# What animation or art software do you use?



## Lazysavior (Feb 12, 2017)

I am going to start getting into digital art and animations and I was curious what people are using or would suggest? I like the idea behind the Ipad Pro + the app Pro Create from what I have seen on YouTube and I was wondering if anyone has used it? Is there anything comparable to use on a pc or laptop? Most of my work is done at my desktop so a mobile device like an Ipad might not be the best choice for the cost, and I am trying to find something that is better for the pc with a touchscreen monitor.

Also, Is there anything comparable to the quality of the Ipad pencil for the pc and is there something similar the Apple's app Pro Create for Windows, other then the monthly fee adobe stuff? I do not mind buying software, but I do not want a monthly fee to use it if there is another option.

I am fairly decent at drawing and art in general, so I am looking for software that would be able to do all the more complex things like creating layers, and higher resolutions for more detailed artworks. Thank you for any advice, or if there is another post similar to this would you mind linking it so I can find it.


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## Aces (Feb 13, 2017)

What do you want to use your animations for? (Software/games tend to use different software than general visual media)  

And may we see samples of your current work in physical media? This will allow us to suggest the best programs for your needs/preferences.

Also, here's the cheapest graphics tablet I could, in good conscience, recommend to someone: 4X3 Inches Graphic Drawing Tablet - Monoprice.com You should also look into pens that are compatible with your touchscreen computer, _that offer pressure sensitivity._ IMO, you're really missing out if you don't have that feature.


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## Lazysavior (Feb 13, 2017)

I was looking into some free software like Blender and I think that might be what I need for the 3d and animations. Basically I want to make my fursona into a 3d sculpture that can be viewed from different angles and lighting. It is likely beyond my current skill level, but I would like to make it move around and create short animations, or movie scenes that shows my characters in it is own unique realm. It would probably take a lot of time to create it but I am also doing it as a learning process so trial and error should be okay.

I do have an older Photoshop Elements 14 I use for photographs, and it does have some artwork tools in it. However I am not sure if that is the best thing for drawing artwork since I usually only use it for photos. I might of just answered my own question, but is Photoshop Elements a good tool for art since it does seem to have the same features as Apples App Pro Create?

My artwork is not good enough to show yet  I do plan on following some of the tutorials I have found on Youtube to make some presentable digital furry art soon.


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## Aces (Feb 15, 2017)

From what I've seen, Pro Create is a relatively simple program, and similar effects can be achieved with most software _in theory._ Personally, I like ArtRage the best. It is technically not as powerful as other software, but if you like traditional media and are into the brush customization of Pro Create, its probably your best bet. It also has a unique way of handling wet, thick paint if you like painting impasto IRL. 

As for 3D software, I'd say Blender is fine, especially if you're not into subscription stuff. It _will_ take some learning- as with most open-source, yet powerful software, its UI is a little lower on the priority list than elsewhere, and documentation can be out of date. But if you can learn Blender, you can learn anything.

Though if you just want to play around with sculpting, I might suggest Sculptris. You can get it for free, and its a very nice 3D clay-like modeling program. If your computer isn't super powerful, though, I will warn you to watch your polycount.


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## kidchameleon (Feb 16, 2017)

I use Krita for all my Raster work, it's pretty great once you get used to it - plus it's free  ... have yet to find a decent free/affordable program that works with Vectors though =/ Not sure about programs for animation. I've heard "Pencil" is pretty good, but haven't gotten around to using it yet so can't say for sure.


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## Bomi (it/Its) (Apr 21, 2022)

Personally I use clip studio paint and photoshop CS6 for art/animating


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## snowsketches (Apr 21, 2022)

Procreate, as wonderful of a program as it is, is really not optimized for animation. No real onion skinning (you can do it manually, but it would be a pain), very limited amount of layers, the limitation of one layer per frame makes it very cumbersome to have a background with an animation or overlapping animations (you'd need to continuously duplicate the layers manually, and with a limited amount of layers, it's quite annoying).

I use TVPaint and Toom Boom Harmony, but if you'd like a more accessible option for the iPad, I highly recommend RoughAnimator! It's $4.99 in the App store.


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## FelixTheCat (Apr 22, 2022)

I use OpenToonz. It's powerful & free, even if it's brush engine isn't as nice as ClipStudio (but then what does?).  

[Also, my first post--Hi!]


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## a sleepy kitty (Apr 22, 2022)

I use the ibisPaint app on my phone


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## Faustus (Apr 27, 2022)

Lazysavior said:


> I was looking into some free software like Blender and I think that might be what I need for the 3d and animations.


3D can be heavy going, especially once you get into subjects like normal mapping, skeletal animation and cloth/fur effects. I'd suggest you start with something fairly simple, like an uncoloured bust, until you have the technique down.

My personal method is to start with a cube, add a subdivision modifier, make it symmetrical and turn on x-plane mirroring, then extrude groups of facets and tweak individual points until I get the shape I want, pausing occasionally to turn down the subdivisions and clean up any messy geometry, or to symmetrise again (because for some reason extrusion isn't mirrored like other edits!) You can further refine parts of the model by selecting edges and changing their 'crease' value.

Once you get used to how subdivision surfaces work, creating organic models actually becomes surprisingly intuitive.

I usually recommend tutorials by a guy called Taron, but he was mostly a Lightwave modeller and I can't seem to find any of his work on YouTube any more. This tutorial isn't bad for a beginner though:


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## tarotrickster (Apr 28, 2022)

The ipad pro with the pencil is a great start, especially if you're looking to get into 2D art. 
However, I do think you're going to want to use a program like Spine if you want to get into 2D animation.


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## kidchameleon (May 15, 2022)

kidchameleon said:


> I use Krita for all my Raster work, it's pretty great once you get used to it - plus it's free  ... have yet to find a decent free/affordable program that works with Vectors though =/ Not sure about programs for animation. I've heard "Pencil" is pretty good, but haven't gotten around to using it yet so can't say for sure.


my how times have changed. officially a member of the Clip Studio Paint gang now. can't recommend it enough


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## TheRazzDazzler11 (May 18, 2022)

FireAlpaca is free and is my favorite program I've come across in my years of drawing :3









						Sassy Bnuuy by TheRazzDazzler11
					

It certainly amazing how much drawing pooltoys has improved my shading skills :3. . This was drawn on February 21, 2022




					www.furaffinity.net


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## Lioedevon427 (May 19, 2022)

snowsketches said:


> Procreate, as wonderful of a program as it is, is really not optimized for animation. No real onion skinning (you can do it manually, but it would be a pain), very limited amount of layers, the limitation of one layer per frame makes it very cumbersome to have a background with an animation or overlapping animations (you'd need to continuously duplicate the layers manually, and with a limited amount of layers, it's quite annoying).
> 
> I use TVPaint and Toom Boom Harmony, but if you'd like a more accessible option for the iPad, I highly recommend RoughAnimator! It's $4.99 in the App store.


Yesss! I adore RoughAnimator- it’s super easy to use and even has a camera system! I would highly recommend that one if you plan on doing iPad things, mainly because of how good the flipping in it is!


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## Inafox (May 22, 2022)

Ever since I began art (around September 2021) I've used multiple software.
I'm still not 100% what fits me best, but certain ones I find buggier or leave artefacts, etc.
Krita was very slow and hard for me to use (I have SPD and found the interface very confusing/distracting).
SAI 2 I tried first of paid programs because it was cheap enough for me to just afford, it's very simple but can go a long way.
I then tried Paintstorm because it was quite cheap, I'll say the UI is good and it's fast but it's just not versatile enough for me.
When I was sharing a PC I tried Rebelle, it's quite good at watercolour stuff but I feel the lines get smudged out quick, it was also buggy and slow for me.
So then I tried Photoshop, sharing a monthly subscription with my family, painting in it was slower than other programs but there's a lot of brushes for it.
Then I got to CSP as a gift which has good pen tilt. It does tend to be less good painting to me (the paint doesn't mix well in respect to other layers unlike Paintstorm/Photoshop). Many tools are incredibly slow as is saving high-res canvases and text editing but it's easiest to customise/layout and that goes well with my SPD as I can organise things better. I don't mind settling for less for a bit more visual convenience since I can just paint in Photoshop/Paintstorm and sketch/cel-shade in CSP.

Not sure about animation as I haven't done it yet, but I didn't like touching Photoshop and CSP's make-shift timeline, it just bugs out all the time and seems more like a plugin using some kind of user-made script. I'd like to try animation software myself, but it needs to reflect the core workflow and program usage or it feels like a nag to me, and I mostly want to do ferals/semianthros and most apps seem geared for animating humans. If anyone has any recommendations my ears are open :3


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## artofem (May 26, 2022)

I've used Medibang/FireAlpaca before when I still have my graphics tablet.
 (｡ŏ_ŏ)

I used my phone for my drawings nowadays tho, with IbisPaint as my main art program. I sometimes doodle on Autodesk Sketchbook as I love how their brushes work. The program is quite unstable though, It's not good for doing commission arts. ≧ω≦


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## miss_samychan (May 27, 2022)

Yeah, I use an iPad + Pencil with Procreate. 
And I actually really like it so far. It's mobile, I can take it with me or just sit on the couch while drawing which isn't that easy with a drawing tablet. 

I don't really know a similar software you could use. I used Clip Studio Paint for a long time, until I started with Procreate. It had a one-time payment option back to the time I started using it and might be overwhelming at the start because it has so many features. 
Paint Tool SAI is pretty similar to Clip Studio Paint, I think, and it has a one-time payment option


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## Lexiand (May 27, 2022)

I used blender but I used to use flash for sprite animation.


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## Loose Screws (May 27, 2022)

I do a bit of animation, for 2D I use Clip Studio Paint mostly but also TV Paint, which is what we had to use in my animation course. I only have the student version though and it was still expensive. Recommend CSP for sure.


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## Yudran (Jun 2, 2022)

For painting, the main programs I use are photoshop (specially if I need to do some photobashing) and Krita (which is free).
I'm trying to learn some blender to do environments and buildings.


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