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    • Animation

    Animation Courses Online

    Learn animation techniques for creating engaging visual content. Understand principles like timing, spacing, and movement in animation.

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    Explore the Animation Course Catalog

    • Status: Free
      Free
      T

      The University of Edinburgh

      Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming

      Skills you'll gain: Software Engineering, Video Game Development, Software Testing, Software Development, Programming Principles, Software Design, Game Design, Computer Programming, Animation and Game Design, Debugging, Computational Thinking, Algorithms

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      3.5K reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • C

      Coursera Project Network

      Midjourney for Beginners: Craft an Exquisite Piece of AI Art

      Skills you'll gain: Generative AI, Prompt Engineering, Content Creation, Digital Design, Graphics Software, Creativity

      4
      Rating, 4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      22 reviews

      Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Project Network

      Getting Started with Adobe Spark

      Skills you'll gain: Animations, Content Creation, Adobe Creative Cloud, Design, Multimedia, Digital Design, Graphic and Visual Design, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Typography, Design Elements And Principles

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      71 reviews

      Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • Status: New
      New
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Modern Video Editing Techniques

      Skills you'll gain: Video Editing, Storyboarding, Post-Production, Editing, Video Production, Animations, Writing and Editing, Typography

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • P

      Packt

      Create Beautiful Imagery with Midjourney AI

      Skills you'll gain: Multimedia, Generative AI, Video Production, Adobe Photoshop, Content Creation, User Accounts, Creative Design, Prompt Engineering, File Management

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Ready to Roll – The Video Production Process

      Skills you'll gain: Videography, Photo/Video Production and Technology, Video Production, Photography, Media Production, Storytelling, Editing

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      27 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Alberta

      Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games

      Skills you'll gain: Computational Thinking, Video Game Development, Game Design, Programming Principles, Animation and Game Design, Software Quality (SQA/SQC), Computer Programming, Program Development, Software Engineering, Python Programming, Algorithms, Pseudocode, Application Development, Debugging, Problem Management, Functional Testing, Test Planning

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      233 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • M

      Michigan State University

      Game Design and Development with Unity

      Skills you'll gain: Unity Engine, Game Design, Video Game Development, Prototyping, 3D Modeling, Software Design Documents, Peer Review, Cross Platform Development, C# (Programming Language), User Interface (UI), Animation and Game Design, User Experience, Software Design, Storytelling, Software Documentation, User Experience Design, Conceptual Design, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Microsoft Visual Studio, Computer Graphics

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      613 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • U

      University of California, Irvine

      iOS Development for Creative Entrepreneurs

      Skills you'll gain: Swift Programming, Objective-C (Programming Language), iOS Development, Core Data (Software), Apple iOS, Video Game Development, Game Design, Apple Xcode, Model View Controller, JSON, User Interface (UI) Design, UI Components, Mobile Development, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, OAuth, Responsive Web Design, Prototyping, Animation and Game Design, Human Computer Interaction, UI/UX Strategy

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      709 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • U

      Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

      Diseño y Creación de videojuegos

      Skills you'll gain: 3D Modeling, Video Game Development, Game Design, Animation and Game Design, Unity Engine, Peer Review, User Interface (UI) Design, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Computer Graphics, Software Design Documents, Conceptual Design, Design, Visualization (Computer Graphics), User Interface (UI), Experience Design, Microsoft Visual Studio, Music, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Environment, Usability

      4.4
      Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      907 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • C

      Codio

      Introduction to VueJS Framework

      Skills you'll gain: Vue.JS, HTML and CSS, Web Applications, JavaScript Frameworks, Front-End Web Development, Web Design and Development, Data Storage Technologies

      4.1
      Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
      ·
      36 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • I

      Imperial College London

      Advanced App Development in Android

      Skills you'll gain: Virtual Reality, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Virtual Environment, Logo Design, Android Development, Augmented Reality, Computer Graphic Techniques, Application Development, Graphics Software, Animation and Game Design, Mobile Development, Interactive Design, Linear Algebra

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      126 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular animation courses

    • Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming: The University of Edinburgh
    • Midjourney for Beginners: Craft an Exquisite Piece of AI Art: Coursera Project Network
    • Getting Started with Adobe Spark: Coursera Project Network
    • Modern Video Editing Techniques: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Create Beautiful Imagery with Midjourney AI: Packt
    • Ready to Roll – The Video Production Process: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games: University of Alberta
    • Game Design and Development with Unity: Michigan State University
    • iOS Development for Creative Entrepreneurs: University of California, Irvine
    • Diseño y Creación de videojuegos: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

    Frequently Asked Questions about Animation

    Knowing why you want to learn animation, be it for film, games, or personal projects, will keep you motivated. Regular practice with animation software is crucial. Join online communities like the Animation subreddits or local groups for feedback and support. Work on real projects such as creating short animations. Coursera offers the course Interactive Computer Graphics by University of Tokyo, which can help you get started with animation.‎

    The skills and experience you may need to have already before studying animation include having a creative mind with the ability to pay attention to the smallest details, some drawing or other artistic ability, and feeling comfortable working on a computer. Having a familiarity with computer graphics software and computer programming may also help you learn animation as well as learning how to create animated 3D movies. If you have some basic graphic design skills, they'll also be helpful. Another set of skills you may want to have to learn animation is the knowledge of color theory so you can understand the use of colors to express and communicate various emotions or feelings.‎

    The kind of person best suited to learn animation is someone who may want to become a game developer artist, an animator, or visual effects artist for a variety of media including film or television, or a digital or graphics designer for the internet. Someone who may do well learning animation might also be able to work both independently and on a team. Often animators must work with a team of other animators or creative colleagues on projects. Someone learning animation will need to be able to handle feedback from directors, other animator team members, game designers, and clients and then edit their work to comply with those requests. Another characteristic of someone who may be well suited to learn animation is patience. That’s because creating animation is a labor-intensive process in order to capture the details that go into each character and setting frame to frame.‎

    Learning animation may be right for you if you feel compelled to express your creativity using computer programs to create illustrations used on various media or platforms. It may be right for you if you want to learn how to design and develop game worlds and gameplay for video games, from concept to presentation. Studying animation is also a good idea if you plan to enter the virtual reality field where interactive animation and character animation and design are important to know. Studying animation may be beneficial for you to learn if you plan to become a 3D artist working on various platforms that require certification, such as Unity.‎

    Yes, Coursera offers a variety of free courses across many topics, including animation. While you can access most course materials for free by auditing the courses, this does not include graded assignments or a completion certificate. For those looking to obtain a certificate to showcase their learning or enhance their professional profile, Coursera provides the option to purchase the course. Additionally, Coursera offers free trials or financial aid to learners who qualify, making certifications more accessible to everyone.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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