Is Animation a Hard Class?

Are you interested in learning animation, but you’re unsure of how difficult it will be? Remember, what’s hard for one person may not be for another. Learning a new skill typically comes with some challenges, however, and learning animation is no different. Some concepts and techniques may be easier to grasp than others, but there’s no need to dwell in discouragement when you understand that challenges are meant to be overcome. With dedication, guidance, and practice, learning animation is achievable for anyone who wants it. To build an amazing demo reel, you’ll need to develop a keen eye for detail, a steady hand, and a mastery of software tools. It is often a long road to becoming a skilled Animator that includes diligent studying and experiential learning. No matter your current schedule or comfort level with animation, plenty of tools are available to help make learning more accessible than you might think.

What is Hard about Learning Animation?

Of course, the difficulty of a thing is subjective, but overall, learning animation is a realistic goal for anyone truly interested. It’s not easy to seamlessly blend artistic talent with technical skills. One of the hardest parts of animation is learning the technical skills that will allow you to implement advanced techniques that will allow you to carry out complex animated designs and elements, like animating realistic hair that moves in the breeze or falls across a character’s jawline, or animating a realistic ocean that ripples and has lapping waves on its shoreline. Learning how to create the subtleties of animation that enrapture audiences requires a lot of attention to detail, and is often learned through practice and experience. There is an art to animating the details that people only notice when they’re done poorly, and often little reward is given for achieving these kinds of animation feats. But it’s so satisfying to accomplish.

If you’ve never had any experience with creating animations you may find some of the commonly used software to take some getting used to. For instance, when working with Adobe products, you’ll need to learn how to see your projects in layers like the software does. While this may not be difficult to do for some, it does take a shift in your perspective and unlocks the path forward for many students. Learning Blender can be challenging as well, because of its many tools and operations. However, it is a favorite for many animation professionals for creating scenes, backgrounds, and complex characters. Although it’s possible to feel comfortable using the software in a few weeks, it will take considerably longer before you gain proficiency with the software due to its complexity and many applications. Autodesk Maya and Adobe After Effects are also beloved animation software that can handle advanced animation techniques and are best learned with guidance. Attempting to navigate these software tools on your own will present a significant challenge and slow down your learning. 

The animation creative process can be challenging, due to its complexity, bridging art, technology, storytelling, and a high level of detail. You should also be aware that the animation track you choose will have some bearing on the level of difficulty you encounter. For instance, a 3D Animator has to incorporate technology, mathematics, physics, and art into their animations. While some software will handle the more complex mathematical equations, the Animator still has to have an understanding of the math involved. Anatomy and physics are also needed for things like advanced rigging. Some of these techniques include implementing precise joint placement, weight painting, skinning, deformers, and constraints. Learning how to apply geometric proportions found in nature and create spellbinding transitions takes a sharp eye and artistic vision. There are plenty of advanced techniques that will help you render the greatest animations of your career, but you’ll have to be patient in acquiring proficiency in them. Many of these advanced techniques take a lot of practice to implement convincingly. 

Some students find it difficult to choose an animation path when starting. There are a lot of specialties to explore, and having clearly defined career goals can help you better tailor your learning path. While some software is simply staples for those in this field, some techniques are more likely to be used by those in niche roles. For instance, compositing is useful in many forms of animation, but it plays a huge role in visual effects artistry, and photography, camera, and lighting techniques are skills that Layout Artists rely heavily on. Learning the additional skills that are going to move you beyond basic animation won’t always be easy, but with perseverance, you’ll see your career dreams come true. 

How Can I Make Learning Animation Easier?

There are many things you can do to make learning animation a little easier. One of the best things to do is find proper support. Support can take on many different forms. It could be free resources like YouTube channels dedicated to animation instruction, articles, case studies, or video tutorials. Support can also take the form of an on-demand course, a mentor, complementary design training, or even regularly scheduled practice time. There are a lot of resources that can make learning animation easier. 

While on-demand courses provide minimal support when compared to live courses, they help mitigate difficulty. They can provide a learning path and more structure to what you’re learning if you’re attempting to learn animation on your own. On-demand courses are also a great supplement to live instruction because they provide additional practice and help to deepen the impression the lessons you’re learning in a live course are making on you. Likewise, leveraging video platforms like YouTube can also help you solve animation challenges when they arise. You can search for the technique or difficulty you’re having, and chances are that you’ll find someone explaining how to move through it or giving you a different way of looking at a particular concept, action, technique, or tool. Although there’s no way to truly vet the videos that a search will return, you can sift through them until you find one that makes you feel comfortable and confident taking advice or instruction from. Be aware that what you find on video platform sites is not always reliable, but the right video can make a big difference in easing difficulty when it arises. 

Free resources like video tutorials found on software vendor sites and training center sites are helpful when you want a clear and concise explanation. These tutorials typically cover a single topic and are intended to help students and users navigate software and animation challenges and learn how to perform various animation tasks or apply compositing techniques. For those who are less visual and prefer to read through challenges, reading articles, blogs, and case studies can help them learn how to apply tools and techniques to real-world animation scenarios. You can also find a mentor who’s been an animation professional for many years and who is willing to share their wisdom and experience with you. You can meet people in online forums, attend conferences, or join an organization. You can even leverage your network to find a mentor. Alternatively, you can enroll in some complementary design training in software like Photoshop or Illustrator to get a better understanding of animation. These skills will translate to animation training and make students more comfortable using computer-aided design software.

Best Ways to Learn Animation Without Difficulty

The best way to decrease the difficulty of learning animation is to enroll in a live training course like Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate. Although you won’t have to look hard to find a self-taught Animator, their animation journey wasn’t an easy one. They had to figure out what to learn and in what order to learn it. They had to work through challenges on their own and did not have the benefit of instructor feedback. Enrolling in a live course is one of the best ways to eliminate avoidable difficulty. There are many advantages to live instruction that will positively impact your learning journey and your animation network. You can look forward to having personalized feedback, dedicated support, greater accountability, peer-to-peer interactions, hands-on instructor guidance, and more efficient learning. These are just some of the benefits you can look forward to when attempting an easier path to an animation career.

Live instruction can take multiple forms. It can be a college degree program, bootcamp, or certificate program on a part-time or full-time schedule, online or in person. While there are some big differences between online and in-person live training, they are also very similar and share many of the same advantages. Hands-on instructor guidance looks different in an online setting than it does in a physical classroom, but the benefits are the same. Students who are struggling with a concept or classroom exercise can get immediate support with the problem. The instructor can see where they’re going wrong and help guide them in the right direction. Without the presence of a live instructor, students have to take more laborious routes to solve animation challenges that aren’t typically very efficient. Live instructors can also provide support in other ways. Personalized feedback is invaluable. It allows you to see where you are falling short and helps you to identify ways in which you can improve. As you develop your demo reel, this personalized feedback becomes even more necessary. Getting your questions answered in real-time gives you more mobility and stops you from starting bad animation habits that can negatively impact your career.

You can also look forward to engaging in peer-to-peer interactions that can simulate working as part of an animation team and build a stronger network of individuals in the field. This will benefit you as you enter the animation workforce and continue honing your animation skills. There’s a healthy competition, and greater accountability that comes with live classes that make learning animation more engaging and fun. It is far less difficult to learn animation when you have the kind of support that live courses offer. The kinds of additional support can vary from school to school, so you’ll need to do your research when making your choice to ensure you’re getting the support services you want to have during and after your animation education. Some of the support services can include job search support, private tutoring or mentoring, job fairs, networking events, job placement, and free animation software access.