How Long Do Animation Courses Take?

When considering enrolling in animation classes, class length matters. As an investment in yourself, you need to know what the time commitment entails because your time is valuable. An animation class can have a big impact on your long-term earning potential, so it helps to be sure you’ll be making the most of your precious time when you enroll. The answer to this question will vary from class to class, training facility to training facility. There is no one-size-fits-all animation class length. This article will detail how different types of animation courses impact how long the class is, which is ideal for different groups of students, and how to select which is right for you. 

Lengths of Courses

It’s no secret that learning something new takes time, and the same rule applies to learning animation. You can approach class length from two different angles. Decide how long you have to devote to learning animation and pick a course that fits within your time parameters, or decide how much you want to learn/how in-depth of a class you need to reach your learning goals and allow the time investment to come second priority to your learning goals. When you’re considering the length of animation courses, you also need to factor in how much time outside of class you’ll need to devote to meet your objective. Classes can be as short as a few hours or last several months. The biggest factor in how long an animation course or program is hinges on the amount of material being covered and the depth of instruction. Generally, introductory courses are fairly short and only cover the basics or most popular features or techniques; while classes that are more career-focused and teach skills that can be used on a professional level will be considerably longer. 

Introductory Classes

If you’re interested in the shortest class options available, introductory animation courses are going to be your best bet. They’re short and efficient, offering you live instruction and a straightforward introduction to tools like Premiere Pro and After Effects that set a solid foundation for you to build on. Often, these courses last no more than a few days and can leave you feeling more comfortable exploring and experimenting with various animation tools and techniques on your own. The disadvantage is also its strength. After completing an introductory class, you will need further education if you decide that animation is a good fit for you and you’d like to explore more advanced animation techniques.

Advanced Classes

Advanced animation classes serve the same purpose as introductory animation classes. They target specific skills and techniques, teaching them quickly and efficiently. They’re great for people who are upskilling or have previous experience with the basics of what’s being taught. The main difference between introductory and advanced classes is the prerequisites. To enroll in an advanced class, you’ll need to have a foundation to build upon. Advanced classes are not recommended for beginners as there is a steep learning curve to navigate. If you’re learning animation at your own pace, advanced classes can help round out your curriculum. But, if you’re looking for a more career-focused animation education, you should consider enrolling in a more intensive and immersive animation program. 

Animation Bootcamps

Enroll in an animation bootcamp if you’re sure that animation is the career that you want to pursue. Bootcamps and certificate programs can be very intense and cost significantly more than introductory or advanced animation classes. They’re often accelerated learning courses that cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time. Animation bootcamps typically span a few weeks to a few months depending on how in-depth the instruction is and whether you choose a part-time or full-time schedule. Bootcamps are career-focused programs that not only teach you in-demand animation skills, but also provide support like mentoring, job search assistance, and demo reel development. 

Film Studies Degrees

If you want the most immersive and in-depth animation education and you have the time and resources to dedicate to the endeavor, consider enrolling in a college or university that offers a film studies degree. If you are accepted into an art school, you may be able to major specifically in animation, motion graphics, or visual effects. College degrees give you a broader education that spans related topics and unrelated topics. You’ll likely be able to work in animation and adjacent fields because of the breadth of degree programs. Pursuing a film studies degree allows you to have access to both student and career support services, networking events among peers and professionals, and name recognition among employers. But the biggest drawbacks to earning a degree are that it takes two to six years to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree and that it can cost between tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Degree programs are the best way to learn animation skills in an immersive and nurturing environment.

On-Demand Classes

Enrolling in an on-demand course gives you the freedom to schedule your time as it best works for you. Self-motivated students with unpredictable or extremely busy schedules do well with on-demand or self-paced animation classes. These classes are typically measured in hours only because the length of time it takes to move through the course hours will vary from student to student. On-demand courses are pre-recorded courses that allow you to start, pause, start, and repeat classes whenever you like. However, without the benefit of a live instructor, you may find the feedback response time to be a disadvantage, leaving you to troubleshoot on your own when challenges arise. You’ll also have to keep yourself motivated to complete the course. It is very easy to become disengaged, procrastinate, and even abandon the course altogether when taking an on-demand course as there is very little accountability present. 

Part-Time of Full-Time

A part-time or full-time schedule will also impact how long a course lasts. This is an important decision you’ll need to make when choosing an animation class to enroll in. If you’re a busy professional with personal obligations, it may not be feasible for you to take the time off to enroll in a full-time course with class times spanning the majority of a work day for a few months. Enrolling part-time is more realistic for many students. Not only does it better fit with your schedule, but also slows down the pace of learning, allowing you more time to practice and digest course material. Full-time enrollment does have its advantages including completing the course more quickly. But the trade-off is that you have to put in more effort to keep up with the pace of the course and spend lots of time practicing outside of class times. 

Learn Animation Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop has animation classes of varying lengths for you, whether you’re interested in an immersive and in-depth bootcamp or something less intense and more practical. If you’re searching for an animation class that’s going to help you establish a career in animation, then consider their Motion Graphics Certificate course. It helps students get started with video editing, animating motion graphics, creating visual and special effects, and building a professional demo reel/portfolio using Cinema 4D, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. It’s a beginner-friendly, 96-hour, project-based course with no prior knowledge required. If you’re comfortable using a computer, Noble Desktop can get you on the road to becoming an Animator in two short months if you enroll full-time or four months if you enroll part-time. 

When you enroll in the live, 126-hour Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate course you’ll learn video editing principles, how to work with animations, and advanced After Effects and Premiere Pro techniques in one month full-time or four months part-time. You can expect to spend time learning animation and motion graphics concepts, best practices, and workflows, how to animate text using After Effects, and make 3D models and animations with Cinema 4D Lite. This course also offers a bonus lesson in either AI for Video & Motion Graphics or Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp. It’s helpful to be familiar with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop but it’s not required to enroll. This is a beginner-friendly course that allows students one free retake and 1-on-1 mentoring sessions outside of class. 

For a less intense class that covers a little more than the basics, consider After Effects Bootcamp. This bootcamp teaches you how to create animated motion graphics using professional techniques in three days or six evenings spread over three weeks. You’ll start with the basics and move through to motion tracking and green screen removal. This beginner-friendly, 18-hour, live, project-based bootcamp will teach you how to create dynamic transitions, add audio to animations, and incorporate video footage. Students can take advantage of a free class retake, class recordings, and a 1-on-1 mentoring session. If you only need to learn After Effects basics, After Effects in a Day may be a better fit for you. 

Already proficient with Adobe After Effects and want to tie it into Cinema 4D? Take your animation skills a little further with Cinema 4D in After Effects Bootcamp. In three full-time days, you’ll learn how to integrate Cinema 4D Lite with After Effects to animate 3D models and motion graphics. A part-time schedule is also available and spans three weeks. After completing this bootcamp, you’ll have learned the skills to create and work with 3D models, assign textures, create animations, and use the Cineware effect for seamless integration through the 18-hour, live, project-based curriculum. Students can view recorded class sessions to reinforce their understanding and can retake the course once within a year if needed.