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How To Install OpenToonz On Linux: Ubuntu, Alt Linux, Debian, Manjaro, Fedora, CentOS, RHEL, OpenSUSE, FreeBSD, and so on.

Gilbert John

OpenToonz is a popular and powerful 2D animation software that is an open-source project that is completely free to use. It shot to popularity after major animation studios such as Studio Ghibli and Rough Draft Studios used it in their ongoing projects. Due to its comprehensive development kit and various animation functions and features, OpenToonz is a great choice for 2D animation. Thus, it is a go-to app for both professional animators and hobbyists. In order to use OpenToonz on Linux and its various distributions, all you need to do, is install it. There are various methods available for this, listed in the following guide.

What Is OpenToonz?

As explained, OpenToonz, or Toonz, as it is previously called, is an open-source 2D animation software made for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It was primarily developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy, and the current open-source project is maintained by a group of animators, digital artists, developers, and engineers. 

The app is able to streamline animation workflow in its entirety, thus catering to both professionals and amateurs. Furthermore, due to a user-friendly UI and a ton of animation tools and features, you can do a lot with the software, such as drawing, coloring, composition, and the overall management of your animation project. The use of vectors also allows for scalable and high-quality output, which sets OpenToonz apart from the competition. 

OpenToonz
OpenToonz

System Requirements

  • Linux (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • Intel Core i series
  • 2 GB RAM+
  • A compatible scanner with TWAIN (EPSON DS-50000, official recommendation)

Dependencies

  • Git
  • Clang/GCC
  • CMake v.3.4.1+
  • Qt5 v5.15+
  • Boost v.1.55+
  • LibPNG
  • SuperLU
  • Lzo2
  • FreeType
  • LibMyPaint v.1.3+
  • Jpeg-Turbo v.1.4+
  • OpenCV v.3.2+

Install OpenToonz On Linux

Installing OpenToonz can be simple as long as you follow the steps mentioned below. However, there are several methods to do so. For most cases, it’s actually possible to run it from the command line directly. Then, you can also build it from source. But the simplest method is to use a package manager. All these are covered here. Just pick a method that suits your distribution. 

Method 1. Install OpenToonz Directly Using CLI

You need to launch your terminal and follow the following steps to set-up OpenToonz. 

Step 1. First, install the dependency packages:

apt-get install bash sudo uuid-runtime aufs-tools fuse genisoimage mutt

Step 2. Now, create and edit the config file:

cp config.sh.blank config.sh
PACKET_BUILD_DIR=/some_path/builder-packet
        chrooter() {
            export CHROOTER_PREFIX="/some_path_to_mount"
            $BASE_DIR/chrooter/chrooter.sh $@
        }
        OPENTOONZ_TESTING_TAG="morevna"
        export EMAIL_FAILED="[email protected]"
        export EMAIL_SUCCESS="$EMAIL_FAILED"
        export EMAIL_SUBJECT="builder task finished"

Step 3. After that, you need to download the virtual environment:

Step 4. Now, download the build files, you will need two separate files, the links are below:

https://coolbug.org/downloads/morevna/builder-images/morevnaproject_build-debian-7-32.iso

https://coolbug.org/downloads/morevna/builder-images/morevnaproject_build-debian-7-64.iso

Step 4.1- Alternatively, you can always build these files instead of downloading them:

env/debian-7-32bit/files/sources.list
env/debian-7-64bit/files/sources.list
env/debian-7-32bit/build-iso.sh into variable apt_mirror
env/debian-7-64bit/build-iso.sh into variable apt_mirror

Step 4.2- Or, use debootstrap:

apt-get install debootstrap

cd env/debian-7-32bit
./build-iso.sh

cd ../debian-7-64bit
./build-iso.sh
cd ../..

This will create the following files:

env/debian-7-32bit/debian-wheezy-i386.iso
env/debian-7-64bit/debian-wheezy-amd64.iso

Step 5. Using the above files, create os images 

cd env/debian-7-32bit 
./build-base.sh
./build.sh

cd ../debian-7-64bit
./build-base.sh
./build.sh
cd ../..

Method 2. Compile OpenToonz From Source

You can build OpenToonz easily from source. All you need to do is clone the file from GitHub. The necessary steps are:

Step 1. First, download the dependencies on your system:

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install build-essential git cmake pkg-config libboost-all-dev qt5-default qtbase5-dev libqt5svg5-dev qtscript5-dev qttools5-dev qttools5-dev-tools libqt5opengl5-dev qtmultimedia5-dev libqt5multimedia5-plugins libqt5serialport5-dev libsuperlu-dev liblz4-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev liblzo2-dev libpng-dev libjpeg-dev libglew-dev freeglut3-dev libfreetype6-dev libjson-c-dev qtwayland5 libmypaint-dev libopencv-dev libturbojpeg-dev
sudo apt-get install libmypaint-dev

Fedora

sudo dnf install gcc gcc-c++ automake git cmake boost boost-devel SuperLU SuperLU-devel lz4-devel lzma libusb-devel lzo-devel libjpeg-turbo-devel libGLEW glew-devel freeglut-devel freeglut freetype-devel libpng-devel qt5-qtbase-devel qt5-qtsvg qt5-qtsvg-devel qt5-qtscript qt5-qtscript-devel qt5-qttools qt5-qttools-devel qt5-qtmultimedia-devel blas blas-devel json-c-devel libtool intltool make qt5-qtmultimedia turbojpeg-devel opencv-devel qt5-qttools-static qt5-qtserialport-devel
sudo dnf install libmypaint-devel

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S base-devel git cmake boost boost-libs qt5-base qt5-svg qt5-script qt5-tools qt5-multimedia lz4 libusb lzo libjpeg-turbo glew freeglut freetype2
sudo pacman -S blas cblas

Or, use YAOURT

yaourt -S superlu libmypaint

OpenSUSE

zypper in boost-devel cmake freeglut-devel freetype2-devel gcc-c++ glew-devel libQt5OpenGL-devel libjpeg-devel liblz4-devel libpng16-compat-devel libqt5-linguist-devel libqt5-qtbase-devel libqt5-qtmultimedia-devel libqt5-qtscript-devel libqt5-qtsvg-devel libtiff-devel libusb-devel lzo-devel openblas-devel pkgconfig sed superlu-devel zlib-devel json-c-devel libqt5-qtmultimedia
zypper install libmypaint-devel

Step 2. Now, start building the libmypaint dependency:

git clone https://github.com/mypaint/libmypaint.git -b v1.3.0
cd libmypaint
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig
cd ..
mkdir -p $HOME/.config/OpenToonz
cp -r opentoonz/stuff $HOME/.config/OpenToonz/

Step 3. After that, clone the Git repo:

git clone https://github.com/opentoonz/opentoonz

Step 4. You are also required to build LibTIFF:

cd opentoonz/thirdparty/tiff-4.0.3
./configure --with-pic --disable-jbig
make -j$(nproc)
cd ../../

Step 5. Finally, start building OpenToonz:

cd toonz
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ../sources
make -j$(nproc)

Method 3. Install OpenToonz on Linux Using Flatpak

Step 1. First, install Flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak

Step 2. Now, add the Flathub Repository

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Step 3. Finally, install OpenToonz:

flatpak install flathub io.github.OpenToonz

Method 4. Using Snap To Install OpenToonz

Step 1. Just like Flatpak, install Snap:

sudo apt install snapd

Step 2. Now, install OpenToonz:

sudo snap install opentoonz

Step 3. You can run OpenToonz to check:

opentoonz

Method 5. Install OpenToonz On Linux via AppImage

AppImage allows you to run an app without installing it on your system. All you have to do is:

Step 1. Start by downloading the OpenToonz AppImage file from GitHub.

Step 2. Now, make the file executable:

chmod +x OpenToonz-*.AppImage

Step 3. Finally, run the OpenToonz AppImage:

./OpenToonz-*.AppImage

Method 6. Install OpenToonz Using The Native Package Managers

The app is available in most package managers via the official repository. Run the following commands on the respective distributions:

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install opentoonz

Fedora

sudo dnf install opentoonz

Alt Linux

apt-get update
apt-get install opentoonz

FreeBSD

pkg install opentoonz

Or, Using Ports

cd /usr/ports/multimedia/opentoonz && make install clean

Void Linux

sudo xbps-install -S opentoonz

OpenSUSE

sudo zypper install opentoonz

Arch Linux

yay -S opentoonz

DragonFly BSD

pkg install opentoonz

NixOS

nix-env -iA nixpkgs.opentoonz

Solus

sudo eopkg install opentoonz

Method 7. Use A PPA Repository To Install OpenToonz

Step 1. First, download the PGP package:

wget http://www.deb-multimedia.org/pool/main/d/deb-multimedia-keyring/deb-multimedia-keyring_2016.8.1_all.deb

Step 2. Now, install the package:

sudo dpkg -i deb-multimedia-keyring_2016.8.1_all.deb

Step 3. After that, add the repository:

echo "deb http://www.deb-multimedia.org stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

Step 4. Finally, install OpenToonz

sudo apt update && apt install opentoonz opentoonz-data
Gilbert John Avatar

Gilbert John

I am a programmer working on multiple projects. Linux has been my favorite operating system since its launch. Loves using Ubuntu and REHL. I also developed some terminal applications in the past. Here to guide people to get better at Linux.