Adobe Animate Prerequisites

Adobe Animate is an application that Animators use to create 2D animations and interactive vector graphics. It is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud and integrates with other Adobe apps. You might worry that Adobe Animate will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning Adobe Animate and what you should study first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills. 

What is Adobe Animate?

Adobe Animate is an Adobe application used to create 2D animation. With it, Animators can produce animation and interactive vector graphics for a variety of media, including television, games, apps, and online video. They can export their work to multiple platforms, including Flash/Adobe AIR, WebGL, and HTML5 Canvas. Animate has been used to create a number of popular cartoons, including My Little Pony and The Amazing World of Gumball. It was previously known as Adobe Flash Professional, a top-rated program in the late 1990s and 2000s.

Animate has numerous tools that allow Animators to create complex and detailed animations. For instance, its virtual camera feature can pan, zoom, and rotate animations. Audio synching lets Animators sync the audio in their animations. Vector brushes make it possible to resize, move, color, and animate brush strokes. Animation apps like Animate give Animators the tools to create things that would be difficult to draw by hand.

Read more about what Adobe Animate is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Adobe Animate?

People have been using animation for more than one hundred and fifty years to entertain and communicate a wide variety of content. Animation can grab an audience’s attention, tell stories, simplify complex content, and communicate ideas quickly. As a result of its versatility and universal appeal, animated content is used in many professions. Early animation featured hand-drawn content. However, today’s Animators use computers and animation applications such as Adobe Animate.

When people think about animation, many think of cartoons, which are indeed one thing many Animators create. Animation is in countless forms of media, and much of it develops from applications like Adobe Animate. Adobe Animate, in particular, is frequently used to generate cartoons and 2D animated television shows. The application can be used to create characters and add effects and audio, and it has developed many well-known shows and movies, including My Little Pony and The Amazing World of Gumball. However, cartoons are only one of the things that Animators create with animation apps. Apps also help to create video games for computers and mobile devices, educational content, and a wide variety of advertising and animated content for the internet.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that Animators typically choose a specific medium to work in, such as television or video gaming. In addition, they often specialize within that medium. For example, some video game designers specialize in creating characters, while others focus on scenery. Animators who specialize in this way are typically part of a larger team, with each team member working on one part of a project. 

Is Adobe Animate Easy to Learn?

The ease of learning Adobe Animate or another animation application depends on many different factors. Apps like Animate have many advanced features, and mastering those features takes time and practice. However, most experts say that a student could learn the basics of an animation app in a few days or weeks. Still, mastering that app could take months, and creating professional animations might take years. Because most animation apps are so complex, students often decide to learn them by enrolling in a class taught by an expert. For instance, Noble Desktop offers an After Effects Bootcamp where students can learn the basics of this animation tool or an advanced class that covers more complex features of After Effects.

Certain people will find Animate or similar apps easier to learn than others. Those who already have some knowledge of animation or design will likely have an easier time. So will users who already have some experience with computer animation. For students trying to learn an Adobe app like Animate, knowledge of other Adobe apps will likely speed up the learning process too. People who already know how to use Animate also stress that regular practice is critical to mastering any app. 

What to Know Before Learning Adobe Animate

Course Prerequisites

Students who want to learn Adobe Animate or another animation application may need some knowledge of specific design principles and design programs. For example, Noble Desktop offers a number of classes in animation and motion design. Still, some of them require that students know how to use design programs like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Students who don’t meet these prerequisites can find many ways to get them. For instance, most complete the Illustrator Bootcamp in only a few days.

Experts stress that students will succeed better if they start learning Animate or any other new app at the appropriate skill level. For instance, animation newcomers should begin by working on a basic technique and master that before moving on to more complicated procedures.

Technical Requirements

In addition to prerequisites, students should consider the technical requirements associated with learning a program like Animate. Those who want to learn Animate will need to subscribe to the program first. They will also need to make sure that their computer meets the technical specifications necessary to run Animate. For Windows, the minimum requirements are an Intel Pentium 4 or Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon, or Intel Core Duo processor, Windows 10, at least 8 GB of RAM, and a monitor resolution of 1024x900. Mac users need a Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support and a macOS version 10.15, 11.0, or 12 operating system.

Basic Animation Concepts

Some experts advise that students who want to learn an animation program will be more successful if they understand some basic animation principles. For instance, Animators need to know how to use contrast, lighting, and perspective to create a scene. Another helpful principle is physics and how it affects the way that animated objects and characters move and interact in an animated world. Animators who understand principles such as these will be able to create more believable animations and will also be more likely to have an easier time working on their creations.

Learn Animation & Motion Graphics with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

At Noble Desktop, students can learn animation and motion graphics with hands-on classes that fit many schedules and learning styles. Every class is small and interactive and led by expert instructors. In addition, Noble always provides a free retake option. The free retake allows students to retake the same class once within a year without paying for it again. Students can gain additional animation or motion graphics skills using the free retake without investing in another class.

The After Effects Bootcamp is a popular option among students who decide to study animation at Noble Desktop. Students in this bootcamp learn After Effects, a program that professional Animators commonly use, in just 18 hours. Bootcamps like this are popular because they provide quick, intensive training that gives students a good understanding of the subject matter over only a few days. Many pick a bootcamp when they want to add one skill like After Effects to their resume.

However, bootcamps are not the best option for everyone. Some students prefer more in-depth training and opt for a certificate program instead. Certificate programs take longer to complete, but they cover more subject matter. For instance, Nobel’s Motion Graphics Certificate takes two months full-time or four months part-time to finish. During that time, the curriculum covers animation programs, including After Effects, Cinema 4D Lite, and Premiere Pro, and how to use these programs to work on multiple animation projects.

Key Insights

• Knowing how to use Adobe Animate or another animation app can be useful if you want to work in animation or motion graphics.
• Animation apps save time and give Animators many tools they don’t have when they animate by hand.
• Students can learn the basics of an animation program in days or weeks, but mastering it can take months or years.
• If you already know animation or design, it will be easier to learn Animate.
• Before enrolling in an animation class, consider the prerequisites and technical requirements associated with that program.