Learn to Animate: Animation Principles

This is a beginner's guide to animation in ADOBE ANIMATE. You will learn ANIMATION PRINCIPLES that you need to know in order to be able to animate objects, text, and even characters.

If you want to learn how to animate from scratch, you can start right here with this course. I've made this course for complete beginners, so if you’ve never heard of a key frame or you don’t know what a timing chart is, then this course is for you. This course is how to animate, 101. I also think this course will be great for anyone who has a fair idea of animation, someone who is a beginner animator, and has been using software to make things move around, but who would like to really know the fundamentals and core principles in order to bring their animation to the next level.

These core principles of animation will set you up for life as an animator. You will learn step by step how to create realistic and appealing motion; plus you'll learn why specific animation techniques effectively bring objects to life. And importantly you'll learn when to apply them to your work.

I use Adobe Animate in this course to teach you how to animate. But there are free options that you can use to follow along; and I cover these options in the first part of the course. What you’ll be studying is basic frame by frame hand drawn animation. This is the best way to learn these principles. And don’t worry if you think that you can’t draw, we are working with basic shapes to animate - to literally bring those shapes to life.

This course starts out with teaching you how to animate with just key frames; and takes you all the way, step by step, through to animating a character jumping. I’ve structured each lesson so that it’s neither confusing nor overwhelming. Because I keep the application of the principles very simple, you’ll have the chance to really get to grips with the concepts and you can do so without having to worry about drawing skills, working with advanced symbols, or with complicated rigs.

The course works progressively towards two final projects. These are important animation projects in every school or university curriculum. In these projects you will progress from key frames to fluid and dynamic character animation. I want to ensure that you feel confident animating a complex character animation with many moving parts, when we get to the final project.

What’s covered in this course

Whether you want to ultimately work in 3D, motion graphics or 2D animtion, you will need to know the things like

• easing in and out of key frames

• how to create an ease,

• why you need to do that - and when you should apply it.

You’ll also learn skills that will not only make you an animator, but will make sure you are a really good animator - skills such as

• timing and spacing

• squash and stretch

• working in arcs

• working with timing charts

• how to animate with anticipation, overshoot and settle

Once you are enrolled in the course you have access to the student packs and downloads for each of the projects; plus you’ll have access to me, I’m there to help you along the way and respond to any questions or feedback that you have as well as to look at your assignments and monitor your progress.

I can’t think of a more exciting creative field to be working in and if this course ultimately leads you to pursuing a career in animation that would be amazing. Either way if you want to work as a professional animator, or if you want o use animation s a way to make your own short films; this is the start of a very exciting journey.