What it does
Animation Paper is a desktop application for hand-drawn animation, with an exposure sheet, onion skinning and audio scrubbing. The current Windows, Mac and Linux release is a free beta that requires name and email registration. The developer says beta versions will expire after the final paid release.
Draw, flip and retime
The Light Table shows nearby drawings while Off the Pegs provides shift-and-trace positioning. The X-Sheet controls frame timing, annotations and reuse. You can import audio for scrubbing, or bring in video and image stacks as drawing references.
Outputs include MP4, GIF, ProRes MOV, PNG and OpenEXR image stacks, plus Open Cel Animation exchange. Windows, Mac and Linux versions use interchangeable project files.
What the free beta includes
Register with your name and email to receive a beta licence. This is a temporary free release, not a permanent free edition: developer Niels says alpha and beta versions will stop working a few months after the paid final version becomes available.
Colour layers, fill and eyedropper tools are still labelled as forthcoming on the product page. The current emphasis is rough drawing, cleanup and timing; do not plan a colouring workflow around those announced additions.
Strengths
- Audio import and scrubbing support dialogue timing
- Frame stacks and Open Cel Animation support transfer to another app
- Drawing references can be shown on a second monitor
Watch out for
- Beta licences are not permanent free licences
- Colouring tools and mobile versions are still announced as forthcoming
Best for
- Animators drawing rough and cleaned-up sequences
- Artists timing pencil animation against a soundtrack
Sources
- Animation Paper: desktop animation features and beta (Oct 27, 2026)
- Register for an Animation Paper beta licence (Oct 27, 2026)
- Animation Paper: developer answers about the paid release (Oct 27, 2026)