Which Motion Graphics Training Format Is Right for Me?

Motion graphics is the art of bringing designs to life with the addition of digitally animated assets. Anyone looking to expand their creative skills, learn how to create vibrant digital animations, or enter into an in-demand career field should consider professional motion graphics training. When comparing types of motion graphics training, there are many factors to consider. Everyone learns differently, and choosing the right training is critical to your experience.

Keep reading to learn more about the different formats of motion graphics training, how they compare, and how to determine which is best for you.

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.

Training Formats for Motion Graphics

There are many different types of motion graphics training available. Students can commute to learn through in-person instruction or enroll in different online course options to learn from home. Online course options can be taken live, taught by real instructors as if in-person, or through asynchronous on-demand lessons. Read on to learn more about the different training options available.

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 Classes

The most immersive training options for students are live training sessions, which can be in-person or online. These courses let students interface directly with live instructors who can provide them with assistance and feedback on their work. Live training options are varied, with some brief introductions to specific topics or tools, while others are multi-part career-focused training seminars that can take weeks or even months to complete. Interested students should consult Noble’s Classes Near Me tool to compare their options for in-person and online live motion design classes.

Comparison of Motion Graphics Training Formats

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 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 are only offered in specific locations where the physical service provider is located. This means that some students will be restricted to what in-person training options are available in their area, mainly 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. New technology allows instructors to interact directly with an online student’s machine. Since these courses can be taken from anywhere, students' training options are vast, 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 do not receive the hardware and software required for their training.

Finally, students seeking more flexibility in their motion graphics training may wish to consider asynchronous, on-demand courses. These courses vary significantly in 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 their class schedule, which can be impossible for students with specific work or family commitments. On-demand courses let students train when convenient, ensuring they do not feel 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.

Is it Possible to Teach Yourself Motion Graphics?

While students can self-teach some of the skills associated with motion graphics, anyone hoping to learn the skills professionally will need more elaborate training. After Effects and Premiere Pro are among the more complicated programs in the Adobe Creative Cloud. While video tutorials do exist to help students experiment with these programs, most students will find that they need help learning anything beyond the basics. In addition, learning the basics of the tools isn’t even the most difficult skill in learning motion graphics. The most difficult aspect of creative design is constantly practicing and iterating designs.

Also, while there are a great many video tutorials available, it can be difficult for students to judge which of these tools is quality. As with most content on the internet, the bar for putting out content isn’t incredibly high, so students will have to find a way to judge, without much background, whether or not a given free resource is useful. Even among vetted resources like those offered by professional service providers, ensuring that the resource you are using is up-to-date and remains accurate to the newest program version can be challenging.

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn Motion Graphics

Given the number of options available, students may be interested in knowing the differences between various motion graphics training programs to find the best option. The answer will come down to what students hope to learn and how much they want to use their motion graphics training professionally. Students who wish to become familiar with applications like After Effects will need less training than those who want to start a career as Motion Graphics Artists.

For students who only want to familiarize themselves with a new program and start experimenting with motion graphics design, a free intro seminar like those available on Noble’s free seminar page will allow students to get a feel for how to use these programs in a low-stakes environment. These courses will help students become comfortable with how to build basic animations and how to start layering layouts to create animated elements and assets.

Students with some design training who want to expand their skills without diving headlong into a new career field may wish to consider a skills training bootcamp, like Noble’s After Effects Bootcamp. In classes like these, students will learn the intermediate and advanced skills required to use tools like After Effects in the course of their regular workday, giving them a new tool that they can use to enhance their creative projects. However, this training will be narrow and focus only on the tool in question, making the course ideal for students who hope to enhance their existing skills rather than build an entirely new creative career.

Career-focused training programs, like Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate program, are ideal for students who want to build toward a new creative career. These courses are designed for novice designers who want to turn their passion into a career. To do this, students will receive hands-on motion graphics design experience by working on the kinds of projects that they will work on professionally and focused career training through one-on-one mentorship and professional development seminars. These courses are for you if you want to learn skills to enter an in-demand career field like 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.