Animator Skills:

Animators work with graphic design software and specialized animation programs to create the illusion of movement from a series of still images. Studying animation is a great opportunity to open the door to a range of professional career paths, including those in movies, TV, film, video games, and the internet. Animation skills also can be used for mathematical or medical animations, illustrations, and visual effects. However, education isn’t necessarily enough preparation to pursue an animation career; candidates also must be able to demonstrate that they have the creative and technical skills necessary to succeed in the particular role. This article will take a closer look at how best to prepare for a career in animation, including the hard and soft skills that are essential to learn, as well as other job requirements for animation-related professional paths.

What is an Animator?

Animators bring characters, objects, and scenes to life by placing images in a sequence that suggests movement. They may use hand-drawn or computer-generated images or a combination of both. Animators are often involved in the full scope of a project, from developing new concepts to designing characters and backgrounds and outlining the animation sequence in storyboards. They begin an animation sequence by creating keyframes and the main points of movement, then develop the in-between frames that ensure smooth motion. 

Animators usually report to a Creative Director or Animation Director and might also work closely with writers, other artists, and technical staff. On larger projects, Animators may be part of a team assigned specific roles, such as Character Animation, Background Animation, or Special Effects Animator. Animation is often used in movies, television shows, video games, websites, and other media. In the games industry, animators are known as Computer Graphics (CG) or 3D Animators and may collaborate with programmers and artists. In the animation industry, Animators work from a brief provided by the Director or Animation Director and a storyboard developed by the Storyboard Artist. A Special Effects Supervisor, known as an SFX Supervisor, is usually in charge of the special effects team on a film or television production.

The working environment for Animators can vary greatly, depending on their place of employment and current project. Some Animators work in studios as part of a larger team and collaborate closely with other artists and designers. The team-based environment can be fast-paced, with many brainstorming sessions and group meetings. Freelance Animators work more independently and manage their own schedules and client communications. Being an Animator requires a mix of creativity, technical skills, and attention to detail. Animators need to keep up with the latest animation software and techniques, and they must be able to adapt their style to fit different projects. 

Hard Skills

Animators work with a range of tools to perform their jobs, including Adobe After Effects, Blender, Cinema 4D, Adobe Animate, and Autodesk Maya. Read on to learn how each is used to create animations.

Adobe After Effects 

Learning Adobe After Effects is a core skill many Animators must have to succeed. This widely popular motion graphics tool has applications for animating objects and text, adding or deleting elements, creating transitions, and designing titles and closing credits. Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, this program is often used alongside other tools like InDesign, Premiere Pro, Audition, and Lightroom to create composite or original types of media. After Effects can also be used with third-party plugins like CycoreFX, Red Ginant by Maxon, and FXFactory. Animators who use After Effects can create their own designs from scratch or work with one of the presets the program includes.

Blender

Those who want to work with a free animation tool can learn to use Blender. This open-source application doesn’t require any financial investment to use and is available to anyone interested in creating animations. This app has animation, modeling, casting, video production, composing, and video game creation applications. Blender provides users with a useful toolkit and Cycles, which is a built-in route tracing engine. Cycles helps users create lifelike images and scenes. Blender is popular among Animators because it provides a straightforward user experience. It also offers 3D drawing and painting tools and a text editor.

Cinema 4D

Cinema 4D is a popular 3D animation software with applications for texturing, modeling, lighting, animating, and visual effects. This tool is used by both beginners and professionals because of its customizable layout and intuitive, accessible interface. Cinema 4D has applications for animating 3D objects within live-action footage and making 3D images appear 2D. This platform can be explored with a trial download, and then requires a monthly subscription to continue using. It is available for Mac OS and Windows.

Adobe Animate

Another tool Animators regularly use is Adobe Animate. This widely used 2D animation software helps Animators create traditional cartoons. It provides tools that help with many techniques, including puppet, hand-drawn, and frame-by-frame animation. Animate users can import a character from another illustration and work with it in Animate. This platform is used by everyone, from animation novices to professional Animators. Animate is included as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud (CC). Those interested in working with this tool can download Adobe Animate directly from the provider. It is available for Mac OS and Windows as part of a monthly subscription.

Autodesk Maya

Another widely used animation tool is Autodesk Maya. This 3D animation program has applications for creating realistic characters, modeling and motion graphics, using simulation to render lifelike effects, and creating data visualizations. Autodesk Maya is also used to create bigger effects like battle scenes and sweeping landscapes. In addition to helping with these large-scale tasks, this software also allows Animators to focus on minute details, such as how to create fabric, water, and realistic hair. This app has a range of plugins that can be used to create displays and projects. It also includes a screenshot editor. It is regularly updated to include new tools and features. Major animation studios like Disney use Autodesk Maya, as do novice Animators who are just starting. It works on Linux, Mac OS, and Widows. A free trial of Autodesk Maya is available, and after that, users can purchase a monthly subscription, which will be slightly more costly than other animation tools.

Soft Skills

In addition to hard skills and knowledge of animation software, prospective Animators must also possess several soft skills to succeed at their jobs. The following sections will look at several soft skills that benefit Animators, such as clear communication, time management, and storytelling, as well as their professional applications.

Clear Communication

Animators should also have well-developed communication skills since they’ll need to work as part of a team and adapt to criticism and feedback from coworkers and clients. On a daily basis, these professionals will need to update clients on the status of projects, any milestones they’ve reached, the challenges they’re encountering, and their timeline for completion. This requires strong interpersonal skills. The following are just a few examples of the kinds of clear communication Animators will need to succeed with projects:

• Create clearly written content
• Verbally communicate with relevant stakeholders, team members, and clients
• Actively listen to others while working on projects or during meetings
• Understand written work-related materials

Time Management

Time-management training is an essential soft skill Animators rely on every day. Those who are involved with long-term animation projects, such as full-length films, often need to break the project into smaller tasks, each with its own deadline. Creating and adhering to a schedule that outlines when milestones should be completed is an excellent way for Animators to allocate their time and focus on the tasks that are most urgent or important. Time management is also useful in helping Animators handle multiple projects simultaneously. Since some Animators work on projects with different deadlines or projects from different clients, the more well-developed their time-management training is, the more likely they will be to complete their animations on schedule without becoming overwhelmed.

Storytelling

The ability to tell a compelling story is a must for Animators. In this field, storytelling involves using visual and auditory elements to craft a narrative. Strong stories rely on elements like plot, characters, and emotions, which are integrated and developed through animated sequences in a movie, TV show, video game, or film. Animated storytelling is a unique form of storytelling in that it can transcend cultural boundaries, connect with viewers from different cultures, and explore universal themes and emotions common to all viewing audiences. Visual storytelling is an essential component in animated content because it establishes the setting, mood, and characters through visual elements.

The following are several storytelling techniques Animators rely on to keep their audience engaged and watching:

• Hook viewers early on.
• Add surprises to maintain interest.
• Change the story’s pace.
• Show instead of tell.
• Add elements that will make audience members care and resonate with them.
• End with an impactful scene or series of scenes.

What Other Jobs Require These Skills?

Those who know how to use animation tools like After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Animate, and who are skilled with time-management, clear communication, and storytelling, can put this training to use in other job paths besides animation. One such career is in graphic design. Those who work as Graphic Designers are hired to communicate messages and ideas with audiences using visual elements like images and text. These individuals create many types of products, such as company logos, web content, or advertisements. Because the field of graphic design relies heavily on creating visual elements, those with animation training may find this career path to be a good match for them. Graphic design training is a great way to learn how audience members will react to design choices like color contrast. It also is a great way to learn how to solve design-related problems.

Video editing is another alternative career path to animation that some creative-minded individuals may wish to explore. Video Editors sift through raw footage in search of good clips to work with. They also combine unfinished elements, such as special effects, video clips, and audio components, into a seamless video that will connect with their target audience. On a daily basis, Video Editors perform tasks like adjusting lighting and color, manipulating footage, changing the background, or incorporating special effects. Video editing skills are helpful in animation because they can be used to make changes to existing animated content.

Motion graphics is another closely related field to animation. Motion Graphic Designers are hired to transform static design elements by adding motion. This practice involves animation, which means these professions are closely related. Those who already know animation techniques can use their skills to create motion graphics for a range of media, such as video games, TV, films, and websites. Motion Graphics Designers typically work with many of the same apps as Animators, including After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Learn the Skills to Become an Animator at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop has several exciting educational opportunities available for aspiring Animators at all levels. In Noble’s Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate, participants receive comprehensive hands-on training designed to prepare them to pursue a career in motion graphics or video editing. Instruction is provided on core Adobe apps like Cinema 4D Lite, After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Audition. All participants in this program create a professional demo reel that can be shared with prospective employers. This certificate program includes eight 1-on-1 mentoring sessions. Financing options are available.

Those who want to take their motion graphics skills to the next level can do so in Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate. This intensive program teaches students to create visual effects and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects. Participants study how to make 3D animations using Cinema 4D Lite. Instruction is provided on how to edit videos with Adobe Premiere Pro. This certificate program teaches students how to develop a project from concept into design and ultimately to fully animated graphics. Graduates of this course leave with a demo reel of motion graphics projects that can be shared with future employers to highlight their skills. Five 1-on-1 mentoring sessions are provided as part of this program.

For those who want to focus their training on a specific Adobe application, Noble offers After Effects Bootcamp. This hands-on program takes students from the basics of animation, such as how to navigate the workplace, up to advanced techniques, including green screen removal and motion tracking. An expert instructor with real-world animation experience teaches this project-based course. Tuition includes a bonus 1-on-1 mentoring session that can be used to drill down on difficult bootcamp concepts or for professional development purposes.

All Noble courses include a free course retake for up to one year. Instruction is provided in person in New York City and live online.