8 Best Motion Graphics Software for Windows and Mac [Free & Paid]

If you want to create moving graphics that also contains text then you will need motion graphics software for your Windows or Mac computer. These tools are also called motion design software. With the help of a software to design motion graphics, you can save a lot of time and work.

Motion graphics easily grab user attention and delivers the message instantly. These are more attractive than photos and videos. If used right motion graphics are a superior version of videos and graphics.

What to look out for in motion graphics software:

• Free trial: If the software is not completely free at least provide a free trial for some time.

• Free templates: The motion design software should provide free templates to ease your work.

• Tutorials: There should be enough tutorials to use the program.

• Customer: If you choose a paid tool then you should get 24*7 customer support.

• Music Library: You should get a royalty-free music library to use in your motion graphics.

• Free creatives: The software should provide you with free icons, images, clips, footage, etc that you can use in your motion design.
• Voice Over: The software should provide a facility to add your required voice.

Gone are the days when making motion graphics used to be difficult. Now with the right program, you can make motion graphics very easily in no time. Here, in this article, I am going to describe the 10 best motion graphics design software for Mac and Windows that are perfect for beginners and professionals.

1. Davinci Resolve
2. GIMP
3. Doodle Maker
4. Adobe Premier
5. Cinema 4D
6. Adobe Photoshop
7. Blender
8. Biteable

Best Paid and Free Motion Graphics Software for Mac and Windows

1. Davinci Resolve

Operating System: Windows, macOS, Linux

Free Version: yes

Paid Version: $295

Davinci Resolve is one of the best software that professionals use to create motion graphics. This is developed by BalackMagicDesign and it has a lot of features to offer. Along with creating amazing motion graphics you can use it for almost everything for post-production.

Here are the main features of this tool:

• Multiple artists can collaborate on one project.
• It has an advanced color correction tool.
• Multiple tools for audio post-production.
• Easy management of media.
• Automatically generate the 3D matte.
• Resolve blur, noise, and light effects.
• Efficient image restoration feature.
• It has tools for beauty enhancement.
• You can add third-party plug-ins to the software to increase functionality.
• Work even faster with the “Editor Keyboards”.
• You can effectively reduce photo noise with this tool

Pros:

• Multiple tools in one software.
• Nice customer support.
• You can find tutorials for this software.

Cons:

• Costly if you use it only for motion graphics.
• It will take some time and work to learn this software.

Learn How to design motion graphics in Davinci Resolve-

 

2. GIMP

Operating System: Linux, macOS, Windows

Free Version: Yes

Price: No, completely free

GIMP photo editor is one of the best motion graphics software for Windows and Mac. This is a very popular image editing software that is also capable of creating mind-blowing motion graphics. It is an open-source program.

Here are the main features of this motion design software-

• You can customize the interface.
• It is an advanced photo retouching program.
• Supports multiple types of devices.
• It supports almost every type of file format, further, you can increase the support with plug-ins.
• GIMP is a great tool to create amazing animations.
• It has an extraction tool for the foreground.
• GIMP is packed with advanced and easy-to-use painting tools

Pros:

• This is a free motion graphics software.
• It is a cross-platform tool.

Cons:

• Boring user interface.
• There is no customer support for this tool.

Learn how to make motion graphics with GIMP software:

3. Doodle Maker

Compatible OS: All (it is an online tool)

Free Version: No

Price: $69

This is dedicated software to create doodle videos or we can say motion graphics. This is an AI-based tool that can automatically convert your text into doodle videos. Using this motion graphic design tool you can create black-and-white or fully-colored Doodle videos.

Here are the main features of this motion graphics software:

• It has 300 plus templates to use.
• You can use the doodle videos for commercial purposes.
• The software provides a royalty-free music library to use.
• There is no limit to creating motion graphics.
• Doodle Maker has a very efficient engine to find images through text.
• It allows you to get output in 720p or 1080p quality.
• You can manipulate the speed of elements easily.
• You can add your own watermark to videos.
• Using this tool you can convert your color image into a sketch.
• The software allows you to record your own voice.
• You can also use the voice from 160 plus female and male voices.

Pros:

• It provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• There is no limit to creating videos.
• You can store as many videos as you want without any cost.

Cons:

• It does not work offline.
• You can get output in only 720p or 1080p

Watch the video to learn how to create motion graphics with Doodle Maker-

4. Adobe Premier

Operating System: Windows and macOS

Free version: 7-day free trial

Price: $239.88/yr OR $20.99/month

Adobe Premier is a world-class video editing software that many professionals use. It also works as the best motion graphics software for Mac and Windows which is suitable for both beginners and professionals. The software is more suitable for professional motion graphic designers and video editing professionals.

Here are the main features of this software to create motion graphics:

• Get access to royalty-free music.
• Directly share videos on social media.
• It provides automatic captioning on videos.
• You will get access to thousands of stickers and graphics to use in your videos or motion graphics.
• Add collaborators to your work.
• You will get 100 GB of storage for free.
• You can run 5 projects at a time.
• With the latest version, you will get better masking controls on titles
• The latest version also has advanced GPU-accelerated effects.

Pros:

• You will have access to Adobe creative community.
• The tool gives you access to thousands of fonts.
• You will get built-in tutorials in the app.

Cons:

• Costly plan for beginners.
• Not a dedicated motion graphic designer so, it is difficult to learn.
• You must read the system requirements before using this tool.

How to create simple motion graphics with Adobe Premiere Pro:

5. Cinema 4D

Operating System: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, AmigaOS

Free Version: Yes, 14-day free trial version

Price: $719/year

Developed by German Company Maxon Computer, it is a popular 3D software suite. The software is not specifically made for motion graphics because it has a lot to offer which also makes it a costly program.

Here are the main features of this software:

• Automatically calculate your favorite units.
• Very easy color picking.
• HUD controls for creating animations.
• Virtual walkthrough for architectural visualization.
• Create your default objects.
• You can easily name the models.
• You can use the mathematical functions in Cinema4D.

Pros:

• Available in multiple languages.
• It is an easy-to-learn software.
• It provides a 14-day free trial version.

Cons:

• It is a costly software.

Learn How to design Motion graphics with Cinema4D:

6. Adobe Photoshop

Operating System: Windows, macOS

Free Version: 7-day free trial

Price: $239.88/yr

Adobe Photoshop is one of the best photo editing and image retouching software for Windows and macOS. It is a professional image editor that is also capable of creating motion graphics.

The Timeline functionality in Photoshop can create motion graphics and animations. If you already have photoshop installed on your PC or you want a photo editor then you can use this software otherwise it is costly. You can also use illustrator instead Photoshop to create motion graphics.

Here are the main features of this software:

• Photo noise reduction.
• Advanced 3D tools.
• Generate CSS code for designs.
• Handy selection tools.
• The pen tools in Photoshop are very advanced.
• You can use the smart object to use in your motion graphics.
• Photoshop allows you to save your designs to the cloud.
• You will get access to the library of fonts.

Pros:

• It is a complete photo editing suite.
• The program is capable to fulfill all of your design needs.
• It provides a 7-day free trial version.

Cons:

• The software is a little bit tricky to use.
• It is a costly choice if you don’t want a photo editor.

How to design motion graphics using Adobe Photoshop:

7. Blender

Operating System: Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFly BSD, Haiku

Free version: Yes

Price: No, completely free

Blender is one of the best free motion graphics software for Windows and Mac. It also supports other operating systems. The software is open-source and completely free to use.

It is famous as a 3D computer graphics software.

Here are the main features of this software:

Pros:

• A huge community and forums to help you.
• The program is completely free, and only allows donations.
• You can get tutorials for free on the website.

Cons:

• Lack of customer support.
• The user interface is not so intuitive.

Watch this video to learn how to make motions graphics using Blender:

8. Biteable

Operating System: All (Online tool)

Free Version: Yes(7-day free trial)

Pricing: $588/yr for individuals,

Biteable is another software to design motion graphics online. It provides software for both individuals and teams. You will get a 7-day free trial version of this software.

Here are the main features of this motion design software:

• It also provides online image resizing software.
• you will get unlimited cloud storage in the pro version.
• The software will give you access to hundreds of animated objects for free.
• It has 24M plus stock of image clips and footage.
• In biteable you will get access to royalty-free music.
• There is no limitation to exporting videos.
• You can use free templates to ease your work.
• Biteable allows you to add your own voice and use it from the soundtrack.

Pros:

• You will get free access to millions of stock footage and image clips.
• You can add up to 3 members if you buy the team plan which will be cheaper than the individual plan.
• It will work on any operating system.
• You will need some time to understand this tool.

Cons:

• Costly plan for motion graphics.
• Will not work offline.

How to design motion graphics videos in Biteable:

Conclusion

These are the best paid and free motion graphics software for Windows and Mac. Almost every paid tool provides a free version so you can test it before spending your hard-earned money.

I suggest as a beginner you should opt for a free tool like GIMP. You can find enough video tutorials on how to use GIMP to create motion graphics. And if you are a professional designer then you should go for Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere. I also suggest you should read the system requirements for Adobe Premiere because new versions run on high-end PCs only.

If you already have Adobe Photoshop then you should try creating motion graphics with that too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What software is used for motion graphics?

Answer: Davinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere are great tools to create motion graphics.

What are the 3 types of motion graphics?

Answer: The 3 types of motion graphics are-

1. Emotive Videos
2. Explainer Videos
3. Promotional Videos

How can I make motion graphics free?

Answer: You can use any of the tools listed in the article. Some of them are completely free and others provide free versions for a limited period.

Is blender good for motion graphics?

Answer: Blender is an efficient and popular motion graphics software.