What is Animation?

The definition of traditional animation would be creating an illusion of movement by displaying set of images. This is a very straight forward explanation of the final result which doesn't reveal much on this complex field or the animation creation process .

Now days animation comes in variety of shapes, forms, techniques and styles. Starting from the classical hand drawn cartoons , continuing with stop motion art pieces and finishing with the high end computerized animated 3D worlds.

Animation Techniques:

Each animation technique is a field on its own. To produce a successful result in any of the above mentioned techniques , will require a group of experts in different niches of that specific field.

On our website you will find information on different fields and aspects of animation. We will provide you with details , tips , tools and instructions in animation and graphic design. Whether animation is your career dream , a hobby or a business task you will find useful data on animation guides.

What is the Difference between Graphic Design and Animation?

Those are two closely related yet completely different fields of creative industry. While graphic design deals mostly with static visual pieces , animation professionals work to make a moving scene a piece of art. Some consider animation being a branch of graphic design , since graphic design principals would come in handy to anyone considering working in animation industry.

Graphic Design is part of almost anything we interact with in our ordinary life. Packaging of different products, posters, logos, letterheads and websites are only few examples of where graphic designer's work can be showcased.

Career in Animation

There are different paths you can take to make a successful career in animation. First question to ask is what a successful animation career really is. There is no right answer to this question. We all define success in different ways, we have different interests, passions and priorities. It is up to every individual to define his own set of goals, that after achieving those he will consider himself having a successful career.

How to get an animation career?

Whatever your definition of success is , you will need certain amount of skills in the field of animation to make it happen for you. Some of the well known animators are self thought, so self learning is definitely one way to get professional animation skills. With the rise of the internet , there are many resources for people choosing this education method. This however requires lots of self control and dedication. The more popular ways of inquiring animation skills are getting an animation degree or taking part in animation certificate program that will give you a good understanding of this industry principles.

Animation career as well as animator's title is a very general name for different specializations. Like it was already mentioned , animation field is divided into many niches. Having a real expertise in one of those niches will make you an expert of that field and will earn you the general title of an animator.

Surprisingly to many, being an Animator does not mean you will have anything to do with making characters move. Character animation is only one of the many animation sub fields.

Education Options:

What is Character Animation?

Character animation describes what most of the people think of when they think of animation. Moving a character in a way that gives him/her life is what character animation is all about. While other animation titles work on creating graphics, light sets and environments for the movie, character animator manipulates the character to make a convincing act. Making a believable character animation is something that takes long hours of work and years of experience.

3D Animation Career

Your possible job title will differ whether you will choose to make a 3d animation career or 2d animation career. 3d Animation career will create for you the opportunity of working in 3d modeling and 3d design. You might choose to focus your expertise on scene lighting or rigging. You might also choose to be a texture artist . Animated movies are far from being the only media that requires 3d skills. Architectural visualizations might not require a character animator but will absolutely need 3d modelers, lighting and render artists. You can also take your 3d animation skills to game industry. Gaming got lots of popularity and is considered to be one of the most profitable creative industries. Being a game artist is not only a dream come true for many individuals but also a respectable source of income.

3D Animation Job Titles:

Computer Animation Software

Technology is now part of almost any profession. Animation fields take a comprehensive use of different new software programs and online tools. Even if you choose to make a career in 2d animation you will still likely have a need to work with different computer tools to make your art.

The most popular tools for 2d graphic artist are part of Adobe creative suite. Those include Photoshop, In design, Illustrator, Flash, After Effect, Premiere and more. This set of tools can be enough for most graphic design and 2d animation needs. However there are many alternatives on the market.

3D animation requires even more complex software skills . Although you might use less software tools to create your work , each 3d animation software is a world on its own.

On our website you will find a detailed explanation on different 3d animation tools and comparison between those.