Learn More About Animation Classes in Phoenix
Animation is a succession of static drawings that when filmed rapidly create an illusion of movement. This optical illusion is called the persistence of vision. It works because the human eye retains an image for a brief one-tenth of a second. Anything shorter than that causes the brain to merge those images. Animation is more than just moving pictures; it’s also moving words, graphics, visual effects, and various illustrations. Animation is a highly specialized technique requiring both technical skill and artistic ability.
What Can You Do with Animation Training?
Whether you’re a hobbyist or an aspiring Animator, formal training in this specialized art form will allow you to express your creative vision in many ways. Once you’ve had some education and gained some practice, you’ll be able to create stop-motion, three-dimensional, and two-dimensional animations. Your projects can range from simple to challenging, and they can help you bolster your demo reel to showcase your skills and animation style.
What Will I Learn in an Animation Class?
An animation class will teach you many skills to improve your art and create more engaging projects that captivate audiences. You’ll need to learn storyboarding, the principles of animation, animation software, and compositing while learning how to give more attention to detail and develop problem-solving skills. The skills you learn will help you improve your artistry and prepare for a career in the diverse field of animation. An animation class can help you develop these skills and learn how and when to apply them.
Animatics
To ensure you have a good plan to move forward with, you’ll need to create an animatic or an animated storyboard. It helps you plan shots and conceive what a completed project will be. It’s an organizational tool that helps maintain scheduling, continuity, and cohesion.
12 Principles of Animation
Understanding these principles, based on the work of Disney Animators, will give you the best chance for success in this field. Adhering to these principles creates more lifelike and relatable animations, whether you’re working with websites, films, or character design.
Animation Software
Mastering animation software like Adobe Animate, After Effects, Autodesk Maya, and Blender will allow you to create animations more efficiently and seamlessly. Each software accomplishes a specific animation task like video compositing and image generation. The specialization of software helps you to optimize your animation niche.
How Hard is It to Learn Animation?
Animation can be very simple to learn, but the type of animation you’re interested in producing will determine the degree of difficulty you’ll encounter. Each animation specialty requires different tools and software, and each comes with its own learning curve. Creating animations is a complex skill that requires dedication and practice. You’ll be comfortable using animation software and tools long before you begin to master the craft.
What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Animation?
One of the most challenging parts of learning animation is storytelling. Some people find it easy to tell a compelling story, while many others struggle to create a plot and characters that captivate the audience. Another challenge is mastering certain technical techniques that help you to get the details right. Something as complex as simulated natural hair movement requires a lot of attention to detail and technical experience. To create animations that are realistic and complex, cutting corners isn’t an option.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Animation?
How long it takes to learn animation will be different for everyone. Some factors that will affect your learning timeline include your background in design tools and art, your learning goals, and your ability to retain and apply what you learn. While some animation courses are fairly short, some can span several weeks or several months. But even once you’ve developed expertise in animation, there will still be more to learn as new techniques, tools, software, and features become available. You’ll begin to feel comfortable with animation a lot sooner than you become professionally adept in this field.
Should I Learn Animation in Person or Online?
When making this decision you’ll need to be clear on your learning goals, how you learn best, and your schedule. In-person classroom learning is the learning format most people are familiar with. It’s also the most widely accepted and considered to be the most efficient and fastest way to learn animation. In-person learning allows for real-time feedback, true hands-on learning, and stronger peer connections. This format can cost more due to higher overhead costs associated with everyone having to meet at a physical location.
Live online learning is similar to in-person classes, with the main difference being that students can attend classes from their location. There’s no need to commute to class sessions, you’re able to receive real-time feedback, and class sessions are typically recorded so you can reinforce lessons. Still, hands-on learning takes a slightly different approach when you’re learning through an online classroom or video messaging platform.
Asynchronous or on-demand learning is very different from the traditional classroom experience, and they’re great for those with tight or unpredictable schedules. This format allows you to learn at your own pace when your schedule permits. Class sessions are prerecorded and uploaded on your training facility’s learning platform for you to access during your course access window. Since there’s a low level of accountability with this format, you should set a schedule for yourself to meet your learning goals. The biggest drawback is not being able to get feedback in real-time. Some facilities offer a Slack channel, messaging boards, or a support line, but responses are not always immediate.
Can I Learn Animation Free Online?
While you can learn animation skills online for free, there will be a lot left for you to learn. Free online animation resources include blogs, videos, tutorials, and Noble Desktop seminars. Online freebies are great when you have an immediate animation problem to solve, you’re trying to decide if animation is a good fit for you, or you’re working on a personal project. If you’re interested in a serious career in animation, you’ll need to make a significant investment in your education. Professional skills aren’t learned overnight or for free.
What Should I Learn Alongside Animation?
As you learn animation skills, you’ll want to supplement your education with other skills as well. The animation career path you’re interested in should guide what you choose to learn alongside animation. Learning how to make the most out of Adobe Creative Cloud will make a difference in the quality of your work in a broad sense. Many Creative Cloud applications are useful to those in this field. Those looking to get into this field need to work on their artistry, visual communication, and design theory when considering working on websites and in UX/UI design. Understanding video editing principles is also useful because it will allow you to make the most of your animations and fully realize your creative vision if you’re working with multi-dimensional animation.
Industries That Use Animation
Animation fits into any industry. Moving beyond advertisements, animation can be used for educational purposes and to entertain and engage audiences. Many Phoenix industries like finance, healthcare, human resources, and real estate can benefit from animation's simplicity. Here are some ways animation benefits Phoenix’s industries.
Healthcare
Phoenix’s healthcare industry is steadily growing due to the state’s aging population. You’ll find animation being used in this industry to create educational resources for the public and employees. Public-facing animations help to educate patients in a simplified, more accessible, and engaging way. Physicians make use of animations to better understand the human body and learn medical techniques that will benefit patients. Whether it's a basic two-dimensional model or a complex three-dimensional rendering, medical animation brings medical concepts to life.
Finance
Animation is a great way to explain complex financial concepts, processes, technologies, and data. As society roots deeper into this information age, the financial industry needs more creative and effective ways to reach consumers and stakeholders. Short animated explainer videos are an effective answer to improving understanding and engagement with the industry’s audiences. Not only does animation educate consumers on products and services, but also it facilitates more trust and brand loyalty.
Animation Job Titles and Salaries
Many Phoenix-based careers use animation to accomplish tasks and produce deliverables. Animation is used in advertisements, educational pieces, entertainment, renderings, and simulations. Some careers that use animation include Animators, Motion Graphics Designers, 3D Animators, and Layout Artists and the field is currently growing.
Animator
Animators are tasked with creating sequences that are dynamic and engaging for a variety of media forms. You’ll find the work of an Animator in films, advertisements, video games, and television. They’re skilled artists who bring characters and graphics to life. There are different types of Animators and each uses different techniques and tools to bring visual art to life. Some duties of an Animator include storyboarding, designing characters, animating scenes, and editing animations. Mastery of tools like Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Maya helps Animators work efficiently. They also need to be skilled in video editing, motion graphics, and composition. An Animator working in Phoenix can expect a salary ranging between $57,000 and $105,000.
3D Animator
The goal of a 3D Animator is to create a realistic experience using animation. You’ll find them employed with films, theme parks, video games, and websites. They rely heavily on computer programs to create high-quality three-dimensional animations that engage audiences in entertaining and realistic ways. A strong understanding of anatomy, movement, and mathematics is very helpful when you’re a 3D Animator incorporating rigging, the process of adding a skeleton to an animation, to create more realistic movement, into your animations. 3D Animators also need to know how to use Cinema 4D and Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro while also being skilled in motion graphics design, color theory, layout design, and camera angles. A Phoenix 3D Animator earns an average salary from $85,000 to $131,000.
Animation Classes Near Me
When you enroll in Noble Desktop’s hands-on Motion Graphics Certificate course, you’ll learn how to create animations, motion graphics, and visual effects using Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D with a live instructor. Topics taught in this course include animation principles, motion graphics concepts, camera tracking, creating 3D models and animations, and adding animation to Adobe projects. By the end of this course, you’ll have compiled an impressive demo reel that showcases your ability and creativity. You’ll have five 1-on-1 mentoring sessions to use for job support, demo reel or resume refinement, help with challenging concepts, access to class recordings, and the option to retake the course one time for free within one year.
This Certstaffix Training Adobe Animate CC course helps students become proficient with Adobe Animate to bring their creative vision to life in stunning and engaging ways. Course topics include Animate interface, animating symbols, creating graphics and text, character animation, rigging, inverse kinematics, and animating the camera. This is a good choice for those who have little to no experience with animation and designers who want to upskill. Students will have a live instructor, access to a virtual computer with class files and the necessary software, and the option to retake the course for free within six months.
Animation Corporate Training
Noble Desktop’s on-site corporate training provides employee professional development opportunities to organizations. When you invest in your employees with on-site animation training, your organization can attract more talented employees, boost employee morale, and improve the overall workplace culture. Not only will animation skills training ensure that employees make high-quality contributions to your organization, but also it will equip them with skills they can use throughout their careers. Noble Desktop offers experienced instructors who will tailor the curriculum to meet your organization’s objectives. Animation training is available virtually or on-site at your location. You can also purchase vouchers for open-enrollment public animation classes. Discounts are available when you purchase class vouchers in bulk. Contact Noble Desktop for a free consultation to learn more about how you can invest in your employees with animation training.