[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":572},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation":3,"related-\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation":551},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"canonical":530,"date":531,"description":532,"draft":533,"extension":534,"hubLinks":535,"image":536,"leadCtaHref":530,"leadCtaLabel":530,"leadCtaText":530,"listed":537,"meta":538,"moneyPage":227,"moneyPageAnchor":539,"navigation":537,"path":540,"readTime":541,"seo":542,"stem":543,"tags":544,"updated":530,"__hash__":550},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation.md","How to Make a Stickman Animation (by Hand vs with AI)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":498},"minimark",[9,13,16,21,24,27,30,118,121,125,128,131,136,144,148,151,155,158,162,165,169,172,176,179,182,186,189,193,196,200,203,207,210,214,217,221,230,233,261,264,267,271,274,369,377,381,389,392,400,408,416,420,424,427,431,434,438,441,445,448,452,455,459,467,471],[10,11,12],"p",{},"There are two ways to make a stickman animation, and they lead to completely different videos. Animate by hand in a free app like Pivot Animator or FlipaClip and you get a short, expressive clip that is entirely yours. Use AI and you get a narrated stick figure explainer that can run ten minutes.",[10,14,15],{},"This guide walks through both. You will see the exact steps for Pivot and FlipaClip, what a stickman animation with AI actually involves, how long each route takes for the same 60 seconds of video, and which one fits the reason you are animating in the first place.",[17,18,20],"h2",{"id":19},"hand-animation-or-ai-pick-by-what-you-want-to-make","Hand animation or AI: pick by what you want to make",[10,22,23],{},"Most guides on this topic are a single tutorial video for a single app. That skips the question that decides everything: what is the animation for?",[10,25,26],{},"If you want to learn animation, make fight scenes, or post short loops to TikTok, animate by hand. Timing, weight and a punch that lands are skills, and the stick figure is the best way to practise them because there is nothing else to draw. Alan Becker's Animator vs. Animation series started as exactly this kind of hobby project.",[10,28,29],{},"If you want a faceless YouTube channel that explains things, such as psychology, money or history, the drawing is not the hard part. The script, the voice and the 8 to 10 minutes of footage are. That is where AI earns its place.",[31,32,33,48],"table",{},[34,35,36],"thead",{},[37,38,39,42,45],"tr",{},[40,41],"th",{},[40,43,44],{},"By hand (Pivot, FlipaClip)",[40,46,47],{},"With AI",[49,50,51,63,74,85,96,107],"tbody",{},[37,52,53,57,60],{},[54,55,56],"td",{},"Best for",[54,58,59],{},"Fights, gags, learning animation",[54,61,62],{},"Narrated explainer videos",[37,64,65,68,71],{},[54,66,67],{},"Typical length",[54,69,70],{},"5 to 60 seconds",[54,72,73],{},"3 to 10 minutes",[37,75,76,79,82],{},[54,77,78],{},"Your time for 60 seconds",[54,80,81],{},"7 to 22 hours",[54,83,84],{},"Under an hour, mostly review",[37,86,87,90,93],{},[54,88,89],{},"Cost",[54,91,92],{},"Free (FlipaClip Plus optional)",[54,94,95],{},"Paid credits",[37,97,98,101,104],{},[54,99,100],{},"Script and voice",[54,102,103],{},"You write and record them",[54,105,106],{},"Written and voiced for you",[37,108,109,112,115],{},[54,110,111],{},"Style control",[54,113,114],{},"Total, frame by frame",[54,116,117],{},"Consistent preset style, editable per scene",[10,119,120],{},"My honest view: if you have never animated, spend one evening in Pivot first even if you plan to use AI. You will understand pacing far better, and you will spot a weak AI scene faster.",[17,122,124],{"id":123},"how-to-make-a-stickman-animation-in-pivot-animator","How to make a stickman animation in Pivot Animator",[10,126,127],{},"Pivot Animator is the classic way to make stickman animation on PC. It is free, made by Peter Bone, and runs on Windows only. Version 5 needs Windows 7 or later and a graphics card with DirectX 11. There is no official Mac or phone version, so ignore download sites that claim otherwise.",[10,129,130],{},"Pivot works differently from a drawing app. You never draw the stick figure. You pose a ready made skeleton by dragging red handles at each joint, and every pose becomes a frame.",[132,133,135],"h3",{"id":134},"step-1-pose-the-first-frame","Step 1: Pose the first frame",[10,137,138,139,143],{},"Open Pivot and a default stick figure stands in the middle of the canvas. Drag the red joint handles to set the starting pose. Drag the orange handle to move the whole figure. Click ",[140,141,142],"strong",{},"Next Frame"," to save the pose.",[132,145,147],{"id":146},"step-2-move-in-small-steps","Step 2: Move in small steps",[10,149,150],{},"Change the pose slightly and click Next Frame again. Small changes give smooth motion; big jumps look like teleporting. A walk cycle is usually 8 to 12 frames.",[132,152,154],{"id":153},"step-3-let-pivot-fill-the-gaps","Step 3: Let Pivot fill the gaps",[10,156,157],{},"Version 5 added frame inbetweening. Pose the start and end of a movement, select the frames, and Pivot draws the frames between them. This is the single biggest time saver in the app and most older tutorials do not mention it.",[132,159,161],{"id":160},"step-4-build-your-own-stick-characters","Step 4: Build your own stick characters",[10,163,164],{},"The figure builder lets you add segments, circles and bendy lines to make a new figure: a dog, a sword, a character with a hat. Save it and load it into any scene. This is how to create a stickman of your own in Pivot, and the honest answer to \"how can I make my own stick characters\".",[132,166,168],{"id":167},"step-5-export","Step 5: Export",[10,170,171],{},"Set the speed in frames per second (12 looks smooth for stick figures) and export as an animated GIF or AVI video. For YouTube or TikTok, convert the AVI to MP4 in any free video editor and add sound there, because Pivot has no audio track.",[17,173,175],{"id":174},"how-to-make-stickman-animation-on-mobile-with-flipaclip","How to make stickman animation on mobile with FlipaClip",[10,177,178],{},"FlipaClip is the usual choice for how to make stickman animation on mobile. It runs on Android and iPhone, it is free with ads, and a FlipaClip Plus subscription adds extra layers, audio import and more brushes. Prices vary by country, so check the in-app store rather than trusting a number from a blog.",[10,180,181],{},"Unlike Pivot, FlipaClip is a true frame by frame drawing app. You draw every frame with your finger or a stylus.",[132,183,185],{"id":184},"step-1-start-a-project-and-set-the-canvas","Step 1: Start a project and set the canvas",[10,187,188],{},"Create a new movie and choose a canvas size. Pick 1080 by 1920 for Shorts, TikTok and Reels, or 1920 by 1080 for a standard YouTube video. You cannot change it cleanly later.",[132,190,192],{"id":191},"step-2-turn-on-onion-skin","Step 2: Turn on onion skin",[10,194,195],{},"Onion skin shows the previous frame faintly behind the current one. Draw the stick figure, add a frame, and trace the next pose slightly moved. Without onion skin, your figure will wobble in size from frame to frame.",[132,197,199],{"id":198},"step-3-use-layers-for-the-background","Step 3: Use layers for the background",[10,201,202],{},"Draw the background on its own layer so you only draw it once. Put the stick figure on the layer above. This also lets you redraw a bad pose without touching the scene.",[132,204,206],{"id":205},"step-4-add-sound-and-export","Step 4: Add sound and export",[10,208,209],{},"Export to MP4 or GIF. Importing your own audio needs FlipaClip Plus; on the free version, add the voice and music in a video editor afterwards. Expect a 10 second clip at 12 frames per second to be 120 drawings. That is the real cost of hand animation, and why most hand animated stickman videos are short.",[132,211,213],{"id":212},"other-free-stickman-animation-apps","Other free stickman animation apps",[10,215,216],{},"Stick Nodes works like Pivot on phones and tablets, with posable figures instead of drawing. Animating Rocks and FlipAnim run in a browser if you cannot install anything. Each one is fine for short clips. None of them writes or voices anything.",[17,218,220],{"id":219},"how-to-create-stickman-animation-using-ai","How to create stickman animation using AI",[10,222,223,224,229],{},"AI changes which part of the job you do. With a tool like the TaleTok ",[225,226,228],"a",{"href":227},"\u002Fstickman-animation-maker","stickman animation maker",", you type a topic, for example \"why you feel tired after lunch\", and get back a script, stick figure scenes in one consistent style, a voiceover, captions and music.",[10,231,232],{},"The workflow looks like this:",[234,235,236,243,249,255],"ol",{},[237,238,239,242],"li",{},[140,240,241],{},"Topic and length."," Choose what the video explains and how long it runs, up to 10 minutes.",[237,244,245,248],{},[140,246,247],{},"Script review."," Read the script and rewrite any line. This is where the video is won or lost, so do not skip it.",[237,250,251,254],{},[140,252,253],{},"Scene review."," Every scene is shown before it renders. Redraw any scene that does not match the line.",[237,256,257,260],{},[140,258,259],{},"Render and post."," Download the video, or schedule it straight to your YouTube channel.",[10,262,263],{},"What you give up is frame level control. AI stick figures will not choreograph a ten hit combo the way a skilled Pivot animator can. What you gain is length. A narrated 10 minute stickman explainer is roughly 100 scenes, which nobody animates by hand every week.",[10,265,266],{},"Cost is the other trade off. TaleTok stickman episodes cost about 35 credits a minute, so a 5 minute episode is 177 credits and a 10 minute one is 352. The free apps above cost nothing but your hours.",[17,268,270],{"id":269},"how-long-each-method-takes-for-60-seconds-of-video","How long each method takes for 60 seconds of video",[10,272,273],{},"These are rough estimates for one finished minute, not measured data: they assume 12 frames per second and someone who has used the app a few times. Beginners should double the hand animation numbers.",[31,275,276,292],{},[34,277,278],{},[37,279,280,283,286,289],{},[40,281,282],{},"Task",[40,284,285],{},"Pivot Animator",[40,287,288],{},"FlipaClip",[40,290,291],{},"AI (TaleTok)",[49,293,294,307,320,334,347],{},[37,295,296,299,302,304],{},[54,297,298],{},"Script",[54,300,301],{},"30 to 60 min",[54,303,301],{},[54,305,306],{},"Written for you, 5 min to review",[37,308,309,312,315,317],{},[54,310,311],{},"Voiceover",[54,313,314],{},"20 to 40 min",[54,316,314],{},[54,318,319],{},"Generated",[37,321,322,325,328,331],{},[54,323,324],{},"Animation",[54,326,327],{},"5 to 15 hours",[54,329,330],{},"8 to 20 hours",[54,332,333],{},"Generated, 10 to 20 min to review scenes",[37,335,336,339,342,344],{},[54,337,338],{},"Sound and edit",[54,340,341],{},"1 to 2 hours",[54,343,301],{},[54,345,346],{},"Included",[37,348,349,354,359,364],{},[54,350,351],{},[140,352,353],{},"Total",[54,355,356],{},[140,357,358],{},"7 to 18 hours",[54,360,361],{},[140,362,363],{},"9 to 22 hours",[54,365,366],{},[140,367,368],{},"Under an hour of your time",[10,370,371,372,376],{},"The gap matters most for YouTube. A channel needs 4,000 watch hours in 12 months to qualify for ads, as covered in our guide to the ",[225,373,375],{"href":374},"\u002Fblog\u002Fyoutube-monetization-requirements","YouTube monetization requirements",". Ten minute videos get there far faster than one minute clips, and ten minutes of hand animation is weeks of work.",[17,378,380],{"id":379},"make-stickman-animation-a-channel-not-a-one-off","Make stickman animation a channel, not a one off",[10,382,383,384,388],{},"Stick figure explainers are one of the most reliable formats in our list of ",[225,385,387],{"href":386},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffaceless-youtube-channel-ideas","faceless YouTube channel ideas",", because simple drawings keep attention on the story. Channels that grow in this format share three habits.",[10,390,391],{},"They pick one subject. Psychology, personal finance and \"what if\" questions all work. A channel that jumps between topics confuses both viewers and the recommendation system.",[10,393,394,395,399],{},"They post on a schedule. Once a week is enough for long form if every video is solid. If you are starting from zero, read ",[225,396,398],{"href":397},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-start-a-faceless-youtube-channel","how to start a faceless YouTube channel"," before uploading the first episode.",[10,401,402,403,407],{},"They keep the look consistent. Same character, same line weight, same colours. Viewers recognise the channel from the thumbnail alone. You can see how established channels do this in our roundup of the ",[225,404,406],{"href":405},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbest-faceless-youtube-channels","best faceless YouTube channels",".",[10,409,410,411,415],{},"For short loops, hand animation is a great fit for ",[225,412,414],{"href":413},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-youtube-shorts","YouTube Shorts"," and TikTok, and a 15 second fight clip can travel further than a long video. Plenty of creators run both: hand animated Shorts for reach, longer explainers for watch hours.",[17,417,419],{"id":418},"faq","FAQ",[132,421,423],{"id":422},"what-is-the-best-app-to-make-stickman-animations","What is the best app to make stickman animations?",[10,425,426],{},"For PC, Pivot Animator: free, simple, and built for stick figures. For phones and tablets, FlipaClip if you want to draw frame by frame, or Stick Nodes if you prefer posing figures. For narrated YouTube explainers, an AI tool such as TaleTok's stickman animation maker does the script, voice and scenes.",[132,428,430],{"id":429},"how-do-i-make-my-own-stickman","How do I make my own stickman?",[10,432,433],{},"In Pivot, open the figure builder, add segments and circles to the default skeleton, and save it as a new figure. In FlipaClip, simply draw your character on its own layer and keep the proportions the same in every frame. Start with a circle head and five lines; a hat or a colour is enough to make it recognisable.",[132,435,437],{"id":436},"how-do-you-create-stickman-animation-using-ai","How do you create stickman animation using AI?",[10,439,440],{},"Type a topic into an AI stickman tool, review the script it writes, check each generated scene, then render. With TaleTok the voice, captions and music are added automatically, and episodes run up to 10 minutes.",[132,442,444],{"id":443},"can-i-make-a-stickman-animation-on-my-phone","Can I make a stickman animation on my phone?",[10,446,447],{},"Yes. FlipaClip and Stick Nodes both run on Android and iPhone. Pivot Animator is Windows only. TaleTok runs in a phone browser, though reviewing scenes is easier on a larger screen.",[132,449,451],{"id":450},"is-pivot-animator-free","Is Pivot Animator free?",[10,453,454],{},"Yes. Pivot Animator is free to download from its official site and runs on Windows. Avoid third party download mirrors, which sometimes bundle unwanted software.",[132,456,458],{"id":457},"can-you-make-money-from-stickman-animation-on-youtube","Can you make money from stickman animation on YouTube?",[10,460,461,462,466],{},"Yes, once the channel joins the YouTube Partner Program. Long form videos of 8 minutes or more can carry mid roll ads, which is why narrated stick figure explainers earn more per view than short clips. Our breakdown of ",[225,463,465],{"href":464},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-much-does-youtube-pay-per-view","how much YouTube pays per view"," covers the numbers.",[17,468,470],{"id":469},"continue-reading","Continue reading",[472,473,474,479,484,489,494],"ul",{},[237,475,476],{},[225,477,478],{"href":386},"Faceless YouTube channel ideas",[237,480,481],{},[225,482,483],{"href":397},"How to start a faceless YouTube channel",[237,485,486],{},[225,487,488],{"href":405},"Best faceless YouTube channels",[237,490,491],{},[225,492,493],{"href":413},"How to make YouTube Shorts",[237,495,496],{},[225,497,375],{"href":374},{"title":499,"searchDepth":500,"depth":500,"links":501},"",2,[502,503,511,518,519,520,521,529],{"id":19,"depth":500,"text":20},{"id":123,"depth":500,"text":124,"children":504},[505,507,508,509,510],{"id":134,"depth":506,"text":135},3,{"id":146,"depth":506,"text":147},{"id":153,"depth":506,"text":154},{"id":160,"depth":506,"text":161},{"id":167,"depth":506,"text":168},{"id":174,"depth":500,"text":175,"children":512},[513,514,515,516,517],{"id":184,"depth":506,"text":185},{"id":191,"depth":506,"text":192},{"id":198,"depth":506,"text":199},{"id":205,"depth":506,"text":206},{"id":212,"depth":506,"text":213},{"id":219,"depth":500,"text":220},{"id":269,"depth":500,"text":270},{"id":379,"depth":500,"text":380},{"id":418,"depth":500,"text":419,"children":522},[523,524,525,526,527,528],{"id":422,"depth":506,"text":423},{"id":429,"depth":506,"text":430},{"id":436,"depth":506,"text":437},{"id":443,"depth":506,"text":444},{"id":450,"depth":506,"text":451},{"id":457,"depth":506,"text":458},{"id":469,"depth":500,"text":470},null,"2026-10-17T00:00:00.000Z","How to make a stickman animation in 2026: frame by frame in Pivot Animator or FlipaClip, or with AI. Honest time and cost for each, and which suits your goal.",false,"md",[227,386,397,405],"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation\u002Fhero.webp",true,{},"Make a stickman episode","\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation",10,{"title":5,"description":532},"blog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-stickman-animation",[545,546,547,548,549],"how to make a stickman animation","stickman animation","pivot animator","flipaclip","faceless youtube","5zbBPsT4eult8ulRMW459IxJrF7CK0j0xuykIPowsK0",[552,557,562,567],{"path":553,"title":554,"description":555,"image":556},"\u002Fblog\u002Fveed-alternatives","VEED Alternatives: The Monthly Price Is Actually $25","VEED's pricing card shows about $12 a month. That figure is the year divided by 12. Creator is $25 monthly, and a free export keeps the watermark.","\u002Fblog\u002Fveed-alternatives\u002Fhero.webp",{"path":558,"title":559,"description":560,"image":561},"\u002Fblog\u002Fnarakeet-alternatives","Narakeet Alternatives: The Real Cost Per Minute of Voiceover","Narakeet sells voiceover minutes outright from 20 cents and they never expire. We priced every pack per minute and read the licence behind the free plan.","\u002Fblog\u002Fnarakeet-alternatives\u002Fhero.webp",{"path":563,"title":564,"description":565,"image":566},"\u002Fblog\u002Ffish-audio-alternatives","Fish Audio Alternatives: Prices Per Minute and Licence Terms","Fish Audio voiceover costs 5.5 cents a minute on Plus. We priced four voice tools per minute of audio and read the licence the free plan really grants.","\u002Fcover.png",{"path":568,"title":569,"description":570,"image":571},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhop-clipping","Whop Clipping: What Clippers Actually Get Paid in 2026","Whop clipping pays per 1,000 verified views. The per clip cap, the seven day window and the licence you agree to decide how much ever reaches you.","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhop-clipping\u002Fhero.webp",1792227543410]