How Difficult is it to Learn Adobe Animate?

Are you curious about learning Adobe Animate or another animation application but worried that it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning Adobe Animate depend on factors like how much you already know about animation, your computer experience, and how much time you have to spend practicing your skills.

No matter your current schedule or comfort level with Adobe Animate, plenty of tools are available to help make learning easier than you might think.

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.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Adobe Animate?

One of the biggest challenges to learning Animate or another animation application is the sheer number of features to master. Animation apps have a wide range of features, and this is what makes them such valuable tools. However, learning all of these features takes a lot of time. One good way to make learning a complex app feel less intimidating is to set aside a specific time every day for practice. Most animation pros say they only became good at what they do by spending hours practicing their skills.

Students who are new to animation might also find that even after they spend a lot of time practicing, they still can’t create complex animations as professionals do, which can be frustrating. Experienced Animators have advice for that too. Rather than starting with advanced features, they say, beginners need to start with the basics. Once they master these, they can move on to more complicated techniques and features. Over time, Animators will find that they are able to gradually master the more complex features of Animate or whatever app they are trying to learn.

How Does Learning Adobe Animate Compare to Other Applications?

Adobe Animate is just one of many computer applications that Animators use. Some Animators also use Adobe After Effects. While Animate can be a good choice for creating interactive content, 2D animation, and character animations, users who want to create motion graphics, visual effects, or compositing often opt for After Effects. Some Animators say Animate is better for beginners because it is easier to learn, while After Effects has more features and is a better choice for professional Animators.

Cinema 4D Lite is another tool used by Animators. Cinema 4D Lite is a streamlined version of a program called Cinema 4D, a 3D modeling, animation, and simulation program. Animators typically use Cinema 4D Lite with After Effects. It allows them to create 3D content and import it into After Effects projects. For those who already subscribe to Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D Lite is free.

Premiere Pro is a video editing application. While Animate and After Effects generate content, Premiere Pro assembles that content into a finished video. It allows users to cut, enhance, and arrange the content they have already created. Because Premiere Pro is an Adobe product, it integrates easily with Animate or After Effects.

Prior Animation Knowledge

How difficult it is to learn an animation app like Adobe depends on how much animation knowledge a student already has. The learning process is likely to be less difficult for those who already know something about animation. Students who have worked with other computer animation apps are also likely to have an easier time, especially if any of those other apps are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud since some Adobe apps have certain similarities.

Prerequisites for Animation Classes

Students who plan to take a class for Adobe Animate or another animation application may need some knowledge of certain animation principles and design programs. Noble Desktop is one school that teaches animation and motion design, and some of its classes have prerequisites, such as knowing how to use design programs like Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Students who don’t meet these prerequisites can easily learn them through Noble. For instance, an Illustrator bootcamp takes only a few days.

Learning is Ongoing

The animation industry is continually evolving, and in order to keep up with that constant change, Animators need to make an effort to keep learning new things. Many successful Animators say that they never consider their education complete. Instead, they constantly try to challenge themselves by learning new things. In this way, they become even better at what they do. For instance, students who learn to use one application can go on to learn the more advanced features of that app or learn another animation app.

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.