Adobe Character Animator

Name: Adobe Character Animator
Author: Adobe Character Animator

Free plan MacWindows

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What Adobe Character Animator is

Adobe Character Animator is a 2D animation application for macOS and Windows. It combines character rigging with real-time face tracking and select gestures, and its Starter plan includes predesigned puppets and basic tools for creating and exporting animations. The listed export formats cover H.264 video, PNG sequences, WAV audio, and PNG still images, giving creators several ways to deliver animation and related media. Adobe Character Animator has a free plan and a 7-day trial. Its named plans include Character Animator Starter, Creative Cloud Pro, Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers, and Creative Cloud Pro for teams. Each Creative Cloud Pro option includes 20+ apps. The product does not support cloud collaboration. The listed maker is Adobe Character Animator, founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Buyers can use the product website to explore it, with desktop support for both Windows and macOS.

Who it suits

It suits people creating 2D animations who need character rigging, face tracking, gestures, and several export formats. The Starter plan's predesigned puppets and basic creation tools may suit those starting with animation.

What it does well

Includes character rigging for 2D animation.
Real-time face tracking and select gestures are listed.
Starter includes predesigned puppets.
Exports H.264 video, PNG sequences, WAV audio, and PNG stills.
Available for Windows and macOS.

What to know first

Cloud collaboration is not supported.
Desktop support is limited to Windows and macOS.

Limits

The Starter plan provides basic features for creating and exporting animations, with predesigned puppets and select gestures. A 7-day trial is available.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Character Animator Starter	Basic features for creating and exporting animations · Predesigned puppets · Real-time face tracking · Select gestures	On request
Character Animator Starter	Basic features for creating and exporting animations · Predesigned puppets · Real-time face tracking · Select gestures	On request
Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers	20+ apps	On request
Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers	20+ apps	On request
Creative Cloud Pro for teams	20+ apps	On request
Creative Cloud Pro for teams	20+ apps	On request
Starter	Free simplified mode · premade puppets · record face and voice · short animated movies	Free
Creative Cloud Pro annual billed monthly	annual billed monthly · Character Animator Pro · Creative Cloud membership required	$34.99 a month

The first 8 of 9 plans, as adobe.com lists them, read 21 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word. Every plan

Getting started

Visit the Adobe Character Animator website.
Choose Windows or macOS.
Start with the free plan or use the 7-day trial.
Explore Character Animator Starter and its predesigned puppets and animation tools.

Verdict

Choose Adobe Character Animator if you need 2D animation with rigging, real-time face tracking, and multiple export formats. Look elsewhere if cloud collaboration is essential or you need a platform beyond Windows and macOS.

Questions

Is Adobe Character Animator free?

A free plan is available, and the product also offers a 7-day trial.

Which platforms does it support?

It supports Windows and macOS.

What can it export?

Listed formats are H.264 video, PNG sequence, WAV audio, and PNG still image.

Does it support cloud collaboration?

No. Cloud collaboration is not supported.

Which plans are listed?

The listed options are Character Animator Starter, Creative Cloud Pro, Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers, and Creative Cloud Pro for teams. The Creative Cloud Pro options include 20+ apps.

Who makes Adobe Character Animator?

The listed maker is Adobe Character Animator, founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, USA.

Facts from Adobe Character Animator's own pages

Activation requirement: Activation and use require an internet connection, Adobe ID and acceptance of the license agreement. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
API and SDK: Adobe's public Character Animator help presents user workflows for behaviors, rigging, recording, export and streaming but does not present a public Character Animator API or SDK section. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Automatic lip sync: The application synchronizes a puppet's mouth with recorded or live speech from a microphone. · adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Auto-swap: Auto-swap selects different artwork positions during animation to combine performance capture with frame-by-frame artwork changes. · adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Body Tracker: Adobe Sensei Body Tracker detects webcam-recorded body movement and applies it to the puppet in real time. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Characterizer: Characterizer uses facial expressions and reference art to generate a stylized puppet. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Character rigging: Yes · adobe.com, 21 Sept 2026
Cloud collaboration: No · adobe.com, 21 Sept 2026
Company founded: Adobe's LinkedIn profile lists 1982 as its founding year. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
Company headquarters: Adobe's LinkedIn profile lists San Jose, California as headquarters. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
Company legal name: LinkedIn identifies the maker as Adobe, a public software-development company. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
Company size: Adobe's LinkedIn profile lists company size as 10,001+ employees. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
Documentation: The help center covers setup, projects, puppet creation, rigging, behaviors, recording, keyframes, export and streaming, plus known issues and release notes. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Dynamic Link integration: Dynamic Link keeps Character Animator scenes connected to After Effects or Premiere so edits flow between applications. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Export formats: Exports include H.264 video, Adobe Media Encoder output, PNG sequences and WAV audio. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Face tracking: A webcam tracks facial movement and expressions to control a puppet. · adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Founded: 1982 · adobe.com, 23 Sept 2026
Free plan: Yes · adobe.com, 21 Sept 2026
Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA · adobe.com, 23 Sept 2026
Independent review score: TechRadar rates the product 4 out of 5 for how it works, 3 out of 5 for pricing and plans, and 2 out of 5 for new features. · techradar.com, 15 Oct 2026
Latest release: Adobe lists version 26.0 as the January 2026 release, with improvements and stability updates. · helpx.adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Licence: Adobe lists Character Animator under Creative Cloud software governed by Adobe's general terms; it is proprietary commercial software rather than open source. · adobe.com, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: crashes: A G2 reviewer reports occasional crashes during use. · g2.com, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: limited control: G2 reviewers complain that the application lacks some After Effects functions and offers less fine control than more professional tools. · g2.com, 15 Oct 2026