How to make a stickman animation: frame by frame or with AI

Method 1

How to make a stickman animation frame by frame

The best free stickman animation apps

Joint-based apps (Pivot Animator, Stick Nodes) give you a ready-made stick figure that you pose by dragging its joints, which is the easiest start. Drawing apps (FlipaClip, Pencil2D) have you draw every frame yourself. To try joint-based animation without installing anything, use our free stick figure animator, which runs in the browser and exports GIFs.

Prices and platforms from the official app listings, checked November 2026.

Animate it in six steps

1. 1

   Plan one short action

   Pick a single movement of two to five seconds: a wave, a jump, a punch. Sketch the start and end pose on paper first. A short, finished animation teaches you more than an ambitious one you abandon halfway.

2. 2

   Set the frame rate to 12 fps

   Twelve frames per second is the standard for hand-made 2D animation and looks smooth for stick figures. 24 fps is smoother still, but it doubles the number of frames you have to make.

3. 3

   Pose the key frames first

   Key poses are the frames that define the action: the start, the most extreme point, and the end. Get these right before anything else. If each key pose reads clearly as a silhouette, the finished motion will too.

4. 4

   Fill in the in-between frames

   Add the frames that carry the figure from one key pose to the next, moving each limb a little at a time. Turn on onion skinning to see the previous and next frame faintly behind the current one. Stick Nodes and Pivot Animator 5 can generate in-betweens for you.

5. 5

   Add easing and holds

   Space frames closer together at the start and end of a movement (slow in, slow out) so the figure accelerates and decelerates instead of moving like a robot. Hold the final pose for a few frames so the viewer can register it.

6. 6

   Add sound and export

   Pivot Animator has no audio, so export a video and add sound in a video editor. Stick Nodes Pro and FlipaClip let you add sound in the app. Export MP4 for YouTube, TikTok, or Reels, or GIF for short loops.

How long it really takes

Method 2

How to make a stickman animation with AI, from text

If you'd rather start from an idea than a blank canvas, you can generate a complete stickman video with StickReel, an AI stickman video maker that runs in the browser. You type a topic or paste a script, and it produces the script, scene illustrations, animation, voiceover, and captions as one finished MP4. To see what the output looks like before you start, browse stickman video examples with their prompts and transcripts.

The full process in under four minutes. Prefer reading? Here it is step by step.

1. 1

   Start with a topic, or your own script

   When you create a new video, you choose how to start. Generate from topic means you type a single line, something like “How to actually wake up early”, and StickReel writes the script for you. Create from scriptmeans you paste your own words and they're kept exactly as written. If you already write scripts in ChatGPT or by hand, this is your option; if you're starting from scratch, a topic is enough.

   
2. 2

   Pick a format

   The format sets the angle of the script. Standard is a balanced default that works for any topic. Explainer teaches one concrete thing with cause and effect, the natural pick for educational channels. Hot Take is bold and punchy, Story builds a mini narrative with a lesson, Listicle / Tips gives you a numbered list with one tip per scene, and Promo / Adsells a product or offer with a clear call to action. If you're unsure, start with Standard.

   
3. 3

   Choose your video settings

   Three decisions here. How much animation: Moving Images uses illustrated scenes with subtle camera movement, the most credit-efficient option and great for explainers. Mixed Motion animates the key scenes (the hook, the payoff) and keeps Moving Images in between. Full Animation animates every scene, which suits character-driven comedy. A 30-second video costs Moving Images 1 credit, Mixed Motion 4 credits, Full Animation 6 credits. Aspect ratio: portrait 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts; landscape 16:9 for regular YouTube videos and presentations. Length and captions: anything from a short clip to a long-form video of up to 10 minutes. Leave Burn in captionschecked if you're posting to social platforms: most short-form viewers watch with the sound off, so on-screen captions directly improve watch time.

   
4. 4

   Pick or create your stickman character

   Choose one of the preset characters or create your own, like the caveman in this video made on a phone. The important detail: the character stays visually consistent across every scene, same face and same style, whether he's at a desk in scene one or celebrating in scene five. If you're building a channel, use the same character in every video; a recognizable recurring character is one of the cheapest branding wins in faceless content.

   
5. 5

   Choose the narration language and voice

   You can leave the language on auto-detect (write your topic in Spanish and you'll get a native Spanish voice) or pick a language and voice manually. Each voice has a preview button, so listen to a couple before committing. Match the voice to the format: calm and clear for explainers, more energetic for hot takes.

   
6. 6

   Review the script and scene prompts

   StickReel generates the script and splits it into scenes, each with its own visual prompt describing what the illustration will show. You can edit any of them: rewrite a line, or change a scene's prompt if you want the character at a whiteboard instead of a desk. This is plain text, not a timeline editor, so tweaking a scene takes seconds. Happy with it? Generate the images.

7. 7

   Generate and review the images

   A few minutes later you'll have an illustration for every scene. Scroll through them, and if one doesn't look right, regenerate just that image. You never have to redo the whole video because of one scene.

8. 8

   Generate the full video

   One more click and StickReel assembles everything: scenes, animation, voiceover, timing, and captions. Total time from typing your idea to a finished short is around ten minutes. Download the MP4 and it's ready to post.

Comparison

Which method should you choose?

The honest summary: if animating is the hobby, draw. If publishing is the goal, generate.

Tips

Five tips for stickman animations people actually watch

• Win the first two seconds

  Start with the most interesting claim or question, not an intro. Viewers decide whether to keep watching almost instantly.

• Keep captions on

  A large share of short-form viewing happens on mute. Burned-in captions aren't optional decoration; they're retention.

• One idea per video

  A 30–60 second stickman video carries exactly one point well. Save the other points for the next video.

• Reuse the same character

  Consistency across videos is what turns random clips into a channel people recognize and follow.

• Publish in 9:16 for short-form

  Shorts, Reels, and TikTok all favor vertical video; make landscape versions only for long-form YouTube.

Examples

Stickman animations made this way, with their prompts

Each of these was generated with StickReel and is published with the exact prompt or script, the settings, and the full transcript, so you can copy the recipe.

• Stickman animation on mobile53 sec · 9:16 · Create from script
• AI explainer video generator32 sec · 9:16 · Generate from topic
• What TikTok pays per 1,000 views58 sec · 9:16 · Create from script

See all example videos →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions