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Pencil for Windows

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 3.1.0
  • 2.9

    (1196)
  • Security Status

Create animated digital comics

Pencil is a vector drawing program for Windows that lets you make your own digital comics.

Pencil is based around traditional hand-drawn animation techniques, and it's free. At the center of the application is a timeline, which allows you to add four types of layers: bitmap image, vector image, sound, and camera. The animation basically works by setting keyframes one each layer and arranging the different layers on top of each other.

You start by sketching out your characters in bitmap format using the pencil tool, before adding a vector layer and inking it out with the pen tool and fill tool. The principle of Pencil is very simple and the interface is much clearer than that of Flash or a similar high-end animation tool. What we liked about Pencil is that all the tools and options are on display from the start and nothing is hidden, plus you can detach or remove palettes to make things easier on yourself.

The problem with Pencil is that it's very difficult to produce good quality drawings unless you have a graphics tablet - most mouses simply aren't conducive to precise sketching. What's more, there aren't any predefined shapes, objects or templates included that might help you get started.

So, while Pencil might be a good way to learn the basic principles of cartoon animation, it's difficult to create anything truly impressive unless you've lots of patience.

Pencil is an animation/drawing software that lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon) using both bitmap and vector graphics.

Pencil is free and open source. Pencil is not intended to mimick web-oriented vector-based animation software such as Flash. Its main purpose is to make traditional animation.

Neither does it try to rival commercial software targetting the professional animation sector. Pencil is intended to be a simple program enabling anyone to make 2D animation.

PROS

  • Clear, customizable drawing interface
  • Neatly-organized timeline
  • Open source

CONS

  • You'll need a graphics tablet to get anything impressive out of it

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


Pencil for PC

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 3.1.0
  • 2.9

    (1196)
  • Security Status


User reviews about Pencil

  • Naufal Rafif

    by Naufal Rafif

    nice niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

  • zhan gaming

    by zhan gaming

    itaitaitaita
    itaitaitai
    itaitaita
    sxstgfuwhcxuiYDUISGUYETFUYYAURWDFYGDJKATR7S3VHUG67ywtrfyugfwyegfwhgdfgdsfdggdfwhdfqghffwghd

  • Caitlin Robertson

    by Caitlin Robertson

    the pictures and the program are two completely different things. DO NOT DOWNLOAD.

  • Jeanelle mateo

    by Jeanelle mateo

    HORRIBLE.
    it doesn't even work. I wasn't able to use it because it didn't function.
    Pros: NOTHING
    NOPE
    Cons: everything
    it More

  • Tashi Tamang

    by Tashi Tamang

    ONLY for (extremely patient) beginners.
    This is a good software ONLY for beginners
    The problem in this is that u cant draw smoothly... even More

  • Cam Gaming Roblox & More!

    by Cam Gaming Roblox & More!

    FINE..
    ITS O.K But could be better. I like to use it for animating a lot (duh)


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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.