necessary file downloads by clicking on the download button(s) below. Depending on your download speed, this might take anything from a few minutes to many hours.

Download Windows Movie Maker

Step2 Run the Downloaded program File

The installation launch screen is given in the following image. To install the program, run “setup.exe” by double-clicking the downloaded setup file that you previously downloaded.

run windows movie maker installer

Step3 Set Personalized Installation

Follow the instructions to install Windows Movie Maker. .Net framework is a required for Windows Movie Maker. Launch the Windows Movie Maker Installer program to install Windows Movie Maker on Windows 10.

install all windows essentials

Step4 Hit Install Button

Press the “Install” button after selecting Messenger, Photo Gallery, and Movie Maker as the apps to be installed. You can now access Windows Movie Maker.

installing windows essentials 2012

Naturally, Microsoft also offered new video editing tools for Windows users once they ceased upgrading Windows Movie Maker. The complete version of Windows Movie Maker 2022 is now installed on your Windows 10 OS computer without any restrictions.

Part 3. Download and Install Windows Movie Maker Windows 7/8

Windows Movie Maker is a user-friendly and effective movie creation and editing software program created for the most recent versions of Windows 11 and Windows 7/8/10. Windows XP and Vista are compatible with the previous version. Only the Essentials package, a free collection of lifestyle and utility software for Windows 7 and Windows 8, which also contains Windows Photo Gallery, allows you to install Movie Maker. The single installer for all the Essentials applications gives you the choice to install all of them at once or just some of them.

Steps to Download and Install Windows Movie Maker on Win 7/8

Step1 Download the Installer

Start downloading Windows Live Essentials Movie Maker 12 by clicking on one of the links below. Windows Live Essentials Movie Maker has a standalone, complete offline installation available here. Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 64-bit versions of Windows are all supported by this offline installation solution for Windows Movie Maker.

Download Installer

Step2 Open and Customize the File

Access the “Patch” folder. Apply the fix by running “windows.movie.maker-patch.exe”. Although Windows Essentials installation is requested by the Windows Movie Maker installer, it is not required. You may click “Choose the programs you wish to install” instead to bypass it. You may now view your selections. We just need the picture gallery and the movie creator, so uncheck the boxes next to Writer, Messenger, and Mail. Click the “Choose the apps you wish to install” button after that.

Step3 Hit Install Button

Following this, the installation of Windows Movie Maker will begin when you click the install button. The installation is finished in a short while. After a successful installation, Windows Movie Maker can be added to your taskbar and a desktop shortcut can be made.

select programs to install windows

Step4 Launch the Editor

Free video editing software with a simple UI is called Windows Movie Maker. Click the provided download button to start the Windows movie maker download. The Windows Movie Maker utility download is completely secure and virus-free.

launch windows movie maker software

Part 4. Best Windows Movie Maker Alternative to Use

While there are now several excellent video editors available on the market, we will here suggest Filmora by Wondershare as the best replacement for Windows Movie Maker. Filmora is an extremely user-friendly video editor in terms of UI. It offers a simple user interface that even beginners may quickly grasp. By holding the mouse over any clip in the Media view, you can navigate through it thanks to a handy UX touch.

You may download Filmora for free on your computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11 and it is a very user-friendly movie editor. For novices who want to create explainer videos, training videos, demo videos, and more rapidly, Filmora is a simple yet advanced feature-packed tool. The great video templates make screen recording more alluring. You can make use of annotation tools like callouts, arrows, and drawing gestures to attract attention to essential information. Its structure is quite straightforward and easy to understand since it utilizes the timeline as the editing UI.

How to Edit Videos with Filmora:

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Install Filmora on your Windows PC

You must to download and install Wondershare Filmora on your computer before using it. This TV recorder on the fly may be used for your requirements. You can find every version of the Filmora software, including Windows and Mac versions, as well as the most current version.

You can now install it on your computer once you’ve done downloading it before you can use it with your laptop. It will bring you to the user-friendly UI of Filmora, where you may use the documentation function right away, as illustrated in the following figure:

install filmora on windows pc

Step2 Import the Content

A significant component of managing your raw footages is the Media library. All of the imported material, including the images, audio files, and movies, are now kept in Import Window. The media files are also included in the Music, Pictures, and Videos sections. This top free video editing program has new built-in sound tracks to simplify your job. As the video backdrop music, you can either choose the built-in music or local audio files.

import the content

Step3 Create the Movies

Finally, you may edit your audio recordings using tools that are completely customizable. Use the editor in Filmora to edit your recorded audio files, using simple to advanced editing techniques. Your recorded video can be improved using Filmora’s Editor by adding animated titles, spectacular effects, audio enhancements, and more.

create the movies

Step4 Add Special Effects to Your Video

Wondershare Filmora was created primarily to give your films a polished appearance. You may utilize a variety of its eye-catching and adjustable effects to make your video productions stand out from the competition. In this area, we’ve covered some of the best effects for bringing life to your dull, unprofessional films.

add special effects to video

Step5 Save or Share the Videos

Finally, you can use the complete Filmora editor as previously mentioned when you’ve done editing the recorded video. When you want to submit your creative work right away to YouTube or another well-known website, click the Export option and choose the platform where you want to share your video clip. If you like, you may even make changes to the video before uploading it.

The Bottom Line

Looking to create captivating movies from video clips? The best tool for the purpose can be Windows Movie Maker. While Windows Movie Maker allows for basic track editing, such as the addition of fade-in and fade-out effects for audio tracks, yet, using Filmora program gives you a variety of tools to create professional-looking films, including timeline narration, transition overlays, animations, and audio choices. This way, you might use the suggested movie maker to make movies with a professional tool and sharing it with others.

Best HD Video Editors: Top Picks

Top 5 HD (High-definition) Video Editing Software

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many of the High-definition camcorder owners many have encountered encounter difficulty transferring and editing the HD video files they’ve shot. That’s because most of the latest camcorders are encoded in avchd format, which is not supported by most video editing programs. Here I collect the top 5 high-definition video editing software programs out there in the market. With them, you can easily edit the HD videos without hassle. Now read on and try them out.


Top 5 HD (High-definition) Video Editing Software

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is one of the most popular freemium video editing software for both Windows and Mac to edit videos with high quality 1080p or even 4k footage. It is compatible with almost all video resolutions from 240 to 4K in whatever common format. It offers an ample amount of professional video tools, transitions and effects which can be easily found on its user-friendly interface. Upon editing, you can select how you would like your edited video to be saved. It can be in a specific output format based on the favorite or type of device you wish to playback on. Alternatively, upload it directly onto Facebook or YouTube for instant sharing. Here is also a detailed guide on how to edit HD video using this tool .

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

2. iMovie

If you’re a Mac user, iMovie is perhaps the best choice for HD video editing. It’s the FREE video editing software that comes with all new Apple computers. The intuitive interface lets both the new and experienced people easily watch video clips, edit video and audio, and share videos on the web or on DVD.

imovie-interface

CyberLink PowerDirector is one of the popular video editing software packages on the market for Windows users today. It provides a full solution for video creating, editing and sharing tools. You can easily use the built-in effects to tinker around with the chroma key, hand-paint animation and subtitle zoom in order to personalize your HD video to make it more stunning.

PowerDirector is not a free HD video editing software, you have to pay at least $69.99 to purchase it.

cyberlink-1-interface

4. Vegas Pro18

Sony Vegas is another HD video editing program you can consider in Windows PC. Sony Vegas video editing software comes in several PC-compatible versions, all of which support HD video editing. This innovative editing tool is not only thoughtful, but it also save the users’ time and make the entire editing process so much easier and more enjoyable. For your reference, Vegas is quite expensive, it may cost you $599.

vegas18-1-interface

5. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular HD video editing tool for both Windows and Mac users. It provides a start-to-finish professional video production solution. Thanks to the native editing support for DV, HDV, RED, Sony XDCAM, XDCAM EX, Panasonic P2, and avchd, you can work with virtually any video format out there.

Adobe Premiere Pro provides a time-limited trial period and if you want to purchase the paid version, you will cost at least $19.99/month.

premiere-pro-portable-interface

Conclusion

Above are some of the best HD video editor that you can use, we hope this information is helpful for your HD video editing. To be honest, most video editing software which support 4K resolution will definitely support HD video editing. We have listed the top 10 best 4K video editing software in 2018 here and you can pick up one based on your condition. Remember, some 4K video editing software have a high requirement on the computer configurations and make sure that your meet the system requirement before downloading.

Filmora is one of the best video editing software for beginners which supports 4K as well. Check the video below to find out what Filmora can empower your story.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many of the High-definition camcorder owners many have encountered encounter difficulty transferring and editing the HD video files they’ve shot. That’s because most of the latest camcorders are encoded in avchd format, which is not supported by most video editing programs. Here I collect the top 5 high-definition video editing software programs out there in the market. With them, you can easily edit the HD videos without hassle. Now read on and try them out.


Top 5 HD (High-definition) Video Editing Software

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is one of the most popular freemium video editing software for both Windows and Mac to edit videos with high quality 1080p or even 4k footage. It is compatible with almost all video resolutions from 240 to 4K in whatever common format. It offers an ample amount of professional video tools, transitions and effects which can be easily found on its user-friendly interface. Upon editing, you can select how you would like your edited video to be saved. It can be in a specific output format based on the favorite or type of device you wish to playback on. Alternatively, upload it directly onto Facebook or YouTube for instant sharing. Here is also a detailed guide on how to edit HD video using this tool .

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

2. iMovie

If you’re a Mac user, iMovie is perhaps the best choice for HD video editing. It’s the FREE video editing software that comes with all new Apple computers. The intuitive interface lets both the new and experienced people easily watch video clips, edit video and audio, and share videos on the web or on DVD.

imovie-interface

CyberLink PowerDirector is one of the popular video editing software packages on the market for Windows users today. It provides a full solution for video creating, editing and sharing tools. You can easily use the built-in effects to tinker around with the chroma key, hand-paint animation and subtitle zoom in order to personalize your HD video to make it more stunning.

PowerDirector is not a free HD video editing software, you have to pay at least $69.99 to purchase it.

cyberlink-1-interface

4. Vegas Pro18

Sony Vegas is another HD video editing program you can consider in Windows PC. Sony Vegas video editing software comes in several PC-compatible versions, all of which support HD video editing. This innovative editing tool is not only thoughtful, but it also save the users’ time and make the entire editing process so much easier and more enjoyable. For your reference, Vegas is quite expensive, it may cost you $599.

vegas18-1-interface

5. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular HD video editing tool for both Windows and Mac users. It provides a start-to-finish professional video production solution. Thanks to the native editing support for DV, HDV, RED, Sony XDCAM, XDCAM EX, Panasonic P2, and avchd, you can work with virtually any video format out there.

Adobe Premiere Pro provides a time-limited trial period and if you want to purchase the paid version, you will cost at least $19.99/month.

premiere-pro-portable-interface

Conclusion

Above are some of the best HD video editor that you can use, we hope this information is helpful for your HD video editing. To be honest, most video editing software which support 4K resolution will definitely support HD video editing. We have listed the top 10 best 4K video editing software in 2018 here and you can pick up one based on your condition. Remember, some 4K video editing software have a high requirement on the computer configurations and make sure that your meet the system requirement before downloading.

Filmora is one of the best video editing software for beginners which supports 4K as well. Check the video below to find out what Filmora can empower your story.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many of the High-definition camcorder owners many have encountered encounter difficulty transferring and editing the HD video files they’ve shot. That’s because most of the latest camcorders are encoded in avchd format, which is not supported by most video editing programs. Here I collect the top 5 high-definition video editing software programs out there in the market. With them, you can easily edit the HD videos without hassle. Now read on and try them out.


Top 5 HD (High-definition) Video Editing Software

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is one of the most popular freemium video editing software for both Windows and Mac to edit videos with high quality 1080p or even 4k footage. It is compatible with almost all video resolutions from 240 to 4K in whatever common format. It offers an ample amount of professional video tools, transitions and effects which can be easily found on its user-friendly interface. Upon editing, you can select how you would like your edited video to be saved. It can be in a specific output format based on the favorite or type of device you wish to playback on. Alternatively, upload it directly onto Facebook or YouTube for instant sharing. Here is also a detailed guide on how to edit HD video using this tool .

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

2. iMovie

If you’re a Mac user, iMovie is perhaps the best choice for HD video editing. It’s the FREE video editing software that comes with all new Apple computers. The intuitive interface lets both the new and experienced people easily watch video clips, edit video and audio, and share videos on the web or on DVD.

imovie-interface

CyberLink PowerDirector is one of the popular video editing software packages on the market for Windows users today. It provides a full solution for video creating, editing and sharing tools. You can easily use the built-in effects to tinker around with the chroma key, hand-paint animation and subtitle zoom in order to personalize your HD video to make it more stunning.

PowerDirector is not a free HD video editing software, you have to pay at least $69.99 to purchase it.

cyberlink-1-interface

4. Vegas Pro18

Sony Vegas is another HD video editing program you can consider in Windows PC. Sony Vegas video editing software comes in several PC-compatible versions, all of which support HD video editing. This innovative editing tool is not only thoughtful, but it also save the users’ time and make the entire editing process so much easier and more enjoyable. For your reference, Vegas is quite expensive, it may cost you $599.

vegas18-1-interface

5. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular HD video editing tool for both Windows and Mac users. It provides a start-to-finish professional video production solution. Thanks to the native editing support for DV, HDV, RED, Sony XDCAM, XDCAM EX, Panasonic P2, and avchd, you can work with virtually any video format out there.

Adobe Premiere Pro provides a time-limited trial period and if you want to purchase the paid version, you will cost at least $19.99/month.

premiere-pro-portable-interface

Conclusion

Above are some of the best HD video editor that you can use, we hope this information is helpful for your HD video editing. To be honest, most video editing software which support 4K resolution will definitely support HD video editing. We have listed the top 10 best 4K video editing software in 2018 here and you can pick up one based on your condition. Remember, some 4K video editing software have a high requirement on the computer configurations and make sure that your meet the system requirement before downloading.

Filmora is one of the best video editing software for beginners which supports 4K as well. Check the video below to find out what Filmora can empower your story.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many of the High-definition camcorder owners many have encountered encounter difficulty transferring and editing the HD video files they’ve shot. That’s because most of the latest camcorders are encoded in avchd format, which is not supported by most video editing programs. Here I collect the top 5 high-definition video editing software programs out there in the market. With them, you can easily edit the HD videos without hassle. Now read on and try them out.


Top 5 HD (High-definition) Video Editing Software

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is one of the most popular freemium video editing software for both Windows and Mac to edit videos with high quality 1080p or even 4k footage. It is compatible with almost all video resolutions from 240 to 4K in whatever common format. It offers an ample amount of professional video tools, transitions and effects which can be easily found on its user-friendly interface. Upon editing, you can select how you would like your edited video to be saved. It can be in a specific output format based on the favorite or type of device you wish to playback on. Alternatively, upload it directly onto Facebook or YouTube for instant sharing. Here is also a detailed guide on how to edit HD video using this tool .

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

2. iMovie

If you’re a Mac user, iMovie is perhaps the best choice for HD video editing. It’s the FREE video editing software that comes with all new Apple computers. The intuitive interface lets both the new and experienced people easily watch video clips, edit video and audio, and share videos on the web or on DVD.

imovie-interface

CyberLink PowerDirector is one of the popular video editing software packages on the market for Windows users today. It provides a full solution for video creating, editing and sharing tools. You can easily use the built-in effects to tinker around with the chroma key, hand-paint animation and subtitle zoom in order to personalize your HD video to make it more stunning.

PowerDirector is not a free HD video editing software, you have to pay at least $69.99 to purchase it.

cyberlink-1-interface

4. Vegas Pro18

Sony Vegas is another HD video editing program you can consider in Windows PC. Sony Vegas video editing software comes in several PC-compatible versions, all of which support HD video editing. This innovative editing tool is not only thoughtful, but it also save the users’ time and make the entire editing process so much easier and more enjoyable. For your reference, Vegas is quite expensive, it may cost you $599.

vegas18-1-interface

5. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular HD video editing tool for both Windows and Mac users. It provides a start-to-finish professional video production solution. Thanks to the native editing support for DV, HDV, RED, Sony XDCAM, XDCAM EX, Panasonic P2, and avchd, you can work with virtually any video format out there.

Adobe Premiere Pro provides a time-limited trial period and if you want to purchase the paid version, you will cost at least $19.99/month.

premiere-pro-portable-interface

Conclusion

Above are some of the best HD video editor that you can use, we hope this information is helpful for your HD video editing. To be honest, most video editing software which support 4K resolution will definitely support HD video editing. We have listed the top 10 best 4K video editing software in 2018 here and you can pick up one based on your condition. Remember, some 4K video editing software have a high requirement on the computer configurations and make sure that your meet the system requirement before downloading.

Filmora is one of the best video editing software for beginners which supports 4K as well. Check the video below to find out what Filmora can empower your story.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora secure download Secure Download

Click here to get Filmora for PC by email
or Try Filmora App for mobile >>>

download filmora app for ios ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t ) download filmora app for android ](https://app.adjust.com/b0k9hf2%5F4bsu85t )

author avatar

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Also read:

  • Title: Updated In 2024, Apple Video Editing Essentials Top Software Choices
  • Author: Ava
  • Created at : 2024-05-19 14:42:31
  • Updated at : 2024-05-20 14:42:31
  • Link: https://video-content-creator.techidaily.com/updated-in-2024-apple-video-editing-essentials-top-software-choices/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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Updated In 2024, Apple Video Editing Essentials Top Software Choices