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2024 Approved Free Animation Solutions Top Picks for Windows and Mac Computers
Free Animation Solutions: Top Picks for Windows and Mac Computers
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
The Ultimate Primer: Understanding M4R Conversion Before You Begin
Before You Learn M4R Converter: Some Things You Should Know
An easy yet powerful editor
Numerous effects to choose from
Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel
M4R is an audio file extension that was created by Apple to separate regular songs and audio from ringtones
As for methods of converting from your more general file extension formats to M4R, we’ve prepared a whole guide below — where we’ve outlined some of the more important things that you should know about M4R converters and how to use them.
In this article
01 [Why Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 1)
02 [How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 2)
03 [How to Convert M4A to M4R?](#Part 3)
Part 1 Why Convert MP3 to M4R?
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of M4R and M4R Converters first! We touched upon this subject in the introduction, but we thought it would be best to expand on the subject here for better understanding. First, let’s talk about what an M4R converter is usually like. Then, let’s talk about why someone might convert from MP3 to M4R.
01M4R Converter Key Features
Here’s a list of some key features that you should look for in an M4R Converter:
● Your average M4R Converter should allow you to convert to M4R from general audio files. That includes the following: MP3, WAV, WMA, AIFF, AMR, FLAC, MKA, WMV, and so much more.
● It should also allow you to ‘extract’ audio from videos (whether it is a MPEG-4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
● The M4R converter would prove even more useful if it allowed you to trim small segments of audio or video (with exact start and end time) so that you can specify which part should play as a ringtone.
● A method of previewing trimmed content prior to conversion would also be helpful so that you won’t have to undergo the process again and again.
● Its settings should also be adjustable or the interface intuitive, allowing you to easily choose or discover the output folder, adjust audio bitrate, and so on.
02Best Three Reasons Why Convert MP3 to M4R
There are several reasons why you might want to use an M4R converter to change from MP3 to M4R, these reasons include:
● Creating iPhone Ringtone: The main purpose of converting to M4R is, of course, to create iPhone ringtones. This file extension was created by Apple specifically to differentiate between songs and ringtones. And, if you’re a regular iOS user but are not a fan of the basic iOS ringtones, learning how to create M4R files would be beneficial in opening your horizons.
● Transfer Ringtones to iPhone: Of course, once the M4R is created for use, it would need to be transferred. This is much easier if it stays in this format!
● Making General M4R Audio: Although not as common, some users see the benefit of using M4R audio for other reasons (i.e., content creators sometimes use M4R audio as a sound-effect for videos). Thus, knowing how to convert from MP3 to MP4 usually proves to be useful for them.
Part 2 How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?
Now, let’s start with a more in-depth tutorial on how to actually convert MP3 to M4R! In this case, specifically, we’ll be providing three different examples. Starting with an online solution and then following it up with the general iTunes conversion and the more involved software conversion!
01How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online?
As mentioned, the first M4R Converter on this list is an online one! There are plenty of these kinds of online converter tools available, and they all pretty much work the same way, so the example we’ll be showing below is more of an all-purpose kind of affair. However, just in case you’re curious, the tool we’ll be using for our examples is the Converter from Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Visit Online Converter Website!
First! Open the M4R Converter online tool that you want to use! If you want to follow along with our examples, a URL has been provided for you below:
**Step 2: Upload MP3 File
Next, it’s time to upload the MP3 file that you want to convert to M4R!
Usually, all you have to do for this is click the ‘Upload’ button or drag-and-drop the file onto the specified area. But, in some cases, the M4R converter may also allow you to upload via a link or from cloud-based storage (i.e., Dropbox.)
**Step 3: Select M4R as Output Format!
Once your MP3 file has been uploaded, select the format that you want it to be converted into. This may have defaulted to M4R or you may be given the chance to choose yourself (as is shown in the image below.)
**Step 4: Select Convert!
The next thing you need to do is to simply select the ‘CONVERT’ option to begin processing the change from MP3 to M4R!
**Step 5: Download Converter M4R!
Once the conversion is done, you should now have been given the option to download the finished M4R. Click ‘DOWNLOAD’ and you’re done!
012. How to convert MP3 to M4R on iTunes?
Of course, as an Apple File Extension, it only makes sense that Apple provides its users an easy way to convert general audio to M4R! In this case, we’ll be showing you another method to convert from MP3 to M4R with Apple’s own iTunes! Of course, if you want to follow along with this next example, you’ll have to download and install the software (for Windows users) before proceeding.
**Step 1: Add File or Folder to Library!
Once you have iTunes installed, launch the program and go to ‘File’ > ‘Add File to Library’ or ‘Add Folder to Library’ to upload the MP3 file(s) that you want to convert to M4R!
**Step 2: Select MP3 and Adjust Timing!
Since M4R ringtones are limited to 40 seconds only, you’ll need to adjust timing prior to conversion if you want the ringtone to start and end at a specific time.
This is possible to do by selecting the song from your library and right clicking so you can access the ‘OPTIONS’ tab (shown below)! Under the Options tab, you’ll be able to specify the start and stop time for your chosen MP3!
Click ‘OK’ when done in order to save any changes!
**Step 3: Convert to Version!
Next, with the MP3 file still selected, go to the ‘FILE’ tab (shown in the image below) and then click ‘CONVERT’ > ‘Create Version’!
**Step 4: Go to the Destination Folder!
After the conversion has been finished, locate the file’s destination folder. You’ll notice that the file extension of the file is .M4A but this is easy enough to change.
Just rename the file extension to .M4R (example shown below) and click ‘YES’ to confirm the change! In this way, you’ve managed to convert MP3 to M4R with iTunes!
013. How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online Free with Ringtone Maker?
For this last example of converting MP3 to M4R, we’ve decided to show-off the ringtone maker, Wondershare TunesGo! This program is, of course, more than just a ringtone maker, but the function that we’ll be exploring will be the process of making an iPhone Ringtone from an MP3 file to an M4R (start to finish!)
**Step 1: Launch Program and Connect iPhone to Computer!
First, launch the M4R converter software on your desktop and connect your iPhone to your computer! If you want to use the program that we’re showing off in this example, the URL has been provided below:
**Step 2: Select Ringtone Maker
Once the program has been launched, go to the ‘MUSIC’ tab and select “Ringtone Maker” (pointed out in the image below.)
**Step 3: Select Music File!
A secondary window should appear after you select the ‘Ringtone Maker’ option. Here, the first thing you have to do is upload the music file that you want to convert.
For the software that we’re using as an example, you can choose to upload ‘Local Music’ from your computer or ‘Device Music’ from the music that you have stored in your connected iPhone. We’ll be explaining the different methods to select a music file in the three following steps!
**Step 4: Local Upload - Open!
If you select ‘Local Music’ a system window will appear asking you to select the music file that you want to convert to M4R. Do so and click ‘OPEN!’
**Step 5: Device Music - SELECT!
For the ‘Device Music’ option, another program window will appear. This time, with all the music on your device. You can select the music file you want to convert from here! Click ‘Select’ when done!
**Step 6: TunesGo Library!
For the last method of selecting a music file, all you have to do is select a file from the ‘MUSIC’ tab of TunesGo, right-click on said file, and then select ‘Ringtone Maker’ on the pop-up that appears (shown below).
**Step 7: Trim and Save!
Once you’ve chosen the music file you want to convert, you can now:
● Trim the file to specify which part of the file you want to convert (40 seconds only for a proper Ringtone!)
● Use the ‘Ringtone Audition’ option to preview your trimmed audio.
● And, finally, you can save the finished ringtone directly to your PC or Device!
In this way, not only have you managed to convert from MP3 to M4R cleanly, but you can also use it right away on either your PC or iPhone!
Part 3 How to Convert M4A to M4R?
Another Apple extension file that you might recognize is M4A! This was mentioned briefly in a previous tutorial, but it might be more familiar to others as ‘compressed’ Apple Music. This is what your audio becomes when processed through iTunes. It’s also known as MPEG-4 Audio, and its main purpose is to compress the size of an audio file (compared to MP3) without compromising the quality.
01How to convert M4A to M4R on Windows?
This process was mentioned briefly in Part 2, Section 3 of this article, but we’ll be going through the easiest method of converting M4A to M4R on Windows below! This method is possible only because the formats are pretty much the same. The only difference lies in how they are categorized.
**Step 1: View File Extensions!
The first step to convert M4A to M4R is to open the folder in which your M4A audio is stored. There, make sure that you have ‘File Name Extensions’ selected under the ‘VIEW’ tab (pointed out in the image below).
This will allow you to view and edit the file extension of a given file.
**Step 2: Rename M4A to M4R!
Next, select the M4A that you want to convert and right-click so that you can choose the ‘Rename’ option on the pop-up that appears.
**Step 3: Change M4A to M4R
With ‘File Name Extensions’ on, you can edit the file extension as well! Of course, this is not possible for all conversions. But, as mentioned, since M4A and M4R files are pretty much the same, you can do so without damaging the file!
Meaning, you can change M4A to M4R without worrying about it being unusable!
012. How to Convert M4A to M4R with iTunes
This process was already explained in Part 2, Section 2 of this article. But, since it’s important to provide this perspective we’ll be going through the process again. This time, with the intention of converting an M4A music file to an M4R!
**Step 1: Add File to iTunes Library!
First, add the M4A file to your iTunes library! (You can use the drag-and-drop feature or select ‘Add File’ or ‘Add folder’ under the ‘FILE’ tab).
**Step 2: Create to M4R!
Once your M4A audio file has been uploaded, make sure that it’s selected and then select ‘Create Version’ for it (the option can be found under the ‘FILE’ tab > ‘Convert’!)
**Step 3: Convert M4A to M4R
Once the version of the file has been created (which comes out as M4A), you can use the method we showed in Section 3, Part 1 of this article to change the M4A to M4R simply by rewriting the file extension name.
03How to Convert M4A to M4R Online
For this next part, we’ll be echoing another one of our earlier tutorials! Only, this time, we’ll be focusing on converting M4A to M4R online with an M4R converter online! Specifically, the one we introduced previously — Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Online M4R Converter
Audio Tool Set offers an M4A to M4R converter that you can select under the ‘CONVERT AUDIO’ tab!
**Step 2: Upload M4A File!
Once you’ve been moved to the free M4A to M4R converter, select the ‘UPLOAD M4A’ option to browse your PC for the M4A file that you want to convert.
**Step 3: Confirm M4R Conversion Format!
If you’re using the M4A to M4R Converter you can skip this step. But, if not, make sure that you have chosen ‘M4R’ as your desired conversion format!
**Step 4: Convert M4A to M4R!
With all of that in order, select ‘CONVERT’ to move forward.
**Step 5: Download Converted M4R!
Finally, with the conversion done, you can now download the converted file to use as you will! This can be done by selecting the ‘DOWNLOAD’ option!
04How to Create and How to Open an M4A File?
If you want detailed instructions on how to create an M4A file, please refer to Part 2, Section 2 of this article, or Part 3, Section 2. In both sections, we demonstrated how one can create an M4A file by using the ‘Create Version’ feature that iTunes offers.
In that same vein, if you want to be able to open an M4A file, iTunes is your best bet! Although, it should also be said that some of the more advanced media players (and audio players), like QuickTime or Media Player, can open M4A files as well!
05Which Other Formats M4A Can Be Converted into and Why?
There are numerous file formats that you can convert M4A into. If you want examples: you can convert M4A to M4R, MP3 to M4A, WAV to M4A, FLAC to M4A, OGG to M4A, WMA to M4A, and so much more! Of course, if you want more advanced M4A conversions, you might want to consider using a more advanced tool. One such M4A converter that we recommend is Filmora Pro!
Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing software that will allow you to convert M4A to M4R (and all sorts of other audio and video file formats) so that you can make use of the file for all your projects! The best part of using a video editor like Filmora, of course, is that once you’ve converted the file, you can use it immediately — there’s no need to wait, you can finish your project right then and there, making it unnecessary for you to go searching for any other solution.
Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows
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.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
● What’s the point of M4R Converters? Well, it’s most relevant to iOS users! Especially those who are tired of listening to the same boring tones on their phone over and over again!
● The M4R file format was created by Apple to differentiate music from ringtones. And, by becoming familiar with the process (which we’ve illustrated in many details in the article above), you can flex your creativity a bit and control just what tones are coming out of your phone!
● It’s not all that difficult to create M4Rs either! There are several methods that you can try — online, iTunes, third-party software, and so much more!
● And, you can make these ringtones from pretty much any format — whether you’re converting from MP3, MOV, WAV, FLAC, WMA, etc.
M4R is an audio file extension that was created by Apple to separate regular songs and audio from ringtones
As for methods of converting from your more general file extension formats to M4R, we’ve prepared a whole guide below — where we’ve outlined some of the more important things that you should know about M4R converters and how to use them.
In this article
01 [Why Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 1)
02 [How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 2)
03 [How to Convert M4A to M4R?](#Part 3)
Part 1 Why Convert MP3 to M4R?
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of M4R and M4R Converters first! We touched upon this subject in the introduction, but we thought it would be best to expand on the subject here for better understanding. First, let’s talk about what an M4R converter is usually like. Then, let’s talk about why someone might convert from MP3 to M4R.
01M4R Converter Key Features
Here’s a list of some key features that you should look for in an M4R Converter:
● Your average M4R Converter should allow you to convert to M4R from general audio files. That includes the following: MP3, WAV, WMA, AIFF, AMR, FLAC, MKA, WMV, and so much more.
● It should also allow you to ‘extract’ audio from videos (whether it is a MPEG-4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
● The M4R converter would prove even more useful if it allowed you to trim small segments of audio or video (with exact start and end time) so that you can specify which part should play as a ringtone.
● A method of previewing trimmed content prior to conversion would also be helpful so that you won’t have to undergo the process again and again.
● Its settings should also be adjustable or the interface intuitive, allowing you to easily choose or discover the output folder, adjust audio bitrate, and so on.
02Best Three Reasons Why Convert MP3 to M4R
There are several reasons why you might want to use an M4R converter to change from MP3 to M4R, these reasons include:
● Creating iPhone Ringtone: The main purpose of converting to M4R is, of course, to create iPhone ringtones. This file extension was created by Apple specifically to differentiate between songs and ringtones. And, if you’re a regular iOS user but are not a fan of the basic iOS ringtones, learning how to create M4R files would be beneficial in opening your horizons.
● Transfer Ringtones to iPhone: Of course, once the M4R is created for use, it would need to be transferred. This is much easier if it stays in this format!
● Making General M4R Audio: Although not as common, some users see the benefit of using M4R audio for other reasons (i.e., content creators sometimes use M4R audio as a sound-effect for videos). Thus, knowing how to convert from MP3 to MP4 usually proves to be useful for them.
Part 2 How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?
Now, let’s start with a more in-depth tutorial on how to actually convert MP3 to M4R! In this case, specifically, we’ll be providing three different examples. Starting with an online solution and then following it up with the general iTunes conversion and the more involved software conversion!
01How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online?
As mentioned, the first M4R Converter on this list is an online one! There are plenty of these kinds of online converter tools available, and they all pretty much work the same way, so the example we’ll be showing below is more of an all-purpose kind of affair. However, just in case you’re curious, the tool we’ll be using for our examples is the Converter from Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Visit Online Converter Website!
First! Open the M4R Converter online tool that you want to use! If you want to follow along with our examples, a URL has been provided for you below:
**Step 2: Upload MP3 File
Next, it’s time to upload the MP3 file that you want to convert to M4R!
Usually, all you have to do for this is click the ‘Upload’ button or drag-and-drop the file onto the specified area. But, in some cases, the M4R converter may also allow you to upload via a link or from cloud-based storage (i.e., Dropbox.)
**Step 3: Select M4R as Output Format!
Once your MP3 file has been uploaded, select the format that you want it to be converted into. This may have defaulted to M4R or you may be given the chance to choose yourself (as is shown in the image below.)
**Step 4: Select Convert!
The next thing you need to do is to simply select the ‘CONVERT’ option to begin processing the change from MP3 to M4R!
**Step 5: Download Converter M4R!
Once the conversion is done, you should now have been given the option to download the finished M4R. Click ‘DOWNLOAD’ and you’re done!
012. How to convert MP3 to M4R on iTunes?
Of course, as an Apple File Extension, it only makes sense that Apple provides its users an easy way to convert general audio to M4R! In this case, we’ll be showing you another method to convert from MP3 to M4R with Apple’s own iTunes! Of course, if you want to follow along with this next example, you’ll have to download and install the software (for Windows users) before proceeding.
**Step 1: Add File or Folder to Library!
Once you have iTunes installed, launch the program and go to ‘File’ > ‘Add File to Library’ or ‘Add Folder to Library’ to upload the MP3 file(s) that you want to convert to M4R!
**Step 2: Select MP3 and Adjust Timing!
Since M4R ringtones are limited to 40 seconds only, you’ll need to adjust timing prior to conversion if you want the ringtone to start and end at a specific time.
This is possible to do by selecting the song from your library and right clicking so you can access the ‘OPTIONS’ tab (shown below)! Under the Options tab, you’ll be able to specify the start and stop time for your chosen MP3!
Click ‘OK’ when done in order to save any changes!
**Step 3: Convert to Version!
Next, with the MP3 file still selected, go to the ‘FILE’ tab (shown in the image below) and then click ‘CONVERT’ > ‘Create Version’!
**Step 4: Go to the Destination Folder!
After the conversion has been finished, locate the file’s destination folder. You’ll notice that the file extension of the file is .M4A but this is easy enough to change.
Just rename the file extension to .M4R (example shown below) and click ‘YES’ to confirm the change! In this way, you’ve managed to convert MP3 to M4R with iTunes!
013. How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online Free with Ringtone Maker?
For this last example of converting MP3 to M4R, we’ve decided to show-off the ringtone maker, Wondershare TunesGo! This program is, of course, more than just a ringtone maker, but the function that we’ll be exploring will be the process of making an iPhone Ringtone from an MP3 file to an M4R (start to finish!)
**Step 1: Launch Program and Connect iPhone to Computer!
First, launch the M4R converter software on your desktop and connect your iPhone to your computer! If you want to use the program that we’re showing off in this example, the URL has been provided below:
**Step 2: Select Ringtone Maker
Once the program has been launched, go to the ‘MUSIC’ tab and select “Ringtone Maker” (pointed out in the image below.)
**Step 3: Select Music File!
A secondary window should appear after you select the ‘Ringtone Maker’ option. Here, the first thing you have to do is upload the music file that you want to convert.
For the software that we’re using as an example, you can choose to upload ‘Local Music’ from your computer or ‘Device Music’ from the music that you have stored in your connected iPhone. We’ll be explaining the different methods to select a music file in the three following steps!
**Step 4: Local Upload - Open!
If you select ‘Local Music’ a system window will appear asking you to select the music file that you want to convert to M4R. Do so and click ‘OPEN!’
**Step 5: Device Music - SELECT!
For the ‘Device Music’ option, another program window will appear. This time, with all the music on your device. You can select the music file you want to convert from here! Click ‘Select’ when done!
**Step 6: TunesGo Library!
For the last method of selecting a music file, all you have to do is select a file from the ‘MUSIC’ tab of TunesGo, right-click on said file, and then select ‘Ringtone Maker’ on the pop-up that appears (shown below).
**Step 7: Trim and Save!
Once you’ve chosen the music file you want to convert, you can now:
● Trim the file to specify which part of the file you want to convert (40 seconds only for a proper Ringtone!)
● Use the ‘Ringtone Audition’ option to preview your trimmed audio.
● And, finally, you can save the finished ringtone directly to your PC or Device!
In this way, not only have you managed to convert from MP3 to M4R cleanly, but you can also use it right away on either your PC or iPhone!
Part 3 How to Convert M4A to M4R?
Another Apple extension file that you might recognize is M4A! This was mentioned briefly in a previous tutorial, but it might be more familiar to others as ‘compressed’ Apple Music. This is what your audio becomes when processed through iTunes. It’s also known as MPEG-4 Audio, and its main purpose is to compress the size of an audio file (compared to MP3) without compromising the quality.
01How to convert M4A to M4R on Windows?
This process was mentioned briefly in Part 2, Section 3 of this article, but we’ll be going through the easiest method of converting M4A to M4R on Windows below! This method is possible only because the formats are pretty much the same. The only difference lies in how they are categorized.
**Step 1: View File Extensions!
The first step to convert M4A to M4R is to open the folder in which your M4A audio is stored. There, make sure that you have ‘File Name Extensions’ selected under the ‘VIEW’ tab (pointed out in the image below).
This will allow you to view and edit the file extension of a given file.
**Step 2: Rename M4A to M4R!
Next, select the M4A that you want to convert and right-click so that you can choose the ‘Rename’ option on the pop-up that appears.
**Step 3: Change M4A to M4R
With ‘File Name Extensions’ on, you can edit the file extension as well! Of course, this is not possible for all conversions. But, as mentioned, since M4A and M4R files are pretty much the same, you can do so without damaging the file!
Meaning, you can change M4A to M4R without worrying about it being unusable!
012. How to Convert M4A to M4R with iTunes
This process was already explained in Part 2, Section 2 of this article. But, since it’s important to provide this perspective we’ll be going through the process again. This time, with the intention of converting an M4A music file to an M4R!
**Step 1: Add File to iTunes Library!
First, add the M4A file to your iTunes library! (You can use the drag-and-drop feature or select ‘Add File’ or ‘Add folder’ under the ‘FILE’ tab).
**Step 2: Create to M4R!
Once your M4A audio file has been uploaded, make sure that it’s selected and then select ‘Create Version’ for it (the option can be found under the ‘FILE’ tab > ‘Convert’!)
**Step 3: Convert M4A to M4R
Once the version of the file has been created (which comes out as M4A), you can use the method we showed in Section 3, Part 1 of this article to change the M4A to M4R simply by rewriting the file extension name.
03How to Convert M4A to M4R Online
For this next part, we’ll be echoing another one of our earlier tutorials! Only, this time, we’ll be focusing on converting M4A to M4R online with an M4R converter online! Specifically, the one we introduced previously — Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Online M4R Converter
Audio Tool Set offers an M4A to M4R converter that you can select under the ‘CONVERT AUDIO’ tab!
**Step 2: Upload M4A File!
Once you’ve been moved to the free M4A to M4R converter, select the ‘UPLOAD M4A’ option to browse your PC for the M4A file that you want to convert.
**Step 3: Confirm M4R Conversion Format!
If you’re using the M4A to M4R Converter you can skip this step. But, if not, make sure that you have chosen ‘M4R’ as your desired conversion format!
**Step 4: Convert M4A to M4R!
With all of that in order, select ‘CONVERT’ to move forward.
**Step 5: Download Converted M4R!
Finally, with the conversion done, you can now download the converted file to use as you will! This can be done by selecting the ‘DOWNLOAD’ option!
04How to Create and How to Open an M4A File?
If you want detailed instructions on how to create an M4A file, please refer to Part 2, Section 2 of this article, or Part 3, Section 2. In both sections, we demonstrated how one can create an M4A file by using the ‘Create Version’ feature that iTunes offers.
In that same vein, if you want to be able to open an M4A file, iTunes is your best bet! Although, it should also be said that some of the more advanced media players (and audio players), like QuickTime or Media Player, can open M4A files as well!
05Which Other Formats M4A Can Be Converted into and Why?
There are numerous file formats that you can convert M4A into. If you want examples: you can convert M4A to M4R, MP3 to M4A, WAV to M4A, FLAC to M4A, OGG to M4A, WMA to M4A, and so much more! Of course, if you want more advanced M4A conversions, you might want to consider using a more advanced tool. One such M4A converter that we recommend is Filmora Pro!
Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing software that will allow you to convert M4A to M4R (and all sorts of other audio and video file formats) so that you can make use of the file for all your projects! The best part of using a video editor like Filmora, of course, is that once you’ve converted the file, you can use it immediately — there’s no need to wait, you can finish your project right then and there, making it unnecessary for you to go searching for any other solution.
Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows
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.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
● What’s the point of M4R Converters? Well, it’s most relevant to iOS users! Especially those who are tired of listening to the same boring tones on their phone over and over again!
● The M4R file format was created by Apple to differentiate music from ringtones. And, by becoming familiar with the process (which we’ve illustrated in many details in the article above), you can flex your creativity a bit and control just what tones are coming out of your phone!
● It’s not all that difficult to create M4Rs either! There are several methods that you can try — online, iTunes, third-party software, and so much more!
● And, you can make these ringtones from pretty much any format — whether you’re converting from MP3, MOV, WAV, FLAC, WMA, etc.
M4R is an audio file extension that was created by Apple to separate regular songs and audio from ringtones
As for methods of converting from your more general file extension formats to M4R, we’ve prepared a whole guide below — where we’ve outlined some of the more important things that you should know about M4R converters and how to use them.
In this article
01 [Why Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 1)
02 [How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 2)
03 [How to Convert M4A to M4R?](#Part 3)
Part 1 Why Convert MP3 to M4R?
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of M4R and M4R Converters first! We touched upon this subject in the introduction, but we thought it would be best to expand on the subject here for better understanding. First, let’s talk about what an M4R converter is usually like. Then, let’s talk about why someone might convert from MP3 to M4R.
01M4R Converter Key Features
Here’s a list of some key features that you should look for in an M4R Converter:
● Your average M4R Converter should allow you to convert to M4R from general audio files. That includes the following: MP3, WAV, WMA, AIFF, AMR, FLAC, MKA, WMV, and so much more.
● It should also allow you to ‘extract’ audio from videos (whether it is a MPEG-4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
● The M4R converter would prove even more useful if it allowed you to trim small segments of audio or video (with exact start and end time) so that you can specify which part should play as a ringtone.
● A method of previewing trimmed content prior to conversion would also be helpful so that you won’t have to undergo the process again and again.
● Its settings should also be adjustable or the interface intuitive, allowing you to easily choose or discover the output folder, adjust audio bitrate, and so on.
02Best Three Reasons Why Convert MP3 to M4R
There are several reasons why you might want to use an M4R converter to change from MP3 to M4R, these reasons include:
● Creating iPhone Ringtone: The main purpose of converting to M4R is, of course, to create iPhone ringtones. This file extension was created by Apple specifically to differentiate between songs and ringtones. And, if you’re a regular iOS user but are not a fan of the basic iOS ringtones, learning how to create M4R files would be beneficial in opening your horizons.
● Transfer Ringtones to iPhone: Of course, once the M4R is created for use, it would need to be transferred. This is much easier if it stays in this format!
● Making General M4R Audio: Although not as common, some users see the benefit of using M4R audio for other reasons (i.e., content creators sometimes use M4R audio as a sound-effect for videos). Thus, knowing how to convert from MP3 to MP4 usually proves to be useful for them.
Part 2 How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?
Now, let’s start with a more in-depth tutorial on how to actually convert MP3 to M4R! In this case, specifically, we’ll be providing three different examples. Starting with an online solution and then following it up with the general iTunes conversion and the more involved software conversion!
01How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online?
As mentioned, the first M4R Converter on this list is an online one! There are plenty of these kinds of online converter tools available, and they all pretty much work the same way, so the example we’ll be showing below is more of an all-purpose kind of affair. However, just in case you’re curious, the tool we’ll be using for our examples is the Converter from Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Visit Online Converter Website!
First! Open the M4R Converter online tool that you want to use! If you want to follow along with our examples, a URL has been provided for you below:
**Step 2: Upload MP3 File
Next, it’s time to upload the MP3 file that you want to convert to M4R!
Usually, all you have to do for this is click the ‘Upload’ button or drag-and-drop the file onto the specified area. But, in some cases, the M4R converter may also allow you to upload via a link or from cloud-based storage (i.e., Dropbox.)
**Step 3: Select M4R as Output Format!
Once your MP3 file has been uploaded, select the format that you want it to be converted into. This may have defaulted to M4R or you may be given the chance to choose yourself (as is shown in the image below.)
**Step 4: Select Convert!
The next thing you need to do is to simply select the ‘CONVERT’ option to begin processing the change from MP3 to M4R!
**Step 5: Download Converter M4R!
Once the conversion is done, you should now have been given the option to download the finished M4R. Click ‘DOWNLOAD’ and you’re done!
012. How to convert MP3 to M4R on iTunes?
Of course, as an Apple File Extension, it only makes sense that Apple provides its users an easy way to convert general audio to M4R! In this case, we’ll be showing you another method to convert from MP3 to M4R with Apple’s own iTunes! Of course, if you want to follow along with this next example, you’ll have to download and install the software (for Windows users) before proceeding.
**Step 1: Add File or Folder to Library!
Once you have iTunes installed, launch the program and go to ‘File’ > ‘Add File to Library’ or ‘Add Folder to Library’ to upload the MP3 file(s) that you want to convert to M4R!
**Step 2: Select MP3 and Adjust Timing!
Since M4R ringtones are limited to 40 seconds only, you’ll need to adjust timing prior to conversion if you want the ringtone to start and end at a specific time.
This is possible to do by selecting the song from your library and right clicking so you can access the ‘OPTIONS’ tab (shown below)! Under the Options tab, you’ll be able to specify the start and stop time for your chosen MP3!
Click ‘OK’ when done in order to save any changes!
**Step 3: Convert to Version!
Next, with the MP3 file still selected, go to the ‘FILE’ tab (shown in the image below) and then click ‘CONVERT’ > ‘Create Version’!
**Step 4: Go to the Destination Folder!
After the conversion has been finished, locate the file’s destination folder. You’ll notice that the file extension of the file is .M4A but this is easy enough to change.
Just rename the file extension to .M4R (example shown below) and click ‘YES’ to confirm the change! In this way, you’ve managed to convert MP3 to M4R with iTunes!
013. How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online Free with Ringtone Maker?
For this last example of converting MP3 to M4R, we’ve decided to show-off the ringtone maker, Wondershare TunesGo! This program is, of course, more than just a ringtone maker, but the function that we’ll be exploring will be the process of making an iPhone Ringtone from an MP3 file to an M4R (start to finish!)
**Step 1: Launch Program and Connect iPhone to Computer!
First, launch the M4R converter software on your desktop and connect your iPhone to your computer! If you want to use the program that we’re showing off in this example, the URL has been provided below:
**Step 2: Select Ringtone Maker
Once the program has been launched, go to the ‘MUSIC’ tab and select “Ringtone Maker” (pointed out in the image below.)
**Step 3: Select Music File!
A secondary window should appear after you select the ‘Ringtone Maker’ option. Here, the first thing you have to do is upload the music file that you want to convert.
For the software that we’re using as an example, you can choose to upload ‘Local Music’ from your computer or ‘Device Music’ from the music that you have stored in your connected iPhone. We’ll be explaining the different methods to select a music file in the three following steps!
**Step 4: Local Upload - Open!
If you select ‘Local Music’ a system window will appear asking you to select the music file that you want to convert to M4R. Do so and click ‘OPEN!’
**Step 5: Device Music - SELECT!
For the ‘Device Music’ option, another program window will appear. This time, with all the music on your device. You can select the music file you want to convert from here! Click ‘Select’ when done!
**Step 6: TunesGo Library!
For the last method of selecting a music file, all you have to do is select a file from the ‘MUSIC’ tab of TunesGo, right-click on said file, and then select ‘Ringtone Maker’ on the pop-up that appears (shown below).
**Step 7: Trim and Save!
Once you’ve chosen the music file you want to convert, you can now:
● Trim the file to specify which part of the file you want to convert (40 seconds only for a proper Ringtone!)
● Use the ‘Ringtone Audition’ option to preview your trimmed audio.
● And, finally, you can save the finished ringtone directly to your PC or Device!
In this way, not only have you managed to convert from MP3 to M4R cleanly, but you can also use it right away on either your PC or iPhone!
Part 3 How to Convert M4A to M4R?
Another Apple extension file that you might recognize is M4A! This was mentioned briefly in a previous tutorial, but it might be more familiar to others as ‘compressed’ Apple Music. This is what your audio becomes when processed through iTunes. It’s also known as MPEG-4 Audio, and its main purpose is to compress the size of an audio file (compared to MP3) without compromising the quality.
01How to convert M4A to M4R on Windows?
This process was mentioned briefly in Part 2, Section 3 of this article, but we’ll be going through the easiest method of converting M4A to M4R on Windows below! This method is possible only because the formats are pretty much the same. The only difference lies in how they are categorized.
**Step 1: View File Extensions!
The first step to convert M4A to M4R is to open the folder in which your M4A audio is stored. There, make sure that you have ‘File Name Extensions’ selected under the ‘VIEW’ tab (pointed out in the image below).
This will allow you to view and edit the file extension of a given file.
**Step 2: Rename M4A to M4R!
Next, select the M4A that you want to convert and right-click so that you can choose the ‘Rename’ option on the pop-up that appears.
**Step 3: Change M4A to M4R
With ‘File Name Extensions’ on, you can edit the file extension as well! Of course, this is not possible for all conversions. But, as mentioned, since M4A and M4R files are pretty much the same, you can do so without damaging the file!
Meaning, you can change M4A to M4R without worrying about it being unusable!
012. How to Convert M4A to M4R with iTunes
This process was already explained in Part 2, Section 2 of this article. But, since it’s important to provide this perspective we’ll be going through the process again. This time, with the intention of converting an M4A music file to an M4R!
**Step 1: Add File to iTunes Library!
First, add the M4A file to your iTunes library! (You can use the drag-and-drop feature or select ‘Add File’ or ‘Add folder’ under the ‘FILE’ tab).
**Step 2: Create to M4R!
Once your M4A audio file has been uploaded, make sure that it’s selected and then select ‘Create Version’ for it (the option can be found under the ‘FILE’ tab > ‘Convert’!)
**Step 3: Convert M4A to M4R
Once the version of the file has been created (which comes out as M4A), you can use the method we showed in Section 3, Part 1 of this article to change the M4A to M4R simply by rewriting the file extension name.
03How to Convert M4A to M4R Online
For this next part, we’ll be echoing another one of our earlier tutorials! Only, this time, we’ll be focusing on converting M4A to M4R online with an M4R converter online! Specifically, the one we introduced previously — Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Online M4R Converter
Audio Tool Set offers an M4A to M4R converter that you can select under the ‘CONVERT AUDIO’ tab!
**Step 2: Upload M4A File!
Once you’ve been moved to the free M4A to M4R converter, select the ‘UPLOAD M4A’ option to browse your PC for the M4A file that you want to convert.
**Step 3: Confirm M4R Conversion Format!
If you’re using the M4A to M4R Converter you can skip this step. But, if not, make sure that you have chosen ‘M4R’ as your desired conversion format!
**Step 4: Convert M4A to M4R!
With all of that in order, select ‘CONVERT’ to move forward.
**Step 5: Download Converted M4R!
Finally, with the conversion done, you can now download the converted file to use as you will! This can be done by selecting the ‘DOWNLOAD’ option!
04How to Create and How to Open an M4A File?
If you want detailed instructions on how to create an M4A file, please refer to Part 2, Section 2 of this article, or Part 3, Section 2. In both sections, we demonstrated how one can create an M4A file by using the ‘Create Version’ feature that iTunes offers.
In that same vein, if you want to be able to open an M4A file, iTunes is your best bet! Although, it should also be said that some of the more advanced media players (and audio players), like QuickTime or Media Player, can open M4A files as well!
05Which Other Formats M4A Can Be Converted into and Why?
There are numerous file formats that you can convert M4A into. If you want examples: you can convert M4A to M4R, MP3 to M4A, WAV to M4A, FLAC to M4A, OGG to M4A, WMA to M4A, and so much more! Of course, if you want more advanced M4A conversions, you might want to consider using a more advanced tool. One such M4A converter that we recommend is Filmora Pro!
Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing software that will allow you to convert M4A to M4R (and all sorts of other audio and video file formats) so that you can make use of the file for all your projects! The best part of using a video editor like Filmora, of course, is that once you’ve converted the file, you can use it immediately — there’s no need to wait, you can finish your project right then and there, making it unnecessary for you to go searching for any other solution.
Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows
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.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
● What’s the point of M4R Converters? Well, it’s most relevant to iOS users! Especially those who are tired of listening to the same boring tones on their phone over and over again!
● The M4R file format was created by Apple to differentiate music from ringtones. And, by becoming familiar with the process (which we’ve illustrated in many details in the article above), you can flex your creativity a bit and control just what tones are coming out of your phone!
● It’s not all that difficult to create M4Rs either! There are several methods that you can try — online, iTunes, third-party software, and so much more!
● And, you can make these ringtones from pretty much any format — whether you’re converting from MP3, MOV, WAV, FLAC, WMA, etc.
M4R is an audio file extension that was created by Apple to separate regular songs and audio from ringtones
As for methods of converting from your more general file extension formats to M4R, we’ve prepared a whole guide below — where we’ve outlined some of the more important things that you should know about M4R converters and how to use them.
In this article
01 [Why Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 1)
02 [How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?](#Part 2)
03 [How to Convert M4A to M4R?](#Part 3)
Part 1 Why Convert MP3 to M4R?
Let’s start with a bit of an overview of M4R and M4R Converters first! We touched upon this subject in the introduction, but we thought it would be best to expand on the subject here for better understanding. First, let’s talk about what an M4R converter is usually like. Then, let’s talk about why someone might convert from MP3 to M4R.
01M4R Converter Key Features
Here’s a list of some key features that you should look for in an M4R Converter:
● Your average M4R Converter should allow you to convert to M4R from general audio files. That includes the following: MP3, WAV, WMA, AIFF, AMR, FLAC, MKA, WMV, and so much more.
● It should also allow you to ‘extract’ audio from videos (whether it is a MPEG-4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
● The M4R converter would prove even more useful if it allowed you to trim small segments of audio or video (with exact start and end time) so that you can specify which part should play as a ringtone.
● A method of previewing trimmed content prior to conversion would also be helpful so that you won’t have to undergo the process again and again.
● Its settings should also be adjustable or the interface intuitive, allowing you to easily choose or discover the output folder, adjust audio bitrate, and so on.
02Best Three Reasons Why Convert MP3 to M4R
There are several reasons why you might want to use an M4R converter to change from MP3 to M4R, these reasons include:
● Creating iPhone Ringtone: The main purpose of converting to M4R is, of course, to create iPhone ringtones. This file extension was created by Apple specifically to differentiate between songs and ringtones. And, if you’re a regular iOS user but are not a fan of the basic iOS ringtones, learning how to create M4R files would be beneficial in opening your horizons.
● Transfer Ringtones to iPhone: Of course, once the M4R is created for use, it would need to be transferred. This is much easier if it stays in this format!
● Making General M4R Audio: Although not as common, some users see the benefit of using M4R audio for other reasons (i.e., content creators sometimes use M4R audio as a sound-effect for videos). Thus, knowing how to convert from MP3 to MP4 usually proves to be useful for them.
Part 2 How to Convert Mp3 to M4R?
Now, let’s start with a more in-depth tutorial on how to actually convert MP3 to M4R! In this case, specifically, we’ll be providing three different examples. Starting with an online solution and then following it up with the general iTunes conversion and the more involved software conversion!
01How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online?
As mentioned, the first M4R Converter on this list is an online one! There are plenty of these kinds of online converter tools available, and they all pretty much work the same way, so the example we’ll be showing below is more of an all-purpose kind of affair. However, just in case you’re curious, the tool we’ll be using for our examples is the Converter from Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Visit Online Converter Website!
First! Open the M4R Converter online tool that you want to use! If you want to follow along with our examples, a URL has been provided for you below:
**Step 2: Upload MP3 File
Next, it’s time to upload the MP3 file that you want to convert to M4R!
Usually, all you have to do for this is click the ‘Upload’ button or drag-and-drop the file onto the specified area. But, in some cases, the M4R converter may also allow you to upload via a link or from cloud-based storage (i.e., Dropbox.)
**Step 3: Select M4R as Output Format!
Once your MP3 file has been uploaded, select the format that you want it to be converted into. This may have defaulted to M4R or you may be given the chance to choose yourself (as is shown in the image below.)
**Step 4: Select Convert!
The next thing you need to do is to simply select the ‘CONVERT’ option to begin processing the change from MP3 to M4R!
**Step 5: Download Converter M4R!
Once the conversion is done, you should now have been given the option to download the finished M4R. Click ‘DOWNLOAD’ and you’re done!
012. How to convert MP3 to M4R on iTunes?
Of course, as an Apple File Extension, it only makes sense that Apple provides its users an easy way to convert general audio to M4R! In this case, we’ll be showing you another method to convert from MP3 to M4R with Apple’s own iTunes! Of course, if you want to follow along with this next example, you’ll have to download and install the software (for Windows users) before proceeding.
**Step 1: Add File or Folder to Library!
Once you have iTunes installed, launch the program and go to ‘File’ > ‘Add File to Library’ or ‘Add Folder to Library’ to upload the MP3 file(s) that you want to convert to M4R!
**Step 2: Select MP3 and Adjust Timing!
Since M4R ringtones are limited to 40 seconds only, you’ll need to adjust timing prior to conversion if you want the ringtone to start and end at a specific time.
This is possible to do by selecting the song from your library and right clicking so you can access the ‘OPTIONS’ tab (shown below)! Under the Options tab, you’ll be able to specify the start and stop time for your chosen MP3!
Click ‘OK’ when done in order to save any changes!
**Step 3: Convert to Version!
Next, with the MP3 file still selected, go to the ‘FILE’ tab (shown in the image below) and then click ‘CONVERT’ > ‘Create Version’!
**Step 4: Go to the Destination Folder!
After the conversion has been finished, locate the file’s destination folder. You’ll notice that the file extension of the file is .M4A but this is easy enough to change.
Just rename the file extension to .M4R (example shown below) and click ‘YES’ to confirm the change! In this way, you’ve managed to convert MP3 to M4R with iTunes!
013. How to Convert MP3 to M4R Online Free with Ringtone Maker?
For this last example of converting MP3 to M4R, we’ve decided to show-off the ringtone maker, Wondershare TunesGo! This program is, of course, more than just a ringtone maker, but the function that we’ll be exploring will be the process of making an iPhone Ringtone from an MP3 file to an M4R (start to finish!)
**Step 1: Launch Program and Connect iPhone to Computer!
First, launch the M4R converter software on your desktop and connect your iPhone to your computer! If you want to use the program that we’re showing off in this example, the URL has been provided below:
**Step 2: Select Ringtone Maker
Once the program has been launched, go to the ‘MUSIC’ tab and select “Ringtone Maker” (pointed out in the image below.)
**Step 3: Select Music File!
A secondary window should appear after you select the ‘Ringtone Maker’ option. Here, the first thing you have to do is upload the music file that you want to convert.
For the software that we’re using as an example, you can choose to upload ‘Local Music’ from your computer or ‘Device Music’ from the music that you have stored in your connected iPhone. We’ll be explaining the different methods to select a music file in the three following steps!
**Step 4: Local Upload - Open!
If you select ‘Local Music’ a system window will appear asking you to select the music file that you want to convert to M4R. Do so and click ‘OPEN!’
**Step 5: Device Music - SELECT!
For the ‘Device Music’ option, another program window will appear. This time, with all the music on your device. You can select the music file you want to convert from here! Click ‘Select’ when done!
**Step 6: TunesGo Library!
For the last method of selecting a music file, all you have to do is select a file from the ‘MUSIC’ tab of TunesGo, right-click on said file, and then select ‘Ringtone Maker’ on the pop-up that appears (shown below).
**Step 7: Trim and Save!
Once you’ve chosen the music file you want to convert, you can now:
● Trim the file to specify which part of the file you want to convert (40 seconds only for a proper Ringtone!)
● Use the ‘Ringtone Audition’ option to preview your trimmed audio.
● And, finally, you can save the finished ringtone directly to your PC or Device!
In this way, not only have you managed to convert from MP3 to M4R cleanly, but you can also use it right away on either your PC or iPhone!
Part 3 How to Convert M4A to M4R?
Another Apple extension file that you might recognize is M4A! This was mentioned briefly in a previous tutorial, but it might be more familiar to others as ‘compressed’ Apple Music. This is what your audio becomes when processed through iTunes. It’s also known as MPEG-4 Audio, and its main purpose is to compress the size of an audio file (compared to MP3) without compromising the quality.
01How to convert M4A to M4R on Windows?
This process was mentioned briefly in Part 2, Section 3 of this article, but we’ll be going through the easiest method of converting M4A to M4R on Windows below! This method is possible only because the formats are pretty much the same. The only difference lies in how they are categorized.
**Step 1: View File Extensions!
The first step to convert M4A to M4R is to open the folder in which your M4A audio is stored. There, make sure that you have ‘File Name Extensions’ selected under the ‘VIEW’ tab (pointed out in the image below).
This will allow you to view and edit the file extension of a given file.
**Step 2: Rename M4A to M4R!
Next, select the M4A that you want to convert and right-click so that you can choose the ‘Rename’ option on the pop-up that appears.
**Step 3: Change M4A to M4R
With ‘File Name Extensions’ on, you can edit the file extension as well! Of course, this is not possible for all conversions. But, as mentioned, since M4A and M4R files are pretty much the same, you can do so without damaging the file!
Meaning, you can change M4A to M4R without worrying about it being unusable!
012. How to Convert M4A to M4R with iTunes
This process was already explained in Part 2, Section 2 of this article. But, since it’s important to provide this perspective we’ll be going through the process again. This time, with the intention of converting an M4A music file to an M4R!
**Step 1: Add File to iTunes Library!
First, add the M4A file to your iTunes library! (You can use the drag-and-drop feature or select ‘Add File’ or ‘Add folder’ under the ‘FILE’ tab).
**Step 2: Create to M4R!
Once your M4A audio file has been uploaded, make sure that it’s selected and then select ‘Create Version’ for it (the option can be found under the ‘FILE’ tab > ‘Convert’!)
**Step 3: Convert M4A to M4R
Once the version of the file has been created (which comes out as M4A), you can use the method we showed in Section 3, Part 1 of this article to change the M4A to M4R simply by rewriting the file extension name.
03How to Convert M4A to M4R Online
For this next part, we’ll be echoing another one of our earlier tutorials! Only, this time, we’ll be focusing on converting M4A to M4R online with an M4R converter online! Specifically, the one we introduced previously — Audio Tool Set!
**Step 1: Online M4R Converter
Audio Tool Set offers an M4A to M4R converter that you can select under the ‘CONVERT AUDIO’ tab!
**Step 2: Upload M4A File!
Once you’ve been moved to the free M4A to M4R converter, select the ‘UPLOAD M4A’ option to browse your PC for the M4A file that you want to convert.
**Step 3: Confirm M4R Conversion Format!
If you’re using the M4A to M4R Converter you can skip this step. But, if not, make sure that you have chosen ‘M4R’ as your desired conversion format!
**Step 4: Convert M4A to M4R!
With all of that in order, select ‘CONVERT’ to move forward.
**Step 5: Download Converted M4R!
Finally, with the conversion done, you can now download the converted file to use as you will! This can be done by selecting the ‘DOWNLOAD’ option!
04How to Create and How to Open an M4A File?
If you want detailed instructions on how to create an M4A file, please refer to Part 2, Section 2 of this article, or Part 3, Section 2. In both sections, we demonstrated how one can create an M4A file by using the ‘Create Version’ feature that iTunes offers.
In that same vein, if you want to be able to open an M4A file, iTunes is your best bet! Although, it should also be said that some of the more advanced media players (and audio players), like QuickTime or Media Player, can open M4A files as well!
05Which Other Formats M4A Can Be Converted into and Why?
There are numerous file formats that you can convert M4A into. If you want examples: you can convert M4A to M4R, MP3 to M4A, WAV to M4A, FLAC to M4A, OGG to M4A, WMA to M4A, and so much more! Of course, if you want more advanced M4A conversions, you might want to consider using a more advanced tool. One such M4A converter that we recommend is Filmora Pro!
Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing software that will allow you to convert M4A to M4R (and all sorts of other audio and video file formats) so that you can make use of the file for all your projects! The best part of using a video editor like Filmora, of course, is that once you’ve converted the file, you can use it immediately — there’s no need to wait, you can finish your project right then and there, making it unnecessary for you to go searching for any other solution.
Wondershare Filmora - Best Video Editor for Mac/Windows
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.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
● What’s the point of M4R Converters? Well, it’s most relevant to iOS users! Especially those who are tired of listening to the same boring tones on their phone over and over again!
● The M4R file format was created by Apple to differentiate music from ringtones. And, by becoming familiar with the process (which we’ve illustrated in many details in the article above), you can flex your creativity a bit and control just what tones are coming out of your phone!
● It’s not all that difficult to create M4Rs either! There are several methods that you can try — online, iTunes, third-party software, and so much more!
● And, you can make these ringtones from pretty much any format — whether you’re converting from MP3, MOV, WAV, FLAC, WMA, etc.
Mastering QuickTime Video Editing on Mac: A Beginner’s Guide
Edit Videos with QuickTime Player on Mac
Ollie Mattison
Jan 23, 2024• Proven solutions
There is no doubt that one of the most underrated components of the consumer Mac software that comes built into every Mac is Apple’s QuickTime Player. The reason for this, of course, is that QuickTime, in addition to being a simple video player that edits mp4 Mac, also allows users to do some basic video trimming. This can come in handy for average users, especially when you consider how expensive, bloated, and complex video editing software can be. In this article, we will show you that how QuickTime edit videos on Mac.
Part1: Quicktime is More Than a Player
QuickTime Player is a simple yet powerful video editing program available for Mac. It includes features for casual video editors and professionals alike, so whatever your reason for looking for good edit mp4 Mac software, QuickTime Player has to cover you.
The QuickTime player was originally designed to play almost all types of multimedia files, but it has since been expanded to include a number of functions. For example, you can use it to quickly trim a video or record screen content for use in a tutorial or as a helpful example when troubleshooting. Follow these steps to edit a movie with QuickTime edit video Player for Mac.
Main features of QuickTime Player for Mac
- Support key media formats, such as MOV, MPEG, MP3, 3GPP, etc.
- Provide QuickTime Web plug-in together with the player.
- Play online streaming content vial URL.
- Edit video files, such as trimming and splitting.
- Control subtitles, languages and more options.
- Includes picture viewers for JPEG, BMP and PNG.
1. Trim Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
Trimming Videos in QuickTime video player is another simple feature. You can delete the beginning or end, or simply shorten the movie or clip.
Step1: Click on “Open File” and select the video or movie to be edited.
Step2: Click here to edit > trim from the menu bar.
Step3: Use a handle on both sides to resist the part of the film that you want to trim. The rest of the film will remain yellow. Everything except yellow will be removed.
Step4: When you have done, click on “Trim”.
2. Split Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily split your movie into separate clips if you want to. Then, if desired, you can modify these clips.
To split your movie into clips, use one of these methods.
Step1: Click the Play button to jump to the part of the clip where you want to split, and then pause it.
Step2: Move the playhead where you want to split the position, then select Edit > Split Clip.
Step3: If you want to make more splits, drag the playhead to the location where you want to split, and then perform step 2 again.
3. Rotate Video with QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily rotate video clips with QuickTime Player. Just follow these steps:
Step1: Open the movie or clip in the QuickTime Player app on your Mac.
Step2: Select the clip by going to View > Show Clips.
Step3: Choose to rotate the clip left or right, or flip it horizontally or vertically, from the Edit menu.
Step4: When you’re done, click Done.
Part2: Edit Video with Wondershare Filmora for Mac
Filmora for Mac is an easy-to-use video editor. Wondershare Filmora Mac version has powerful functions and rich functions. Using Wondershare Filmora Mac software, you can make high-quality videos. By using Filmora you will easily Create professional-like movies from video files, audio files, and photo files with transitions, effects and titles.
You can easily trim and adjust your video clip with Filmora. Once you’ve got a clip added to your timeline, it’s easy to adjust it. Filmora makes it very easy to change the speed of the video. Simply double-click on the video in your timeline to access the Speed option. Now, move your cursor to the right to speed up the video, or to the left to slow it down.
Filmora supports almost all popular video formats as well as audio and video formats. It also includes support for 4K video and GIF files. In addition, Filmora allows you to import photos and clips from social networks such as Facebook.
Wondershare Filmora is also equipped with many advanced editing tools. Keyframe animation feature that lets you add custom animations that combine with settings to improve visual interaction and overall aesthetics.
Motion tracking function that allows you to capture the movement of a specific moving person or object in the frame and add captions, effects, text, etc., edit, crop and merge video footage.
Video stabilization to help correct image distortion due to camera shake, and pan and zoom objects for added effect. Colour correction function for video recording. It can be applied to multiple clips at the same time.
Is Wondershare Filmora Worth for Trying?
As we mentioned above, Wondershare Filmora is an elegant, full-featured video editing software that includes a variety of basic and advanced video editing tools. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to easily add effects, transitions, and edit your videos. You can use it to create random videos or professional videos using the software. So yes, this video editing software is for everyone. Well, you should try the free version and you won’t regret.
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Jan 23, 2024• Proven solutions
There is no doubt that one of the most underrated components of the consumer Mac software that comes built into every Mac is Apple’s QuickTime Player. The reason for this, of course, is that QuickTime, in addition to being a simple video player that edits mp4 Mac, also allows users to do some basic video trimming. This can come in handy for average users, especially when you consider how expensive, bloated, and complex video editing software can be. In this article, we will show you that how QuickTime edit videos on Mac.
Part1: Quicktime is More Than a Player
QuickTime Player is a simple yet powerful video editing program available for Mac. It includes features for casual video editors and professionals alike, so whatever your reason for looking for good edit mp4 Mac software, QuickTime Player has to cover you.
The QuickTime player was originally designed to play almost all types of multimedia files, but it has since been expanded to include a number of functions. For example, you can use it to quickly trim a video or record screen content for use in a tutorial or as a helpful example when troubleshooting. Follow these steps to edit a movie with QuickTime edit video Player for Mac.
Main features of QuickTime Player for Mac
- Support key media formats, such as MOV, MPEG, MP3, 3GPP, etc.
- Provide QuickTime Web plug-in together with the player.
- Play online streaming content vial URL.
- Edit video files, such as trimming and splitting.
- Control subtitles, languages and more options.
- Includes picture viewers for JPEG, BMP and PNG.
1. Trim Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
Trimming Videos in QuickTime video player is another simple feature. You can delete the beginning or end, or simply shorten the movie or clip.
Step1: Click on “Open File” and select the video or movie to be edited.
Step2: Click here to edit > trim from the menu bar.
Step3: Use a handle on both sides to resist the part of the film that you want to trim. The rest of the film will remain yellow. Everything except yellow will be removed.
Step4: When you have done, click on “Trim”.
2. Split Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily split your movie into separate clips if you want to. Then, if desired, you can modify these clips.
To split your movie into clips, use one of these methods.
Step1: Click the Play button to jump to the part of the clip where you want to split, and then pause it.
Step2: Move the playhead where you want to split the position, then select Edit > Split Clip.
Step3: If you want to make more splits, drag the playhead to the location where you want to split, and then perform step 2 again.
3. Rotate Video with QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily rotate video clips with QuickTime Player. Just follow these steps:
Step1: Open the movie or clip in the QuickTime Player app on your Mac.
Step2: Select the clip by going to View > Show Clips.
Step3: Choose to rotate the clip left or right, or flip it horizontally or vertically, from the Edit menu.
Step4: When you’re done, click Done.
Part2: Edit Video with Wondershare Filmora for Mac
Filmora for Mac is an easy-to-use video editor. Wondershare Filmora Mac version has powerful functions and rich functions. Using Wondershare Filmora Mac software, you can make high-quality videos. By using Filmora you will easily Create professional-like movies from video files, audio files, and photo files with transitions, effects and titles.
You can easily trim and adjust your video clip with Filmora. Once you’ve got a clip added to your timeline, it’s easy to adjust it. Filmora makes it very easy to change the speed of the video. Simply double-click on the video in your timeline to access the Speed option. Now, move your cursor to the right to speed up the video, or to the left to slow it down.
Filmora supports almost all popular video formats as well as audio and video formats. It also includes support for 4K video and GIF files. In addition, Filmora allows you to import photos and clips from social networks such as Facebook.
Wondershare Filmora is also equipped with many advanced editing tools. Keyframe animation feature that lets you add custom animations that combine with settings to improve visual interaction and overall aesthetics.
Motion tracking function that allows you to capture the movement of a specific moving person or object in the frame and add captions, effects, text, etc., edit, crop and merge video footage.
Video stabilization to help correct image distortion due to camera shake, and pan and zoom objects for added effect. Colour correction function for video recording. It can be applied to multiple clips at the same time.
Is Wondershare Filmora Worth for Trying?
As we mentioned above, Wondershare Filmora is an elegant, full-featured video editing software that includes a variety of basic and advanced video editing tools. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to easily add effects, transitions, and edit your videos. You can use it to create random videos or professional videos using the software. So yes, this video editing software is for everyone. Well, you should try the free version and you won’t regret.
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Jan 23, 2024• Proven solutions
There is no doubt that one of the most underrated components of the consumer Mac software that comes built into every Mac is Apple’s QuickTime Player. The reason for this, of course, is that QuickTime, in addition to being a simple video player that edits mp4 Mac, also allows users to do some basic video trimming. This can come in handy for average users, especially when you consider how expensive, bloated, and complex video editing software can be. In this article, we will show you that how QuickTime edit videos on Mac.
Part1: Quicktime is More Than a Player
QuickTime Player is a simple yet powerful video editing program available for Mac. It includes features for casual video editors and professionals alike, so whatever your reason for looking for good edit mp4 Mac software, QuickTime Player has to cover you.
The QuickTime player was originally designed to play almost all types of multimedia files, but it has since been expanded to include a number of functions. For example, you can use it to quickly trim a video or record screen content for use in a tutorial or as a helpful example when troubleshooting. Follow these steps to edit a movie with QuickTime edit video Player for Mac.
Main features of QuickTime Player for Mac
- Support key media formats, such as MOV, MPEG, MP3, 3GPP, etc.
- Provide QuickTime Web plug-in together with the player.
- Play online streaming content vial URL.
- Edit video files, such as trimming and splitting.
- Control subtitles, languages and more options.
- Includes picture viewers for JPEG, BMP and PNG.
1. Trim Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
Trimming Videos in QuickTime video player is another simple feature. You can delete the beginning or end, or simply shorten the movie or clip.
Step1: Click on “Open File” and select the video or movie to be edited.
Step2: Click here to edit > trim from the menu bar.
Step3: Use a handle on both sides to resist the part of the film that you want to trim. The rest of the film will remain yellow. Everything except yellow will be removed.
Step4: When you have done, click on “Trim”.
2. Split Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily split your movie into separate clips if you want to. Then, if desired, you can modify these clips.
To split your movie into clips, use one of these methods.
Step1: Click the Play button to jump to the part of the clip where you want to split, and then pause it.
Step2: Move the playhead where you want to split the position, then select Edit > Split Clip.
Step3: If you want to make more splits, drag the playhead to the location where you want to split, and then perform step 2 again.
3. Rotate Video with QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily rotate video clips with QuickTime Player. Just follow these steps:
Step1: Open the movie or clip in the QuickTime Player app on your Mac.
Step2: Select the clip by going to View > Show Clips.
Step3: Choose to rotate the clip left or right, or flip it horizontally or vertically, from the Edit menu.
Step4: When you’re done, click Done.
Part2: Edit Video with Wondershare Filmora for Mac
Filmora for Mac is an easy-to-use video editor. Wondershare Filmora Mac version has powerful functions and rich functions. Using Wondershare Filmora Mac software, you can make high-quality videos. By using Filmora you will easily Create professional-like movies from video files, audio files, and photo files with transitions, effects and titles.
You can easily trim and adjust your video clip with Filmora. Once you’ve got a clip added to your timeline, it’s easy to adjust it. Filmora makes it very easy to change the speed of the video. Simply double-click on the video in your timeline to access the Speed option. Now, move your cursor to the right to speed up the video, or to the left to slow it down.
Filmora supports almost all popular video formats as well as audio and video formats. It also includes support for 4K video and GIF files. In addition, Filmora allows you to import photos and clips from social networks such as Facebook.
Wondershare Filmora is also equipped with many advanced editing tools. Keyframe animation feature that lets you add custom animations that combine with settings to improve visual interaction and overall aesthetics.
Motion tracking function that allows you to capture the movement of a specific moving person or object in the frame and add captions, effects, text, etc., edit, crop and merge video footage.
Video stabilization to help correct image distortion due to camera shake, and pan and zoom objects for added effect. Colour correction function for video recording. It can be applied to multiple clips at the same time.
Is Wondershare Filmora Worth for Trying?
As we mentioned above, Wondershare Filmora is an elegant, full-featured video editing software that includes a variety of basic and advanced video editing tools. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to easily add effects, transitions, and edit your videos. You can use it to create random videos or professional videos using the software. So yes, this video editing software is for everyone. Well, you should try the free version and you won’t regret.
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Jan 23, 2024• Proven solutions
There is no doubt that one of the most underrated components of the consumer Mac software that comes built into every Mac is Apple’s QuickTime Player. The reason for this, of course, is that QuickTime, in addition to being a simple video player that edits mp4 Mac, also allows users to do some basic video trimming. This can come in handy for average users, especially when you consider how expensive, bloated, and complex video editing software can be. In this article, we will show you that how QuickTime edit videos on Mac.
Part1: Quicktime is More Than a Player
QuickTime Player is a simple yet powerful video editing program available for Mac. It includes features for casual video editors and professionals alike, so whatever your reason for looking for good edit mp4 Mac software, QuickTime Player has to cover you.
The QuickTime player was originally designed to play almost all types of multimedia files, but it has since been expanded to include a number of functions. For example, you can use it to quickly trim a video or record screen content for use in a tutorial or as a helpful example when troubleshooting. Follow these steps to edit a movie with QuickTime edit video Player for Mac.
Main features of QuickTime Player for Mac
- Support key media formats, such as MOV, MPEG, MP3, 3GPP, etc.
- Provide QuickTime Web plug-in together with the player.
- Play online streaming content vial URL.
- Edit video files, such as trimming and splitting.
- Control subtitles, languages and more options.
- Includes picture viewers for JPEG, BMP and PNG.
1. Trim Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
Trimming Videos in QuickTime video player is another simple feature. You can delete the beginning or end, or simply shorten the movie or clip.
Step1: Click on “Open File” and select the video or movie to be edited.
Step2: Click here to edit > trim from the menu bar.
Step3: Use a handle on both sides to resist the part of the film that you want to trim. The rest of the film will remain yellow. Everything except yellow will be removed.
Step4: When you have done, click on “Trim”.
2. Split Video With QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily split your movie into separate clips if you want to. Then, if desired, you can modify these clips.
To split your movie into clips, use one of these methods.
Step1: Click the Play button to jump to the part of the clip where you want to split, and then pause it.
Step2: Move the playhead where you want to split the position, then select Edit > Split Clip.
Step3: If you want to make more splits, drag the playhead to the location where you want to split, and then perform step 2 again.
3. Rotate Video with QuickTime Player on Mac
You can easily rotate video clips with QuickTime Player. Just follow these steps:
Step1: Open the movie or clip in the QuickTime Player app on your Mac.
Step2: Select the clip by going to View > Show Clips.
Step3: Choose to rotate the clip left or right, or flip it horizontally or vertically, from the Edit menu.
Step4: When you’re done, click Done.
Part2: Edit Video with Wondershare Filmora for Mac
Filmora for Mac is an easy-to-use video editor. Wondershare Filmora Mac version has powerful functions and rich functions. Using Wondershare Filmora Mac software, you can make high-quality videos. By using Filmora you will easily Create professional-like movies from video files, audio files, and photo files with transitions, effects and titles.
You can easily trim and adjust your video clip with Filmora. Once you’ve got a clip added to your timeline, it’s easy to adjust it. Filmora makes it very easy to change the speed of the video. Simply double-click on the video in your timeline to access the Speed option. Now, move your cursor to the right to speed up the video, or to the left to slow it down.
Filmora supports almost all popular video formats as well as audio and video formats. It also includes support for 4K video and GIF files. In addition, Filmora allows you to import photos and clips from social networks such as Facebook.
Wondershare Filmora is also equipped with many advanced editing tools. Keyframe animation feature that lets you add custom animations that combine with settings to improve visual interaction and overall aesthetics.
Motion tracking function that allows you to capture the movement of a specific moving person or object in the frame and add captions, effects, text, etc., edit, crop and merge video footage.
Video stabilization to help correct image distortion due to camera shake, and pan and zoom objects for added effect. Colour correction function for video recording. It can be applied to multiple clips at the same time.
Is Wondershare Filmora Worth for Trying?
As we mentioned above, Wondershare Filmora is an elegant, full-featured video editing software that includes a variety of basic and advanced video editing tools. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to easily add effects, transitions, and edit your videos. You can use it to create random videos or professional videos using the software. So yes, this video editing software is for everyone. Well, you should try the free version and you won’t regret.
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Unlock the Power of Voice: Best Free Mac Speech Recognition Software
Do you struggle to meet deadlines for your text assignments? If you do, then you are in luck. Speech recognition technology is the best way to beat this challenge. Whether you are a student or a corporate professional, several speech-to-text apps can be used to guarantee that you meet your deadlines. For example, Mac owners can use dragon for Mac to complete typing assignments in half the time.
Below are the best speech-to-text apps on Mac you might have missed since the beginning of 2022. Some of the apps in the list are in-built into your device, while others may require you to download additional software. Regardless, all of those listed below are free to use on your Mac device. Keep reading to find out more.
Part1: Top 1 Built-in Mac Dictation Feature
Did you know your Mac device comes with a built-in speech-to-text feature? So whether you use a laptop or desktop, you can generate text from your voice through your device’s microphone. Officially known as Dictation, the app allows you to transcribe text anywhere you can type it. So, for example, you can use Apple Dictation for your messaging and word processing apps.
The feature has been available since macOS Sierra as a free built-in feature. Earlier versions of Apple Dictation relied on its voice recognition software. However, it now relies on Siri for users of macOS Catalina onwards.
Typically, the app allows you to transcribe thirty seconds and below of audio. However, you can enable Enhanced dictation for longer transcription times. According to most users, the app is suitable for getting the first draft of your assignment, which you can manually edit later.
Follow these steps to enable Apple Dictation on your Mac:
- Tap the Apple logo on the top-left toolbar of your screen and select System Preferences from the resulting menu.
- Click on the Keyboard option from the system preferences screen.
- Once there, click on the Dictation option located at the top of the menu.
- Select On to activate the app in its default mode. In addition, you can check the Use Enhanced Dictation box to enable additional functions such as offline use and text commands like bold and italics.
- Finally, select your language from the dropdown menu and choose a shortcut key.
Please note that you need to speak your punctuation loudly when using Apple Dictation. Otherwise, the app will consider them as regular words.
Part2: Top 2 Microsoft Word [Free & No Download]
Another option to consider is speech-to-text Microsoft Word Mac. The app is free to use and relies on Microsoft Azure Speech Services to transcribe text. Below are the requirements to use speech-to-text word mac.
- An external microphone for your Mac desktop, or you can use your built-in microphone for your MacBook. This is because speech-to-text on Microsoft word mac only allows input with a microphone rather than an audio file upload.
- An active Office 365 subscription. Please note you need to log in to your account for the app to function.
- Insider builds 16.32 (19120802) and above.
- An active internet connection.
Once you have everything set up, follow these steps to use speech-to-text on Word.
- Launch Microsoft Word from your desktop.
- Click on the Dictate button from the top menu of your Word document, and wait for the red dot to appear. The button features a microphone for easy identification.
- Once the dot appears, start speaking to transcribe your text. Ensure you are in a quiet environment for the best results. In addition, speak louder when transcribing punctuations.
- Click on the Dictate button to finish the transcription.
Part3: Top 3 Google docs
Google Docs is arguably the market’s most accurate free speech-to-text service. In addition, it allows you to transcribe your voice to text and format documents with your voice. However, you can only use the service through the Chrome browser.
Follow these steps to activate Google Docs voice typing on your Mac device:
- Launch the Chrome browser on your macOS and select Docs from the app menu. Please note you will need an active Google account to use the service.
- Open a new document and click on the Tools tab from the top menu.
- Select Voice Typing from the menu to access speech-to-text on Google Docs.
- Tap the microphone to start transcribing, and tap it again to finish.
Google Docs speech-to-text is available in 71 languages. In addition, it supports simple commands such as ‘create a bulleted list,’ which are unavailable on other speech-to-text apps. As such, it is one of the market’s most popular voice typing apps.
Part4: Top 4 Filmora
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Adding subtitles to your videos can be incredibly time-consuming if you do not have the right tools. However, with Filmora’s speech-to-text function, you can add subtitles to your video with a single click. In addition, it automatically recognizes audio in your videos and transcribes it to text with incredible accuracy. The plugin uses state-of-the-art algorithms to ensure the video industry’s most accurate speech technology.
Furthermore, you can import external files to your video’s timeline and edit them as you please. For example, you can import a video from your thumb drive and use the Filmora speech-to-text plugin to transcribe to text. Currently, the plugin can transcribe the text in 26 languages. As such, it is a favorite for vloggers, teachers, and film editors, who all have to deliver their content with great efficiency.
Please note that you must have Filmora installed on your Mac device to access the Speech to Text plugin. In addition, check if your Filmora version is compatible with the plugin before downloading. Once you confirm that you meet all the requirements, here is how to use the service:
- Launch the Filmora app on your Mac and open a new video workspace.
- Click on the microphone symbol at the bottom right corner of the page to start recording. Tap it once again to finish the recording.
- Tap the Tools tab on your main menu and select Speech to Text. Then, confirm your preferences and wait for the transcription.
Part5: Top 5 Dragon for Mac
Dragon Dictate is arguably the best dictation software currently on the market. According to most users, its accuracy and feature sets are next to none. For example, the Smart Format Rules learn how you represent dates, numbers, and abbreviations, resulting in less editing work for you. The Dragon Dictate app is free to download from the Apple Store.
Dragon for Mac users reports a dictation accuracy of nearly 99%, which is excellent in the speech-to-text software category. All of Nuance’s Dragon products use deep learning technology to capture your accent and cadence. As such, the app gets better at transcribing your text as you continue using it. In addition, dragon for Mac professional allows you to transcribe audio clips from uploaded files. For example, you can import audio from your iPhone to your Dragon Dictate workspace and transcribe it hassle-free.
Unfortunately, you cannot get a stand-alone dragon app for Mac. This is because Nuance discontinued its development in 2018. In addition, Microsoft’s acquisition of the company in 2021 proves that the decision is permanent. However, you can still use the Windows version of Dragon through Parallels, which allows you to run macOS and Windows simultaneously. In addition, this method also works for M1 Macs.
Part6: FAQs
Is there a difference between voice recognition and speech-to-text?
Voice recognition software allows your device to capture your accent and tone and then stores that data for different functions, such as user logins and speech-to-text functionality. For example, Siri will ask you to repeat a sentence several times as one of the setup steps.
Which is the best external device for the speech-to-text service?
Most users report better speech-to-text accuracy when using headsets compared to using an external microphone. This is because the microphone is much closer to your mouth, so your voice is less affected by external noise.
Can speech-to-text apps automatically translate a transcribed text?
Yes, they can. Apps such as Google’s Speech to Text include a translation feature in their functionality. However, you will need the Google Chrome browser to access Speech to text. This is because the service is only available to active google account holders.
How much faster is speech to text faster than typing?
A 2017 Stanford study states that speech to text is aboutthree times faster than typing . In addition, it found that speech-to-text apps can transcribe over 150 words per minute, while professional transcriptionists range between 50 to 80 words per minute.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Adding subtitles to your videos can be incredibly time-consuming if you do not have the right tools. However, with Filmora’s speech-to-text function, you can add subtitles to your video with a single click. In addition, it automatically recognizes audio in your videos and transcribes it to text with incredible accuracy. The plugin uses state-of-the-art algorithms to ensure the video industry’s most accurate speech technology.
Furthermore, you can import external files to your video’s timeline and edit them as you please. For example, you can import a video from your thumb drive and use the Filmora speech-to-text plugin to transcribe to text. Currently, the plugin can transcribe the text in 26 languages. As such, it is a favorite for vloggers, teachers, and film editors, who all have to deliver their content with great efficiency.
Please note that you must have Filmora installed on your Mac device to access the Speech to Text plugin. In addition, check if your Filmora version is compatible with the plugin before downloading. Once you confirm that you meet all the requirements, here is how to use the service:
- Launch the Filmora app on your Mac and open a new video workspace.
- Click on the microphone symbol at the bottom right corner of the page to start recording. Tap it once again to finish the recording.
- Tap the Tools tab on your main menu and select Speech to Text. Then, confirm your preferences and wait for the transcription.
Part5: Top 5 Dragon for Mac
Dragon Dictate is arguably the best dictation software currently on the market. According to most users, its accuracy and feature sets are next to none. For example, the Smart Format Rules learn how you represent dates, numbers, and abbreviations, resulting in less editing work for you. The Dragon Dictate app is free to download from the Apple Store.
Dragon for Mac users reports a dictation accuracy of nearly 99%, which is excellent in the speech-to-text software category. All of Nuance’s Dragon products use deep learning technology to capture your accent and cadence. As such, the app gets better at transcribing your text as you continue using it. In addition, dragon for Mac professional allows you to transcribe audio clips from uploaded files. For example, you can import audio from your iPhone to your Dragon Dictate workspace and transcribe it hassle-free.
Unfortunately, you cannot get a stand-alone dragon app for Mac. This is because Nuance discontinued its development in 2018. In addition, Microsoft’s acquisition of the company in 2021 proves that the decision is permanent. However, you can still use the Windows version of Dragon through Parallels, which allows you to run macOS and Windows simultaneously. In addition, this method also works for M1 Macs.
Part6: FAQs
Is there a difference between voice recognition and speech-to-text?
Voice recognition software allows your device to capture your accent and tone and then stores that data for different functions, such as user logins and speech-to-text functionality. For example, Siri will ask you to repeat a sentence several times as one of the setup steps.
Which is the best external device for the speech-to-text service?
Most users report better speech-to-text accuracy when using headsets compared to using an external microphone. This is because the microphone is much closer to your mouth, so your voice is less affected by external noise.
Can speech-to-text apps automatically translate a transcribed text?
Yes, they can. Apps such as Google’s Speech to Text include a translation feature in their functionality. However, you will need the Google Chrome browser to access Speech to text. This is because the service is only available to active google account holders.
How much faster is speech to text faster than typing?
A 2017 Stanford study states that speech to text is aboutthree times faster than typing . In addition, it found that speech-to-text apps can transcribe over 150 words per minute, while professional transcriptionists range between 50 to 80 words per minute.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
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- Title: 2024 Approved Free Animation Solutions Top Picks for Windows and Mac Computers
- Author: Amelia
- Created at : 2024-04-29 20:00:39
- Updated at : 2024-04-30 20:00:39
- Link: https://ai-driven-video-production.techidaily.com/2024-approved-free-animation-solutions-top-picks-for-windows-and-mac-computers/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
