Animation brings stories to life. With the right animation tools, you can turn your ideas into captivating films, engaging marketing content, quirky GIFs to share with friends, and more.
Luckily, the iPad offers a fantastic selection of animation apps perfect for animators of all skill levels. From simple sketching programs to full-blown production suites, the App Store has something for everyone.
In this post, we’ll explore the top 12 animation apps for iPad, reviewing their standout features and ideal use cases. Read on to find your perfect pick!
An Introduction to iPad Animation
Before diving into the apps, let’s briefly discuss the appeals of animating on an iPad:
Portability: iPads are lightweight, intuitive touchscreen devices. You can sketch and animate from anywhere without lugging around extra equipment.
App Selection: The iPad features the world’s largest library of mobile apps, including dozens of excellent animation programs.
Power: Modern iPads pack impressive hardware for buttery-smooth animation. Pair your iPad with an Apple Pencil for fluid drawing/animating.
Learning Curve: Most iPad animation apps offer friendly interfaces perfect for beginners. Some apps provide tutorials to teach fundamental concepts too.
Now, let’s explore the top animation apps available for your iPad.
1. FlipaClip
FlipaClip is a fan-favorite app for frame-by-frame cartoon animation. With its easy-to-grasp timeline editor, smooth Apple Pencil integration, and charming library of free backgrounds/stickers, FlipaClip is extremely beginner-friendly.
However, FlipaClip suits advanced animators too. You can create multi-layered productions with sophisticated effects like motion blur and depth of field. FlipaClip even facilitates rotoscoping by tracing and animating over live footage.
Overall, whether you’re an aspiring YouTube animator or simply looking to craft amusing GIFs, be sure to download FlipaClip.
Key Features
- Intuitive timeline editor
- Rotoscoping capabilities
- Multi-layer compositions
- Library of free assets
2. Animation Desk
Animation Desk provides another top-tier environment for frame-by-frame animation. And with its focus on beginner learning, Animation Desk is arguably simpler to grasp than FlipaClip.
Animation Desk emphasizes the fundamentals. Dedicated sketch layers let you draw animations which automatically generate frame sequences. There’s also an “onion skin” tool that displays previous frames as references while sketching new ones. Such guidance can quickly lead beginners to productive animating workflows.
For output, Animation Desk exports traditional frame-by-frame animations plus stabilized time-lapse recordings of your drawing process. Share these creation snapshots to motivate others learning animation!
Key Features
- Beginner-oriented guidance
- Automatic frame generation
- Onion skinning tool
- Time-lapse recordings
3. RoughAnimator
As its name suggests, RoughAnimator specializes in rough, hand-drawn animation. This app mimics classic pencil-and-paper techniques for wonderfully expressive results.
RoughAnimator is built around frame manipulation. It lacks timeline editing, so you instead focus on drawing successive frames. Best of all, RoughAnimator supports infinite layers and frames per second. This freedom, plus the scratchy pencil filters, makes RoughAnimator ideal for unleashing your creativity.
Smooth animation curves ensure your pencil tests transition fluidly. And for more polish, you can send animations to After Effects or other desktop programs.
Key Features
- Realistic pencil simulation
- Unlimited layers and frame rate
- Export to After Effects
4. Stop Motion Studio
Stop Motion Studio brings excellent stop motion tools to iPad filmmakers. Unlike traditional frame-by-frame techniques, stop motion employs real-life physical models manipulated across frames.
The app provides robust camera and editing features for crafting Hollywood-worthy productions. Customizable grid overlays ensure precise model positioning across frames. Onion skinning helps preview animations as you shoot scenes. There’s even a chroma key tool for easy green screen application.
While learning stop motion takes practice, Stop Motion Studio’s clear interface quickens the mastery process. Animate figures, clay models, or any physical objects using this top-rated app.
Key Features
- Grids, onion skinning for precision
- Intuitive camera and editor
- Chroma key green screening
5. Animate Me
Animate Me brings fast meme and GIF creation to your iPad. With its huge sticker library and emphasis on facial animations, Animate Me makes comedy gold accessible to anyone.
Animating with Animate Me is all about sticking, stacking, and manipulating layers of stickers, emojis, and imagery. You can easily animate facial expressions by triggering provided mouth/eye layer sequences. This powers the (often hilarious) illusion of figures lip-syncing your words.
While it lacks complex tools, Animate Me’s simplicity enables endless creative fun for all ages. Everyone can enjoy crafting and sharing humorous animated content online or with friends.
Key Features
- Huge meme/sticker library
- Facial animation tools
- GIF exporter
6. Animation Creator HD
For more advanced production, Animation Creator HD brings powerful frame-based tools. Compared to apps like FlipaClip, Animation Creator focuses more on technical control than ease-of-use.
You can build multi-layer animations with custom framerates exceeding 60 FPS. Onion skinning assists precise animation between frames. There’s even particle effects for animating weather, smoke, flames, and abstract imagery.
While new animators may find Animation Creator HD overly complex, its expansive toolset empowers ambitious projects. The app supports extremely high-resolution exports too, enabling big-screen showcases.
Key Features
- Multi-layer compositions
- 60 FPS playback
- Particle animation tools
- 4K exporting
7. Harmony Sketch
For pros, Harmony Sketch delivers industry-grade animation tools on iPad. It’s a slimmed-down iteration of professional software Toon Boom Harmony – albeit with an elegant touchscreen interface.
Harmony Sketch replicates the familiar digital animation workflow: sketching keys and extremes across layers, then perfecting timing/breakdowns. Intuitive gestures fill gaps between frames while onion skinning shows references of other layers’ poses. Advanced tools like bone rigging bring efficient character animation.
Unleash your imagination with Harmony Sketch and seamlessly transition your skills toward professional studios!
Key Features
- Professional-quality animation app
- Custom rigging for characters
- Export to full Harmony suite
8. Adobe Animate
For another pro option, Adobe recently brought their famous Animate CC program to iPad. Designed for publishing responsive canvas animations, Animate enables web-ready animation, unlike most iPad apps.
Designing animation interfaces comes easily on the touchscreen iPad. Manipulate timeline layers, transform objects, incorporate rollover states for interactive elements, and more with familiar gestures. Plus, publish animations effortlessly to multiple platforms thanks to Animate‘s publishing profiles.
For pros familiar with Adobe Animate on desktop, this app brings excellent mobile convergence. And aspiring animators can get an early start learning Adobe’s intuitive industry animation tools.
Key Features
- Pro-quality web animation
- Rollover state creator
- Multi-format publishing
9. Procreate
While not exclusively animation-focused, no discussion of iPad media apps is complete without mentioning Procreate. Procreate’s ultra-responsive Apple Pencil tools make hand-drawn animation joyful.
The app focusing on emulating physical art. Thousands of customizable brushes, advanced layer blending, and revolutionary canvas textures make drawings feel alive. Gorgeous works are achievable for artists of all skill levels thanks to intuitive tools.
Naturally, such flexible software empowers frame-by-frame animation too. Onion skinning helps visualize previous frames’ drawings. The simple timeline editor ensures fluid playback for rough animation tests. Export videos or time-lapse recordings when complete!
Key Features
- Extremely tactile drawing
- Easy basic animation
- Video/time-lapse exports
10. Callipeg
Callipeg is an animation app tailored purely for hand-drawn works. Its streamlined interface keeps you focused on bringing sketches to life through fluid frame manipulation.
Drawing feels great thanks to iPad Pencil integration. Manipulate and duplicate sketches rapidly across simple layered frames for speedy animation building. Toggle onion skinning references from earlier frames as helpful guides. You can even import videos to trace over for rotoscope animation!
For new animators, Callipeg’s friendly workflow excels instick figure and doodle tests. Share bouncing ball experiments and more as captivating little videos!
Key Features
- Streamlined for drawing/animation
- Rotoscoping capabilities
- Fast sketch duplication
11. Krita
Krita is a professional desktop painting app now available on iPadOS. And like Procreate, Krita proves wondrous for hand-drawn animation with its flawless Apple Pencil integration.
Krita offers a deeply customizable interface mirroring its complex desktop counterpart. The expansive brush engine, diverse blend modes, and non-destructive layers empower illustrations impossible elsewhere. Complex effects like wrap-around mode facilitate dynamic repeating patterns for hypnotic animation backdrops too.
While Krita lacks true frame-handling, it remains a joy for frame-by-frame pencil testing. The app’s efficient canvas manipulation and reference material importing streamline nimble animation drafting.
Key Features
- Extremely customizable interface
- Expansive natural media brushes
- Wrap-around mode
12. DigiCel FlipBook
Lastly, DigiCel FlipBook offers traditional animation production for pros. It adopts the simplified “three-window” workflow standard across big studios. This divides your iPad display into drawing, timeline, and reference panes.
The drawing space provides essential animation tools like lightboxes, onionskinning, and automatic lip-syncing to voice tracks. Flip between frames smoothly to animate or tap scrubbing tools to tweak timing precisely. Export files directly into professional suites like Toon Boom for enhanced post-processing!
DigiCel FlipBook promises efficient industry animation pipelines tailored for tablet devices. Animators experienced with studio software will feel right at home with this exceptional app.
Key Features
- Professional “three-window” interface
- Robust drawing assistance tools
- Export to Toon Boom
Choose Your Animation App!
The iPad offers wondrous animation apps for all skill levels and project types. Whether crafting colorful cartoons, hilarious memes, or even full-blown productions, you’ll find the perfect animation app in this roundup.
We encourage playing with multiple options too. Experimenting across apps builds valuable knowledge regarding toolsets, interfaces, and optimal workflows.
Most importantly, simply have fun bring your wildest ideas to life through animation! The right iPad app makes capturing imaginations mere fingertips away.
