How to Learn Motion Graphics

Anyone looking to learn how to create evocative digital animations should consider motion graphics training. In these training courses, students will learn the tools and techniques of motion graphics animation, helping expand their creative potential and providing them with training in several in-demand skills. The number of options for learning motion graphics might be overwhelming at first glance. There are books, video tutorials, classes, and more to choose from; it all depends on your learning style and personal preferences. 

Here, we’ll discuss the various methods of learning motion graphics so you can decide how you’d like to get started.

What is Motion Graphics?

Motion graphics refers to the field of visual design concerned with digital animation and film editing. Here, students will learn the tools that will allow them to create animated images that can be layered onto Photoshop and Illustrator designs, giving motion to otherwise static images. Motion graphics training also serves as an entry into the world of film editing, as motion graphics classes will teach students how to use the tools that are used in the film and television industry to create special effects and post-production edits. Motion graphics tools create animated web assets, digital logos, responsive and interactive infographics, and other animated visual content.

Motion graphic artists use Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D to build animated designs and assets. Using these tools, motion design artists can produce vibrant animations that fully utilize the digital canvas. Motion design also relates closely to video editing, so motion graphics training will cover how creatives use digital tools to both cut and mix film clips. Additionally, the training covers how to edit those clips using tools to correct colors, use green screens, and replace cell phone displays. These skills will allow creatives to take static designs and enhance them with dynamic motion animations that give life to their visions.

Read more about what motion graphics is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Motion Graphics?

With motion graphics training, students will learn how to build dazzling graphic animations that add life to their creative projects. Using After Effects and Premiere Pro will give students the training to start working with complex, animated graphic designs, ranging from digital animations to animated logos and infographics. Using these tools will allow students to create elaborate animations that will take their graphic design projects to the next level. By learning how to render animations in Cinema 4D, creatives will be able to develop the skills necessary for entering into an in-demand career field.

Motion graphics is closely related to film editing, and learning these tools is ideal for anyone hoping to work in the digital side of the film and television industry. Special Effects Artists and Film Editors use motion graphics animation skills, particularly those working on effects-heavy content. Whether you hope to be part of a professional design team that brings fantastic scenarios and characters to life or just want to enhance your creative projects by adding animated assets and elements, learning motion graphics skills will help you achieve those goals. In addition, learning motion graphics skills will help students expand their creative toolkits and begin working on even more exciting projects. 

In-Person Motion Graphics Training

One of the most immersive ways to learn motion graphics applications is through in-person training courses. These courses let students learn tools like After Effects and Cinema 4D through hands-on exercises overseen by live instructors in a supportive learning environment. Students can ask questions, receive feedback, and network with one another, taking advantage of the classroom's physical space to build connections with a cohort of like-minded students. The drawback to these courses is that they are only offered at a service provider’s campus, often located in a major city. This means students' options for in-person motion graphics training may face restrictions depending on location and ability to commute.

Noble offers all of its motion graphics training courses in-person at their Manhattan campus. Students who make this commute can take advantage of Noble’s computer labs as they learn motion graphics skills from expert instructors. Students not located in or around New York City may wish to consider other service providers, such as the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle or the Bay Area Video Coalition in San Francisco. Consider searching motion graphics classes on Noble’s Class Near Me tool to find out what options are available.

Live Online Motion Graphics Training

Live online training is an alternative option for students who can’t attend the in-person training session they would desire. Live online classes replicate many advantages of in-person courses, as students can interface directly with experienced instructors ready to provide feedback and assistance on their design work. Students can also take these classes from their homes, making them far more convenient than in-person classes. The drawback is that students won’t have access to service providers’ tech labs, meaning they will have to supply their own hardware and software.

Noble offers all of its motion graphics classes as live, online seminars. In these classes, students will receive the same high-quality training that they would receive from Noble’s in-person courses without having to leave their homes. Even online, Noble keeps class sizes small, ensuring that students can work directly with their instructors, and these courses come with the same perks as their in-person counterparts. Noble isn’t the only service provider, so if you want to learn more about these classes or to explore other live online training opportunities, please visit the motion graphics classes section of Noble’s Classes Near me tool.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

If you aren’t ready to dive into an entire motion graphics course, you may wish to consider taking advantage of some of the free online tutorials and resources available to you. These courses won’t replace professional skills training for students who want to build a career out of their motion graphics skills. Still, they are great places to become familiar with the basics and comfortable with the applications before enrolling in a paid training program.

Noble provides students with a variety of different free resources to help ease students into a motion graphics education. On the Video Editing & Motion Graphics playlist of their official YouTube page, Noble provides students with free introductory seminars that provide a basic overview of the tools and techniques associated with motion graphics. On their main website, Noble’s free seminar page provides students with frequently updating video tutorials that serve as beginner-friendly courses, such as Getting Started in Motion Graphics, Intro to After Effects, and Intro to Premiere Pro. These seminars give students a taste of the kinds of training that they will receive when they enroll in a live online motion graphics course through Noble.

Since they are the tools most commonly used by Motion Graphic Artists, students may also wish to take advantage of some of the free tutorials Adobe provides for Premiere Pro and After Effects. These brief tutorials give students a basic walkthrough of the features and functions of these tools. They are ideal for students looking to familiarize themselves with how to navigate the application interface. Free tutorials are available through other service providers, such as Udemy and Coursera.

Read about more free motion graphics videos and online tutorials.

On-Demand Motion Graphics Classes

Some students may find that their schedule does not allow them to enroll in a live training seminar. They may have work or family obligations that prevent them from taking multiple days for a class. For students seeking greater flexibility in their motion graphics training, on-demand courses offer a way to learn the skills they want. These courses are ideal for students who wish to control their learning pace or who need a more open-ended lesson plan to work around their schedule.

The drawback to these courses is that without a live instructor to help answer questions and provide feedback, it is easy for students to get lost. This can be incredibly challenging when learning a visual design skill like motion graphics because the programs are somewhat complicated, and feedback may be necessary for students to progress. However, self-motivated students can still gain a great deal out of on-demand training courses, mainly as they can control the pace of their training.

Please consult Noble's Classes Near Me tool to learn more about on-demand motion graphics classes.

Which Learning Method is Right for Me?

The amount of different motion graphic training options can be intimidating for aspiring animators. Courses can be taken in-person or online, they can be synchronous or asynchronous, and they can be on-demand or scheduled. This article will help students compare and contrast the options available to them so they can make an informed decision about their motion graphics education.

The most immersive option for students is live, in-person motion graphics training. These courses offer students direct access to expert instructors who can provide them with immediate feedback and assistance on their animations. These courses also let students interact directly with like-minded peers, providing valuable networking opportunities. These are the most expensive options, but they will do the most to improve long-term earning potential. The biggest drawback to this training mode is that in-person courses tend to be only offered in specific locations where the physical service provider is located. This means that some students will be restricted to what kinds of in-person training options are available in their area, particularly if they don’t live near a major city.

Live online training courses provide many of the same benefits as their in-person counterparts. Students will still have immediate access to a live instructor who can provide them with assistance and help them with their design, and new technology makes it so that instructors can interact directly with an online student’s machine. Since these courses can be taken from anywhere, students' options are massively opened up, and they won’t have to deal with the cost of commutes, even though they will lose out on valuable networking time. Another drawback to online courses is that students won’t be provided with the hardware and software required for their training.

Finally, students who are seeking more flexibility in their motion graphics training may wish to consider asynchronous, on-demand courses. These courses vary greatly in terms of format and cost, but they all have the advantage of letting students control their learning pace. Live instruction courses will require students to block out time to train at the schedule of their course, which can be impossible for students with certain work or family commitments. On-demand courses let students train when convenient for them, ensuring that they aren’t forced to choose between their obligations and their motion graphics training. The downside is that without a live instructor, students won’t have an easy-to-access source for feedback and assistance should they run into problems.

Why Learn Motion Graphics?

Learning motion graphics skills is a great way to improve your creative work and open the door to high-paying job opportunities in diverse industries. Digital animation skills are utilized by Web Designers looking to build animated assets for web pages, Social Media Marketers, Digital Advertisers hoping to create more eye-catching ad campaigns, and Graphic Artists and Illustrators who work in the film, television, and video game industries. Even Film Editors, 2D animators, and Brand Managers stand to benefit from learning how to use tools like Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Motion graphics training is also useful for creatives who want to break into creative industries such as online content creation. As the medium expands and the marketplace gets increasingly crowded, learning motion graphics skills to enhance your digital content is a good way to set yourself apart from other creators. If you’ve spent time online, you know the difference between a professional quality video and a video produced by someone without the proper training to make it look as good as it can look. Learning motion design skills will help you ensure that your content looks professional-quality, even if you are the only person building it.

Read more about why you should learn motion graphics. 

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Motion graphics training is among the more challenging creative design skills to learn because the processes are varied and intricate. For example, Premiere Pro and After Effects are more complex design programs than programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. While the skills are accessible, the initial learning curve can be high, and completing elaborate projects can be challenging. However, once a student is comfortable with motion graphics design programs, they will find themselves able to work on all kinds of creative projects.

There are no formal prerequisite skills to learn before beginning motion graphics training. Still, the tools are more hardware intensive than some graphic design programs, meaning prospective students should check to ensure they can run the appropriate programs. In addition, while not strictly required, knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop will significantly ease the learning process of a few elements of motion graphics design. Students interested in building things like digital logos, animated infographics, or web animations may wish to consider looking into the graphic design training courses offered through Noble.

The direct cost of learning motion graphics is the cost of the digital design applications, most commonly After Effects and Premiere Pro. Both of these applications are available through an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Adobe does offer users a brief free trial period with both programs. After that expires, users must pay a monthly subscription fee to access the programs. Each program costs about $21 a month to license, though an Adobe After Effects subscription comes with access to Cinema 4D. All applications in the Adobe Creative Cloud can be licensed as a package for a monthly fee of about $55.

Read about how difficult it is to learn motion graphics.

Learn Motion Graphics with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn motion design skills should consider the hands-on training options available through Noble Desktop. Noble offers courses for experienced and novice designers covering specific skills like After Effects alongside more career-focused bootcamps like their Motion Graphics Certificate program. Available both in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and online, these courses are taught by experienced instructors who are there to help provide students with feedback and assistance on their designs. Even online, class sizes are small, ensuring that students won’t have to fight for their instructors' attention. Plus, all these courses offer a free retake option for students, letting them take the course again within one year. This gives students the chance to go back over skills they had difficulty with, attend missed lessons, or get more hands-on experience with motion graphics tools.

For students who have some design experience or who just want to learn a new tool to add to their creative toolkit, Noble offers several skills bootcamps designed to teach students how to use Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D. These courses are designed to introduce novice users to the basic functions of these essential design tools. Students will learn how to build simple animated images and layer them onto Photoshop and Illustrator designs. Then, students seeking more training can take Noble’s After Effects Advanced course to learn how to composite video footage, animate shape and text layers, and learn practical chroma key skills. These courses don’t require knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop, but some proficiency is very helpful. Students interested in receiving this background training should look at the graphic design courses offered through Noble.

Students seeking a more career-focused training course may wish to consider Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate program. In this course, students will learn how to use Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Cinema 4D to create motion graphic designs and edit video clips. Students will get hands-on experience working on the kinds of creative projects they will work on when they enter the workforce. A part of their training will be a professionalization seminar designed to teach them how to get involved in the motion graphics and video editing industry. In addition, students will receive one-on-one career mentorship from Noble’s career professionals and dedicate substantial time to building a practical demo reel that students can bring onto the job market.

Students interested in learning more about these courses or looking into their other training opportunities should consider Noble's motion graphics design courses.

Key Insights

• Motion graphics is the art of building animated digital assets that add motion to otherwise static digital applications. Learning motion graphics skills will open students up to career paths in a wide variety of industries.
• There are a number of different options for motion graphics training, and students should consider their own needs and learning styles before enrolling in a course.
• In-person instruction is the most immersive learning option, giving students access to live instructors and like-minded colleagues who can aid in the learning process.
• Live online instruction gives students access to the same expert instruction they would receive in an in-person course with the advantage of taking the class from their own home. 
• On-demand training options are available for students who want more flexibility in their training or have commitments preventing them from attending live courses.
• Regardless of how you opt to learn motion graphics skills, Noble offers an array of course options, both in-person and live online.