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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

    • D

      Duke University

      Introduction to Programming and Animation with Alice

      Skills you'll gain: Video Game Development, Event-Driven Programming, Animation and Game Design, Game Design, Storyboarding, Programming Principles, Computer Graphics, Program Development, Computer Programming, Scripting, Computer Programming Tools

      4.2
      Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
      ·
      42 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      T

      The University of Tokyo

      Interactive Computer Graphics

      Skills you'll gain: Visualization (Computer Graphics), Interactive Design, Computer Graphics, Computer Graphic Techniques, Human Computer Interaction, Animation and Game Design, User Interface (UI), Design, Technical Design, Algorithms, Simulations

      4.1
      Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
      ·
      305 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • E

      EDUCBA

      VFX with Adobe After Effects from Novice to Expert

      Skills you'll gain: Adobe After Effects, Motion Graphics, Animations, Post-Production, Computer Graphic Techniques, Video Editing, Timelines, 3D Modeling, Color Theory, Typography, Design Elements And Principles

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      133 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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    • C

      California Institute of the Arts

      Character Design for Video Games

      Skills you'll gain: Animation and Game Design, Animations, Game Design, Video Game Development, Design, Technical Design, Conceptual Design, Design Elements And Principles, Creative Design, Storytelling, Creativity

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      994 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • E

      Epic Games

      Epic Games Game Design

      Skills you'll gain: Unreal Engine, Game Design, Video Game Development, Animation and Game Design, Ideation, 3D Modeling, Prototyping, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Software Documentation, Software Design Documents, User Experience Design, Computer Graphics, Usability, Interactive Design, Virtual Environment, User Interface (UI) Design, Version Control, Conceptual Design, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, UI Components

      4.2
      Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
      ·
      339 reviews

      Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

    What brings you to Coursera today?

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of California, Santa Cruz

      Data-Driven Animation for Science Communication

      Skills you'll gain: Scientific Visualization, Data Literacy, Data Visualization Software, Animations, Data Presentation, Video Editing, Data Storytelling, Adobe After Effects, Graphics Software, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Storyboarding, Adobe Premiere, Peer Review, Motion Graphics, Autodesk Maya, Post-Production, Computer Graphic Techniques, Technical Communication, Style Guides, Scripting

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      14 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Glasgow

      Biomedical Visualisation

      Skills you'll gain: Visualization (Computer Graphics), Medical Terminology, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Anatomy, Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality, Animations, Image Analysis, Biology, Medical Imaging, Augmented Reality

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      500 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Project Network

      Create Animated Social Media Posts using Canva

      Skills you'll gain: Canva (Software), Graphic Design, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Motion Graphics, Animations, Content Creation, Data Sharing, Collaborative Software

      4.4
      Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      163 reviews

      Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Project Network

      Create a Promotional Video using Canva

      Skills you'll gain: Customer Engagement, Canva (Software), Selling Techniques, Video Production, Marketing Materials, Presentations, Promotional Materials, Social Media Campaigns, Promotional Strategies, Multimedia, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Value Propositions, Content Creation, Animations

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1K reviews

      Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Project Network

      Create Training Videos with Powtoon

      Skills you'll gain: Animations, Editing, Writing and Editing, Content Creation, Video Editing, Video Production

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      317 reviews

      Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • Status: Free
      Free
      I

      IESE Business School

      The Art of Storytelling

      Skills you'll gain: Storytelling, Public Speaking, Verbal Communication Skills, Content Creation, Writing and Editing, Writing, Communication

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      830 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • M

      Michigan State University

      Art for Games

      Skills you'll gain: Unity Engine, Animations, 3D Modeling, Storyboarding, Color Theory, Animation and Game Design, Game Design, Autodesk Maya, Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Video Game Development, Design Elements And Principles, Adobe Photoshop, Conceptual Design, Computer Graphic Techniques, Prototyping, Virtual Environment, Graphic and Visual Design, Data Import/Export, Design Research

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      398 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    What brings you to Coursera today?

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      1234…16

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

      • Introduction to Programming and Animation with Alice: Duke University
      • Interactive Computer Graphics: The University of Tokyo
      • VFX with Adobe After Effects from Novice to Expert: EDUCBA
      • Character Design for Video Games: California Institute of the Arts
      • Epic Games Game Design: Epic Games
      • Data-Driven Animation for Science Communication: University of California, Santa Cruz
      • Biomedical Visualisation: University of Glasgow
      • Create Animated Social Media Posts using Canva: Coursera Project Network
      • Create a Promotional Video using Canva: Coursera Project Network
      • Create Training Videos with Powtoon: Coursera Project Network

      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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