[Official] 4 Best Ways to Get Filmora Discount Codes - 2022 Update

[Official] 4 Best Ways to Get Filmora Discount Codes - 2024 Update

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Wondershare Filmora is one of the most popular and advanced video editing tools of the present time, and it certainly needs no introduction. The video editor is available for Windows and Mac and is already used by millions of people worldwide.

The best part is that while buying your subscription, you can apply a Filmora discount code to get a substantial off. After all, who doesn’t like discounts, right? To protect you from the growing fake discount codes and gimmicks, I have listed 5 trusted and genuine ways to get a discount on the purchase of Wondershare Filmora in this official guide.

Method 1: Use the Filmora Discount Coupon for Students

To encourage the use of its utility products in education, Wondershare offers numerous coupon codes on its flagship products for students. Therefore, to get an instant Filmora discount code, you can simply use your Students Beans ID for making the purchase. As of now, students can avail up to 30% off on their purchase of a Filmora subscription.

To get this Filmora discount coupon, you can just go to the official website of Filmora and click on the “Buy Now” button. Now, from the available options, you can just go to the “Educational” tab.

Here, you can fill a form with details about your school and the intent of using Wondershare Filmora. Simply submit the required information and wait for a correspondence email from Filmora with your discount details.

You can get a monthly, annual, or perpetual license of Filmora. While the annual license will have a discount of 20%, the perpetual license will let you buy Filmora for 30% off. Wondershare also gives us the freedom to cancel our subscription whenever we want.

Method 2: Subscribe to Filmora’s Mailing List to Get Regular Discounts

If you want to get regular updates regarding Wondershare Filmora, then you can also subscribe to its mailing list. All you need to do is go to the official website of Filmora and enter your valid email ID to its subscription list.

That’s it! You are now a part of its subscription list and would get timely emails about Filmora discount codes, release updates, and other details about the product. Just keep an eye on any new email from Filmora and make sure that you check the “Promotions” tab on your Gmail Inbox to avoid missing out on any Filmora promo code.

Method 3: Check Festive and Special Occasion Discounts

Wondershare Filmora keeps coming up with all kinds of discounts and promotional events every once in a while. For instance, Wondershare is known for hosting a tempting Black Friday Sale every year that you should not miss.

Apart from that, there are also sales on other occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year, and so on. You can keep checking the official website of Wondershare Filmora during any special occasion to avail these limited discounts.

(Please note that all these prices are for the annual subscription of these products)

More information: Check Filmora Creative Bundles

There you go! Now when you know about these genuine Filmora discount coupons and codes, you can easily save some bucks while getting a Filmora subscription. Please note that there are several gimmicks and fake Filmora promo codes that you might find on numerous apps or websites. It is recommended to avoid using any unreliable source as I have listed details about genuine Filmora coupons and discount codes that work seamlessly. You can just try either of these methods and save big while getting your Wondershare Filmora subscription right away!

Liza Brown

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

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Wondershare Filmora is one of the most popular and advanced video editing tools of the present time, and it certainly needs no introduction. The video editor is available for Windows and Mac and is already used by millions of people worldwide.

The best part is that while buying your subscription, you can apply a Filmora discount code to get a substantial off. After all, who doesn’t like discounts, right? To protect you from the growing fake discount codes and gimmicks, I have listed 5 trusted and genuine ways to get a discount on the purchase of Wondershare Filmora in this official guide.

Method 1: Use the Filmora Discount Coupon for Students

To encourage the use of its utility products in education, Wondershare offers numerous coupon codes on its flagship products for students. Therefore, to get an instant Filmora discount code, you can simply use your Students Beans ID for making the purchase. As of now, students can avail up to 30% off on their purchase of a Filmora subscription.

To get this Filmora discount coupon, you can just go to the official website of Filmora and click on the “Buy Now” button. Now, from the available options, you can just go to the “Educational” tab.

Here, you can fill a form with details about your school and the intent of using Wondershare Filmora. Simply submit the required information and wait for a correspondence email from Filmora with your discount details.

You can get a monthly, annual, or perpetual license of Filmora. While the annual license will have a discount of 20%, the perpetual license will let you buy Filmora for 30% off. Wondershare also gives us the freedom to cancel our subscription whenever we want.

Method 2: Subscribe to Filmora’s Mailing List to Get Regular Discounts

If you want to get regular updates regarding Wondershare Filmora, then you can also subscribe to its mailing list. All you need to do is go to the official website of Filmora and enter your valid email ID to its subscription list.

That’s it! You are now a part of its subscription list and would get timely emails about Filmora discount codes, release updates, and other details about the product. Just keep an eye on any new email from Filmora and make sure that you check the “Promotions” tab on your Gmail Inbox to avoid missing out on any Filmora promo code.

Method 3: Check Festive and Special Occasion Discounts

Wondershare Filmora keeps coming up with all kinds of discounts and promotional events every once in a while. For instance, Wondershare is known for hosting a tempting Black Friday Sale every year that you should not miss.

Apart from that, there are also sales on other occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year, and so on. You can keep checking the official website of Wondershare Filmora during any special occasion to avail these limited discounts.

(Please note that all these prices are for the annual subscription of these products)

More information: Check Filmora Creative Bundles

There you go! Now when you know about these genuine Filmora discount coupons and codes, you can easily save some bucks while getting a Filmora subscription. Please note that there are several gimmicks and fake Filmora promo codes that you might find on numerous apps or websites. It is recommended to avoid using any unreliable source as I have listed details about genuine Filmora coupons and discount codes that work seamlessly. You can just try either of these methods and save big while getting your Wondershare Filmora subscription right away!

Liza Brown

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

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Wondershare Filmora is one of the most popular and advanced video editing tools of the present time, and it certainly needs no introduction. The video editor is available for Windows and Mac and is already used by millions of people worldwide.

The best part is that while buying your subscription, you can apply a Filmora discount code to get a substantial off. After all, who doesn’t like discounts, right? To protect you from the growing fake discount codes and gimmicks, I have listed 5 trusted and genuine ways to get a discount on the purchase of Wondershare Filmora in this official guide.

Method 1: Use the Filmora Discount Coupon for Students

To encourage the use of its utility products in education, Wondershare offers numerous coupon codes on its flagship products for students. Therefore, to get an instant Filmora discount code, you can simply use your Students Beans ID for making the purchase. As of now, students can avail up to 30% off on their purchase of a Filmora subscription.

To get this Filmora discount coupon, you can just go to the official website of Filmora and click on the “Buy Now” button. Now, from the available options, you can just go to the “Educational” tab.

Here, you can fill a form with details about your school and the intent of using Wondershare Filmora. Simply submit the required information and wait for a correspondence email from Filmora with your discount details.

You can get a monthly, annual, or perpetual license of Filmora. While the annual license will have a discount of 20%, the perpetual license will let you buy Filmora for 30% off. Wondershare also gives us the freedom to cancel our subscription whenever we want.

Method 2: Subscribe to Filmora’s Mailing List to Get Regular Discounts

If you want to get regular updates regarding Wondershare Filmora, then you can also subscribe to its mailing list. All you need to do is go to the official website of Filmora and enter your valid email ID to its subscription list.

That’s it! You are now a part of its subscription list and would get timely emails about Filmora discount codes, release updates, and other details about the product. Just keep an eye on any new email from Filmora and make sure that you check the “Promotions” tab on your Gmail Inbox to avoid missing out on any Filmora promo code.

Method 3: Check Festive and Special Occasion Discounts

Wondershare Filmora keeps coming up with all kinds of discounts and promotional events every once in a while. For instance, Wondershare is known for hosting a tempting Black Friday Sale every year that you should not miss.

Apart from that, there are also sales on other occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year, and so on. You can keep checking the official website of Wondershare Filmora during any special occasion to avail these limited discounts.

(Please note that all these prices are for the annual subscription of these products)

More information: Check Filmora Creative Bundles

There you go! Now when you know about these genuine Filmora discount coupons and codes, you can easily save some bucks while getting a Filmora subscription. Please note that there are several gimmicks and fake Filmora promo codes that you might find on numerous apps or websites. It is recommended to avoid using any unreliable source as I have listed details about genuine Filmora coupons and discount codes that work seamlessly. You can just try either of these methods and save big while getting your Wondershare Filmora subscription right away!

Liza Brown

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

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Wondershare Filmora is one of the most popular and advanced video editing tools of the present time, and it certainly needs no introduction. The video editor is available for Windows and Mac and is already used by millions of people worldwide.

The best part is that while buying your subscription, you can apply a Filmora discount code to get a substantial off. After all, who doesn’t like discounts, right? To protect you from the growing fake discount codes and gimmicks, I have listed 5 trusted and genuine ways to get a discount on the purchase of Wondershare Filmora in this official guide.

Method 1: Use the Filmora Discount Coupon for Students

To encourage the use of its utility products in education, Wondershare offers numerous coupon codes on its flagship products for students. Therefore, to get an instant Filmora discount code, you can simply use your Students Beans ID for making the purchase. As of now, students can avail up to 30% off on their purchase of a Filmora subscription.

To get this Filmora discount coupon, you can just go to the official website of Filmora and click on the “Buy Now” button. Now, from the available options, you can just go to the “Educational” tab.

Here, you can fill a form with details about your school and the intent of using Wondershare Filmora. Simply submit the required information and wait for a correspondence email from Filmora with your discount details.

You can get a monthly, annual, or perpetual license of Filmora. While the annual license will have a discount of 20%, the perpetual license will let you buy Filmora for 30% off. Wondershare also gives us the freedom to cancel our subscription whenever we want.

Method 2: Subscribe to Filmora’s Mailing List to Get Regular Discounts

If you want to get regular updates regarding Wondershare Filmora, then you can also subscribe to its mailing list. All you need to do is go to the official website of Filmora and enter your valid email ID to its subscription list.

That’s it! You are now a part of its subscription list and would get timely emails about Filmora discount codes, release updates, and other details about the product. Just keep an eye on any new email from Filmora and make sure that you check the “Promotions” tab on your Gmail Inbox to avoid missing out on any Filmora promo code.

Method 3: Check Festive and Special Occasion Discounts

Wondershare Filmora keeps coming up with all kinds of discounts and promotional events every once in a while. For instance, Wondershare is known for hosting a tempting Black Friday Sale every year that you should not miss.

Apart from that, there are also sales on other occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year, and so on. You can keep checking the official website of Wondershare Filmora during any special occasion to avail these limited discounts.

(Please note that all these prices are for the annual subscription of these products)

More information: Check Filmora Creative Bundles

There you go! Now when you know about these genuine Filmora discount coupons and codes, you can easily save some bucks while getting a Filmora subscription. Please note that there are several gimmicks and fake Filmora promo codes that you might find on numerous apps or websites. It is recommended to avoid using any unreliable source as I have listed details about genuine Filmora coupons and discount codes that work seamlessly. You can just try either of these methods and save big while getting your Wondershare Filmora subscription right away!

Liza Brown

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

Follow @Liza Brown

Time Manipulation in Final Cut Pro X: A Step-by-Step Guide

Final Cut Pro X: Freeze-Frames and Slow Motion

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A very simple, yet very effective effect is changing the speed of a video clip. This could be a simple still-frame (also called “Freeze Frame”) or playing a clip in slow or fast motion.

This article shows you how to do this using Final Cut Pro X.

For more tutorials on slow-motion please refer to this article: Top 10 Slow Motion Video Editing Software.

Freeze-Frames and Slow Motion in Final Cut Pro X

1. STILL FRAMES

A still-frame freezes action. For instance, here is a clip of a hummingbird getting ready to land on a bird feeder. I want to create a freeze-frame of the bird in flight. (Um, yeah, I use “freeze-frame” and “still-frame” interchangeably.)

In Final Cut Pro X, put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to freeze and type Option+F.

This creates a two-second freeze-frame at the position of the playhead.

Adjust the duration of the frame by trimming the edge; just like any other clip. Here, for example, I’m making the duration of the freeze-frame 11 frames shorter.

In case you were wondering, this is what the freeze looks like. It freezes the flight of the hummingbird in the middle of playback, allowing us to add graphics or other text then resume the action as though nothing had happened.

Very cool, except….

Well, the good news is that this is fast and easy. The bad news is that we can’t change the location of the still frame.

So, here’s another way to do this.

Put the playhead (or skimmer, but I prefer the playhead) on the frame you want to freeze, select the clip, then type Shift+F.

This locates the source clip in the Browser, selects both the Browser and the clip, and matches the position of the In, Out, and playhead.

Now, with the Browser selected, type Option+F. This creates a freeze-frame of the Browser clip and places it at the location of the playhead as a connected clip in the Timeline.

As a connected clip, we can move this new freeze-frame wherever we want. However, be careful in moving the clip, because, unless you mark the original frame with a marker (type “M”), there’s no easy way to match the still frame with the source frame, once the still frame is moved somewhere else.

I use both these techniques in many different projects.

2. HOLD FRAME

A Hold Frame is similar to an in-line still frame, but with more flexibility.

Put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to hold. Then, Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf-on-a-headset” Toolbar icon, choose Hold Frame (or type: Shift+H).

This displays the orange Retime editor bar above the clip, with a small red portion indicating the Hold frame.

Change the duration of the Hold frame by dragging the small thumb at the right end of the red bar.

Add a speed ramp transition at the end of the Hold frame by clicking the downward-pointing arrow next to the word “Hold” in the Retime Editor.

To change the actual frame being held, double-click the bar icon to the LEFT of the red Hold section and choose Source Frame (Edit). This allows you to slide the Hold frame selection left or right.

NOTE: Changing the source frame is a feature that I like a LOT!

3. SLOW (or FAST) MOTION

We use slow-motion to show events that are too fast for the unaided eye to see. And fast motion to speed up very slow events. Both of these effects use what’s called a “constant speed change,” where the entire clip changes by the same amount - either faster or slower.

WE create either effect using the same tools, just different values. Here’s how.

Select the clip who’s speed you want to change. Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” Toolbar icon, select Slow (or Fast).

Choose one of the available speeds; in this case, 50%. (Yes, you can change this to any value you want, I’ll show you how in a minute.)

Three things happen at once:

• The duration of the clip changes
• The orange Retiming bar appears over the top of the clip
• The speed of the clip changes

To reset the speed back to normal (100%), click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Normal (100%).

There are two ways to change the speed of a clip.

The easy way is to grab the small handle at the end of the clip and drag left or right. The speed will change as you drag it.

Or, for more precision, click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Custom.

This opens a new dialog allowing a number of changes:

• Reverse. Plays the clip in reverse.
• Rate. Select a specific speed change as a percentage of normal speed for a clip. Less than 100% is slow-motion. More than 100% is fast-motion.
• Duration. Select a specific duration for a clip and FCP X will calculate how fast or slow it needs to go.
• Ripple. When checked, adjusts the duration of a clip based upon the speed. When unchecked, the clip duration remains fixed even when speed changes.

You will get the smoothest speed changes when the percentage you choose divides evenly into 200. For example, 100, 66, 50, 40, 33, 25, 20, 10 and so on.

4. EXTRA CREDIT

There is one more setting to consider when slowing a clip. (This does not apply when creating fast motion.)

Using, again, either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” menu, select Video Quality.

• Normal. This is the best choice for speeds of 50% or faster.
• Frame Blending. This is the best choice for speeds of about 20% to 50%.
• Optical Flow. This is the best choice for speeds slower than about 20%.

Frame blending puts a short dissolve between frames when running in slow motion to improve the illusion of motion. Optical Flow invents in-between frames to minimize the jerkiness of extremely slow motion.

Frame blending is relatively fast and easy. Optical Flow will look better in most cases, but takes a long time to render.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, a professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

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

---

SUMMARY

Whether you want your clips to speed up, slow down or just plain stop, Final Cut Pro X makes the entire process easy.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A very simple, yet very effective effect is changing the speed of a video clip. This could be a simple still-frame (also called “Freeze Frame”) or playing a clip in slow or fast motion.

This article shows you how to do this using Final Cut Pro X.

For more tutorials on slow-motion please refer to this article: Top 10 Slow Motion Video Editing Software.

Freeze-Frames and Slow Motion in Final Cut Pro X

1. STILL FRAMES

A still-frame freezes action. For instance, here is a clip of a hummingbird getting ready to land on a bird feeder. I want to create a freeze-frame of the bird in flight. (Um, yeah, I use “freeze-frame” and “still-frame” interchangeably.)

In Final Cut Pro X, put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to freeze and type Option+F.

This creates a two-second freeze-frame at the position of the playhead.

Adjust the duration of the frame by trimming the edge; just like any other clip. Here, for example, I’m making the duration of the freeze-frame 11 frames shorter.

In case you were wondering, this is what the freeze looks like. It freezes the flight of the hummingbird in the middle of playback, allowing us to add graphics or other text then resume the action as though nothing had happened.

Very cool, except….

Well, the good news is that this is fast and easy. The bad news is that we can’t change the location of the still frame.

So, here’s another way to do this.

Put the playhead (or skimmer, but I prefer the playhead) on the frame you want to freeze, select the clip, then type Shift+F.

This locates the source clip in the Browser, selects both the Browser and the clip, and matches the position of the In, Out, and playhead.

Now, with the Browser selected, type Option+F. This creates a freeze-frame of the Browser clip and places it at the location of the playhead as a connected clip in the Timeline.

As a connected clip, we can move this new freeze-frame wherever we want. However, be careful in moving the clip, because, unless you mark the original frame with a marker (type “M”), there’s no easy way to match the still frame with the source frame, once the still frame is moved somewhere else.

I use both these techniques in many different projects.

2. HOLD FRAME

A Hold Frame is similar to an in-line still frame, but with more flexibility.

Put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to hold. Then, Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf-on-a-headset” Toolbar icon, choose Hold Frame (or type: Shift+H).

This displays the orange Retime editor bar above the clip, with a small red portion indicating the Hold frame.

Change the duration of the Hold frame by dragging the small thumb at the right end of the red bar.

Add a speed ramp transition at the end of the Hold frame by clicking the downward-pointing arrow next to the word “Hold” in the Retime Editor.

To change the actual frame being held, double-click the bar icon to the LEFT of the red Hold section and choose Source Frame (Edit). This allows you to slide the Hold frame selection left or right.

NOTE: Changing the source frame is a feature that I like a LOT!

3. SLOW (or FAST) MOTION

We use slow-motion to show events that are too fast for the unaided eye to see. And fast motion to speed up very slow events. Both of these effects use what’s called a “constant speed change,” where the entire clip changes by the same amount - either faster or slower.

WE create either effect using the same tools, just different values. Here’s how.

Select the clip who’s speed you want to change. Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” Toolbar icon, select Slow (or Fast).

Choose one of the available speeds; in this case, 50%. (Yes, you can change this to any value you want, I’ll show you how in a minute.)

Three things happen at once:

• The duration of the clip changes
• The orange Retiming bar appears over the top of the clip
• The speed of the clip changes

To reset the speed back to normal (100%), click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Normal (100%).

There are two ways to change the speed of a clip.

The easy way is to grab the small handle at the end of the clip and drag left or right. The speed will change as you drag it.

Or, for more precision, click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Custom.

This opens a new dialog allowing a number of changes:

• Reverse. Plays the clip in reverse.
• Rate. Select a specific speed change as a percentage of normal speed for a clip. Less than 100% is slow-motion. More than 100% is fast-motion.
• Duration. Select a specific duration for a clip and FCP X will calculate how fast or slow it needs to go.
• Ripple. When checked, adjusts the duration of a clip based upon the speed. When unchecked, the clip duration remains fixed even when speed changes.

You will get the smoothest speed changes when the percentage you choose divides evenly into 200. For example, 100, 66, 50, 40, 33, 25, 20, 10 and so on.

4. EXTRA CREDIT

There is one more setting to consider when slowing a clip. (This does not apply when creating fast motion.)

Using, again, either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” menu, select Video Quality.

• Normal. This is the best choice for speeds of 50% or faster.
• Frame Blending. This is the best choice for speeds of about 20% to 50%.
• Optical Flow. This is the best choice for speeds slower than about 20%.

Frame blending puts a short dissolve between frames when running in slow motion to improve the illusion of motion. Optical Flow invents in-between frames to minimize the jerkiness of extremely slow motion.

Frame blending is relatively fast and easy. Optical Flow will look better in most cases, but takes a long time to render.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, a professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

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

---

SUMMARY

Whether you want your clips to speed up, slow down or just plain stop, Final Cut Pro X makes the entire process easy.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A very simple, yet very effective effect is changing the speed of a video clip. This could be a simple still-frame (also called “Freeze Frame”) or playing a clip in slow or fast motion.

This article shows you how to do this using Final Cut Pro X.

For more tutorials on slow-motion please refer to this article: Top 10 Slow Motion Video Editing Software.

Freeze-Frames and Slow Motion in Final Cut Pro X

1. STILL FRAMES

A still-frame freezes action. For instance, here is a clip of a hummingbird getting ready to land on a bird feeder. I want to create a freeze-frame of the bird in flight. (Um, yeah, I use “freeze-frame” and “still-frame” interchangeably.)

In Final Cut Pro X, put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to freeze and type Option+F.

This creates a two-second freeze-frame at the position of the playhead.

Adjust the duration of the frame by trimming the edge; just like any other clip. Here, for example, I’m making the duration of the freeze-frame 11 frames shorter.

In case you were wondering, this is what the freeze looks like. It freezes the flight of the hummingbird in the middle of playback, allowing us to add graphics or other text then resume the action as though nothing had happened.

Very cool, except….

Well, the good news is that this is fast and easy. The bad news is that we can’t change the location of the still frame.

So, here’s another way to do this.

Put the playhead (or skimmer, but I prefer the playhead) on the frame you want to freeze, select the clip, then type Shift+F.

This locates the source clip in the Browser, selects both the Browser and the clip, and matches the position of the In, Out, and playhead.

Now, with the Browser selected, type Option+F. This creates a freeze-frame of the Browser clip and places it at the location of the playhead as a connected clip in the Timeline.

As a connected clip, we can move this new freeze-frame wherever we want. However, be careful in moving the clip, because, unless you mark the original frame with a marker (type “M”), there’s no easy way to match the still frame with the source frame, once the still frame is moved somewhere else.

I use both these techniques in many different projects.

2. HOLD FRAME

A Hold Frame is similar to an in-line still frame, but with more flexibility.

Put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to hold. Then, Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf-on-a-headset” Toolbar icon, choose Hold Frame (or type: Shift+H).

This displays the orange Retime editor bar above the clip, with a small red portion indicating the Hold frame.

Change the duration of the Hold frame by dragging the small thumb at the right end of the red bar.

Add a speed ramp transition at the end of the Hold frame by clicking the downward-pointing arrow next to the word “Hold” in the Retime Editor.

To change the actual frame being held, double-click the bar icon to the LEFT of the red Hold section and choose Source Frame (Edit). This allows you to slide the Hold frame selection left or right.

NOTE: Changing the source frame is a feature that I like a LOT!

3. SLOW (or FAST) MOTION

We use slow-motion to show events that are too fast for the unaided eye to see. And fast motion to speed up very slow events. Both of these effects use what’s called a “constant speed change,” where the entire clip changes by the same amount - either faster or slower.

WE create either effect using the same tools, just different values. Here’s how.

Select the clip who’s speed you want to change. Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” Toolbar icon, select Slow (or Fast).

Choose one of the available speeds; in this case, 50%. (Yes, you can change this to any value you want, I’ll show you how in a minute.)

Three things happen at once:

• The duration of the clip changes
• The orange Retiming bar appears over the top of the clip
• The speed of the clip changes

To reset the speed back to normal (100%), click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Normal (100%).

There are two ways to change the speed of a clip.

The easy way is to grab the small handle at the end of the clip and drag left or right. The speed will change as you drag it.

Or, for more precision, click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Custom.

This opens a new dialog allowing a number of changes:

• Reverse. Plays the clip in reverse.
• Rate. Select a specific speed change as a percentage of normal speed for a clip. Less than 100% is slow-motion. More than 100% is fast-motion.
• Duration. Select a specific duration for a clip and FCP X will calculate how fast or slow it needs to go.
• Ripple. When checked, adjusts the duration of a clip based upon the speed. When unchecked, the clip duration remains fixed even when speed changes.

You will get the smoothest speed changes when the percentage you choose divides evenly into 200. For example, 100, 66, 50, 40, 33, 25, 20, 10 and so on.

4. EXTRA CREDIT

There is one more setting to consider when slowing a clip. (This does not apply when creating fast motion.)

Using, again, either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” menu, select Video Quality.

• Normal. This is the best choice for speeds of 50% or faster.
• Frame Blending. This is the best choice for speeds of about 20% to 50%.
• Optical Flow. This is the best choice for speeds slower than about 20%.

Frame blending puts a short dissolve between frames when running in slow motion to improve the illusion of motion. Optical Flow invents in-between frames to minimize the jerkiness of extremely slow motion.

Frame blending is relatively fast and easy. Optical Flow will look better in most cases, but takes a long time to render.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, a professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

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

---

SUMMARY

Whether you want your clips to speed up, slow down or just plain stop, Final Cut Pro X makes the entire process easy.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A very simple, yet very effective effect is changing the speed of a video clip. This could be a simple still-frame (also called “Freeze Frame”) or playing a clip in slow or fast motion.

This article shows you how to do this using Final Cut Pro X.

For more tutorials on slow-motion please refer to this article: Top 10 Slow Motion Video Editing Software.

Freeze-Frames and Slow Motion in Final Cut Pro X

1. STILL FRAMES

A still-frame freezes action. For instance, here is a clip of a hummingbird getting ready to land on a bird feeder. I want to create a freeze-frame of the bird in flight. (Um, yeah, I use “freeze-frame” and “still-frame” interchangeably.)

In Final Cut Pro X, put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to freeze and type Option+F.

This creates a two-second freeze-frame at the position of the playhead.

Adjust the duration of the frame by trimming the edge; just like any other clip. Here, for example, I’m making the duration of the freeze-frame 11 frames shorter.

In case you were wondering, this is what the freeze looks like. It freezes the flight of the hummingbird in the middle of playback, allowing us to add graphics or other text then resume the action as though nothing had happened.

Very cool, except….

Well, the good news is that this is fast and easy. The bad news is that we can’t change the location of the still frame.

So, here’s another way to do this.

Put the playhead (or skimmer, but I prefer the playhead) on the frame you want to freeze, select the clip, then type Shift+F.

This locates the source clip in the Browser, selects both the Browser and the clip, and matches the position of the In, Out, and playhead.

Now, with the Browser selected, type Option+F. This creates a freeze-frame of the Browser clip and places it at the location of the playhead as a connected clip in the Timeline.

As a connected clip, we can move this new freeze-frame wherever we want. However, be careful in moving the clip, because, unless you mark the original frame with a marker (type “M”), there’s no easy way to match the still frame with the source frame, once the still frame is moved somewhere else.

I use both these techniques in many different projects.

2. HOLD FRAME

A Hold Frame is similar to an in-line still frame, but with more flexibility.

Put the playhead (or skimmer) on the frame you want to hold. Then, Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf-on-a-headset” Toolbar icon, choose Hold Frame (or type: Shift+H).

This displays the orange Retime editor bar above the clip, with a small red portion indicating the Hold frame.

Change the duration of the Hold frame by dragging the small thumb at the right end of the red bar.

Add a speed ramp transition at the end of the Hold frame by clicking the downward-pointing arrow next to the word “Hold” in the Retime Editor.

To change the actual frame being held, double-click the bar icon to the LEFT of the red Hold section and choose Source Frame (Edit). This allows you to slide the Hold frame selection left or right.

NOTE: Changing the source frame is a feature that I like a LOT!

3. SLOW (or FAST) MOTION

We use slow-motion to show events that are too fast for the unaided eye to see. And fast motion to speed up very slow events. Both of these effects use what’s called a “constant speed change,” where the entire clip changes by the same amount - either faster or slower.

WE create either effect using the same tools, just different values. Here’s how.

Select the clip who’s speed you want to change. Then, using either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” Toolbar icon, select Slow (or Fast).

Choose one of the available speeds; in this case, 50%. (Yes, you can change this to any value you want, I’ll show you how in a minute.)

Three things happen at once:

• The duration of the clip changes
• The orange Retiming bar appears over the top of the clip
• The speed of the clip changes

To reset the speed back to normal (100%), click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Normal (100%).

There are two ways to change the speed of a clip.

The easy way is to grab the small handle at the end of the clip and drag left or right. The speed will change as you drag it.

Or, for more precision, click the downward-pointing arrow in the Retiming bar and choose Custom.

This opens a new dialog allowing a number of changes:

• Reverse. Plays the clip in reverse.
• Rate. Select a specific speed change as a percentage of normal speed for a clip. Less than 100% is slow-motion. More than 100% is fast-motion.
• Duration. Select a specific duration for a clip and FCP X will calculate how fast or slow it needs to go.
• Ripple. When checked, adjusts the duration of a clip based upon the speed. When unchecked, the clip duration remains fixed even when speed changes.

You will get the smoothest speed changes when the percentage you choose divides evenly into 200. For example, 100, 66, 50, 40, 33, 25, 20, 10 and so on.

4. EXTRA CREDIT

There is one more setting to consider when slowing a clip. (This does not apply when creating fast motion.)

Using, again, either Modify > Retime or the “Smurf” menu, select Video Quality.

• Normal. This is the best choice for speeds of 50% or faster.
• Frame Blending. This is the best choice for speeds of about 20% to 50%.
• Optical Flow. This is the best choice for speeds slower than about 20%.

Frame blending puts a short dissolve between frames when running in slow motion to improve the illusion of motion. Optical Flow invents in-between frames to minimize the jerkiness of extremely slow motion.

Frame blending is relatively fast and easy. Optical Flow will look better in most cases, but takes a long time to render.

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This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, a professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

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

---

SUMMARY

Whether you want your clips to speed up, slow down or just plain stop, Final Cut Pro X makes the entire process easy.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Change Video Speed with Ease: Best Software for Windows and macOS

The volume of video information submitted to the Internet each day is mind-boggling, with individuals all over the world producing dozens of hours of film each day. Consequently, to achieve lots of views, comments, or likes on your social media videos, they must stand out in an ocean of content.

Slowing down or speeding up the film is a basic but powerful video editing technique that may make the stuff you post online more fascinating to watch. Continue reading to learn more about the Best Video Speed Changers for Windows and Mac in this article.

Top 7 Best Video Speed Changers for Windows and Mac [Free and Paid]

Sharing raw videos you shoot with your smartphone with your fans and followers may not always provide the desired results. Slowing down the playback speed may make a scene more exciting or emphasize a crucial point in your film, while raising the playback speed of a video is an excellent choice for creating magnificent time-lapses.

Let’s look at a few of the best video speed changer software for Windows and Mac for fast and slow-motion video editing.

1. Windows 10 Photos App

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to Use

Windows 10 comes with Microsoft Photos, a free picture viewer and editor that allows you to edit and improve photos while organizing and editing movies. Microsoft Photos has a touch-friendly interface and delivers excellent image editing and additions. Besides the basics, you get to change the speed of your video comfortably, accessing the in-built features with the lossless video quality.

To slow down or speed up a video clip in the storyboard, go to the “Storyboard” section and choose the video clip you want to slow down or accelerate. From the toolbar, choose the Speed button to accelerate. The speed of the clip may be adjusted by sliding the slider. Once you have completed the instructions, the video will begin to play at the speed that you specified.

Pros

• Video editing with soundtracks, texts, and transitions
• User-friendly basic editing features
• Allows for easy video speed adjustments
• Change video speed from 0.02X slower to 64X faster

Cons

• No before and after view

If you are running Windows 7, you can also use Windows Movie Maker to change video speed. Check this article to find out how to speed up videos in Windows Movie Maker .

2. iMovie

Supported OS: MacOS

Pricing: Free to Use

Any clip in your video may be sped up or slowed down in iMovie . Furthermore, iMovie can modify the frame rate of any clip to match the frame rate of your movie (determined by the first clip you add to your movie).

The speed is set to 50% by default when you choose Slow, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. Accelerate the chosen segment of the video: Select Fast from the Speed pop-up option.

The speed is set at twice the standard pace (2x) by default when you choose Fast, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. To choose the speed, select Slow or Fast from the Speed pop-up menu and click a speed button. A slowed-down clip gets longer in the timeline, whereas a sped-up clip becomes shorter.

Pros

• The method of adjusting the playback speed is free and straightforward.
• All iOS-based devices are supported by the app.
• 4K video editing is supported.

Cons

• Professional video editing’s adaptability is lacking.

3. FilmForth

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to Use

FilmForth is an easy-to-use and powerful free video editor for Windows 10. It is a free movie maker and slideshow creator for Windows. FilmForth, as a freemium video editor, can export any video format to support YouTube, Instagram, IGTV, Snapchat, and Twitch.

FilmForth is a watermark-free video editor , so you won’t see any irritating watermarks while viewing your finished film. It can play your video in 4x for fast motion and 0.25x for slow mos.

Once the video has been uploaded, the toolbar will appear at the button. To alter the playback speed, simply click the Speed button.

Pros

• Contain standard video editing features
• Free to use
• Concise and beginner-friendly interface

Cons

• Experiences bugs

4. VSDC Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free with some in-App purchases

VSDC is yet another type of free software that also has an editing option. To adjust the video’s speed or slow it down, begin by importing your material into a new project. When the clip is on the timeline, you can select to speed up the entire video or apply the fast-motion effect to a specific section. Essentially, if you use 200 instead of the default 100 (percent), your clip will play twice as quickly as the original film. As a result, 1000 percent will provide you with a tenfold boost.

Splitting the video is done using the Split icon, which looks like a razor and can be found in the top menu, “Cutting and splitting” section. Simply position the timeline cursor where you want the fast-motion segment to begin and divide it there. Repeat to get to the finish of the piece. Now, go to the Properties box and find the Speed section. Enter the percentage to change the video speed accordingly.

Pros

• Many features to choose from
• Offers decent quality video transformation
• Set up the exact slow down or fast motion speed in percentage

Cons

• May not have the best user interface

5. VLC Media Player

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: Free to use

VLC is a formidable media player with many hidden functions for video and audio file processing that you may not be aware of. Many of these are already addressed in our previous posts, such as converting video and audio formats, altering video resolution, adding audio to a video, cutting a video clip, etc.

Many of you may believe that we refer to the feature that allows you to adjust the playing speed. In VLC, you may fine-tune the audio/video playing speed to the smallest details. That implies you may increase the speed of your audio/video by 1.06x or 1.43x. You must utilize the playback speed slider in the status bar. It may be found in the bottom-right corner of the player, just below the volume slider.

Pros

• Decent video adjusting features
• It offers a good quality resolution
• Easy to use

Cons

• Lacks the “high-end” editing features

6.Filmora Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: freemium, start at $49.99/year

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora Video Editor is one of the most popular video editing software among video creators. It contains a one-of-a-kind function called “speed changer,” which is the key to speeding up or slowing down a video. It will allow you to easily manipulate the time of your movie to create a fast-motion or slow-motion video. Furthermore, Filmora can do more than just fast and slow-motion; you may download it to get other fascinating video editing effects.

You can play the video up to 100x fast in motion and 0.01x in slow motion. Filmora supports all frequently used video, audio, and picture formats from any device (camcorders, smartphone cameras, and ordinary cameras). It contains a plethora of simple editing options to assist you in making a great video, such as playback, speed change, rotate, split, overlay, and so on.

Pros

• Displays the total video length when changing the speed;
• Allows you to define the exact speed controls;
• Excellent video editing and audio features

Cons

• The free plan will contain a watermark

7.Free Speed Video

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to use

Free Speed Video is a video speed changer that is free to use. There is no trial period, and there is no watermark. You may alter the video speed by typing the desired speed rate when using Free Speed Video. You may upload numerous movies simultaneously and modify the pace of each video individually.

Free Speed Video allows you to play your videos at 4x in fast motion and 0.5x in slow mos. It can import video files in a variety of formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MKV, DivX, XviD, MTS, and many more.

Free Speed Video is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32 and 64-bit), and Windows 10 (32 and 64bit). You may even use it on a computer that is many years old.

Pros

• Free to use
• Straightforward procedure for changing video speed
• Support multiple formats

Cons

• Only support Windows

Running a 32-bit Windows computer? Here are some of the best 32-bit video editing software you may like.

Conclusion

Speed changing is a standard video editing technique that, when done correctly, can make any video more visually vibrant. Any of the slow and rapid motion video editing applications included in this article may be used to make breathtaking time-lapses and slow-motion films. Which of these applications will you use to slow down or speed up the videos recorded on your iOS and Android devices? Please let us know by leaving a comment.

Pros

• Video editing with soundtracks, texts, and transitions
• User-friendly basic editing features
• Allows for easy video speed adjustments
• Change video speed from 0.02X slower to 64X faster

Cons

• No before and after view

If you are running Windows 7, you can also use Windows Movie Maker to change video speed. Check this article to find out how to speed up videos in Windows Movie Maker .

2. iMovie

Supported OS: MacOS

Pricing: Free to Use

Any clip in your video may be sped up or slowed down in iMovie . Furthermore, iMovie can modify the frame rate of any clip to match the frame rate of your movie (determined by the first clip you add to your movie).

The speed is set to 50% by default when you choose Slow, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. Accelerate the chosen segment of the video: Select Fast from the Speed pop-up option.

The speed is set at twice the standard pace (2x) by default when you choose Fast, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. To choose the speed, select Slow or Fast from the Speed pop-up menu and click a speed button. A slowed-down clip gets longer in the timeline, whereas a sped-up clip becomes shorter.

Pros

• The method of adjusting the playback speed is free and straightforward.
• All iOS-based devices are supported by the app.
• 4K video editing is supported.

Cons

• Professional video editing’s adaptability is lacking.

3. FilmForth

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to Use

FilmForth is an easy-to-use and powerful free video editor for Windows 10. It is a free movie maker and slideshow creator for Windows. FilmForth, as a freemium video editor, can export any video format to support YouTube, Instagram, IGTV, Snapchat, and Twitch.

FilmForth is a watermark-free video editor , so you won’t see any irritating watermarks while viewing your finished film. It can play your video in 4x for fast motion and 0.25x for slow mos.

Once the video has been uploaded, the toolbar will appear at the button. To alter the playback speed, simply click the Speed button.

Pros

• Contain standard video editing features
• Free to use
• Concise and beginner-friendly interface

Cons

• Experiences bugs

4. VSDC Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free with some in-App purchases

VSDC is yet another type of free software that also has an editing option. To adjust the video’s speed or slow it down, begin by importing your material into a new project. When the clip is on the timeline, you can select to speed up the entire video or apply the fast-motion effect to a specific section. Essentially, if you use 200 instead of the default 100 (percent), your clip will play twice as quickly as the original film. As a result, 1000 percent will provide you with a tenfold boost.

Splitting the video is done using the Split icon, which looks like a razor and can be found in the top menu, “Cutting and splitting” section. Simply position the timeline cursor where you want the fast-motion segment to begin and divide it there. Repeat to get to the finish of the piece. Now, go to the Properties box and find the Speed section. Enter the percentage to change the video speed accordingly.

Pros

• Many features to choose from
• Offers decent quality video transformation
• Set up the exact slow down or fast motion speed in percentage

Cons

• May not have the best user interface

5. VLC Media Player

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: Free to use

VLC is a formidable media player with many hidden functions for video and audio file processing that you may not be aware of. Many of these are already addressed in our previous posts, such as converting video and audio formats, altering video resolution, adding audio to a video, cutting a video clip, etc.

Many of you may believe that we refer to the feature that allows you to adjust the playing speed. In VLC, you may fine-tune the audio/video playing speed to the smallest details. That implies you may increase the speed of your audio/video by 1.06x or 1.43x. You must utilize the playback speed slider in the status bar. It may be found in the bottom-right corner of the player, just below the volume slider.

Pros

• Decent video adjusting features
• It offers a good quality resolution
• Easy to use

Cons

• Lacks the “high-end” editing features

6.Filmora Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: freemium, start at $49.99/year

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora Video Editor is one of the most popular video editing software among video creators. It contains a one-of-a-kind function called “speed changer,” which is the key to speeding up or slowing down a video. It will allow you to easily manipulate the time of your movie to create a fast-motion or slow-motion video. Furthermore, Filmora can do more than just fast and slow-motion; you may download it to get other fascinating video editing effects.

You can play the video up to 100x fast in motion and 0.01x in slow motion. Filmora supports all frequently used video, audio, and picture formats from any device (camcorders, smartphone cameras, and ordinary cameras). It contains a plethora of simple editing options to assist you in making a great video, such as playback, speed change, rotate, split, overlay, and so on.

Pros

• Displays the total video length when changing the speed;
• Allows you to define the exact speed controls;
• Excellent video editing and audio features

Cons

• The free plan will contain a watermark

7.Free Speed Video

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to use

Free Speed Video is a video speed changer that is free to use. There is no trial period, and there is no watermark. You may alter the video speed by typing the desired speed rate when using Free Speed Video. You may upload numerous movies simultaneously and modify the pace of each video individually.

Free Speed Video allows you to play your videos at 4x in fast motion and 0.5x in slow mos. It can import video files in a variety of formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MKV, DivX, XviD, MTS, and many more.

Free Speed Video is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32 and 64-bit), and Windows 10 (32 and 64bit). You may even use it on a computer that is many years old.

Pros

• Free to use
• Straightforward procedure for changing video speed
• Support multiple formats

Cons

• Only support Windows

Running a 32-bit Windows computer? Here are some of the best 32-bit video editing software you may like.

Conclusion

Speed changing is a standard video editing technique that, when done correctly, can make any video more visually vibrant. Any of the slow and rapid motion video editing applications included in this article may be used to make breathtaking time-lapses and slow-motion films. Which of these applications will you use to slow down or speed up the videos recorded on your iOS and Android devices? Please let us know by leaving a comment.

Pros

• Video editing with soundtracks, texts, and transitions
• User-friendly basic editing features
• Allows for easy video speed adjustments
• Change video speed from 0.02X slower to 64X faster

Cons

• No before and after view

If you are running Windows 7, you can also use Windows Movie Maker to change video speed. Check this article to find out how to speed up videos in Windows Movie Maker .

2. iMovie

Supported OS: MacOS

Pricing: Free to Use

Any clip in your video may be sped up or slowed down in iMovie . Furthermore, iMovie can modify the frame rate of any clip to match the frame rate of your movie (determined by the first clip you add to your movie).

The speed is set to 50% by default when you choose Slow, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. Accelerate the chosen segment of the video: Select Fast from the Speed pop-up option.

The speed is set at twice the standard pace (2x) by default when you choose Fast, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. To choose the speed, select Slow or Fast from the Speed pop-up menu and click a speed button. A slowed-down clip gets longer in the timeline, whereas a sped-up clip becomes shorter.

Pros

• The method of adjusting the playback speed is free and straightforward.
• All iOS-based devices are supported by the app.
• 4K video editing is supported.

Cons

• Professional video editing’s adaptability is lacking.

3. FilmForth

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to Use

FilmForth is an easy-to-use and powerful free video editor for Windows 10. It is a free movie maker and slideshow creator for Windows. FilmForth, as a freemium video editor, can export any video format to support YouTube, Instagram, IGTV, Snapchat, and Twitch.

FilmForth is a watermark-free video editor , so you won’t see any irritating watermarks while viewing your finished film. It can play your video in 4x for fast motion and 0.25x for slow mos.

Once the video has been uploaded, the toolbar will appear at the button. To alter the playback speed, simply click the Speed button.

Pros

• Contain standard video editing features
• Free to use
• Concise and beginner-friendly interface

Cons

• Experiences bugs

4. VSDC Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free with some in-App purchases

VSDC is yet another type of free software that also has an editing option. To adjust the video’s speed or slow it down, begin by importing your material into a new project. When the clip is on the timeline, you can select to speed up the entire video or apply the fast-motion effect to a specific section. Essentially, if you use 200 instead of the default 100 (percent), your clip will play twice as quickly as the original film. As a result, 1000 percent will provide you with a tenfold boost.

Splitting the video is done using the Split icon, which looks like a razor and can be found in the top menu, “Cutting and splitting” section. Simply position the timeline cursor where you want the fast-motion segment to begin and divide it there. Repeat to get to the finish of the piece. Now, go to the Properties box and find the Speed section. Enter the percentage to change the video speed accordingly.

Pros

• Many features to choose from
• Offers decent quality video transformation
• Set up the exact slow down or fast motion speed in percentage

Cons

• May not have the best user interface

5. VLC Media Player

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: Free to use

VLC is a formidable media player with many hidden functions for video and audio file processing that you may not be aware of. Many of these are already addressed in our previous posts, such as converting video and audio formats, altering video resolution, adding audio to a video, cutting a video clip, etc.

Many of you may believe that we refer to the feature that allows you to adjust the playing speed. In VLC, you may fine-tune the audio/video playing speed to the smallest details. That implies you may increase the speed of your audio/video by 1.06x or 1.43x. You must utilize the playback speed slider in the status bar. It may be found in the bottom-right corner of the player, just below the volume slider.

Pros

• Decent video adjusting features
• It offers a good quality resolution
• Easy to use

Cons

• Lacks the “high-end” editing features

6.Filmora Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: freemium, start at $49.99/year

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora Video Editor is one of the most popular video editing software among video creators. It contains a one-of-a-kind function called “speed changer,” which is the key to speeding up or slowing down a video. It will allow you to easily manipulate the time of your movie to create a fast-motion or slow-motion video. Furthermore, Filmora can do more than just fast and slow-motion; you may download it to get other fascinating video editing effects.

You can play the video up to 100x fast in motion and 0.01x in slow motion. Filmora supports all frequently used video, audio, and picture formats from any device (camcorders, smartphone cameras, and ordinary cameras). It contains a plethora of simple editing options to assist you in making a great video, such as playback, speed change, rotate, split, overlay, and so on.

Pros

• Displays the total video length when changing the speed;
• Allows you to define the exact speed controls;
• Excellent video editing and audio features

Cons

• The free plan will contain a watermark

7.Free Speed Video

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to use

Free Speed Video is a video speed changer that is free to use. There is no trial period, and there is no watermark. You may alter the video speed by typing the desired speed rate when using Free Speed Video. You may upload numerous movies simultaneously and modify the pace of each video individually.

Free Speed Video allows you to play your videos at 4x in fast motion and 0.5x in slow mos. It can import video files in a variety of formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MKV, DivX, XviD, MTS, and many more.

Free Speed Video is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32 and 64-bit), and Windows 10 (32 and 64bit). You may even use it on a computer that is many years old.

Pros

• Free to use
• Straightforward procedure for changing video speed
• Support multiple formats

Cons

• Only support Windows

Running a 32-bit Windows computer? Here are some of the best 32-bit video editing software you may like.

Conclusion

Speed changing is a standard video editing technique that, when done correctly, can make any video more visually vibrant. Any of the slow and rapid motion video editing applications included in this article may be used to make breathtaking time-lapses and slow-motion films. Which of these applications will you use to slow down or speed up the videos recorded on your iOS and Android devices? Please let us know by leaving a comment.

Pros

• Video editing with soundtracks, texts, and transitions
• User-friendly basic editing features
• Allows for easy video speed adjustments
• Change video speed from 0.02X slower to 64X faster

Cons

• No before and after view

If you are running Windows 7, you can also use Windows Movie Maker to change video speed. Check this article to find out how to speed up videos in Windows Movie Maker .

2. iMovie

Supported OS: MacOS

Pricing: Free to Use

Any clip in your video may be sped up or slowed down in iMovie . Furthermore, iMovie can modify the frame rate of any clip to match the frame rate of your movie (determined by the first clip you add to your movie).

The speed is set to 50% by default when you choose Slow, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. Accelerate the chosen segment of the video: Select Fast from the Speed pop-up option.

The speed is set at twice the standard pace (2x) by default when you choose Fast, but you may change it by clicking any of the speed buttons. To choose the speed, select Slow or Fast from the Speed pop-up menu and click a speed button. A slowed-down clip gets longer in the timeline, whereas a sped-up clip becomes shorter.

Pros

• The method of adjusting the playback speed is free and straightforward.
• All iOS-based devices are supported by the app.
• 4K video editing is supported.

Cons

• Professional video editing’s adaptability is lacking.

3. FilmForth

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to Use

FilmForth is an easy-to-use and powerful free video editor for Windows 10. It is a free movie maker and slideshow creator for Windows. FilmForth, as a freemium video editor, can export any video format to support YouTube, Instagram, IGTV, Snapchat, and Twitch.

FilmForth is a watermark-free video editor , so you won’t see any irritating watermarks while viewing your finished film. It can play your video in 4x for fast motion and 0.25x for slow mos.

Once the video has been uploaded, the toolbar will appear at the button. To alter the playback speed, simply click the Speed button.

Pros

• Contain standard video editing features
• Free to use
• Concise and beginner-friendly interface

Cons

• Experiences bugs

4. VSDC Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free with some in-App purchases

VSDC is yet another type of free software that also has an editing option. To adjust the video’s speed or slow it down, begin by importing your material into a new project. When the clip is on the timeline, you can select to speed up the entire video or apply the fast-motion effect to a specific section. Essentially, if you use 200 instead of the default 100 (percent), your clip will play twice as quickly as the original film. As a result, 1000 percent will provide you with a tenfold boost.

Splitting the video is done using the Split icon, which looks like a razor and can be found in the top menu, “Cutting and splitting” section. Simply position the timeline cursor where you want the fast-motion segment to begin and divide it there. Repeat to get to the finish of the piece. Now, go to the Properties box and find the Speed section. Enter the percentage to change the video speed accordingly.

Pros

• Many features to choose from
• Offers decent quality video transformation
• Set up the exact slow down or fast motion speed in percentage

Cons

• May not have the best user interface

5. VLC Media Player

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: Free to use

VLC is a formidable media player with many hidden functions for video and audio file processing that you may not be aware of. Many of these are already addressed in our previous posts, such as converting video and audio formats, altering video resolution, adding audio to a video, cutting a video clip, etc.

Many of you may believe that we refer to the feature that allows you to adjust the playing speed. In VLC, you may fine-tune the audio/video playing speed to the smallest details. That implies you may increase the speed of your audio/video by 1.06x or 1.43x. You must utilize the playback speed slider in the status bar. It may be found in the bottom-right corner of the player, just below the volume slider.

Pros

• Decent video adjusting features
• It offers a good quality resolution
• Easy to use

Cons

• Lacks the “high-end” editing features

6.Filmora Video Editor

Supported OS: Windows, macOS

Pricing: freemium, start at $49.99/year

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora Video Editor is one of the most popular video editing software among video creators. It contains a one-of-a-kind function called “speed changer,” which is the key to speeding up or slowing down a video. It will allow you to easily manipulate the time of your movie to create a fast-motion or slow-motion video. Furthermore, Filmora can do more than just fast and slow-motion; you may download it to get other fascinating video editing effects.

You can play the video up to 100x fast in motion and 0.01x in slow motion. Filmora supports all frequently used video, audio, and picture formats from any device (camcorders, smartphone cameras, and ordinary cameras). It contains a plethora of simple editing options to assist you in making a great video, such as playback, speed change, rotate, split, overlay, and so on.

Pros

• Displays the total video length when changing the speed;
• Allows you to define the exact speed controls;
• Excellent video editing and audio features

Cons

• The free plan will contain a watermark

7.Free Speed Video

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free to use

Free Speed Video is a video speed changer that is free to use. There is no trial period, and there is no watermark. You may alter the video speed by typing the desired speed rate when using Free Speed Video. You may upload numerous movies simultaneously and modify the pace of each video individually.

Free Speed Video allows you to play your videos at 4x in fast motion and 0.5x in slow mos. It can import video files in a variety of formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MKV, DivX, XviD, MTS, and many more.

Free Speed Video is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32 and 64-bit), and Windows 10 (32 and 64bit). You may even use it on a computer that is many years old.

Pros

• Free to use
• Straightforward procedure for changing video speed
• Support multiple formats

Cons

• Only support Windows

Running a 32-bit Windows computer? Here are some of the best 32-bit video editing software you may like.

Conclusion

Speed changing is a standard video editing technique that, when done correctly, can make any video more visually vibrant. Any of the slow and rapid motion video editing applications included in this article may be used to make breathtaking time-lapses and slow-motion films. Which of these applications will you use to slow down or speed up the videos recorded on your iOS and Android devices? Please let us know by leaving a comment.

Get Animated : Top 10 Software for 2D Animation Enthusiasts

10 Best 2D Animation Software in 2024 [Free/Paid]

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When you are trying to make funny cartoons within seven steps , explainer videos, or informative shorts to post online, 2D animation software can come in handy. With access to a 2D animation maker, you can create intricate and interesting stories that will help you connect with your audience.

Whether you are turning photos into cartoons , teaching a group of kids , showing employees how to do their job, introducing a new product, or trying to elicit an emotional reaction from your audience, 2D cartoon animation can be very useful.

If you are new to the world of 2D animation as a beginner and want to be a professional animation maker, you will be interested in our review of the top 10 free download 2D animation software options that may prove useful to you.

• Part 1: Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners
• Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software
• Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation
• Part 4: FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

Recommend free download animation maker Filmora

If you want to create a 2D animation video, we recommend using 2D animation software-Filmora.

It is a powerful and straightforward video maker for all levels from middle to advanced. With keyframing, you can make smooth 2D animation quickly. Auto color correction can save you a lot of time to make high-quality animation.

Now free download it on Windows and Mac to make 2D animated videos, and connect with other video creators in the Wondershare Video Community to get more creative ideas.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Have a Quick Look at The Best 10 Free/Paid 2D Animation Software to Download

No.	Product Name	Supported OS	Price	Best for
1	Synfig	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
2	Opentoonz	Windows and OSX	Free	Beginners
3	Maefloresta	iPhone and Android	Free	Beginners
4	Pencil 2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
5	Toon Boom Harmony	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$109 per month	Professionals
6	CelAction2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$1300 for one single license	Professionals
7	Moho (Anime Studio) Pro	Windows and OSX	$399.99 for the full package	Professionals
8	Stop Motion Studio	Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS	$59.99 for the full package	Professionals
9	FlipBook	Windows and OSX	$19.99/$49.99/$149.99/$199.99	Professionals
10	Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator	Windows and OSX	$199 for the pipeline, $99 for pro	Professionals

Part 1 Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners

01 Synfig - Open Source 2D Animation Software for Beginners

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers more than 50 layers to make simple or advanced animation, so you don’t need to worry about its limitation though it is free to use.

Con: Few tutorials are available in the market to start making an animation for beginners.

Synfig Studio is an open-source, free 2D animation software that is the perfect place for beginners to learn about 2D animation. There are two versions available for free download - stable and testing.

The testing version has some experimental features if users want to try those ahead of their introduction into the stable release.

Features:

• Supports multiple layers of content
• The bone system allows for the creation of cutout animations from bitmap images
• Has sound support to allow for the addition and syncing of narration and/or music to the video

02 Opentoonz - Free-to-Use Effects for 2D Animation

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can use a plug-in to make beautiful animation effects automatically without further editing.

Con: The UI design is outdated compared with other animation software, but it won’t affect user experience.

Based on the Toonz software, Opentoonz is the best free alternative that will help you create 2D animated content. Anyone can use the software, free of charge, and download it.

And users can modify the source code to add specific features to this simple animation software.

Features:

• GTS scanning tool
• Ability to change picture styles
• Add distortion and light effects
• Compatible with black and white and colored scans

03 Maefloresta - Easy-to-Use 2D Animation Software on Phone

Price: Free

Compatibility: iPhone and Android

Pro: It is free to use with easy to start introduction, even for kids.

Con: You need to email its staff to get the installer online, which is inconvenient sometimes.

The beauty of the Maefloresta app is that you can use your Android or iOS tablet and smartphone to create free 2D animated videos.

There is no need to pay for expensive software if you just want to create some fun videos to show your friends. It also offers school solutions for teachers and students.

Features:

• The free downloadable app that works on smartphones and tablets
• Easy animation software with tutorials
• Intuitive interface that beginners can use with ease

04 Pencil 2D - Cross-Platform Software with Intuitive Interface

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers English, Spanish, and Portuguese language tutorials to use.

Con: It doesn’t support the shapes tool. If you like to make shapes and draw something, you’d be disappointed.

Want an open-source and free 2D animation design software to help you create videos? Pencil2D animation is the type of program that can help beginners.

You can get to grips with how 2D animation works, and you can create some very fun and interesting videos along the way.

Features:

• Minimalist design to let you make animation easily
• Raster and vector workflow switching
• Cross-platform compatibility to free download

Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software

05 Toon Boom Harmony - Leading Animation Software for Professional

Price: The first 21 days of using the product are free. After the 21 days are up, you will need to pay $109 per month.

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: You can make 2D and 3D animation, both with models.

Con: It may take some time to learn how to make 2D animation for beginners.

Whether you are trying to create an art piece, showcase a story through 2D images, or craft a unique message for your audience, Toon Boom Harmony will help you immensely.

This professional 2D animation software may take time to learn, but it is worth using. It has bitmap and vector tools for creating art, 3D imported models for hybrid productions, and the option to create multiplane scenes with Z-depth.

You can also check the Toon Boom Harmony Advanced Review from the TopTenReview website for more information.

Features:

• Revolutionary vector and bitmap drawing technology - Brush Engine
• Advanced color palettes and paint options
• 2D and 3D integration to make professional animation
• Cut-out animation tools
• Traditional paperless animation.

06 CelAction2D - Low System Requirement for Professional 2D Animation

Price: If you go with the Studio Edition, it costs $1,300 to obtain a single license to use the product for a lifetime. Studio Edition is $1300 for one single license

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It is fast to use with low system requirements.

Con: You can draw animation in itself, so you need to import all words from third-party software.

Want to create unique and complex 2D animations for your upcoming projects? CelAction2D is the type of product that is going to help you create wonderful and professional animations.

While getting a full license is a financial commitment, you are getting a product that has all the features that you could need.

You can create a palette using up to 16 million colors, and you will have a very easy time getting to grips with the way the software works.

It is designed for beginners and intermediate users, but still has all the advanced features that a pro would want.

Features:

• Easy and fast to use for professional users
• Features ergonomic controls
• Easily handles complex projects with thousands of layers
• Works with all modern Windows machines - 32 and 64-bit Also work with Macs through Boot Camp
• The multiplane camera features let you have more controls

07 Moho (Anime Studio) Pro - All-In-One Professional 2D Animation Software

Price: $399.99 for the full package.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: Its update is regular with advanced and newest features to use.

Con: It is not user-friendly for beginners as the functions are too advanced a little bit.

Anime Studio Pro is a fantastic option for anyone who is looking to get into professional 2D animation creation. It is affordable and designed for Flash-style animations.

While you cannot create frame-by-frame animations using this program, you will be able to create some fantastic videos nonetheless.

There is an Anime Studio Debut - simple animation software, which is targeted towards the beginner user and free download. But if you want all the features of a high-end 2D animation software, you will want to go with the Pro version.

Features:

• Enhanced freehand drawing tools
• Beizer handles to make it easier for you to design your videos the way that you want
• Smart warp feature helps create custom meshes to bend and twist your animations
• Realistic motion blur
• Animation for multiple layers at the same time

08 Stop Motion Studio - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $59.99 to download the software onto your PC.

Compatibility: Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS

Pro: You can use a built-in sound to make your animation unique. You can also record voice and use it in the video.

Con: You can only use it to make 2D stop motion animation.

Want to create fun, 2D animated videos? Hoping to impress your bosses with a 2D animated presentation to highlight a product’s features?

Using Stop Motion Studio will help you achieve all that you want in the world of 2D animation.

You can capture content with ease, whether you change up the focus, exposure, or white balance. There is DSLR support, so you can use your high-end camera in conjunction with this professional software.

And with a unique, frame-by-frame editor, you will be able to get the result that you want for your 2D stop animation movie.

Features:

• Onionskin allows you to view previous frames through a transparent overlay, which helps you create your next frame
• Comes with Chroma key and audio recording to better narrate and add voice effects to your videos
• Easy one-click uploading to YouTube and Facebook
• DSLR camera support for creating perfect 1080p recordings

09 FlipBook - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $19.99 for FlipBook Lite, $49.99 for FlipBook Studio, $149.99 for FlipBook Pro, $199.99 for FlipBook ProHD

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: From drawing, scanning to sound, this 2D animation software can make you powerful video.

Con: You can’t use it to make subtle changes as bone rigging is not available.

FlipBook is easy to use for beginners and pros who want to improve the editing experience. It is a powerful video editor that you can make 2D animation with various functions like syncing sound with animation, scanning cells, and more.

If you like to make a cartoon video like a pro, this 2D animation maker is best for you. It is free to download.

Features:

• Changes will be made while you change the animation, so FlipBook is fast to use
• You can use the shift key to make speed painting once you select one color
• Ten layers in animation for adding extra touches
• You can use a scanner to import images

10 Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator - Professional 2D Animation/Cartoon Software for Designers

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can always find the feature you like for beginners and professionals. You can control characters even in expression levels.

Con: It integrates with PhotoShop to import and export video.

CrazyTalk is a 2D animation maker for professional users, so you can use this one if you don’t know which one to use. It supports controlling characters with your expression and lip-syncing. It is popular among YouTubers, educators and marketers.

Features:

• Capture real-time facial expression with precise changing
• Black magic to turn the image into a moving cartoon
• For advanced users, you can make 2D visual effects

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

You may also like: Best Free Animated Logo Makers >>

Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation

Step 1 Put forward an idea

A story ides is priceless. It is always important to build an essential story frame. Sometimes it is in a blink to have come up with an idea.

It will help if you decide the gist of your 2D animation because the whole process of making animation is evolving. You may need to add or cut some scenes, but the overall concept and story ideas are always the same.

Step 2 Make a storyboard

After all the ideas are fixed, you need to make a storyboard for animation . You don’t need to produce every scene, but it is suggested to make a storyboard in some crucial scenes. Storyboarding is probably the best way to show 2D animation to other people and get feedback.

Thus, it is a step that you should not neglect during the preliminary.

Step 3 Produce materials

At this stage, you need to prepare all the 2D animation materials, including characters, background, and props. One thing you need to know is all the preparations in steps 2 and 3 should be ready before proceeding to step 3.

Step 4 Animation

After all, materials are ready, and you need to make animation alive. In this step, you need to make sure all the movements are natural. Stiff moves are not liked by the audience, so you need to think about how to design gestures, movements, and facial expressions.

Step 5 Animation editing

In this step, the software is the key to relive the 2D animation. Background audio is essential and needs to be added to the video. Color correction and grading are also necessary. Besides, scene transition, voiceover, and even text credit need to be added.

Above are the five 2D animation steps. If you think there are extra steps, you are free to add them according to your needs.

Bonus tip: Create an Animation Video with Anireel

Anireel provides a faster and smoother animated video creation experience with customizable elements to bring anyone’s imagination to life. All you have to do is choose your script, input the content, and Anireel will instantly match your script to rich animation explainer scenes, convert the text into voice-over, and generate a vivid, complete animation video.

Part 3 FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

01 What is the best 2D animation software?

It is hard to directly give you an answer and tell you which is the best 2D animation software. However, we can give you some recommendations based on your needs. If you are a beginner, Pencil 2D is a great start. You can use it to make minimalist animation to give you a quick-to-start 2D animation experience. If you are in the middle level, Stop Motion Studio is what we recommend. The interface is intuitive with powerful features like voiceover and Chroma key.

02 What is the best 2D animation software for beginners?

For 2D animation software for beginners, Pencil 2D would come to mind for many people. It is an excellent animation software for beginners. If you also want to try other tools, Synfig and FlipBook are also great choices. It is your call for the final decision.

03 Is there any free animation software?

For beginners, free animation software includes Synfig, Opentoonz, Maefloresta, and Pencil 2D. For advanced users, you can use Blender and Maya.

Conclusion

Creating a 2D animation video is a lot easier when you have the right software available to you. You already have a script and storyboard in mind, but now you can realize your vision in intricate and unique ways.

If you want to make 3D animation, there are also various 3D animation software options for you. If anyone of the products above will serve you well, you could use Filmora.

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

Shanoon Cox

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

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When you are trying to make funny cartoons within seven steps , explainer videos, or informative shorts to post online, 2D animation software can come in handy. With access to a 2D animation maker, you can create intricate and interesting stories that will help you connect with your audience.

Whether you are turning photos into cartoons , teaching a group of kids , showing employees how to do their job, introducing a new product, or trying to elicit an emotional reaction from your audience, 2D cartoon animation can be very useful.

If you are new to the world of 2D animation as a beginner and want to be a professional animation maker, you will be interested in our review of the top 10 free download 2D animation software options that may prove useful to you.

• Part 1: Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners
• Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software
• Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation
• Part 4: FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

Recommend free download animation maker Filmora

If you want to create a 2D animation video, we recommend using 2D animation software-Filmora.

It is a powerful and straightforward video maker for all levels from middle to advanced. With keyframing, you can make smooth 2D animation quickly. Auto color correction can save you a lot of time to make high-quality animation.

Now free download it on Windows and Mac to make 2D animated videos, and connect with other video creators in the Wondershare Video Community to get more creative ideas.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Have a Quick Look at The Best 10 Free/Paid 2D Animation Software to Download

No.	Product Name	Supported OS	Price	Best for
1	Synfig	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
2	Opentoonz	Windows and OSX	Free	Beginners
3	Maefloresta	iPhone and Android	Free	Beginners
4	Pencil 2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
5	Toon Boom Harmony	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$109 per month	Professionals
6	CelAction2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$1300 for one single license	Professionals
7	Moho (Anime Studio) Pro	Windows and OSX	$399.99 for the full package	Professionals
8	Stop Motion Studio	Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS	$59.99 for the full package	Professionals
9	FlipBook	Windows and OSX	$19.99/$49.99/$149.99/$199.99	Professionals
10	Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator	Windows and OSX	$199 for the pipeline, $99 for pro	Professionals

Part 1 Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners

01 Synfig - Open Source 2D Animation Software for Beginners

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers more than 50 layers to make simple or advanced animation, so you don’t need to worry about its limitation though it is free to use.

Con: Few tutorials are available in the market to start making an animation for beginners.

Synfig Studio is an open-source, free 2D animation software that is the perfect place for beginners to learn about 2D animation. There are two versions available for free download - stable and testing.

The testing version has some experimental features if users want to try those ahead of their introduction into the stable release.

Features:

• Supports multiple layers of content
• The bone system allows for the creation of cutout animations from bitmap images
• Has sound support to allow for the addition and syncing of narration and/or music to the video

02 Opentoonz - Free-to-Use Effects for 2D Animation

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can use a plug-in to make beautiful animation effects automatically without further editing.

Con: The UI design is outdated compared with other animation software, but it won’t affect user experience.

Based on the Toonz software, Opentoonz is the best free alternative that will help you create 2D animated content. Anyone can use the software, free of charge, and download it.

And users can modify the source code to add specific features to this simple animation software.

Features:

• GTS scanning tool
• Ability to change picture styles
• Add distortion and light effects
• Compatible with black and white and colored scans

03 Maefloresta - Easy-to-Use 2D Animation Software on Phone

Price: Free

Compatibility: iPhone and Android

Pro: It is free to use with easy to start introduction, even for kids.

Con: You need to email its staff to get the installer online, which is inconvenient sometimes.

The beauty of the Maefloresta app is that you can use your Android or iOS tablet and smartphone to create free 2D animated videos.

There is no need to pay for expensive software if you just want to create some fun videos to show your friends. It also offers school solutions for teachers and students.

Features:

• The free downloadable app that works on smartphones and tablets
• Easy animation software with tutorials
• Intuitive interface that beginners can use with ease

04 Pencil 2D - Cross-Platform Software with Intuitive Interface

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers English, Spanish, and Portuguese language tutorials to use.

Con: It doesn’t support the shapes tool. If you like to make shapes and draw something, you’d be disappointed.

Want an open-source and free 2D animation design software to help you create videos? Pencil2D animation is the type of program that can help beginners.

You can get to grips with how 2D animation works, and you can create some very fun and interesting videos along the way.

Features:

• Minimalist design to let you make animation easily
• Raster and vector workflow switching
• Cross-platform compatibility to free download

Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software

05 Toon Boom Harmony - Leading Animation Software for Professional

Price: The first 21 days of using the product are free. After the 21 days are up, you will need to pay $109 per month.

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: You can make 2D and 3D animation, both with models.

Con: It may take some time to learn how to make 2D animation for beginners.

Whether you are trying to create an art piece, showcase a story through 2D images, or craft a unique message for your audience, Toon Boom Harmony will help you immensely.

This professional 2D animation software may take time to learn, but it is worth using. It has bitmap and vector tools for creating art, 3D imported models for hybrid productions, and the option to create multiplane scenes with Z-depth.

You can also check the Toon Boom Harmony Advanced Review from the TopTenReview website for more information.

Features:

• Revolutionary vector and bitmap drawing technology - Brush Engine
• Advanced color palettes and paint options
• 2D and 3D integration to make professional animation
• Cut-out animation tools
• Traditional paperless animation.

06 CelAction2D - Low System Requirement for Professional 2D Animation

Price: If you go with the Studio Edition, it costs $1,300 to obtain a single license to use the product for a lifetime. Studio Edition is $1300 for one single license

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It is fast to use with low system requirements.

Con: You can draw animation in itself, so you need to import all words from third-party software.

Want to create unique and complex 2D animations for your upcoming projects? CelAction2D is the type of product that is going to help you create wonderful and professional animations.

While getting a full license is a financial commitment, you are getting a product that has all the features that you could need.

You can create a palette using up to 16 million colors, and you will have a very easy time getting to grips with the way the software works.

It is designed for beginners and intermediate users, but still has all the advanced features that a pro would want.

Features:

• Easy and fast to use for professional users
• Features ergonomic controls
• Easily handles complex projects with thousands of layers
• Works with all modern Windows machines - 32 and 64-bit Also work with Macs through Boot Camp
• The multiplane camera features let you have more controls

07 Moho (Anime Studio) Pro - All-In-One Professional 2D Animation Software

Price: $399.99 for the full package.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: Its update is regular with advanced and newest features to use.

Con: It is not user-friendly for beginners as the functions are too advanced a little bit.

Anime Studio Pro is a fantastic option for anyone who is looking to get into professional 2D animation creation. It is affordable and designed for Flash-style animations.

While you cannot create frame-by-frame animations using this program, you will be able to create some fantastic videos nonetheless.

There is an Anime Studio Debut - simple animation software, which is targeted towards the beginner user and free download. But if you want all the features of a high-end 2D animation software, you will want to go with the Pro version.

Features:

• Enhanced freehand drawing tools
• Beizer handles to make it easier for you to design your videos the way that you want
• Smart warp feature helps create custom meshes to bend and twist your animations
• Realistic motion blur
• Animation for multiple layers at the same time

08 Stop Motion Studio - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $59.99 to download the software onto your PC.

Compatibility: Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS

Pro: You can use a built-in sound to make your animation unique. You can also record voice and use it in the video.

Con: You can only use it to make 2D stop motion animation.

Want to create fun, 2D animated videos? Hoping to impress your bosses with a 2D animated presentation to highlight a product’s features?

Using Stop Motion Studio will help you achieve all that you want in the world of 2D animation.

You can capture content with ease, whether you change up the focus, exposure, or white balance. There is DSLR support, so you can use your high-end camera in conjunction with this professional software.

And with a unique, frame-by-frame editor, you will be able to get the result that you want for your 2D stop animation movie.

Features:

• Onionskin allows you to view previous frames through a transparent overlay, which helps you create your next frame
• Comes with Chroma key and audio recording to better narrate and add voice effects to your videos
• Easy one-click uploading to YouTube and Facebook
• DSLR camera support for creating perfect 1080p recordings

09 FlipBook - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $19.99 for FlipBook Lite, $49.99 for FlipBook Studio, $149.99 for FlipBook Pro, $199.99 for FlipBook ProHD

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: From drawing, scanning to sound, this 2D animation software can make you powerful video.

Con: You can’t use it to make subtle changes as bone rigging is not available.

FlipBook is easy to use for beginners and pros who want to improve the editing experience. It is a powerful video editor that you can make 2D animation with various functions like syncing sound with animation, scanning cells, and more.

If you like to make a cartoon video like a pro, this 2D animation maker is best for you. It is free to download.

Features:

• Changes will be made while you change the animation, so FlipBook is fast to use
• You can use the shift key to make speed painting once you select one color
• Ten layers in animation for adding extra touches
• You can use a scanner to import images

10 Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator - Professional 2D Animation/Cartoon Software for Designers

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can always find the feature you like for beginners and professionals. You can control characters even in expression levels.

Con: It integrates with PhotoShop to import and export video.

CrazyTalk is a 2D animation maker for professional users, so you can use this one if you don’t know which one to use. It supports controlling characters with your expression and lip-syncing. It is popular among YouTubers, educators and marketers.

Features:

• Capture real-time facial expression with precise changing
• Black magic to turn the image into a moving cartoon
• For advanced users, you can make 2D visual effects

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

You may also like: Best Free Animated Logo Makers >>

Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation

Step 1 Put forward an idea

A story ides is priceless. It is always important to build an essential story frame. Sometimes it is in a blink to have come up with an idea.

It will help if you decide the gist of your 2D animation because the whole process of making animation is evolving. You may need to add or cut some scenes, but the overall concept and story ideas are always the same.

Step 2 Make a storyboard

After all the ideas are fixed, you need to make a storyboard for animation . You don’t need to produce every scene, but it is suggested to make a storyboard in some crucial scenes. Storyboarding is probably the best way to show 2D animation to other people and get feedback.

Thus, it is a step that you should not neglect during the preliminary.

Step 3 Produce materials

At this stage, you need to prepare all the 2D animation materials, including characters, background, and props. One thing you need to know is all the preparations in steps 2 and 3 should be ready before proceeding to step 3.

Step 4 Animation

After all, materials are ready, and you need to make animation alive. In this step, you need to make sure all the movements are natural. Stiff moves are not liked by the audience, so you need to think about how to design gestures, movements, and facial expressions.

Step 5 Animation editing

In this step, the software is the key to relive the 2D animation. Background audio is essential and needs to be added to the video. Color correction and grading are also necessary. Besides, scene transition, voiceover, and even text credit need to be added.

Above are the five 2D animation steps. If you think there are extra steps, you are free to add them according to your needs.

Bonus tip: Create an Animation Video with Anireel

Anireel provides a faster and smoother animated video creation experience with customizable elements to bring anyone’s imagination to life. All you have to do is choose your script, input the content, and Anireel will instantly match your script to rich animation explainer scenes, convert the text into voice-over, and generate a vivid, complete animation video.

Part 3 FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

01 What is the best 2D animation software?

It is hard to directly give you an answer and tell you which is the best 2D animation software. However, we can give you some recommendations based on your needs. If you are a beginner, Pencil 2D is a great start. You can use it to make minimalist animation to give you a quick-to-start 2D animation experience. If you are in the middle level, Stop Motion Studio is what we recommend. The interface is intuitive with powerful features like voiceover and Chroma key.

02 What is the best 2D animation software for beginners?

For 2D animation software for beginners, Pencil 2D would come to mind for many people. It is an excellent animation software for beginners. If you also want to try other tools, Synfig and FlipBook are also great choices. It is your call for the final decision.

03 Is there any free animation software?

For beginners, free animation software includes Synfig, Opentoonz, Maefloresta, and Pencil 2D. For advanced users, you can use Blender and Maya.

Conclusion

Creating a 2D animation video is a lot easier when you have the right software available to you. You already have a script and storyboard in mind, but now you can realize your vision in intricate and unique ways.

If you want to make 3D animation, there are also various 3D animation software options for you. If anyone of the products above will serve you well, you could use Filmora.

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

Shanoon Cox

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

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When you are trying to make funny cartoons within seven steps , explainer videos, or informative shorts to post online, 2D animation software can come in handy. With access to a 2D animation maker, you can create intricate and interesting stories that will help you connect with your audience.

Whether you are turning photos into cartoons , teaching a group of kids , showing employees how to do their job, introducing a new product, or trying to elicit an emotional reaction from your audience, 2D cartoon animation can be very useful.

If you are new to the world of 2D animation as a beginner and want to be a professional animation maker, you will be interested in our review of the top 10 free download 2D animation software options that may prove useful to you.

• Part 1: Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners
• Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software
• Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation
• Part 4: FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

Recommend free download animation maker Filmora

If you want to create a 2D animation video, we recommend using 2D animation software-Filmora.

It is a powerful and straightforward video maker for all levels from middle to advanced. With keyframing, you can make smooth 2D animation quickly. Auto color correction can save you a lot of time to make high-quality animation.

Now free download it on Windows and Mac to make 2D animated videos, and connect with other video creators in the Wondershare Video Community to get more creative ideas.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Have a Quick Look at The Best 10 Free/Paid 2D Animation Software to Download

No.	Product Name	Supported OS	Price	Best for
1	Synfig	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
2	Opentoonz	Windows and OSX	Free	Beginners
3	Maefloresta	iPhone and Android	Free	Beginners
4	Pencil 2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
5	Toon Boom Harmony	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$109 per month	Professionals
6	CelAction2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$1300 for one single license	Professionals
7	Moho (Anime Studio) Pro	Windows and OSX	$399.99 for the full package	Professionals
8	Stop Motion Studio	Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS	$59.99 for the full package	Professionals
9	FlipBook	Windows and OSX	$19.99/$49.99/$149.99/$199.99	Professionals
10	Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator	Windows and OSX	$199 for the pipeline, $99 for pro	Professionals

Part 1 Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners

01 Synfig - Open Source 2D Animation Software for Beginners

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers more than 50 layers to make simple or advanced animation, so you don’t need to worry about its limitation though it is free to use.

Con: Few tutorials are available in the market to start making an animation for beginners.

Synfig Studio is an open-source, free 2D animation software that is the perfect place for beginners to learn about 2D animation. There are two versions available for free download - stable and testing.

The testing version has some experimental features if users want to try those ahead of their introduction into the stable release.

Features:

• Supports multiple layers of content
• The bone system allows for the creation of cutout animations from bitmap images
• Has sound support to allow for the addition and syncing of narration and/or music to the video

02 Opentoonz - Free-to-Use Effects for 2D Animation

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can use a plug-in to make beautiful animation effects automatically without further editing.

Con: The UI design is outdated compared with other animation software, but it won’t affect user experience.

Based on the Toonz software, Opentoonz is the best free alternative that will help you create 2D animated content. Anyone can use the software, free of charge, and download it.

And users can modify the source code to add specific features to this simple animation software.

Features:

• GTS scanning tool
• Ability to change picture styles
• Add distortion and light effects
• Compatible with black and white and colored scans

03 Maefloresta - Easy-to-Use 2D Animation Software on Phone

Price: Free

Compatibility: iPhone and Android

Pro: It is free to use with easy to start introduction, even for kids.

Con: You need to email its staff to get the installer online, which is inconvenient sometimes.

The beauty of the Maefloresta app is that you can use your Android or iOS tablet and smartphone to create free 2D animated videos.

There is no need to pay for expensive software if you just want to create some fun videos to show your friends. It also offers school solutions for teachers and students.

Features:

• The free downloadable app that works on smartphones and tablets
• Easy animation software with tutorials
• Intuitive interface that beginners can use with ease

04 Pencil 2D - Cross-Platform Software with Intuitive Interface

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers English, Spanish, and Portuguese language tutorials to use.

Con: It doesn’t support the shapes tool. If you like to make shapes and draw something, you’d be disappointed.

Want an open-source and free 2D animation design software to help you create videos? Pencil2D animation is the type of program that can help beginners.

You can get to grips with how 2D animation works, and you can create some very fun and interesting videos along the way.

Features:

• Minimalist design to let you make animation easily
• Raster and vector workflow switching
• Cross-platform compatibility to free download

Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software

05 Toon Boom Harmony - Leading Animation Software for Professional

Price: The first 21 days of using the product are free. After the 21 days are up, you will need to pay $109 per month.

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: You can make 2D and 3D animation, both with models.

Con: It may take some time to learn how to make 2D animation for beginners.

Whether you are trying to create an art piece, showcase a story through 2D images, or craft a unique message for your audience, Toon Boom Harmony will help you immensely.

This professional 2D animation software may take time to learn, but it is worth using. It has bitmap and vector tools for creating art, 3D imported models for hybrid productions, and the option to create multiplane scenes with Z-depth.

You can also check the Toon Boom Harmony Advanced Review from the TopTenReview website for more information.

Features:

• Revolutionary vector and bitmap drawing technology - Brush Engine
• Advanced color palettes and paint options
• 2D and 3D integration to make professional animation
• Cut-out animation tools
• Traditional paperless animation.

06 CelAction2D - Low System Requirement for Professional 2D Animation

Price: If you go with the Studio Edition, it costs $1,300 to obtain a single license to use the product for a lifetime. Studio Edition is $1300 for one single license

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It is fast to use with low system requirements.

Con: You can draw animation in itself, so you need to import all words from third-party software.

Want to create unique and complex 2D animations for your upcoming projects? CelAction2D is the type of product that is going to help you create wonderful and professional animations.

While getting a full license is a financial commitment, you are getting a product that has all the features that you could need.

You can create a palette using up to 16 million colors, and you will have a very easy time getting to grips with the way the software works.

It is designed for beginners and intermediate users, but still has all the advanced features that a pro would want.

Features:

• Easy and fast to use for professional users
• Features ergonomic controls
• Easily handles complex projects with thousands of layers
• Works with all modern Windows machines - 32 and 64-bit Also work with Macs through Boot Camp
• The multiplane camera features let you have more controls

07 Moho (Anime Studio) Pro - All-In-One Professional 2D Animation Software

Price: $399.99 for the full package.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: Its update is regular with advanced and newest features to use.

Con: It is not user-friendly for beginners as the functions are too advanced a little bit.

Anime Studio Pro is a fantastic option for anyone who is looking to get into professional 2D animation creation. It is affordable and designed for Flash-style animations.

While you cannot create frame-by-frame animations using this program, you will be able to create some fantastic videos nonetheless.

There is an Anime Studio Debut - simple animation software, which is targeted towards the beginner user and free download. But if you want all the features of a high-end 2D animation software, you will want to go with the Pro version.

Features:

• Enhanced freehand drawing tools
• Beizer handles to make it easier for you to design your videos the way that you want
• Smart warp feature helps create custom meshes to bend and twist your animations
• Realistic motion blur
• Animation for multiple layers at the same time

08 Stop Motion Studio - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $59.99 to download the software onto your PC.

Compatibility: Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS

Pro: You can use a built-in sound to make your animation unique. You can also record voice and use it in the video.

Con: You can only use it to make 2D stop motion animation.

Want to create fun, 2D animated videos? Hoping to impress your bosses with a 2D animated presentation to highlight a product’s features?

Using Stop Motion Studio will help you achieve all that you want in the world of 2D animation.

You can capture content with ease, whether you change up the focus, exposure, or white balance. There is DSLR support, so you can use your high-end camera in conjunction with this professional software.

And with a unique, frame-by-frame editor, you will be able to get the result that you want for your 2D stop animation movie.

Features:

• Onionskin allows you to view previous frames through a transparent overlay, which helps you create your next frame
• Comes with Chroma key and audio recording to better narrate and add voice effects to your videos
• Easy one-click uploading to YouTube and Facebook
• DSLR camera support for creating perfect 1080p recordings

09 FlipBook - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $19.99 for FlipBook Lite, $49.99 for FlipBook Studio, $149.99 for FlipBook Pro, $199.99 for FlipBook ProHD

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: From drawing, scanning to sound, this 2D animation software can make you powerful video.

Con: You can’t use it to make subtle changes as bone rigging is not available.

FlipBook is easy to use for beginners and pros who want to improve the editing experience. It is a powerful video editor that you can make 2D animation with various functions like syncing sound with animation, scanning cells, and more.

If you like to make a cartoon video like a pro, this 2D animation maker is best for you. It is free to download.

Features:

• Changes will be made while you change the animation, so FlipBook is fast to use
• You can use the shift key to make speed painting once you select one color
• Ten layers in animation for adding extra touches
• You can use a scanner to import images

10 Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator - Professional 2D Animation/Cartoon Software for Designers

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can always find the feature you like for beginners and professionals. You can control characters even in expression levels.

Con: It integrates with PhotoShop to import and export video.

CrazyTalk is a 2D animation maker for professional users, so you can use this one if you don’t know which one to use. It supports controlling characters with your expression and lip-syncing. It is popular among YouTubers, educators and marketers.

Features:

• Capture real-time facial expression with precise changing
• Black magic to turn the image into a moving cartoon
• For advanced users, you can make 2D visual effects

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

You may also like: Best Free Animated Logo Makers >>

Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation

Step 1 Put forward an idea

A story ides is priceless. It is always important to build an essential story frame. Sometimes it is in a blink to have come up with an idea.

It will help if you decide the gist of your 2D animation because the whole process of making animation is evolving. You may need to add or cut some scenes, but the overall concept and story ideas are always the same.

Step 2 Make a storyboard

After all the ideas are fixed, you need to make a storyboard for animation . You don’t need to produce every scene, but it is suggested to make a storyboard in some crucial scenes. Storyboarding is probably the best way to show 2D animation to other people and get feedback.

Thus, it is a step that you should not neglect during the preliminary.

Step 3 Produce materials

At this stage, you need to prepare all the 2D animation materials, including characters, background, and props. One thing you need to know is all the preparations in steps 2 and 3 should be ready before proceeding to step 3.

Step 4 Animation

After all, materials are ready, and you need to make animation alive. In this step, you need to make sure all the movements are natural. Stiff moves are not liked by the audience, so you need to think about how to design gestures, movements, and facial expressions.

Step 5 Animation editing

In this step, the software is the key to relive the 2D animation. Background audio is essential and needs to be added to the video. Color correction and grading are also necessary. Besides, scene transition, voiceover, and even text credit need to be added.

Above are the five 2D animation steps. If you think there are extra steps, you are free to add them according to your needs.

Bonus tip: Create an Animation Video with Anireel

Anireel provides a faster and smoother animated video creation experience with customizable elements to bring anyone’s imagination to life. All you have to do is choose your script, input the content, and Anireel will instantly match your script to rich animation explainer scenes, convert the text into voice-over, and generate a vivid, complete animation video.

Part 3 FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

01 What is the best 2D animation software?

It is hard to directly give you an answer and tell you which is the best 2D animation software. However, we can give you some recommendations based on your needs. If you are a beginner, Pencil 2D is a great start. You can use it to make minimalist animation to give you a quick-to-start 2D animation experience. If you are in the middle level, Stop Motion Studio is what we recommend. The interface is intuitive with powerful features like voiceover and Chroma key.

02 What is the best 2D animation software for beginners?

For 2D animation software for beginners, Pencil 2D would come to mind for many people. It is an excellent animation software for beginners. If you also want to try other tools, Synfig and FlipBook are also great choices. It is your call for the final decision.

03 Is there any free animation software?

For beginners, free animation software includes Synfig, Opentoonz, Maefloresta, and Pencil 2D. For advanced users, you can use Blender and Maya.

Conclusion

Creating a 2D animation video is a lot easier when you have the right software available to you. You already have a script and storyboard in mind, but now you can realize your vision in intricate and unique ways.

If you want to make 3D animation, there are also various 3D animation software options for you. If anyone of the products above will serve you well, you could use Filmora.

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

Shanoon Cox

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

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When you are trying to make funny cartoons within seven steps , explainer videos, or informative shorts to post online, 2D animation software can come in handy. With access to a 2D animation maker, you can create intricate and interesting stories that will help you connect with your audience.

Whether you are turning photos into cartoons , teaching a group of kids , showing employees how to do their job, introducing a new product, or trying to elicit an emotional reaction from your audience, 2D cartoon animation can be very useful.

If you are new to the world of 2D animation as a beginner and want to be a professional animation maker, you will be interested in our review of the top 10 free download 2D animation software options that may prove useful to you.

• Part 1: Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners
• Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software
• Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation
• Part 4: FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

Recommend free download animation maker Filmora

If you want to create a 2D animation video, we recommend using 2D animation software-Filmora.

It is a powerful and straightforward video maker for all levels from middle to advanced. With keyframing, you can make smooth 2D animation quickly. Auto color correction can save you a lot of time to make high-quality animation.

Now free download it on Windows and Mac to make 2D animated videos, and connect with other video creators in the Wondershare Video Community to get more creative ideas.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Have a Quick Look at The Best 10 Free/Paid 2D Animation Software to Download

No.	Product Name	Supported OS	Price	Best for
1	Synfig	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
2	Opentoonz	Windows and OSX	Free	Beginners
3	Maefloresta	iPhone and Android	Free	Beginners
4	Pencil 2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	Free	Beginners
5	Toon Boom Harmony	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$109 per month	Professionals
6	CelAction2D	Windows, Linux, and OSX	$1300 for one single license	Professionals
7	Moho (Anime Studio) Pro	Windows and OSX	$399.99 for the full package	Professionals
8	Stop Motion Studio	Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS	$59.99 for the full package	Professionals
9	FlipBook	Windows and OSX	$19.99/$49.99/$149.99/$199.99	Professionals
10	Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator	Windows and OSX	$199 for the pipeline, $99 for pro	Professionals

Part 1 Best Free 2D Animation Software for Beginners

01 Synfig - Open Source 2D Animation Software for Beginners

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers more than 50 layers to make simple or advanced animation, so you don’t need to worry about its limitation though it is free to use.

Con: Few tutorials are available in the market to start making an animation for beginners.

Synfig Studio is an open-source, free 2D animation software that is the perfect place for beginners to learn about 2D animation. There are two versions available for free download - stable and testing.

The testing version has some experimental features if users want to try those ahead of their introduction into the stable release.

Features:

• Supports multiple layers of content
• The bone system allows for the creation of cutout animations from bitmap images
• Has sound support to allow for the addition and syncing of narration and/or music to the video

02 Opentoonz - Free-to-Use Effects for 2D Animation

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can use a plug-in to make beautiful animation effects automatically without further editing.

Con: The UI design is outdated compared with other animation software, but it won’t affect user experience.

Based on the Toonz software, Opentoonz is the best free alternative that will help you create 2D animated content. Anyone can use the software, free of charge, and download it.

And users can modify the source code to add specific features to this simple animation software.

Features:

• GTS scanning tool
• Ability to change picture styles
• Add distortion and light effects
• Compatible with black and white and colored scans

03 Maefloresta - Easy-to-Use 2D Animation Software on Phone

Price: Free

Compatibility: iPhone and Android

Pro: It is free to use with easy to start introduction, even for kids.

Con: You need to email its staff to get the installer online, which is inconvenient sometimes.

The beauty of the Maefloresta app is that you can use your Android or iOS tablet and smartphone to create free 2D animated videos.

There is no need to pay for expensive software if you just want to create some fun videos to show your friends. It also offers school solutions for teachers and students.

Features:

• The free downloadable app that works on smartphones and tablets
• Easy animation software with tutorials
• Intuitive interface that beginners can use with ease

04 Pencil 2D - Cross-Platform Software with Intuitive Interface

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It offers English, Spanish, and Portuguese language tutorials to use.

Con: It doesn’t support the shapes tool. If you like to make shapes and draw something, you’d be disappointed.

Want an open-source and free 2D animation design software to help you create videos? Pencil2D animation is the type of program that can help beginners.

You can get to grips with how 2D animation works, and you can create some very fun and interesting videos along the way.

Features:

• Minimalist design to let you make animation easily
• Raster and vector workflow switching
• Cross-platform compatibility to free download

Part 2: Best Professional 2D Animation Software

05 Toon Boom Harmony - Leading Animation Software for Professional

Price: The first 21 days of using the product are free. After the 21 days are up, you will need to pay $109 per month.

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: You can make 2D and 3D animation, both with models.

Con: It may take some time to learn how to make 2D animation for beginners.

Whether you are trying to create an art piece, showcase a story through 2D images, or craft a unique message for your audience, Toon Boom Harmony will help you immensely.

This professional 2D animation software may take time to learn, but it is worth using. It has bitmap and vector tools for creating art, 3D imported models for hybrid productions, and the option to create multiplane scenes with Z-depth.

You can also check the Toon Boom Harmony Advanced Review from the TopTenReview website for more information.

Features:

• Revolutionary vector and bitmap drawing technology - Brush Engine
• Advanced color palettes and paint options
• 2D and 3D integration to make professional animation
• Cut-out animation tools
• Traditional paperless animation.

06 CelAction2D - Low System Requirement for Professional 2D Animation

Price: If you go with the Studio Edition, it costs $1,300 to obtain a single license to use the product for a lifetime. Studio Edition is $1300 for one single license

Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and OSX

Pro: It is fast to use with low system requirements.

Con: You can draw animation in itself, so you need to import all words from third-party software.

Want to create unique and complex 2D animations for your upcoming projects? CelAction2D is the type of product that is going to help you create wonderful and professional animations.

While getting a full license is a financial commitment, you are getting a product that has all the features that you could need.

You can create a palette using up to 16 million colors, and you will have a very easy time getting to grips with the way the software works.

It is designed for beginners and intermediate users, but still has all the advanced features that a pro would want.

Features:

• Easy and fast to use for professional users
• Features ergonomic controls
• Easily handles complex projects with thousands of layers
• Works with all modern Windows machines - 32 and 64-bit Also work with Macs through Boot Camp
• The multiplane camera features let you have more controls

07 Moho (Anime Studio) Pro - All-In-One Professional 2D Animation Software

Price: $399.99 for the full package.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: Its update is regular with advanced and newest features to use.

Con: It is not user-friendly for beginners as the functions are too advanced a little bit.

Anime Studio Pro is a fantastic option for anyone who is looking to get into professional 2D animation creation. It is affordable and designed for Flash-style animations.

While you cannot create frame-by-frame animations using this program, you will be able to create some fantastic videos nonetheless.

There is an Anime Studio Debut - simple animation software, which is targeted towards the beginner user and free download. But if you want all the features of a high-end 2D animation software, you will want to go with the Pro version.

Features:

• Enhanced freehand drawing tools
• Beizer handles to make it easier for you to design your videos the way that you want
• Smart warp feature helps create custom meshes to bend and twist your animations
• Realistic motion blur
• Animation for multiple layers at the same time

08 Stop Motion Studio - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $59.99 to download the software onto your PC.

Compatibility: Windows, OSX, Android, and iOS

Pro: You can use a built-in sound to make your animation unique. You can also record voice and use it in the video.

Con: You can only use it to make 2D stop motion animation.

Want to create fun, 2D animated videos? Hoping to impress your bosses with a 2D animated presentation to highlight a product’s features?

Using Stop Motion Studio will help you achieve all that you want in the world of 2D animation.

You can capture content with ease, whether you change up the focus, exposure, or white balance. There is DSLR support, so you can use your high-end camera in conjunction with this professional software.

And with a unique, frame-by-frame editor, you will be able to get the result that you want for your 2D stop animation movie.

Features:

• Onionskin allows you to view previous frames through a transparent overlay, which helps you create your next frame
• Comes with Chroma key and audio recording to better narrate and add voice effects to your videos
• Easy one-click uploading to YouTube and Facebook
• DSLR camera support for creating perfect 1080p recordings

09 FlipBook - Fun and Well Designed 2D Animation Software

Price: $19.99 for FlipBook Lite, $49.99 for FlipBook Studio, $149.99 for FlipBook Pro, $199.99 for FlipBook ProHD

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: From drawing, scanning to sound, this 2D animation software can make you powerful video.

Con: You can’t use it to make subtle changes as bone rigging is not available.

FlipBook is easy to use for beginners and pros who want to improve the editing experience. It is a powerful video editor that you can make 2D animation with various functions like syncing sound with animation, scanning cells, and more.

If you like to make a cartoon video like a pro, this 2D animation maker is best for you. It is free to download.

Features:

• Changes will be made while you change the animation, so FlipBook is fast to use
• You can use the shift key to make speed painting once you select one color
• Ten layers in animation for adding extra touches
• You can use a scanner to import images

10 Reallusion CrazyTalk Animator - Professional 2D Animation/Cartoon Software for Designers

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

Compatibility: Windows and OSX

Pro: You can always find the feature you like for beginners and professionals. You can control characters even in expression levels.

Con: It integrates with PhotoShop to import and export video.

CrazyTalk is a 2D animation maker for professional users, so you can use this one if you don’t know which one to use. It supports controlling characters with your expression and lip-syncing. It is popular among YouTubers, educators and marketers.

Features:

• Capture real-time facial expression with precise changing
• Black magic to turn the image into a moving cartoon
• For advanced users, you can make 2D visual effects

Price: USD199 for the pipeline, USD99 for pro.

You may also like: Best Free Animated Logo Makers >>

Part 3: How to Make 2D Animation

Step 1 Put forward an idea

A story ides is priceless. It is always important to build an essential story frame. Sometimes it is in a blink to have come up with an idea.

It will help if you decide the gist of your 2D animation because the whole process of making animation is evolving. You may need to add or cut some scenes, but the overall concept and story ideas are always the same.

Step 2 Make a storyboard

After all the ideas are fixed, you need to make a storyboard for animation . You don’t need to produce every scene, but it is suggested to make a storyboard in some crucial scenes. Storyboarding is probably the best way to show 2D animation to other people and get feedback.

Thus, it is a step that you should not neglect during the preliminary.

Step 3 Produce materials

At this stage, you need to prepare all the 2D animation materials, including characters, background, and props. One thing you need to know is all the preparations in steps 2 and 3 should be ready before proceeding to step 3.

Step 4 Animation

After all, materials are ready, and you need to make animation alive. In this step, you need to make sure all the movements are natural. Stiff moves are not liked by the audience, so you need to think about how to design gestures, movements, and facial expressions.

Step 5 Animation editing

In this step, the software is the key to relive the 2D animation. Background audio is essential and needs to be added to the video. Color correction and grading are also necessary. Besides, scene transition, voiceover, and even text credit need to be added.

Above are the five 2D animation steps. If you think there are extra steps, you are free to add them according to your needs.

Bonus tip: Create an Animation Video with Anireel

Anireel provides a faster and smoother animated video creation experience with customizable elements to bring anyone’s imagination to life. All you have to do is choose your script, input the content, and Anireel will instantly match your script to rich animation explainer scenes, convert the text into voice-over, and generate a vivid, complete animation video.

Part 3 FAQ about Professional 2D Animation Software

01 What is the best 2D animation software?

It is hard to directly give you an answer and tell you which is the best 2D animation software. However, we can give you some recommendations based on your needs. If you are a beginner, Pencil 2D is a great start. You can use it to make minimalist animation to give you a quick-to-start 2D animation experience. If you are in the middle level, Stop Motion Studio is what we recommend. The interface is intuitive with powerful features like voiceover and Chroma key.

02 What is the best 2D animation software for beginners?

For 2D animation software for beginners, Pencil 2D would come to mind for many people. It is an excellent animation software for beginners. If you also want to try other tools, Synfig and FlipBook are also great choices. It is your call for the final decision.

03 Is there any free animation software?

For beginners, free animation software includes Synfig, Opentoonz, Maefloresta, and Pencil 2D. For advanced users, you can use Blender and Maya.

Conclusion

Creating a 2D animation video is a lot easier when you have the right software available to you. You already have a script and storyboard in mind, but now you can realize your vision in intricate and unique ways.

If you want to make 3D animation, there are also various 3D animation software options for you. If anyone of the products above will serve you well, you could use Filmora.

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

Shanoon Cox

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

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