Have an iPad and looking for some animation apps for animation? In this article, we’ll showcase our top five animation apps (in no specific order) that are perfect to use for Apple’s iPad.
Recommended Animation Apps for the iPad
Apple has added features to make drawing and animating on the tablet feel very intuitive. This is especially true when using the Apple Pencil, which is excellent for all types of creative tasks, giving you precise drawing, pressure, and tilt sensitivity.
So whether you’re a professional animator or you’re just looking to have some fun learning animation, take a look at the list below to find an app that works best for you.
1. FlipaClip: Create 2D Animation
Flipbook animations are a great way to learn the fundamentals of how 2D animation works. Each page essentially represents a frame of animation, and when the pages are flipped in rapid succession, they create the illusion of movement.
FlipaClip is an award-winning app which works in the same way within a digital format. The app provides everything you need, from drawing tools to text, onion layers, and the ability to add and manage audio, timelines, and frames.
When you’re finished with your animation, you can then turn them into GIFs and easily share them on your social media platform of choice!
2. Animatic
If you are looking to make the most of your Apple Pencil and you love hand-drawn animations, then Animatic is the app for you! It‘s perfect for quickly storyboarding and conveying ideas through moving images.
This simple but powerful app features an easy-to-use frame editor, flexible onion skinning, and repeat frames, and you can export your animations into animated GIFS, video files, or PSD files.
3. Animation Desk® Draw & Animate
If you’re looking for a fully featured, all-inclusive animation tool, then Animation Desk is the one for you! Animation Desk has been featured in multiple awards and has been recommended by Yahoo Tech and TechCrunch.
This award-winning app allows you to draw frame animations from scratch, with an expansive list of drawing tools including customisable brushes, colour-coded onion skinning, canvas rotation, layers, colour scheme management, timeline, frame tags, and more!
If you want to try Animation Desk, you can get a free trial for a limited time. Purchasing the full version will unlock all the advanced features.
4. RoughAnimator Animation App
Another fully featured tool, RoughAnimator is a unique app as it was actually developed by an animator, Jacob Kafka. This means that the usage of the app really comes from an animator’s perspective, so it’s made by an animator, for animators.
This app focuses on hand-drawn animations and features a timeline with unlimited layers and an easily adjustable exposure length of individual drawings, for pose-to-pose or straight-ahead animating.
For post-production, RoughAnimator projects can then be imported into other programs such as Adobe After Effects, Toon Boom, and Harmony.
5. Looom
For something a little more fun and simple, our last choice is an app called Looom. This playful app has an easy-to-use UI, so it’s great for beginners.
Reimagining what it means to create hand-drawn animation, Looom is accessible enough for anyone to create and enjoy with no complicated menus or intimidating toolsets. Suitable for all ages, Looom invites you to just start drawing and animating.
Bonus App: Procreate
Drawing app Procreate for iPad also has a powerful animation feature. Learn how to animate in Procreate with our free tutorial.
More Animation Tutorials
