The best animation softwares, according to hackers
8 animation softwares recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedApple Motion17 people recommend it
- Free and lovedCorridorKey 2.017 people recommend it
All animation softwares
- Apple MotionLong-used Apple motion graphics app with a low one-time price; people find it serviceable. Critics dislike the 3-PC activation limit and say it trails After Effects.17recommend
- CorridorKey 2.0Free tool that gets green screen keys to usable quality in seconds, cutting hours of manual masking. Main caveat: a non-commercial license that critics say is not truly open source.17recommend
- Adobe After EffectsPeople recommend it as an industry-standard tool for motion graphics and animation with no good alternative yet; the most common caveat is that it is complicated and hard to learn.14recommend
- ntsc-rsFree open-source software that simulates analog TV and VHS video artifacts, with convincing output and fast performance. Critics say its many settings are overwhelming.14recommend
- Adobe AnimateRecommended for 2D frame-by-frame animation, its pen tool and HTML5 export. Main caveat: subscription-only pricing and a shaky future after discontinuation plans.9recommend
- TixlFree open-source real-time motion graphics tool with node-based workflows and a polished interface; people compare it favorably to After Effects. Main caveat: it runs only on Windows.8recommend
- NukePeople recommend Nuke as a go-to tool for visual effects work and praise its color editing. No recurring caveats came up in the quotes.6recommend
- Pivot AnimatorFree stick figure animation program that many people fondly remember from childhood for making and sharing their own animations. Critics say its animations look crude.6recommend