Why Learn Motion Graphics?

Motion graphics is the creative art of building digitally animated assets for web applications, videos, and other digital projects. Using tools like Adobe After Effects, Motion Graphics Designers will give life to static images by adding movement and weight. Have you ever explored all of the things motion graphics can do?Almost any professional interacting with a digital screen will somehow use motion graphics skills. Web design, advertising, film and television, and mobile application design are just a few of the myriad industries that use animated digital assets regularly. In addition, learning how to use motion graphic tools can help individual creatives expand their skill set and produce more evocative, appealing designs. Here, you’ll learn more about the careers that benefit from motion graphics and how they can enhance your professional life. Regardless of your goals, learning motion graphics is a valuable and impressive skill to add to your resume. 

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.

Common Professional Uses for Motion Graphics

Motion graphics skills are in-demand skills across many different industries. Learning tools like After Effects and Premiere Pro will help students find careers in various industries working on diverse projects and designs. Some of the jobs that make direct use of motion graphics skills include:

Motion Graphic Designers: Motion Graphic Designers use visual effects and animation skills to create artwork in digital applications, film, television, video games, live-action video, and other creative projects. Using tools like After Effects and Premiere Pro, Motion Graphic Designers will work with teams of creatives to build elaborate art projects and be in constant contact with clients and colleagues to plan, build, and realize these artistic endeavors. Motion Graphic Designers work in almost every industry where an electronic screen is involved, meaning that learning motion graphics design skills will open many new career doors for aspiring creatives.

2D Animators: 2D animators develop, storyboard, and animate 2D assets for mobile devices, games, televisions and film, and advertisements. While they may find employment at firms or specific studios, most 2D animators are self-employed. They will work with Art Directors, other animators, editors, and storyboard artists to help bring a team’s creative vision to life. Some 2D animators primarily work with design tools like Illustrator and Photoshop, and some will do a great deal of analog work by painting or drawing. Learning motion graphics skills will allow them to work on computer-animated projects, rapidly becoming the norm in almost all industries.

3D Animators: Like 2D Animators, 3D animators work to develop digital animated assets for a wide array of creative projects. However, since they are working with 3D models and animations, more emphasis is placed on building immersive and realistic designs. 3D Animators will often work to ensure that animated effects look true to life by ensuring that these animations have movements and weights that feel like they are present to audiences. In addition, 3D animation work isn’t confined to the screen space, meaning that 3D Animators can work on diverse projects such as VR experiences, amusement park rides, and other live entertainment venues.

Build Your Own Content

In today’s digital marketplace, many creatives and aspiring content creators are looking for ways to set themselves apart from their competition. YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms are exploding in popularity, so the marketplace is becoming increasingly crowded. If you have dreams of becoming a digital content creator, you know how important it is to have your content look as professional as possible. Learning motion graphics tools and techniques will help ensure your content doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Expand Your Creative Canvas

Motion graphics training can give creatives access to a new digital canvas that can enhance their projects with the addition of animation. Animation is an incredibly versatile art form, and skilled creatives can use motion to add depth and complexity to their creative projects. Learning to use tools like After Effects will expand the kinds of digital projects a creative can undertake. Adding more complex digital elements to designs and projects will help creatives, activists, and other non-professional graphic designers build creative works that are more compelling, persuasive, and informative.

How to Start Learning Motion Graphics

Students who are looking to learn motion graphics have many options. Courses are available both in-person and online, and students can take the classes online in both live and asynchronous formats. Noble can help students find and compare motion graphics training courses in their area regardless of how they want to learn motion graphics.

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.

A downside to live training courses is that they tend to be fixed in terms of their schedules. For students looking for more flexibility, on-demand and asynchronous motion graphics courses give students greater control over the pace and style of their learning. On-demand courses also allow students to pick up and put down their training whenever needed. The drawback is that without a live instructor to provide feedback and answer questions, it is much easier for students to become lost. Please consult Noble's website to learn more about the on-demand motion graphic classes available to you.

For students who are simply looking to experiment with motion graphics tools without enrolling in a formal course, Noble offers an array of free resources to help students. Free tutorials and video resources are available on the Video Editing & Motion Graphics playlist on Noble’s official YouTube page. In addition, Noble’s Motion Design Learn page compiles a wide variety of articles, seminars, and resources to help students navigate their way through the early stages of their motion graphics training. These seminars will teach students the basic skills required to become comfortable using tools like After Effects and Premiere Pro.

Read the complete guide on how 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 digital animated assets using computer-assisted design tools such as Adobe After Effects. Motion graphics designs range from simple animated titles and effects for web applications to elaborate computer-generated effects for television and film.
• Motion graphics skills are highly demanded across many industries, including film and television, digital advertising, and social media marketing.
• Online content creators also use motion graphics skills to help build their brands and professionalize their productions. Anyone hoping to break into this emerging industry can benefit significantly from learning motion graphics tools.
• Creatives, activists, politicians, and other non-professionals hoping to persuade or inform a large audience can benefit from learning motion graphics techniques to enhance and expand the creative canvas on which they can work.
• Regardless of why you are planning to learn motion graphics, you can receive comprehensive motion graphics training, either in-person or online, through Noble Desktop.