Discover the Best Animation Classes in NYC
Animation as a field has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Early animators used pen and ink, paintings, and even puppets for their creations, while animation techniques today usually require computer skills. Fields like motion graphics, video editing, and web design can all require animation proficiency.
Among the most popular tools for animation today are software programs from the Adobe Creative Cloud. Animate is great for incorporating video into presentations, Premiere Pro is one of the most popular video editing tools, and After Effects is an industry standard in film post-production.
Many tech workers with animation skills get their education through intensive bootcamps or certificate programs. If you are considering a career in animation, consider looking for a program that can deliver high-quality training in a concise timeframe. Read on to learn more about the best animation classes in the New York City metropolitan area.
Best Animation Classes & Schools in NYC
- Noble Desktop - Noble Desktop hosts in-person courses at their Manhattan headquarters, or you can take them live online from anywhere. Their Motion Graphics Certificate includes a series of bootcamps on motion graphics and visual effects. Topics include Cinema 4D Lite, Adobe After Effects, and Premiere Pro. Applicants should have a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator before enrollment.
- Manhattan Edit Workshop - Manhattan area residents can also start their animation education through Manhattan Edit Workshop, which offers training in Adobe, Apple, Avid, and Autodesk applications. Their beginner-level After Effects course, Adobe After Effects Level I (Online), provides a three-day program for students aged 16 and older. While there are no animation prerequisites, basic Mac OS X knowledge is required.
- NYC Career Centers - An even quicker deep dive into After Effects is available through Noble Desktop affiliate NYC Career Centers. Their After Effects in a Day course is a seven-hour course that teaches beginners about the After Effects interface, timeline, layer animation, and related topics. Beginners are welcome, but some experience using Photoshop is helpful.
- NYIM Training - NYIM Training offers NYC residents classes like PowerPoint for Business, but you can take it online from anywhere. This 1-day hands-on workshop includes everything from SmartArt to layered objects, charts, and animation. For business professionals who want to learn animation basics, PowerPoint proficiency may be the only skill you need.
- CourseHorse Experiences - Many animation pros use Figma, and CourseHorse is one of the few providers to offer training in New York City and online. The Figma Corporate Training program is a group event for 10+ that covers beginner, intermediate, and advanced Figma features. Contact CourseHorse for more information, including custom programs for teams.
NYC Industries That Use Animation
Industries in New York City that require animation include entertainment, healthcare, retail, advertising, and BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance). However, the diverse industries with NYC representation include nearly every sector of this mammoth economy.
The advertising category alone can include social media, marketing, sales, and public relations, all giant factors in the New York economy. Healthcare opportunities range from marketing for entities like New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Mount Sinai Health System to jobs for major pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson.
Banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) are essential industries in NYC, too. Top Wall Street firms include BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, to name a few. And top insurers here include Travelers, New York Life, and MetLife—all powerhouse corporations.
Healthcare and BFSI might not be the first things you think of when you think about animation, but these companies need video for a broad range of applications. Websites and sales presentations often require popular animation tools like PowerPoint, After Effects, and Premiere Pro, all essentials for many NYC businesses.
Animation Jobs & Salaries in NYC
As the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by GDP, New York-Newark-Jersey City tops $2 trillion, a significant percentage of the country’s GDP. Industries like consulting services, FinTech, and even construction attract workers from around the U.S., including artists, video specialists, and animation pros. Although newcomers to the Big Apple are sometimes concerned about the high cost of post-pandemic living, they soon learn of the area’s above-average salaries. In a word, New York City is back.
Entertainment, healthcare, and banking services are among the top three sectors for animation pros in New York, but you can find challenging work in nearly every industry and sector here. Art and design, marketing and advertising, and retail are all sectors for Animators to explore.
While a Video Editor can expect to earn an annual salary of around $63,000 in New York City, the annual pay rate for a skilled 2D Animator averages about $72,000. Motion Graphics Designers do even better, averaging around $82,000 in annual compensation. And an experienced 3D Animator tops them all, with an average salary of as much as $91,000 annually.
At the high end of the scale are management or directorial roles. NYC Video Managers earn an average annual salary of about $92,000, and experienced Art Directors can exceed six figures, with an annual pay rate as high as $101,000.
Consider enrolling in a bootcamp or certificate program to build animation skills, particularly if you plan to train for a broader video editing or motion graphics role. If you want to be a Motion Graphics Designer, you might need intermediate or advanced After Effects and Premiere Pro Skills or proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator, and other design software. Whichever career path you choose, the right animation role can be challenging and financially rewarding.
