Animation Paper Aims To Be Easy-to-Use Software for Drawn Animation

Danish animator and director Niels Krogh Mortensen is on a mission: to create “the world’s most responsive, intuitive and powerful software for doing one thing, and one thing only: hand-drawn animation.” The result is Animation Paper, a new animation software that will be released soon for Mac OS X, with plans to port to Windows and iPad.

This is not Krogh Mortensen’s first attempt at an animation software program. He was also one of the developers of Plastic Animation Paper (PAP), an earlier program for Windows and Linux. His goal for the new Animation Paper is to put the technology in the background, and make the program as simple and effortless to use for artists. Below is the main feature set of the software, which must be used with a tablet and pressure-sensitive stylus:

• Super fast responsiveness – while drawing, while flipping, while everything
  
• Quality lines – built on high speed, high resolution input from your tablet (like a Wacom)
  
• Small to large format frames
  
• Realtime smooth rotation and zooming of the view
  
• Light table (onion skinning – fully customizable)
  
• X-Sheet. Easy intuitive timing. Colored layers
  
• Cutouts (efficient repositioning and manipulation of drawings)
  
• Import and export of video and frame-stacks

“I want to invite animators to help shape our software,” Niels says. “I want to hear your requests, your good ideas on what makes the most awesome tool for your needs.”

Interested users can sign up at AnimationPaper.com to get first-access to the software release. Those who sign up by the end of March will be eligible for an early-bird discount.