What will you learn in Learn to Animate: Classical 2D Animation for Beginners Course
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Grasp core animation principles: timing, squash & stretch, anticipation, and follow-through
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Master keyframing workflows in After Effects (or your chosen animation software)
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Create smooth motion using easing, motion paths, and graph-editor adjustments
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Design and animate characters with simple rigs, puppeting tools, and layered compositions
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Export polished animations for web, broadcast, and social media in appropriate codecs
Program Overview
Module 1: Animation Foundations & Software Setup
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Twelve principles of animation overview, UI tour of After Effects (or equivalent)
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Hands-on: Set up your workspace, import assets, and create your first animated bounce
Module 2: Keyframes & Timing
⏳ 1.5 hours
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Topics: Setting keyframes, frame rates, timing charts, spacing vs. timing
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Hands-on: Animate a ball bouncing with correct timing and spacing
Module 3: Easing & Graph Editor Techniques
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Ease In/Out, custom bezier curves, velocity graphs
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Hands-on: Refine your bounce animation using the graph editor for natural motion
Module 4: Squash, Stretch & Overlap
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Exaggeration principles, squash & stretch mechanics, secondary motion
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Hands-on: Apply squash & stretch to a character limb and add overlapping arm movement
Module 5: Motion Paths & Puppet Tools
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Creating and editing motion paths, using puppeteer pins for organic movement
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Hands-on: Animate a character walking along a curved path with puppet-pin joints
Module 6: Character Rigging Basics
⏳ 1.5 hours
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Topics: Simple IK rigs, parenting layers, null-object controllers
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Hands-on: Rig a two-layer character (torso + limbs) and animate a waving cycle
Module 7: Text & Shape Animation
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Text animators, shape-layer operations, trim-paths, path-text techniques
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Hands-on: Create an animated title reveal using trim-paths and offset properties
Module 8: Effects, Parenting & Precomps
⏳ 1 hour
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Topics: Using effects for motion (wiggle, particle systems), pre-composition best practices, layer parenting
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Hands-on: Build a firefly particle effect and nest it into a night-scene precomp
Module 9: Rendering & Export Workflows
⏳ 45 minutes
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Topics: Render Queue vs. Media Encoder, codec selection, alpha-channel exports
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Hands-on: Export your final animation as an H.264 MP4 and a transparent-background MOV
Module 10: Final Project – Short Animated Scene
⏳ 2 hours
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Topics: Storyboarding, shot planning, layering your scene, final polish
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Hands-on: Produce a 5–10-second character animation loop including background and simple sound sync
Get certificate
Job Outlook
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Animation skills are sought after in film, broadcasting, advertising, and game studios
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Roles: Motion Graphics Artist, 2D Animator, Character Animator, Broadcast Designer
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Freelance animators can charge $50–$150+ per second of finished animation; studio salaries range $50,000–$80,000+ annually
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Mastering these workflows accelerates work in explainer videos, UI animations, title sequences, and social media content
Explore More Learning Paths
Take your 2D animation skills further with these curated courses designed to strengthen your understanding of animation principles, digital tools, and creative workflows.
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Architectural Design Animation in Blender 4.x Course – Explore animation techniques in Blender to bring architectural designs to life, expanding your 2D and 3D animation capabilities.
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