Learn animation techniques across multiple programs designed for creatives. Courses focus on timing, rhythm, and storytelling through motion design and character work.
Learn to create compelling video content with Adobe After Effects. This course covers the basics of animation, text effects, and file integration needed to start creating impressive visual content from scratch. Get hands-on experience with real-world projects taught by an experienced instructor.
Learn motion graphics and visual effects with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. Develop your skills in animation, video editing, and special effects, and create a motion graphics demo reel to showcase your work to potential clients or employers.
Learn how to use Adobe Premiere Pro to create professionally edited videos in this comprehensive class. From importing and organizing footage to advanced editing techniques like multi-cam editing and green screen removal, this course will equip you with the skills to create compelling video content.
Dive into the dynamic world of Adobe After Effects with this advanced course, designed to elevate your animation and motion graphics skills. From mastering 3D layers and custom shapes to optimizing animations with expressions, you'll create captivating visuals that stand out in any project.
This course unlocks the power of Adobe After Effects, teaching you to create stunning visual effects and professional-grade motion graphics. Master techniques like motion tracking, compositing, and time remapping to take your video projects to new heights of creativity and impact.
Become a skilled Video Editor and Motion Graphics Designer by learning Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects. Develop creative techniques and concepts for editing videos, and showcase your skills by creating a professional demo reel.
Animation is a filmmaking technique that creates moving images by manipulating still images, including drawings, paintings, and illustrations. Traditional animation uses still images that someone has drawn or painted onto celluloid sheets, which someone then photographs for film. Advances in technology led to the development of digital animation, which became the default around the 1990s and 2000s.
Filmmakers, television producers, video game developers, and online content creators use animation for entertainment or informational purposes. Over time, a wide range of animation styles has developed, from cartoonish to hyper-realistic. Aside from animation styles popularized by U.S. animation studios, anime, a style of animation that originated in Japan, has become increasingly popular in the U.S. as access to overseas content has become easier for Americans to purchase and stream.
Learning animation can help you begin a career in media, particularly working on films, television shows, and video games. A lot of attention and skill go into producing animation, meaning you have several opportunities available to you if you receive animation training. You can work on visual effects, game development, VFX art, and even as a Medical Animator. You can also use your animation training for personal projects. Most animation classes have students learning software like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D. You can receive animation training and learn to animate something for fun or even offer your animation services as a Freelancer.
Beginner-level animation classes typically start with animation principles. When you first begin learning, you must understand the fundamentals of animation, such as timing, spacing, and exaggeration. You’ll also learn how to create storyboards to plan your animations and receive lessons in character design. You can find animation classes that cover specific software, but most classes will have students learning with Adobe Animate, Blender, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Adobe After Effects. If you plan to work on 3D animation, you should enroll in a 3D animation class where you’ll learn how to create and manipulate 3D models.
Learning animation can be challenging, depending on your background, the time you can dedicate to learning, and the type of animation you want to learn.
Students with a background in drawing or design may find the fundamentals of animation easy to learn, or even that they already know the fundamentals, whereas beginners with no prior experience may find that it takes more time for them to pick up the basics. Some of the tools and software used by animators have a high learning curve, which can prove challenging for beginner-level students. Like with learning any new skill, however, with enough practice working to improve and the right guidance, you can learn beginner, intermediate, and even advanced-level animation skills.
With enough practice, you can learn the basics of animation, like animation principles and drawing, in just a few weeks or months. Learning animation software may take several months, depending on the program and how much time you spend using it. Intermediate-level animation skills include the ability to create animations with polished character designs and movements, which typically take six months to one year to learn. If you want to develop advanced-level animation skills, you can expect that to take several years of committed lessons and practice. Advanced techniques include 3D modeling and rigging. Like many skills, learning animation is an ongoing experience that you’ll need to brush up on and practice frequently.
When searching for an animation program to enroll in, consider both in-person and live online classes. Students who like traditional classroom environments will likely succeed in an in-person class. In-person classes take place during the week, in the evenings, and on weekends at training centers and schools. You can expect to gain hands-on experience and learn via demonstrations from an instructor in an in-person class.
Live online classes let students experience live learning from the comfort of their home or office. This class modality allows students a degree of flexibility because they don’t have to commute to a classroom. However, live online classes still take place at a scheduled time under the guidance of an instructor.
If you need to squeeze in lessons between work and school, consider enrolling in an asynchronous course. Asynchronous courses allow you to learn at your preferred pace as you work through class material by yourself. Students like the flexibility this class modality offers, although the drawback of asynchronous classes is that students don’t have access to a live instructor who can answer their questions and provide feedback.
If you have a passion for animation, consider learning related skills that can help you boost your animation expertise. Many aspiring animators work on their drawing skills. Learning how to draw can help you create more expressive and dynamic characters for your animations. You can also consider learning art and design principles like color theory and composition. Learning these art basics can help you create more aesthetically appealing animated characters and backgrounds.
Want to apply your animation skills to your career? Consider these major industries in Toronto that use animation.
The entertainment industry in Toronto takes advantage of the vibrant and diverse cityscape. As a result, Toronto has become a significant center for film and animation professionals. The city has become home to a robust film and production scene as well as a growing animation center, packed with festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI). Animation plays a huge role in the entertainment industry, from animated films to animation in video games. If you want to get started in animation, check out Toronto-based studios currently making a name for themselves in the industry. Some include major companies like Ubisoft Toronto, a game development company, and even Netflix Canada, which films and produces in the region for original animated series.
Many advertising and marketing agencies in Toronto have turned toward digital marketing in recent years. A global marketing strategy that focuses on social media, content creation, and SEO has become more widespread with the advances of technology and increasing globalization. Animation plays an important role in this industry, with marketing teams turning toward animation to help increase brand visibility and create memorable digital marketing campaigns that will stick in their audience’s minds. Companiesl ike Cossette, a full-service marketing agency in Toronto, use digital marketing techniques that require an animation specialist’s expertise.
Several major universities call Toronto home, such as the University of Toronto and Ryerson University, along with numerous colleges and technical institutes, K-12 public schools, and continuing studies programs. Animation in the education industry aims to help students better understand complicated concepts and encourages engagement. With animation, schools can provide illustrations of lessons for students who have difficulty learning through text. Animated content can also capture students’ attention, encouraging participation.
Ready to look for a career in animation? Here are several animation-related jobs and their salaries that you can find in the Toronto area.
When choosing an animation class to enroll in, you have a wide variety of options depending on the type of animation you want to learn and the software you’d like to use. Below are several options for classes available to you in-person and live online.
Noble Desktop’s live online Motion Graphics Certificate program will teach you to create motion graphics and visual effects using Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D Lite. Spend four units learning the principles of animation, motion graphics content, and how to create motion graphics and animations using a variety of software. Before enrolling in the program, Noble recommends that students learn the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator. If you want to explore video editing and motion graphics at the same time, you may also consider the Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate.
Expect to learn the ins and outs of After Effects in Noble Desktop’s After Effects Bootcamp. The class covers techniques for creating and working with the basics of animation, text effects, and file integration. Over 18 hours, you’ll follow along with an instructor as you work on real projects and develop essential skills for working in animation.
There are also a few shorter courses that can provide a wealth of knowledge. The After Effects in a Day course is six hours and is designed to give you the foundational skills you need to use After Effects to the best of your ability. It’s ideal to learn before moving to more in-depth classes, like After Effects Advanced or After Effects Compositing, Tracking, and Keying.
Does your team need animation training? Noble Desktop can provide your organization with team training in animation that meets your employees’ learning objectives and scheduling needs. Corporate training is offerd in a live online format. Teams interested in corporate training can also purchase group vouchers in bulk at a discount from Noble Desktop. When purchasing group vouchers, you can select the courses available to your team to choose from. They’ll then schedule their training at a time that fits their schedules.
Reach out to corporate@nobledesktop.com to learn more about Noble Desktop’s corporate training services and receive help in determining which options best fit your team’s needs and goals.