Why Learn Adobe Animate?

Animators use Adobe Animate to create 2D animations and interactive vector graphics for a variety of media, including television, the internet, and mobile apps. Animate has numerous tools that allow users to create and manipulate complex animations and export those animations to multiple platforms. Have you ever explored all of the things Adobe Animate can do? Animation appeals to people of all ages and functions in many different professions. Apps like Animate provide Animators with tools that allow them to create and manipulate those animations.

Here, you’ll learn more about the types of careers that benefit from Adobe Animate and how this app can enhance your professional life. Regardless of your overall goals, learning Adobe Animate is a valuable and impressive skill to add to your resume. 

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.

Common Professional Uses for Adobe Animate

The word “animation” often makes people think of television shows and movies, and while this is a common place for Animators to work, there are many other things that an Animator can do. Animators work in many different industries. Some create animation for video games and websites, while others work on visual effects. Animators create educational content that teachers use, and they design medical imagery for the public and people in medical professions. They also work as software designers and for advertising firms. Overall, being an Animator can lead to a wide variety of jobs.

Employment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that animation is a good field to work in, in terms of salary and job opportunities. The agency reports that the median annual wage for Animators and special effects artists is $78,790. It expects about 6,700 new job openings each year for the next ten years in this field. Many of these openings will be for animation and visual effects for movies, television, and video games. The agency explains that ongoing demand for Animators will be related to the continuing need to create new animated content for mobile devices such as smartphones.

Work in a Field Where You Constantly Learn New Things

People who work in animation say that one of the things they like about this type of work is that they are always learning something new. This is because when they animate something, Animators usually do some research first to understand what they are trying to create. For instance, before animating a dog, an Animator might spend time getting a better understanding of how dogs move and how they communicate. They can use this knowledge to create a more realistic animation. In this way, with every new project comes the opportunity to research something new, and Animators say that this constant learning keeps their jobs interesting.

Collaborate with Others

While some Animators work alone, many report that the job frequently involves collaboration, so people who plan to work in animation should expect to spend time working with other people to complete projects. That collaboration can involve working with other Animators. For instance, in some animation projects, multiple Animators work together to complete one animation. Collaboration can also mean working with others who might be part of an animation project, such as writers, set designers, and directors.

Get Creative

People who like to be creative may enjoy working in animation because it is a job that involves a high level of creativity. Animators often do creative things like inventing characters and making up stories. Even when they have to stick to specific project guidelines, they usually get to add their own creative touches to the things they create. In the past, Animators had to draw their creations by hand. However, now that computer applications like Adobe Animate exist, Animators can create almost anything.

Be Your Own Boss

Animation might be a good field to work in for people who want to be their own bosses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of Special Effects Artists and Animators are self-employed. Animators who work for themselves can set their own work schedules and take time off without getting a boss’s approval. They also have more control over who they work with and what kind of work they perform. In addition, self-employed people can work from wherever they want to, which for many means working from home.

Keep Up With Industry Trends

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. One way to keep learning is to become educated in tools like Animator, which are popular within the animation industry. By learning new applications, an Animator might discover new tools or ways of doing things they never considered before.

How to Start Learning Adobe Animate

There are several ways to learn animation and motion graphics. One of the most common is taking an in-person class. In-person classes are popular because students don’t have to watch a recording on a screen but instead receive live training from an experienced instructor who can keep students engaged and answer their questions in real-time. Many students feel this is the best way to understand animation or motion graphics topics. Those who don’t have access to in-person classes can sign up for live online classes, where they still attend a live lecture but have the freedom to watch from any location.

While live online classes are more flexible than in-person ones, some people need an even greater level of flexibility, and for them, on-demand classes can be a good fit. The on-demand format lets students take the course material at their own pace, working whenever and from wherever they choose. Many on-demand classes still include opportunities to interact with instructors and other students. An advantage of some of these classes is that classmates may live all over the country or the world, adding a diversity of perspectives. Finally, on-demand classes often cost less than live ones. 

Noble Desktop offers a Classes Near Me tool that shows the various options for learning animation and motion graphics topics, like Adobe Animate or After Effects, for students who are unsure about which class format is best for them.

Free online resources can be an excellent way to start learning about animation and motion graphics for students who need more time to be ready to sign up for a formal class. Noble Desktop’s Learning Resources library has information about animation and motion graphics, the types of careers they can lead to, and how to learn them. There are also many free animation tutorials on YouTube, such as how to use Premiere Pro. Another way to get free animation and motion graphics information is to watch a free animation seminar from Noble Desktop.

Read the full guide on how to learn animation & motion graphics.

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.