Edit Like a Pro: Top 8 Video Editing Apps for 4K Proxy

Top 8 Video Editing Apps for 4K Proxy Video Editing

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Shooting videos in high resolutions can help you create visually impressive content your followers on social media are going to adore. The only trouble is that the size of 4K videos can slow you down during the video editing process if your computer doesn’t have enough RAM memory or processing power. Additionally, quite a few inexpensive or free video editing apps don’t allow their users to create low-resolution proxy files that make the process of editing 4K videos much faster. That’s why in this article we are going to take you through the best 8 video editors you can use for 4K proxy video editing.

The Best Video Editing Apps for Proxy Editing in 2020

Some of the video editing apps we featured in this article can only run on computers that already have the advanced hardware setups. However, even if you have a computer setup that can easily support processing of the 4K video files, proxy editing can still be useful as it can reduce the amount of time you will have to spend on performing complex video editing tasks. Let’s take a look at some of the best video editors that support proxy editing.

1. Filmora

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $49.99 per year

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

The wide range of video editing options, support for nearly all popular video file formats or quick and simple exporting process are only a few reasons why Filmora is one of the best video editors you can use this year. Creating proxy files in Filmora is not a difficult task, because the software generates them automatically for you. You just have to choose between the 1280x720p or 1920x1080p resolutions and Filmora will create proxies for all media files that are larger than the resolution you’ve selected. However, the amount of time Filmora is going to need to create proxies depends on your computer’s processing power, but also on the size and the number of the RAW files you imported into a project.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Price: $20,99 per month, different subscription plans available

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

This is probably one of the best, if not the best non-linear video editing software ever created, so it is hardly surprising that you can easily create proxy files for all videos you use in a project you create in Adobe Premiere Pro. So, to create proxy files you just need to open the folder that contains those files from the Media Browser and then click on the Ingest button. You should then click on the wrench tool and pick the Create Proxies option from the drop-down menu located next to the Ingest option. Afterward, you should select one of the available resolution presets and proceed to import the footage into the project. However, before you can start editing with proxies you have to click on the Toggle Proxy button.

3. Final Cut Pro X

Price: Free trial available, $299,99

Compatibility: macOS

Transcoding media with FCPX doesn’t require too much effort, as the software offers a couple of options that make the editing process faster. You can opt to generate optimized media files by transcoding the original video clips into Apple ProRes 422 codec format that shortens the amount of time needed for rendering and provides excellent quality of color that is required for compositing. The proxy media files will also be created by transcoding the videos to Apple ProRes 422 codec format that retains original aspect ratio and frame rate of the video clips you transcoded. It is also worth noting that FCPX transcodes all mp3 files you import into a project to MOV audio files.

4. Vegas Pro

Price: Subscription plans start from $249,00

Compatibility: Windows

This video editor is often overlooked in conversations about the most powerful video editing apps, but the tools it offers are powerful enough to enable you to edit videos at a professional level. Creating proxy files in Vegas Pro is remarkably easy, as you just have to import the files into a new project, select each file you want to transcode and then choose the Create Video Proxy option from the right-click menu. Just keep in mind that you must create proxy files before you do any actual editing because otherwise, the transcoding process is not going work.

5. Blender

Price: Free

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

Blender is a 3D modeling and VFX software that lets you track objects or use 3D painting tools among numerous other options. Even though creating proxies with this app is not a particularly complicated process, you still have to be familiar with Blender in order to make full use of its transcoding options. The software allows you to generate proxy files whose size is only 25% of the video’s original size, although you can also create proxies that have 50% and 75% of the video’s original size. After you’ve adjusted the transcoding settings you should simply click on the Rebuild Proxy and Timecode Indices button.

6. Shotcut

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Despite the fact that this cross-platform video editor supports 4K and ProRes files that can cause it to lag at times, creating proxies in Shotcut is a highly technical process. In case you decide to make a proxy file by yourself, you will have to export a version of the file that is two or four times smaller than the original. You must also remember that you have to go through the entire process of creating proxies before you make any edits. The trick to creating proxies in Shotcut is to make a project file with the larger version of the video, then replace the larger version of the file with a smaller version of that same video file, before you actually start editing. Once you’ve completed the editing process, you can then once again add the larger source file to the project and export your video in high resolution.

7. Lightworks

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24,99 per month

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

The process of creating proxies in Lightworks is rather simple since you just have to import the video files you’d like to edit into the software and make sure they are selected before you right-click on them. Once the right-click menu appears on the screen you should click on the Media submenu and select the Make Proxies option. The amount of time Lightworks is going to need to generate the proxy files depends on the number of the source files and their size. You can then proceed to add the proxies to the timeline, edit them and Lightworks will automatically use the source files instead of proxies during the rendering process.

8. HitFilm Express

Price: Free

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

Once you create a new project and import all video clips you want to use in that project into the editor you should just go to the Assets menu that is located in the Media panel and click on the Make Proxy option. You will be able to continue editing while the transcoding process is still in progress, and after the source files are transcoded they will be replaced by proxies. However, making adjustments to a proxy version of a composite shot will invalidate that proxy file, which is why it is important to make all edits on that shot before you create its proxy.

Conclusion

Reducing the size of video clips you use in your projects is going to save you a lot of time during the video editing process. Each video editing software we featured in this article allows its users to generate proxy files effortlessly. Which video editor are you going to be using for proxy video editing? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Max Wales

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Shooting videos in high resolutions can help you create visually impressive content your followers on social media are going to adore. The only trouble is that the size of 4K videos can slow you down during the video editing process if your computer doesn’t have enough RAM memory or processing power. Additionally, quite a few inexpensive or free video editing apps don’t allow their users to create low-resolution proxy files that make the process of editing 4K videos much faster. That’s why in this article we are going to take you through the best 8 video editors you can use for 4K proxy video editing.

The Best Video Editing Apps for Proxy Editing in 2020

Some of the video editing apps we featured in this article can only run on computers that already have the advanced hardware setups. However, even if you have a computer setup that can easily support processing of the 4K video files, proxy editing can still be useful as it can reduce the amount of time you will have to spend on performing complex video editing tasks. Let’s take a look at some of the best video editors that support proxy editing.

1. Filmora

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $49.99 per year

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

The wide range of video editing options, support for nearly all popular video file formats or quick and simple exporting process are only a few reasons why Filmora is one of the best video editors you can use this year. Creating proxy files in Filmora is not a difficult task, because the software generates them automatically for you. You just have to choose between the 1280x720p or 1920x1080p resolutions and Filmora will create proxies for all media files that are larger than the resolution you’ve selected. However, the amount of time Filmora is going to need to create proxies depends on your computer’s processing power, but also on the size and the number of the RAW files you imported into a project.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Price: $20,99 per month, different subscription plans available

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

This is probably one of the best, if not the best non-linear video editing software ever created, so it is hardly surprising that you can easily create proxy files for all videos you use in a project you create in Adobe Premiere Pro. So, to create proxy files you just need to open the folder that contains those files from the Media Browser and then click on the Ingest button. You should then click on the wrench tool and pick the Create Proxies option from the drop-down menu located next to the Ingest option. Afterward, you should select one of the available resolution presets and proceed to import the footage into the project. However, before you can start editing with proxies you have to click on the Toggle Proxy button.

3. Final Cut Pro X

Price: Free trial available, $299,99

Compatibility: macOS

Transcoding media with FCPX doesn’t require too much effort, as the software offers a couple of options that make the editing process faster. You can opt to generate optimized media files by transcoding the original video clips into Apple ProRes 422 codec format that shortens the amount of time needed for rendering and provides excellent quality of color that is required for compositing. The proxy media files will also be created by transcoding the videos to Apple ProRes 422 codec format that retains original aspect ratio and frame rate of the video clips you transcoded. It is also worth noting that FCPX transcodes all mp3 files you import into a project to MOV audio files.

4. Vegas Pro

Price: Subscription plans start from $249,00

Compatibility: Windows

This video editor is often overlooked in conversations about the most powerful video editing apps, but the tools it offers are powerful enough to enable you to edit videos at a professional level. Creating proxy files in Vegas Pro is remarkably easy, as you just have to import the files into a new project, select each file you want to transcode and then choose the Create Video Proxy option from the right-click menu. Just keep in mind that you must create proxy files before you do any actual editing because otherwise, the transcoding process is not going work.

5. Blender

Price: Free

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

Blender is a 3D modeling and VFX software that lets you track objects or use 3D painting tools among numerous other options. Even though creating proxies with this app is not a particularly complicated process, you still have to be familiar with Blender in order to make full use of its transcoding options. The software allows you to generate proxy files whose size is only 25% of the video’s original size, although you can also create proxies that have 50% and 75% of the video’s original size. After you’ve adjusted the transcoding settings you should simply click on the Rebuild Proxy and Timecode Indices button.

6. Shotcut

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Despite the fact that this cross-platform video editor supports 4K and ProRes files that can cause it to lag at times, creating proxies in Shotcut is a highly technical process. In case you decide to make a proxy file by yourself, you will have to export a version of the file that is two or four times smaller than the original. You must also remember that you have to go through the entire process of creating proxies before you make any edits. The trick to creating proxies in Shotcut is to make a project file with the larger version of the video, then replace the larger version of the file with a smaller version of that same video file, before you actually start editing. Once you’ve completed the editing process, you can then once again add the larger source file to the project and export your video in high resolution.

7. Lightworks

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24,99 per month

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

The process of creating proxies in Lightworks is rather simple since you just have to import the video files you’d like to edit into the software and make sure they are selected before you right-click on them. Once the right-click menu appears on the screen you should click on the Media submenu and select the Make Proxies option. The amount of time Lightworks is going to need to generate the proxy files depends on the number of the source files and their size. You can then proceed to add the proxies to the timeline, edit them and Lightworks will automatically use the source files instead of proxies during the rendering process.

8. HitFilm Express

Price: Free

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

Once you create a new project and import all video clips you want to use in that project into the editor you should just go to the Assets menu that is located in the Media panel and click on the Make Proxy option. You will be able to continue editing while the transcoding process is still in progress, and after the source files are transcoded they will be replaced by proxies. However, making adjustments to a proxy version of a composite shot will invalidate that proxy file, which is why it is important to make all edits on that shot before you create its proxy.

Conclusion

Reducing the size of video clips you use in your projects is going to save you a lot of time during the video editing process. Each video editing software we featured in this article allows its users to generate proxy files effortlessly. Which video editor are you going to be using for proxy video editing? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Max Wales

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Shooting videos in high resolutions can help you create visually impressive content your followers on social media are going to adore. The only trouble is that the size of 4K videos can slow you down during the video editing process if your computer doesn’t have enough RAM memory or processing power. Additionally, quite a few inexpensive or free video editing apps don’t allow their users to create low-resolution proxy files that make the process of editing 4K videos much faster. That’s why in this article we are going to take you through the best 8 video editors you can use for 4K proxy video editing.

The Best Video Editing Apps for Proxy Editing in 2020

Some of the video editing apps we featured in this article can only run on computers that already have the advanced hardware setups. However, even if you have a computer setup that can easily support processing of the 4K video files, proxy editing can still be useful as it can reduce the amount of time you will have to spend on performing complex video editing tasks. Let’s take a look at some of the best video editors that support proxy editing.

1. Filmora

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $49.99 per year

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

The wide range of video editing options, support for nearly all popular video file formats or quick and simple exporting process are only a few reasons why Filmora is one of the best video editors you can use this year. Creating proxy files in Filmora is not a difficult task, because the software generates them automatically for you. You just have to choose between the 1280x720p or 1920x1080p resolutions and Filmora will create proxies for all media files that are larger than the resolution you’ve selected. However, the amount of time Filmora is going to need to create proxies depends on your computer’s processing power, but also on the size and the number of the RAW files you imported into a project.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Price: $20,99 per month, different subscription plans available

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

This is probably one of the best, if not the best non-linear video editing software ever created, so it is hardly surprising that you can easily create proxy files for all videos you use in a project you create in Adobe Premiere Pro. So, to create proxy files you just need to open the folder that contains those files from the Media Browser and then click on the Ingest button. You should then click on the wrench tool and pick the Create Proxies option from the drop-down menu located next to the Ingest option. Afterward, you should select one of the available resolution presets and proceed to import the footage into the project. However, before you can start editing with proxies you have to click on the Toggle Proxy button.

3. Final Cut Pro X

Price: Free trial available, $299,99

Compatibility: macOS

Transcoding media with FCPX doesn’t require too much effort, as the software offers a couple of options that make the editing process faster. You can opt to generate optimized media files by transcoding the original video clips into Apple ProRes 422 codec format that shortens the amount of time needed for rendering and provides excellent quality of color that is required for compositing. The proxy media files will also be created by transcoding the videos to Apple ProRes 422 codec format that retains original aspect ratio and frame rate of the video clips you transcoded. It is also worth noting that FCPX transcodes all mp3 files you import into a project to MOV audio files.

4. Vegas Pro

Price: Subscription plans start from $249,00

Compatibility: Windows

This video editor is often overlooked in conversations about the most powerful video editing apps, but the tools it offers are powerful enough to enable you to edit videos at a professional level. Creating proxy files in Vegas Pro is remarkably easy, as you just have to import the files into a new project, select each file you want to transcode and then choose the Create Video Proxy option from the right-click menu. Just keep in mind that you must create proxy files before you do any actual editing because otherwise, the transcoding process is not going work.

5. Blender

Price: Free

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

Blender is a 3D modeling and VFX software that lets you track objects or use 3D painting tools among numerous other options. Even though creating proxies with this app is not a particularly complicated process, you still have to be familiar with Blender in order to make full use of its transcoding options. The software allows you to generate proxy files whose size is only 25% of the video’s original size, although you can also create proxies that have 50% and 75% of the video’s original size. After you’ve adjusted the transcoding settings you should simply click on the Rebuild Proxy and Timecode Indices button.

6. Shotcut

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Despite the fact that this cross-platform video editor supports 4K and ProRes files that can cause it to lag at times, creating proxies in Shotcut is a highly technical process. In case you decide to make a proxy file by yourself, you will have to export a version of the file that is two or four times smaller than the original. You must also remember that you have to go through the entire process of creating proxies before you make any edits. The trick to creating proxies in Shotcut is to make a project file with the larger version of the video, then replace the larger version of the file with a smaller version of that same video file, before you actually start editing. Once you’ve completed the editing process, you can then once again add the larger source file to the project and export your video in high resolution.

7. Lightworks

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24,99 per month

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

The process of creating proxies in Lightworks is rather simple since you just have to import the video files you’d like to edit into the software and make sure they are selected before you right-click on them. Once the right-click menu appears on the screen you should click on the Media submenu and select the Make Proxies option. The amount of time Lightworks is going to need to generate the proxy files depends on the number of the source files and their size. You can then proceed to add the proxies to the timeline, edit them and Lightworks will automatically use the source files instead of proxies during the rendering process.

8. HitFilm Express

Price: Free

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

Once you create a new project and import all video clips you want to use in that project into the editor you should just go to the Assets menu that is located in the Media panel and click on the Make Proxy option. You will be able to continue editing while the transcoding process is still in progress, and after the source files are transcoded they will be replaced by proxies. However, making adjustments to a proxy version of a composite shot will invalidate that proxy file, which is why it is important to make all edits on that shot before you create its proxy.

Conclusion

Reducing the size of video clips you use in your projects is going to save you a lot of time during the video editing process. Each video editing software we featured in this article allows its users to generate proxy files effortlessly. Which video editor are you going to be using for proxy video editing? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Max Wales

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Shooting videos in high resolutions can help you create visually impressive content your followers on social media are going to adore. The only trouble is that the size of 4K videos can slow you down during the video editing process if your computer doesn’t have enough RAM memory or processing power. Additionally, quite a few inexpensive or free video editing apps don’t allow their users to create low-resolution proxy files that make the process of editing 4K videos much faster. That’s why in this article we are going to take you through the best 8 video editors you can use for 4K proxy video editing.

The Best Video Editing Apps for Proxy Editing in 2020

Some of the video editing apps we featured in this article can only run on computers that already have the advanced hardware setups. However, even if you have a computer setup that can easily support processing of the 4K video files, proxy editing can still be useful as it can reduce the amount of time you will have to spend on performing complex video editing tasks. Let’s take a look at some of the best video editors that support proxy editing.

1. Filmora

Price: Free version available, subscription plans start at $49.99 per year

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

The wide range of video editing options, support for nearly all popular video file formats or quick and simple exporting process are only a few reasons why Filmora is one of the best video editors you can use this year. Creating proxy files in Filmora is not a difficult task, because the software generates them automatically for you. You just have to choose between the 1280x720p or 1920x1080p resolutions and Filmora will create proxies for all media files that are larger than the resolution you’ve selected. However, the amount of time Filmora is going to need to create proxies depends on your computer’s processing power, but also on the size and the number of the RAW files you imported into a project.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Price: $20,99 per month, different subscription plans available

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

This is probably one of the best, if not the best non-linear video editing software ever created, so it is hardly surprising that you can easily create proxy files for all videos you use in a project you create in Adobe Premiere Pro. So, to create proxy files you just need to open the folder that contains those files from the Media Browser and then click on the Ingest button. You should then click on the wrench tool and pick the Create Proxies option from the drop-down menu located next to the Ingest option. Afterward, you should select one of the available resolution presets and proceed to import the footage into the project. However, before you can start editing with proxies you have to click on the Toggle Proxy button.

3. Final Cut Pro X

Price: Free trial available, $299,99

Compatibility: macOS

Transcoding media with FCPX doesn’t require too much effort, as the software offers a couple of options that make the editing process faster. You can opt to generate optimized media files by transcoding the original video clips into Apple ProRes 422 codec format that shortens the amount of time needed for rendering and provides excellent quality of color that is required for compositing. The proxy media files will also be created by transcoding the videos to Apple ProRes 422 codec format that retains original aspect ratio and frame rate of the video clips you transcoded. It is also worth noting that FCPX transcodes all mp3 files you import into a project to MOV audio files.

4. Vegas Pro

Price: Subscription plans start from $249,00

Compatibility: Windows

This video editor is often overlooked in conversations about the most powerful video editing apps, but the tools it offers are powerful enough to enable you to edit videos at a professional level. Creating proxy files in Vegas Pro is remarkably easy, as you just have to import the files into a new project, select each file you want to transcode and then choose the Create Video Proxy option from the right-click menu. Just keep in mind that you must create proxy files before you do any actual editing because otherwise, the transcoding process is not going work.

5. Blender

Price: Free

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

Blender is a 3D modeling and VFX software that lets you track objects or use 3D painting tools among numerous other options. Even though creating proxies with this app is not a particularly complicated process, you still have to be familiar with Blender in order to make full use of its transcoding options. The software allows you to generate proxy files whose size is only 25% of the video’s original size, although you can also create proxies that have 50% and 75% of the video’s original size. After you’ve adjusted the transcoding settings you should simply click on the Rebuild Proxy and Timecode Indices button.

6. Shotcut

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Despite the fact that this cross-platform video editor supports 4K and ProRes files that can cause it to lag at times, creating proxies in Shotcut is a highly technical process. In case you decide to make a proxy file by yourself, you will have to export a version of the file that is two or four times smaller than the original. You must also remember that you have to go through the entire process of creating proxies before you make any edits. The trick to creating proxies in Shotcut is to make a project file with the larger version of the video, then replace the larger version of the file with a smaller version of that same video file, before you actually start editing. Once you’ve completed the editing process, you can then once again add the larger source file to the project and export your video in high resolution.

7. Lightworks

Price: Free trial available, subscription plans start at $24,99 per month

Compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows

The process of creating proxies in Lightworks is rather simple since you just have to import the video files you’d like to edit into the software and make sure they are selected before you right-click on them. Once the right-click menu appears on the screen you should click on the Media submenu and select the Make Proxies option. The amount of time Lightworks is going to need to generate the proxy files depends on the number of the source files and their size. You can then proceed to add the proxies to the timeline, edit them and Lightworks will automatically use the source files instead of proxies during the rendering process.

8. HitFilm Express

Price: Free

Compatibility: macOS, Windows

Once you create a new project and import all video clips you want to use in that project into the editor you should just go to the Assets menu that is located in the Media panel and click on the Make Proxy option. You will be able to continue editing while the transcoding process is still in progress, and after the source files are transcoded they will be replaced by proxies. However, making adjustments to a proxy version of a composite shot will invalidate that proxy file, which is why it is important to make all edits on that shot before you create its proxy.

Conclusion

Reducing the size of video clips you use in your projects is going to save you a lot of time during the video editing process. Each video editing software we featured in this article allows its users to generate proxy files effortlessly. Which video editor are you going to be using for proxy video editing? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Max Wales

Phone-Friendly Design: The Importance of Aspect Ratio Considerations

Best Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

When you’re taking a snapshot of someone or something and posting it to social media, you’ll need to decide if it’ll be a portrait or a landscape orientation. And that’s where the knowledge regarding the phone aspect ratio vertical comes in!

This post will dive into the rise of the phone aspect ratio vertical, including best practices on using phone ratio calculator and mobile vertical video size based on its final viewing platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or broadcast.

In this article

01 [Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?](#Part 1)

02 [Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens](#Part 2)

03 [Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video](#Part 3)

04 [Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone](#Part 4)

Part 1 Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?

Did you know that there are six aspect ratios in total for videos and photos that marketers and creators use? These aspect ratios are 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 21:9. The first way to choose the right aspect ratio for your video is whether the video needs to be vertical or horizontal.

A video that’s portrait or vertical mode is taller than it is wide. The entire screen is devoted to vertical video capturing while gaining attention.

Smartphones are to be held vertically, and although you can view media always horizontally, it’s far simpler for watchers to consume media while keeping their mobile phones upright.

Vertical videos are available in different sizes, but the most standard instances come in the 9:16 aspect ratio. While the traditional format of watching videos on phones has been horizontal with an aspect ratio of 16:9, vertical videos are taller than more comprehensive, hence the reversed aspect ratio. And, this is the main reason you see vertical videos in the frame, and thus, they need to be fixed or rightly shot in terms of ideal phone aspect ratio vertical.

Part 2 Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens

The aspect ratio also measures how tall or wide a display is. Still, it shouldn’t be mistaken for ‘display/screen size’ calculated by diagonally measuring throughout the screen.

The phone aspect ratio vertical is commonly written in proportions with the more petite figure on the right side and the more prominent figure on the left-hand side. It’s also sometimes called a decimal, the more prominent figure divided by, the more petite figure.

It means that a display aspect ratio of 16:9 can also be called an aspect ratio of 1.78, i.e., 16/9.

Types of Aspect ratio

● 16:9 Aspect Ratio

16:9 is one of the most common aspect ratios used on smartphones. Sometimes showcased as 1.78 or 4²:3², the aspect ratio has become typical for smartphones and other devices since 2010.

It generally means there will be 16 pixels in one direction for every 9 pixels in the other for a device with a 16:9 display.

Devices with a 16:9 aspect ratio are usually broad, and they became the standard aspect ratio for smartphones because most contents are also available in the exact format. So you would enjoy videos and gaming in full widescreen quality on a 16:9 aspect ratio device.

On the other hand, you’ll experience the “Letterboxing effect“ on devices that aren’t available in 16:9 aspect ratios and where black bars/bands appear at the bottom and the top of the content you are wandering.

● 18:9 Aspect ratio

This 18:9 aspect ratio was born out of the need to maximize the size of displays without increasing the dimensions of phone sizes.

The narrow design of 18:9 aspect ratio devices assisted for better one-hand grip, smooth multitasking, enhanced usability, and more screen real estate, etc. Yet, because contents are highly present in the 16:9 aspect ratio, there will be “black bands” at the top, bottom or to your display’s right or left.

The 18:9 aspect ratio allows for convenient usage of smartphones, provided we put the content-cropping and letterboxing aside.

● 19:9 Aspect ratio

19:9 is another smartphone aspect ratio that is becoming increasingly famous and used by top OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, ASUS, and Apple on their flagship devices.

The smartphones with a 19:9 aspect ratio are available with increased height and 19 pixels in single direction for every 9 pixels in the other. Similar to 18:9, devices with a 19:9 aspect ratio generally have pretty non-existent and slimmer bezels, but you’ll enjoy vast screen real estate with the latter.

Understanding iPhone Vertical Video Dimensions

Apple boasts a 16:9 screen for the versions of iPhone 5 onwards. Most Google/Android phones already had a 16:9 screen at that point. Thus, to export a vertical video, you would want it to be 9:16. (16:9 standing up!) and it’s the ideal size for iPhone vertical video dimensions.

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 720 Horizontal by 1280 vertical for 1080p (1080X1920).

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 576 horizontal by 1024 vertical for 720p (720X1280).

Vertical Phone Aspect Ratio for Video

Let’s now understand the mobile vertical video size! Vertical video is pretty higher than it is wide. Instead of being shown in a landscape orientation or widescreen format, the way video has traditionally intended for television and cinema and television, and the vertical video rotated by 90 degrees.

Hold your phone upright and record video in a 9:16 aspect ratio. Hence, the name vertical video is said to be!

It’s because if you horizontally hold your phone, the viewable screen area is 16:9 aspect ratio. The same standard is for most HDTV, video production, and cinema screen sizes.

Part 3 Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video

Besides using the photo ratio calculator, we’d like to enlist some tips on getting started with your phone aspect ratio vertical shooting.

1 – High production quality is not essential

Yes, the content is the king, and people or the end customers may not notice your video quality than the content. So, don’t be afraid when you start and move ahead with your DIY budget.

2 – Use the Ideal Dimensions

Whether it’s iPhone vertical video dimensions or other Android and Windows devices, you need to use the ideal dimensions already discussed above.

3 – Engage your audience better

You can incorporate little details within the video and engage your audience better. You can also add captions and burn them within the video.

4 – Optimize vertical videos

You can optimize vertical videos for viewing without sound. Try watching your videos without audio to see if they still make sense without that context. You likely won’t achieve the same excellent results made possible with good video marketing if they don’t.

5 – Capture Attention

Yes, you need to attract the audience and capture their attention within seconds. And, it’s the only or one of the best tricks t get your audience hooked for the long term. Don’t underestimate the significance of storytelling, and you can thus add them for creative looks.

Part 4 Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone

Are you looking to capture the video in the correct phone aspect ratio vertical? In this section, we will discuss a few helpful tips that will assist you in shooting a better vertical video in any condition you want to sort.

1 – Shoot in the desired or ideal aspect ratio

Any video bigger than the aspect ratio of 1:1 is vertical video.

It’s possible to create vertical videos two ways:

● By framing a camera in portrait mode.

● By rendering it vertically by scaling or cutting the video.

2 – Split the screen

You can use the tall height of the vertical frame to stack horizontal clips on top of each other creatively.

Clips can be related in appearance and content or appear to mend into one another. Various music videos have also used this technique.

You can also try merging various diagonal lines or clips for a unique look.

3 - Fill the vertical space

You can quickly fill vacant space in the frame automatically by getting closer to the subject.

When the camera is angled down and raised high, you automatically get a deep frame for filming long shots that fill space.

The above-the-head perspective provides an attractive and latest POV that serves the exact purpose.

4 - Try not to shake (or use a gimbal or a selfie stick)

While watching a video, jerking camera movements are almost always disturbing and distracting. This must be avoided quickly from side to side when creating vertical videos with minimized space on sides.

While a normal 360-degree or pan rotation is outstanding (and even crucial), cameras cannot manage the data amount they must process once they begin to move too quickly.

Slow down when in doubt!

5 - Remember to resize as per the platform

You don’t essentially have to shoot everything at eye level or arm’s length when you shoot videos vertically.

Changing your angles and shot length will assist make your videos more interactive, and you can create something compelling out of them within the video frame.

Screen recordings are usually horizontal, but they will be vertically viewed when you upload them to Instagram. They also make sure the edges did not get cut off while uploading them and the writing is still legible.

6 - Add graphics, fun text, GIFs, or stickers

Use text that complements visuals. Make sure your text isn’t highlighting your subject. Any graphics elements, such as stickers or emojis, should follow this exact approach.

Line them up where they’ll improve your video and scale them up as required.

Pro Tip: Use Wondershare Filmora Video Editor to get your desired phone aspect ratio vertical

Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows

Try It Free Try It Free

5,481,435 people have downloaded it.

Build unique custom animations without breaking a sweat.

Focus on creating epic stories and leave the details to Filmora’s auto features.

Start a creative adventure with drag & drop effects and endless possibilities.

Filmora simplifies advanced features to save you time and effort.

Filmora cuts out repetition so you can move on to your next creative breakthrough.

Filmora provides various functions to resize your video, which means you can change video bitrate or directly crop your video when exporting. Despite resizing a video, you can also zoom your video to highlight the best section of your video. Here are certain features or functions of Filmora to resize a video. Download it now and have a try!

● Resize the video size and aspect ratio of video;

● Crop/trim/cut video to highlight an object within the video;

● Add multiple video effects

● Export the edited video portion to a mobile device, DVD, or YouTube;

● Supported OS: Mac OS X (above 10.10) and Windows (Windows 10 included).

Resize Video by Cropping

Step 1: Upload the video to the program

Firstly, upload your media via the “Import” tab or drag and drop it from the Windows File Explorer tab to the User’s Album.

Thereafter, drag videos from the User’s Album to the Timeline.

Step 2: Crop the video

You can aim at a specific part of the video by cropping and resizing your video display dimensions. Hit the added video on Timeline, a “Crop, and Zoom” button to cut the video. It will appear in the options menu.

Hit it to bring up the editing panel and crop videos.

Hit the Crop tab. Just hover the mouse to move and resize the marquee to decide how to crop the original video.

You have five options while video cropping at the bottom to assist you: Custom, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16 aspect radio.

Select Aspect Ratio of Project

After you launch Filmora, you can select the project aspect ratio. There are options among 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (standard), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (Instagram). Select the one you desire and begin by clicking the New Project.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

● Understanding phone aspect ratio vertical on both the Windows and iPhone.

● Different types of mobile vertical video sizes.

● Best six practices to shoot the video in the proper phone aspect ratio vertical.

Try It Free Try It Free

When you’re taking a snapshot of someone or something and posting it to social media, you’ll need to decide if it’ll be a portrait or a landscape orientation. And that’s where the knowledge regarding the phone aspect ratio vertical comes in!

This post will dive into the rise of the phone aspect ratio vertical, including best practices on using phone ratio calculator and mobile vertical video size based on its final viewing platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or broadcast.

In this article

01 [Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?](#Part 1)

02 [Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens](#Part 2)

03 [Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video](#Part 3)

04 [Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone](#Part 4)

Part 1 Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?

Did you know that there are six aspect ratios in total for videos and photos that marketers and creators use? These aspect ratios are 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 21:9. The first way to choose the right aspect ratio for your video is whether the video needs to be vertical or horizontal.

A video that’s portrait or vertical mode is taller than it is wide. The entire screen is devoted to vertical video capturing while gaining attention.

Smartphones are to be held vertically, and although you can view media always horizontally, it’s far simpler for watchers to consume media while keeping their mobile phones upright.

Vertical videos are available in different sizes, but the most standard instances come in the 9:16 aspect ratio. While the traditional format of watching videos on phones has been horizontal with an aspect ratio of 16:9, vertical videos are taller than more comprehensive, hence the reversed aspect ratio. And, this is the main reason you see vertical videos in the frame, and thus, they need to be fixed or rightly shot in terms of ideal phone aspect ratio vertical.

Part 2 Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens

The aspect ratio also measures how tall or wide a display is. Still, it shouldn’t be mistaken for ‘display/screen size’ calculated by diagonally measuring throughout the screen.

The phone aspect ratio vertical is commonly written in proportions with the more petite figure on the right side and the more prominent figure on the left-hand side. It’s also sometimes called a decimal, the more prominent figure divided by, the more petite figure.

It means that a display aspect ratio of 16:9 can also be called an aspect ratio of 1.78, i.e., 16/9.

Types of Aspect ratio

● 16:9 Aspect Ratio

16:9 is one of the most common aspect ratios used on smartphones. Sometimes showcased as 1.78 or 4²:3², the aspect ratio has become typical for smartphones and other devices since 2010.

It generally means there will be 16 pixels in one direction for every 9 pixels in the other for a device with a 16:9 display.

Devices with a 16:9 aspect ratio are usually broad, and they became the standard aspect ratio for smartphones because most contents are also available in the exact format. So you would enjoy videos and gaming in full widescreen quality on a 16:9 aspect ratio device.

On the other hand, you’ll experience the “Letterboxing effect“ on devices that aren’t available in 16:9 aspect ratios and where black bars/bands appear at the bottom and the top of the content you are wandering.

● 18:9 Aspect ratio

This 18:9 aspect ratio was born out of the need to maximize the size of displays without increasing the dimensions of phone sizes.

The narrow design of 18:9 aspect ratio devices assisted for better one-hand grip, smooth multitasking, enhanced usability, and more screen real estate, etc. Yet, because contents are highly present in the 16:9 aspect ratio, there will be “black bands” at the top, bottom or to your display’s right or left.

The 18:9 aspect ratio allows for convenient usage of smartphones, provided we put the content-cropping and letterboxing aside.

● 19:9 Aspect ratio

19:9 is another smartphone aspect ratio that is becoming increasingly famous and used by top OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, ASUS, and Apple on their flagship devices.

The smartphones with a 19:9 aspect ratio are available with increased height and 19 pixels in single direction for every 9 pixels in the other. Similar to 18:9, devices with a 19:9 aspect ratio generally have pretty non-existent and slimmer bezels, but you’ll enjoy vast screen real estate with the latter.

Understanding iPhone Vertical Video Dimensions

Apple boasts a 16:9 screen for the versions of iPhone 5 onwards. Most Google/Android phones already had a 16:9 screen at that point. Thus, to export a vertical video, you would want it to be 9:16. (16:9 standing up!) and it’s the ideal size for iPhone vertical video dimensions.

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 720 Horizontal by 1280 vertical for 1080p (1080X1920).

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 576 horizontal by 1024 vertical for 720p (720X1280).

Vertical Phone Aspect Ratio for Video

Let’s now understand the mobile vertical video size! Vertical video is pretty higher than it is wide. Instead of being shown in a landscape orientation or widescreen format, the way video has traditionally intended for television and cinema and television, and the vertical video rotated by 90 degrees.

Hold your phone upright and record video in a 9:16 aspect ratio. Hence, the name vertical video is said to be!

It’s because if you horizontally hold your phone, the viewable screen area is 16:9 aspect ratio. The same standard is for most HDTV, video production, and cinema screen sizes.

Part 3 Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video

Besides using the photo ratio calculator, we’d like to enlist some tips on getting started with your phone aspect ratio vertical shooting.

1 – High production quality is not essential

Yes, the content is the king, and people or the end customers may not notice your video quality than the content. So, don’t be afraid when you start and move ahead with your DIY budget.

2 – Use the Ideal Dimensions

Whether it’s iPhone vertical video dimensions or other Android and Windows devices, you need to use the ideal dimensions already discussed above.

3 – Engage your audience better

You can incorporate little details within the video and engage your audience better. You can also add captions and burn them within the video.

4 – Optimize vertical videos

You can optimize vertical videos for viewing without sound. Try watching your videos without audio to see if they still make sense without that context. You likely won’t achieve the same excellent results made possible with good video marketing if they don’t.

5 – Capture Attention

Yes, you need to attract the audience and capture their attention within seconds. And, it’s the only or one of the best tricks t get your audience hooked for the long term. Don’t underestimate the significance of storytelling, and you can thus add them for creative looks.

Part 4 Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone

Are you looking to capture the video in the correct phone aspect ratio vertical? In this section, we will discuss a few helpful tips that will assist you in shooting a better vertical video in any condition you want to sort.

1 – Shoot in the desired or ideal aspect ratio

Any video bigger than the aspect ratio of 1:1 is vertical video.

It’s possible to create vertical videos two ways:

● By framing a camera in portrait mode.

● By rendering it vertically by scaling or cutting the video.

2 – Split the screen

You can use the tall height of the vertical frame to stack horizontal clips on top of each other creatively.

Clips can be related in appearance and content or appear to mend into one another. Various music videos have also used this technique.

You can also try merging various diagonal lines or clips for a unique look.

3 - Fill the vertical space

You can quickly fill vacant space in the frame automatically by getting closer to the subject.

When the camera is angled down and raised high, you automatically get a deep frame for filming long shots that fill space.

The above-the-head perspective provides an attractive and latest POV that serves the exact purpose.

4 - Try not to shake (or use a gimbal or a selfie stick)

While watching a video, jerking camera movements are almost always disturbing and distracting. This must be avoided quickly from side to side when creating vertical videos with minimized space on sides.

While a normal 360-degree or pan rotation is outstanding (and even crucial), cameras cannot manage the data amount they must process once they begin to move too quickly.

Slow down when in doubt!

5 - Remember to resize as per the platform

You don’t essentially have to shoot everything at eye level or arm’s length when you shoot videos vertically.

Changing your angles and shot length will assist make your videos more interactive, and you can create something compelling out of them within the video frame.

Screen recordings are usually horizontal, but they will be vertically viewed when you upload them to Instagram. They also make sure the edges did not get cut off while uploading them and the writing is still legible.

6 - Add graphics, fun text, GIFs, or stickers

Use text that complements visuals. Make sure your text isn’t highlighting your subject. Any graphics elements, such as stickers or emojis, should follow this exact approach.

Line them up where they’ll improve your video and scale them up as required.

Pro Tip: Use Wondershare Filmora Video Editor to get your desired phone aspect ratio vertical

Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows

Try It Free Try It Free

5,481,435 people have downloaded it.

Build unique custom animations without breaking a sweat.

Focus on creating epic stories and leave the details to Filmora’s auto features.

Start a creative adventure with drag & drop effects and endless possibilities.

Filmora simplifies advanced features to save you time and effort.

Filmora cuts out repetition so you can move on to your next creative breakthrough.

Filmora provides various functions to resize your video, which means you can change video bitrate or directly crop your video when exporting. Despite resizing a video, you can also zoom your video to highlight the best section of your video. Here are certain features or functions of Filmora to resize a video. Download it now and have a try!

● Resize the video size and aspect ratio of video;

● Crop/trim/cut video to highlight an object within the video;

● Add multiple video effects

● Export the edited video portion to a mobile device, DVD, or YouTube;

● Supported OS: Mac OS X (above 10.10) and Windows (Windows 10 included).

Resize Video by Cropping

Step 1: Upload the video to the program

Firstly, upload your media via the “Import” tab or drag and drop it from the Windows File Explorer tab to the User’s Album.

Thereafter, drag videos from the User’s Album to the Timeline.

Step 2: Crop the video

You can aim at a specific part of the video by cropping and resizing your video display dimensions. Hit the added video on Timeline, a “Crop, and Zoom” button to cut the video. It will appear in the options menu.

Hit it to bring up the editing panel and crop videos.

Hit the Crop tab. Just hover the mouse to move and resize the marquee to decide how to crop the original video.

You have five options while video cropping at the bottom to assist you: Custom, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16 aspect radio.

Select Aspect Ratio of Project

After you launch Filmora, you can select the project aspect ratio. There are options among 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (standard), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (Instagram). Select the one you desire and begin by clicking the New Project.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

● Understanding phone aspect ratio vertical on both the Windows and iPhone.

● Different types of mobile vertical video sizes.

● Best six practices to shoot the video in the proper phone aspect ratio vertical.

Try It Free Try It Free

When you’re taking a snapshot of someone or something and posting it to social media, you’ll need to decide if it’ll be a portrait or a landscape orientation. And that’s where the knowledge regarding the phone aspect ratio vertical comes in!

This post will dive into the rise of the phone aspect ratio vertical, including best practices on using phone ratio calculator and mobile vertical video size based on its final viewing platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or broadcast.

In this article

01 [Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?](#Part 1)

02 [Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens](#Part 2)

03 [Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video](#Part 3)

04 [Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone](#Part 4)

Part 1 Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?

Did you know that there are six aspect ratios in total for videos and photos that marketers and creators use? These aspect ratios are 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 21:9. The first way to choose the right aspect ratio for your video is whether the video needs to be vertical or horizontal.

A video that’s portrait or vertical mode is taller than it is wide. The entire screen is devoted to vertical video capturing while gaining attention.

Smartphones are to be held vertically, and although you can view media always horizontally, it’s far simpler for watchers to consume media while keeping their mobile phones upright.

Vertical videos are available in different sizes, but the most standard instances come in the 9:16 aspect ratio. While the traditional format of watching videos on phones has been horizontal with an aspect ratio of 16:9, vertical videos are taller than more comprehensive, hence the reversed aspect ratio. And, this is the main reason you see vertical videos in the frame, and thus, they need to be fixed or rightly shot in terms of ideal phone aspect ratio vertical.

Part 2 Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens

The aspect ratio also measures how tall or wide a display is. Still, it shouldn’t be mistaken for ‘display/screen size’ calculated by diagonally measuring throughout the screen.

The phone aspect ratio vertical is commonly written in proportions with the more petite figure on the right side and the more prominent figure on the left-hand side. It’s also sometimes called a decimal, the more prominent figure divided by, the more petite figure.

It means that a display aspect ratio of 16:9 can also be called an aspect ratio of 1.78, i.e., 16/9.

Types of Aspect ratio

● 16:9 Aspect Ratio

16:9 is one of the most common aspect ratios used on smartphones. Sometimes showcased as 1.78 or 4²:3², the aspect ratio has become typical for smartphones and other devices since 2010.

It generally means there will be 16 pixels in one direction for every 9 pixels in the other for a device with a 16:9 display.

Devices with a 16:9 aspect ratio are usually broad, and they became the standard aspect ratio for smartphones because most contents are also available in the exact format. So you would enjoy videos and gaming in full widescreen quality on a 16:9 aspect ratio device.

On the other hand, you’ll experience the “Letterboxing effect“ on devices that aren’t available in 16:9 aspect ratios and where black bars/bands appear at the bottom and the top of the content you are wandering.

● 18:9 Aspect ratio

This 18:9 aspect ratio was born out of the need to maximize the size of displays without increasing the dimensions of phone sizes.

The narrow design of 18:9 aspect ratio devices assisted for better one-hand grip, smooth multitasking, enhanced usability, and more screen real estate, etc. Yet, because contents are highly present in the 16:9 aspect ratio, there will be “black bands” at the top, bottom or to your display’s right or left.

The 18:9 aspect ratio allows for convenient usage of smartphones, provided we put the content-cropping and letterboxing aside.

● 19:9 Aspect ratio

19:9 is another smartphone aspect ratio that is becoming increasingly famous and used by top OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, ASUS, and Apple on their flagship devices.

The smartphones with a 19:9 aspect ratio are available with increased height and 19 pixels in single direction for every 9 pixels in the other. Similar to 18:9, devices with a 19:9 aspect ratio generally have pretty non-existent and slimmer bezels, but you’ll enjoy vast screen real estate with the latter.

Understanding iPhone Vertical Video Dimensions

Apple boasts a 16:9 screen for the versions of iPhone 5 onwards. Most Google/Android phones already had a 16:9 screen at that point. Thus, to export a vertical video, you would want it to be 9:16. (16:9 standing up!) and it’s the ideal size for iPhone vertical video dimensions.

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 720 Horizontal by 1280 vertical for 1080p (1080X1920).

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 576 horizontal by 1024 vertical for 720p (720X1280).

Vertical Phone Aspect Ratio for Video

Let’s now understand the mobile vertical video size! Vertical video is pretty higher than it is wide. Instead of being shown in a landscape orientation or widescreen format, the way video has traditionally intended for television and cinema and television, and the vertical video rotated by 90 degrees.

Hold your phone upright and record video in a 9:16 aspect ratio. Hence, the name vertical video is said to be!

It’s because if you horizontally hold your phone, the viewable screen area is 16:9 aspect ratio. The same standard is for most HDTV, video production, and cinema screen sizes.

Part 3 Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video

Besides using the photo ratio calculator, we’d like to enlist some tips on getting started with your phone aspect ratio vertical shooting.

1 – High production quality is not essential

Yes, the content is the king, and people or the end customers may not notice your video quality than the content. So, don’t be afraid when you start and move ahead with your DIY budget.

2 – Use the Ideal Dimensions

Whether it’s iPhone vertical video dimensions or other Android and Windows devices, you need to use the ideal dimensions already discussed above.

3 – Engage your audience better

You can incorporate little details within the video and engage your audience better. You can also add captions and burn them within the video.

4 – Optimize vertical videos

You can optimize vertical videos for viewing without sound. Try watching your videos without audio to see if they still make sense without that context. You likely won’t achieve the same excellent results made possible with good video marketing if they don’t.

5 – Capture Attention

Yes, you need to attract the audience and capture their attention within seconds. And, it’s the only or one of the best tricks t get your audience hooked for the long term. Don’t underestimate the significance of storytelling, and you can thus add them for creative looks.

Part 4 Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone

Are you looking to capture the video in the correct phone aspect ratio vertical? In this section, we will discuss a few helpful tips that will assist you in shooting a better vertical video in any condition you want to sort.

1 – Shoot in the desired or ideal aspect ratio

Any video bigger than the aspect ratio of 1:1 is vertical video.

It’s possible to create vertical videos two ways:

● By framing a camera in portrait mode.

● By rendering it vertically by scaling or cutting the video.

2 – Split the screen

You can use the tall height of the vertical frame to stack horizontal clips on top of each other creatively.

Clips can be related in appearance and content or appear to mend into one another. Various music videos have also used this technique.

You can also try merging various diagonal lines or clips for a unique look.

3 - Fill the vertical space

You can quickly fill vacant space in the frame automatically by getting closer to the subject.

When the camera is angled down and raised high, you automatically get a deep frame for filming long shots that fill space.

The above-the-head perspective provides an attractive and latest POV that serves the exact purpose.

4 - Try not to shake (or use a gimbal or a selfie stick)

While watching a video, jerking camera movements are almost always disturbing and distracting. This must be avoided quickly from side to side when creating vertical videos with minimized space on sides.

While a normal 360-degree or pan rotation is outstanding (and even crucial), cameras cannot manage the data amount they must process once they begin to move too quickly.

Slow down when in doubt!

5 - Remember to resize as per the platform

You don’t essentially have to shoot everything at eye level or arm’s length when you shoot videos vertically.

Changing your angles and shot length will assist make your videos more interactive, and you can create something compelling out of them within the video frame.

Screen recordings are usually horizontal, but they will be vertically viewed when you upload them to Instagram. They also make sure the edges did not get cut off while uploading them and the writing is still legible.

6 - Add graphics, fun text, GIFs, or stickers

Use text that complements visuals. Make sure your text isn’t highlighting your subject. Any graphics elements, such as stickers or emojis, should follow this exact approach.

Line them up where they’ll improve your video and scale them up as required.

Pro Tip: Use Wondershare Filmora Video Editor to get your desired phone aspect ratio vertical

Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows

Try It Free Try It Free

5,481,435 people have downloaded it.

Build unique custom animations without breaking a sweat.

Focus on creating epic stories and leave the details to Filmora’s auto features.

Start a creative adventure with drag & drop effects and endless possibilities.

Filmora simplifies advanced features to save you time and effort.

Filmora cuts out repetition so you can move on to your next creative breakthrough.

Filmora provides various functions to resize your video, which means you can change video bitrate or directly crop your video when exporting. Despite resizing a video, you can also zoom your video to highlight the best section of your video. Here are certain features or functions of Filmora to resize a video. Download it now and have a try!

● Resize the video size and aspect ratio of video;

● Crop/trim/cut video to highlight an object within the video;

● Add multiple video effects

● Export the edited video portion to a mobile device, DVD, or YouTube;

● Supported OS: Mac OS X (above 10.10) and Windows (Windows 10 included).

Resize Video by Cropping

Step 1: Upload the video to the program

Firstly, upload your media via the “Import” tab or drag and drop it from the Windows File Explorer tab to the User’s Album.

Thereafter, drag videos from the User’s Album to the Timeline.

Step 2: Crop the video

You can aim at a specific part of the video by cropping and resizing your video display dimensions. Hit the added video on Timeline, a “Crop, and Zoom” button to cut the video. It will appear in the options menu.

Hit it to bring up the editing panel and crop videos.

Hit the Crop tab. Just hover the mouse to move and resize the marquee to decide how to crop the original video.

You have five options while video cropping at the bottom to assist you: Custom, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16 aspect radio.

Select Aspect Ratio of Project

After you launch Filmora, you can select the project aspect ratio. There are options among 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (standard), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (Instagram). Select the one you desire and begin by clicking the New Project.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

● Understanding phone aspect ratio vertical on both the Windows and iPhone.

● Different types of mobile vertical video sizes.

● Best six practices to shoot the video in the proper phone aspect ratio vertical.

Try It Free Try It Free

When you’re taking a snapshot of someone or something and posting it to social media, you’ll need to decide if it’ll be a portrait or a landscape orientation. And that’s where the knowledge regarding the phone aspect ratio vertical comes in!

This post will dive into the rise of the phone aspect ratio vertical, including best practices on using phone ratio calculator and mobile vertical video size based on its final viewing platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or broadcast.

In this article

01 [Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?](#Part 1)

02 [Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens](#Part 2)

03 [Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video](#Part 3)

04 [Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone](#Part 4)

Part 1 Why Vertical Videos Are in the Frame?

Did you know that there are six aspect ratios in total for videos and photos that marketers and creators use? These aspect ratios are 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 21:9. The first way to choose the right aspect ratio for your video is whether the video needs to be vertical or horizontal.

A video that’s portrait or vertical mode is taller than it is wide. The entire screen is devoted to vertical video capturing while gaining attention.

Smartphones are to be held vertically, and although you can view media always horizontally, it’s far simpler for watchers to consume media while keeping their mobile phones upright.

Vertical videos are available in different sizes, but the most standard instances come in the 9:16 aspect ratio. While the traditional format of watching videos on phones has been horizontal with an aspect ratio of 16:9, vertical videos are taller than more comprehensive, hence the reversed aspect ratio. And, this is the main reason you see vertical videos in the frame, and thus, they need to be fixed or rightly shot in terms of ideal phone aspect ratio vertical.

Part 2 Different Aspect Ratios on Mobile Screens

The aspect ratio also measures how tall or wide a display is. Still, it shouldn’t be mistaken for ‘display/screen size’ calculated by diagonally measuring throughout the screen.

The phone aspect ratio vertical is commonly written in proportions with the more petite figure on the right side and the more prominent figure on the left-hand side. It’s also sometimes called a decimal, the more prominent figure divided by, the more petite figure.

It means that a display aspect ratio of 16:9 can also be called an aspect ratio of 1.78, i.e., 16/9.

Types of Aspect ratio

● 16:9 Aspect Ratio

16:9 is one of the most common aspect ratios used on smartphones. Sometimes showcased as 1.78 or 4²:3², the aspect ratio has become typical for smartphones and other devices since 2010.

It generally means there will be 16 pixels in one direction for every 9 pixels in the other for a device with a 16:9 display.

Devices with a 16:9 aspect ratio are usually broad, and they became the standard aspect ratio for smartphones because most contents are also available in the exact format. So you would enjoy videos and gaming in full widescreen quality on a 16:9 aspect ratio device.

On the other hand, you’ll experience the “Letterboxing effect“ on devices that aren’t available in 16:9 aspect ratios and where black bars/bands appear at the bottom and the top of the content you are wandering.

● 18:9 Aspect ratio

This 18:9 aspect ratio was born out of the need to maximize the size of displays without increasing the dimensions of phone sizes.

The narrow design of 18:9 aspect ratio devices assisted for better one-hand grip, smooth multitasking, enhanced usability, and more screen real estate, etc. Yet, because contents are highly present in the 16:9 aspect ratio, there will be “black bands” at the top, bottom or to your display’s right or left.

The 18:9 aspect ratio allows for convenient usage of smartphones, provided we put the content-cropping and letterboxing aside.

● 19:9 Aspect ratio

19:9 is another smartphone aspect ratio that is becoming increasingly famous and used by top OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, ASUS, and Apple on their flagship devices.

The smartphones with a 19:9 aspect ratio are available with increased height and 19 pixels in single direction for every 9 pixels in the other. Similar to 18:9, devices with a 19:9 aspect ratio generally have pretty non-existent and slimmer bezels, but you’ll enjoy vast screen real estate with the latter.

Understanding iPhone Vertical Video Dimensions

Apple boasts a 16:9 screen for the versions of iPhone 5 onwards. Most Google/Android phones already had a 16:9 screen at that point. Thus, to export a vertical video, you would want it to be 9:16. (16:9 standing up!) and it’s the ideal size for iPhone vertical video dimensions.

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 720 Horizontal by 1280 vertical for 1080p (1080X1920).

The highest quality vertical video’s output is 576 horizontal by 1024 vertical for 720p (720X1280).

Vertical Phone Aspect Ratio for Video

Let’s now understand the mobile vertical video size! Vertical video is pretty higher than it is wide. Instead of being shown in a landscape orientation or widescreen format, the way video has traditionally intended for television and cinema and television, and the vertical video rotated by 90 degrees.

Hold your phone upright and record video in a 9:16 aspect ratio. Hence, the name vertical video is said to be!

It’s because if you horizontally hold your phone, the viewable screen area is 16:9 aspect ratio. The same standard is for most HDTV, video production, and cinema screen sizes.

Part 3 Tips to Shoot a Vertical Video

Besides using the photo ratio calculator, we’d like to enlist some tips on getting started with your phone aspect ratio vertical shooting.

1 – High production quality is not essential

Yes, the content is the king, and people or the end customers may not notice your video quality than the content. So, don’t be afraid when you start and move ahead with your DIY budget.

2 – Use the Ideal Dimensions

Whether it’s iPhone vertical video dimensions or other Android and Windows devices, you need to use the ideal dimensions already discussed above.

3 – Engage your audience better

You can incorporate little details within the video and engage your audience better. You can also add captions and burn them within the video.

4 – Optimize vertical videos

You can optimize vertical videos for viewing without sound. Try watching your videos without audio to see if they still make sense without that context. You likely won’t achieve the same excellent results made possible with good video marketing if they don’t.

5 – Capture Attention

Yes, you need to attract the audience and capture their attention within seconds. And, it’s the only or one of the best tricks t get your audience hooked for the long term. Don’t underestimate the significance of storytelling, and you can thus add them for creative looks.

Part 4 Top 6 Practices for Creating Phone Aspect Ratio Vertical on Your Smartphone

Are you looking to capture the video in the correct phone aspect ratio vertical? In this section, we will discuss a few helpful tips that will assist you in shooting a better vertical video in any condition you want to sort.

1 – Shoot in the desired or ideal aspect ratio

Any video bigger than the aspect ratio of 1:1 is vertical video.

It’s possible to create vertical videos two ways:

● By framing a camera in portrait mode.

● By rendering it vertically by scaling or cutting the video.

2 – Split the screen

You can use the tall height of the vertical frame to stack horizontal clips on top of each other creatively.

Clips can be related in appearance and content or appear to mend into one another. Various music videos have also used this technique.

You can also try merging various diagonal lines or clips for a unique look.

3 - Fill the vertical space

You can quickly fill vacant space in the frame automatically by getting closer to the subject.

When the camera is angled down and raised high, you automatically get a deep frame for filming long shots that fill space.

The above-the-head perspective provides an attractive and latest POV that serves the exact purpose.

4 - Try not to shake (or use a gimbal or a selfie stick)

While watching a video, jerking camera movements are almost always disturbing and distracting. This must be avoided quickly from side to side when creating vertical videos with minimized space on sides.

While a normal 360-degree or pan rotation is outstanding (and even crucial), cameras cannot manage the data amount they must process once they begin to move too quickly.

Slow down when in doubt!

5 - Remember to resize as per the platform

You don’t essentially have to shoot everything at eye level or arm’s length when you shoot videos vertically.

Changing your angles and shot length will assist make your videos more interactive, and you can create something compelling out of them within the video frame.

Screen recordings are usually horizontal, but they will be vertically viewed when you upload them to Instagram. They also make sure the edges did not get cut off while uploading them and the writing is still legible.

6 - Add graphics, fun text, GIFs, or stickers

Use text that complements visuals. Make sure your text isn’t highlighting your subject. Any graphics elements, such as stickers or emojis, should follow this exact approach.

Line them up where they’ll improve your video and scale them up as required.

Pro Tip: Use Wondershare Filmora Video Editor to get your desired phone aspect ratio vertical

Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows

Try It Free Try It Free

5,481,435 people have downloaded it.

Build unique custom animations without breaking a sweat.

Focus on creating epic stories and leave the details to Filmora’s auto features.

Start a creative adventure with drag & drop effects and endless possibilities.

Filmora simplifies advanced features to save you time and effort.

Filmora cuts out repetition so you can move on to your next creative breakthrough.

Filmora provides various functions to resize your video, which means you can change video bitrate or directly crop your video when exporting. Despite resizing a video, you can also zoom your video to highlight the best section of your video. Here are certain features or functions of Filmora to resize a video. Download it now and have a try!

● Resize the video size and aspect ratio of video;

● Crop/trim/cut video to highlight an object within the video;

● Add multiple video effects

● Export the edited video portion to a mobile device, DVD, or YouTube;

● Supported OS: Mac OS X (above 10.10) and Windows (Windows 10 included).

Resize Video by Cropping

Step 1: Upload the video to the program

Firstly, upload your media via the “Import” tab or drag and drop it from the Windows File Explorer tab to the User’s Album.

Thereafter, drag videos from the User’s Album to the Timeline.

Step 2: Crop the video

You can aim at a specific part of the video by cropping and resizing your video display dimensions. Hit the added video on Timeline, a “Crop, and Zoom” button to cut the video. It will appear in the options menu.

Hit it to bring up the editing panel and crop videos.

Hit the Crop tab. Just hover the mouse to move and resize the marquee to decide how to crop the original video.

You have five options while video cropping at the bottom to assist you: Custom, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16 aspect radio.

Select Aspect Ratio of Project

After you launch Filmora, you can select the project aspect ratio. There are options among 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (standard), 9:16 (portrait), 1:1 (Instagram). Select the one you desire and begin by clicking the New Project.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

● Understanding phone aspect ratio vertical on both the Windows and iPhone.

● Different types of mobile vertical video sizes.

● Best six practices to shoot the video in the proper phone aspect ratio vertical.

Film Like a Pro: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Movies

Easy Movie Maker: How to Easily Make a Movie

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever stored various videos and photos on a memory card or on the computer? Why not create a movie to show them off? Once finish making a great movie, you can share it with others in a variety of ways including on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Your followers will be amazed at the extraordinarily delightful works. In fact, making a movie using your own photos, videos and audio is really easy.

Updates: We’ve updated this list of the best free easy movie makers in 2021, you can check it here about Top 10 best free Easy Movie Makers. In the article below, I’ll share with you about how to use Wondershare Filmora, which is one of the best easy to use video editing software designed for beginners to touch up your videos with ease. You can make photo slideshow videos, or common family videos and directly share them to YouTube or save as DVD with Wondershare Filmora.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Make a Video with Wondershare Filmora Easy Movie Maker

Below, we will show you have to use this easy movie maker to create a video with Filmora in clicks.

1. Import your files and arrange the order

Open Wondershare Filmora, click the “Import” button and use the navigation import panel to load media files. You can also directly drag and drop your media files to the program. You can trim or cut the video clips in the timeline with options in the Toolbox

2. Making Stunning Videos with Various Effects & Filters

After you’ve added your media files for editing and placed them on the Timeline, double click the target file and adjust video quality by changing the Contrast, Saturation, Brightness, Hue as you like. Then return to the “Effects” tab and pick the special effects you want to apply. Drag and drop them onto the “Effect” track. You can use multiple effects on the same segment of video.

Go the “Transition” tab. Then join your clips with one or several different transitions. Click “Transition” to choose the ones you want to add and then drag them between the video clips. Then double click to change the Time Duration and click “Apply to All” if you want all transition effects to have the same duration.

If you want to add words to the video, click the “Text” button, select the text type you like, and drag the icon to the Text track. You can stretch the icon over the whole track to have the titles appear during the whole movie, or just over a part of it. Then double click it, type in the texts and customize the font, size, color and effect in the editing window.

3. Save the video in the format of your choice

When everything is done, hit the “Create” button, you’ll see several options: save as a video file, convert it for viewing on your mobile phone or tablet, directly upload to your YouTube or Facebook account and burn to DVD. Choose an output method as you like and click “Create”. After a few seconds, a folder with the newly reformatted video will open automatically.

Now download this easy movie maker and start making your own movies!

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever stored various videos and photos on a memory card or on the computer? Why not create a movie to show them off? Once finish making a great movie, you can share it with others in a variety of ways including on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Your followers will be amazed at the extraordinarily delightful works. In fact, making a movie using your own photos, videos and audio is really easy.

Updates: We’ve updated this list of the best free easy movie makers in 2021, you can check it here about Top 10 best free Easy Movie Makers. In the article below, I’ll share with you about how to use Wondershare Filmora, which is one of the best easy to use video editing software designed for beginners to touch up your videos with ease. You can make photo slideshow videos, or common family videos and directly share them to YouTube or save as DVD with Wondershare Filmora.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Make a Video with Wondershare Filmora Easy Movie Maker

Below, we will show you have to use this easy movie maker to create a video with Filmora in clicks.

1. Import your files and arrange the order

Open Wondershare Filmora, click the “Import” button and use the navigation import panel to load media files. You can also directly drag and drop your media files to the program. You can trim or cut the video clips in the timeline with options in the Toolbox

2. Making Stunning Videos with Various Effects & Filters

After you’ve added your media files for editing and placed them on the Timeline, double click the target file and adjust video quality by changing the Contrast, Saturation, Brightness, Hue as you like. Then return to the “Effects” tab and pick the special effects you want to apply. Drag and drop them onto the “Effect” track. You can use multiple effects on the same segment of video.

Go the “Transition” tab. Then join your clips with one or several different transitions. Click “Transition” to choose the ones you want to add and then drag them between the video clips. Then double click to change the Time Duration and click “Apply to All” if you want all transition effects to have the same duration.

If you want to add words to the video, click the “Text” button, select the text type you like, and drag the icon to the Text track. You can stretch the icon over the whole track to have the titles appear during the whole movie, or just over a part of it. Then double click it, type in the texts and customize the font, size, color and effect in the editing window.

3. Save the video in the format of your choice

When everything is done, hit the “Create” button, you’ll see several options: save as a video file, convert it for viewing on your mobile phone or tablet, directly upload to your YouTube or Facebook account and burn to DVD. Choose an output method as you like and click “Create”. After a few seconds, a folder with the newly reformatted video will open automatically.

Now download this easy movie maker and start making your own movies!

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever stored various videos and photos on a memory card or on the computer? Why not create a movie to show them off? Once finish making a great movie, you can share it with others in a variety of ways including on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Your followers will be amazed at the extraordinarily delightful works. In fact, making a movie using your own photos, videos and audio is really easy.

Updates: We’ve updated this list of the best free easy movie makers in 2021, you can check it here about Top 10 best free Easy Movie Makers. In the article below, I’ll share with you about how to use Wondershare Filmora, which is one of the best easy to use video editing software designed for beginners to touch up your videos with ease. You can make photo slideshow videos, or common family videos and directly share them to YouTube or save as DVD with Wondershare Filmora.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Make a Video with Wondershare Filmora Easy Movie Maker

Below, we will show you have to use this easy movie maker to create a video with Filmora in clicks.

1. Import your files and arrange the order

Open Wondershare Filmora, click the “Import” button and use the navigation import panel to load media files. You can also directly drag and drop your media files to the program. You can trim or cut the video clips in the timeline with options in the Toolbox

2. Making Stunning Videos with Various Effects & Filters

After you’ve added your media files for editing and placed them on the Timeline, double click the target file and adjust video quality by changing the Contrast, Saturation, Brightness, Hue as you like. Then return to the “Effects” tab and pick the special effects you want to apply. Drag and drop them onto the “Effect” track. You can use multiple effects on the same segment of video.

Go the “Transition” tab. Then join your clips with one or several different transitions. Click “Transition” to choose the ones you want to add and then drag them between the video clips. Then double click to change the Time Duration and click “Apply to All” if you want all transition effects to have the same duration.

If you want to add words to the video, click the “Text” button, select the text type you like, and drag the icon to the Text track. You can stretch the icon over the whole track to have the titles appear during the whole movie, or just over a part of it. Then double click it, type in the texts and customize the font, size, color and effect in the editing window.

3. Save the video in the format of your choice

When everything is done, hit the “Create” button, you’ll see several options: save as a video file, convert it for viewing on your mobile phone or tablet, directly upload to your YouTube or Facebook account and burn to DVD. Choose an output method as you like and click “Create”. After a few seconds, a folder with the newly reformatted video will open automatically.

Now download this easy movie maker and start making your own movies!

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you ever stored various videos and photos on a memory card or on the computer? Why not create a movie to show them off? Once finish making a great movie, you can share it with others in a variety of ways including on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Your followers will be amazed at the extraordinarily delightful works. In fact, making a movie using your own photos, videos and audio is really easy.

Updates: We’ve updated this list of the best free easy movie makers in 2021, you can check it here about Top 10 best free Easy Movie Makers. In the article below, I’ll share with you about how to use Wondershare Filmora, which is one of the best easy to use video editing software designed for beginners to touch up your videos with ease. You can make photo slideshow videos, or common family videos and directly share them to YouTube or save as DVD with Wondershare Filmora.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Make a Video with Wondershare Filmora Easy Movie Maker

Below, we will show you have to use this easy movie maker to create a video with Filmora in clicks.

1. Import your files and arrange the order

Open Wondershare Filmora, click the “Import” button and use the navigation import panel to load media files. You can also directly drag and drop your media files to the program. You can trim or cut the video clips in the timeline with options in the Toolbox

2. Making Stunning Videos with Various Effects & Filters

After you’ve added your media files for editing and placed them on the Timeline, double click the target file and adjust video quality by changing the Contrast, Saturation, Brightness, Hue as you like. Then return to the “Effects” tab and pick the special effects you want to apply. Drag and drop them onto the “Effect” track. You can use multiple effects on the same segment of video.

Go the “Transition” tab. Then join your clips with one or several different transitions. Click “Transition” to choose the ones you want to add and then drag them between the video clips. Then double click to change the Time Duration and click “Apply to All” if you want all transition effects to have the same duration.

If you want to add words to the video, click the “Text” button, select the text type you like, and drag the icon to the Text track. You can stretch the icon over the whole track to have the titles appear during the whole movie, or just over a part of it. Then double click it, type in the texts and customize the font, size, color and effect in the editing window.

3. Save the video in the format of your choice

When everything is done, hit the “Create” button, you’ll see several options: save as a video file, convert it for viewing on your mobile phone or tablet, directly upload to your YouTube or Facebook account and burn to DVD. Choose an output method as you like and click “Create”. After a few seconds, a folder with the newly reformatted video will open automatically.

Now download this easy movie maker and start making your own movies!

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Unleash Your Creativity: Best Free Animation Programs for PC and Mac

Best 12 Free Download Animation Software for Windows and Mac

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!

• Part 1: Best Free Animation Software for Mac
• Part 2: Best Free Animation Software for Windows
• Part 3: FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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!

• Part 1: Best Free Animation Software for Mac
• Part 2: Best Free Animation Software for Windows
• Part 3: FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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!

• Part 1: Best Free Animation Software for Mac
• Part 2: Best Free Animation Software for Windows
• Part 3: FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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!

• Part 1: Best Free Animation Software for Mac
• Part 2: Best Free Animation Software for Windows
• Part 3: FAQ about Animation Software for Windows and Mac

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

Shanoon Cox

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

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Also read: