OpenToonz is software for producing 2D animation, with scanning, painting, compositing, and image-handling tools. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and exports formats including AVI, GIF, MOV, MP4, PNG, Spritesheet, and WebM, among others. Its GTS scanning tool supports four scanning types, saves settings, and is compatible with TWAIN standards; GTS is available for Windows only. Digital painting supports anti-aliased lines and keeps painting data separate from palette data. The filming tools provide xsheet and timeline interfaces, with effects that can be combined in a node tree. OpenToonz handles raster and vector images, and an effects SDK allows image-processing plug-ins to be added. The software is based on Toonz, which Studio Ghibli customized and used in creating its works for many years. Its source code is available under the New BSD License, and it is free for commercial and non-commercial projects. The official site points users to a Google Group for troubleshooting and a GitHub forum for development topics.
Who it is for
OpenToonz suits people producing 2D animation, including professional and amateur creators and school settings. It may also suit users who want scanning, painting, compositing, and plug-in effects in one animation tool.
What is good
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Free for commercial and non-commercial projects
- Supports raster and vector images
- Effects SDK supports image-processing plug-ins
What to know first
- GTS scanning tool is available only for Windows
- 3D modeling is not supported
Verdict
OpenToonz covers several parts of a 2D animation workflow and supports a broad range of export formats. The Windows-only GTS tool is a constraint for users who need scanning on another platform.
OpenToonz plans and pricing
All plansCompared on animation software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Export formats
- 3GP, AVI, BMP, GIF, JPG, MOV, MP4, PNG, RGB, SGI, Spritesheet, TGA, TIF, TIFF, WebM
