Best Animation Classes in NJ

Gain a comprehensive understanding of animation, its applications across various industries, and the best places to learn this skill in New Jersey. Explore opportunities for rewarding careers in animation with potential earning projections in different roles.

Key Insights

Animation, which involves turning static images into moving ones, has progressed from traditional hand-drawn techniques to digital approaches that leverage computer software.
Learning animation can open doors to professional opportunities in the entertainment industry or within the marketing departments of various companies.
Animation classes and bootcamps, such as those offered by Career Centers and Noble Desktop, provide intensive training in industry-standard software like Adobe After Effects and Adobe Animate CC.
In New Jersey, animation is utilized across a range of industries including tech, financial services, and pharmaceuticals, where it is used for marketing and enhancing user experience.
Careers in animation in New Jersey can vary from 3D Modelers, Graphic Designers to Animators, with average annual salaries ranging from $61,000 to $68,000 depending on the role and location.
Independent learning and online courses offer flexible options for picking up animation skills, with the only requirements being an interruption-free environment and a stable internet connection.

Animation refers to turning still images into moving ones. Traditional animation was still in use until around the 1990s.

This technique required Animators to hand-draw, paint, and then photograph images to produce the illusion of movement. Now, computers are used to digitally animate.

Digital animation, also known as computer animation, uses software to create static images. These static images are then reproduced over and over with slight changes to create movement. This technique is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional animation and has remained in use as technology was introduced. There is a variety of animation software used by Animators today, most of which uses a subscription-based model.

Although animation can be learned as a hobby, it’s typically pursued by those looking to get into animation professionally. Animation software has a steep learning curve, but industry-standard software is available. Learning animation can help you enter the entertainment industry or work within the marketing department of a company.

Best Animation Classes & Schools in NJ

You can learn how to use animation software on your own, or you can enroll in an animation class or boot camp. The latter is one of the most effective ways to learn animation. Classes and boot camps are led by expert instructors who will answer your questions, provide you with tips and tricks, and can offer feedback on the work you produce in class.

You can sign up for in-person training in New Jersey or enroll in an online training course. In-person classes provide a traditional learning experience. Classes are taught in a physical building, and you learn face-to-face among your peers. Online classes are a flexible learning option. All you need to take an online animation course is an interruption-free environment and a stable internet connection.

Sign up for Career Centers’ online After Effects in a Day workshop for a quick yet thorough overview of Adobe After Effects. This six-hour workshop will give you hands-on experience using Adobe After Effects, the industry-standard software. You’ll learn how to use After Effects to create animated GIFs, logos, transitions, and other foundational skills.

For a more intensive learning experience with After Effects, enroll in Noble Desktop’s online After Effects Bootcamp. This boot camp will help you become familiar with the interface of After Effects as well as its timeline. You’ll work your way through basic and intermediate-level animation techniques over the course of 18 hours. This boot camp can be retaken for free within one year and comes with a free 1-on-1 training session where you can review projects and concepts from class.

Noble Desktop also offers a Motion Graphics Certificate. This course offers hands-on experience with After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D Lite. You’ll learn animation principles, motion graphics concepts, and editing techniques throughout this program. You can opt to learn during weekdays, over the course of two months, or during evenings over the course of four months.

Lumenbrite provides After Effects training in their online After Effects Training Bootcamp. This five-day boot camp is a comprehensive learning experience in After Effects. Students will work their way from basic to intermediate-level animation techniques using After Effects. The instructor will not only guide you through the tools of After Effects but also the best practices to help you produce professional-grade work.

Certstaffix Training’s online and on-site Adobe Animate CC (2025) class is ideal for beginners looking to learn how to animate using Adobe Animate. This multimedia animation program is used to animate television series, online animation, websites, and other platforms and media types. In this class, you’ll spend three days familiarizing yourself with Adobe Animate through real-world project-based learning. Your instructor will also provide you with tips and techniques to help you productively work with Animate.

NJ Industries That Use Animation

Animation is used in a variety of industries. The entertainment industry employs Animators to create animated films and series. Other industries that require the use of animation might surprise you. Read on to find out about several key industries in New Jersey that rely on animation.

Tech

Tech sub-sectors have popped up in New Jersey. This includes AI, big data, telecom, and cybersecurity. Tech companies in the state rely on not just local talent, but talent from nearby New York City and Philadelphia. These companies also have partnerships with state universities and access to venture capital. All of this has culminated in the area being pegged as a tech disruptor.

Tech companies rely on animation in a variety of ways. Animation is used to market a company’s goods and services. Tech companies also integrate animation into these goods and services. Web applications, websites, and social media platforms run by tech companies may include animated videos or motion graphics to draw the attention of users.

Financial Services

New Jersey’s proximity to Wall Street has drawn financial services businesses to the area. Leading financial companies are either headquartered or operating in the state and take advantage of the talent and infrastructure it has to offer. This industry has contributed over $33 billion annually to the state, majorly impacting its economy.

Animation is used as a means of marketing to customers and informing them of the financial services a business offers. For example, banks may include animations in their mobile banking applications or may short advertisements that use animation and motion graphics. Consumers may be reluctant to engage with promotional material from companies, but including a fun, eye-grabbing animation can make dealing with finances less intimidating.

Pharmaceuticals

New Jersey is known for its large number of companies that specialize in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. The state has a lower cost of living compared to other pharma hubs, support from the state government, access to world-class universities and research centers, and is close to Wall Street and the Food and Drug Administration in NYC. Because of this, New Jersey has come to be known as a giant in the pharmaceutical industry.

The pharmaceutical industry relies on content marketing to increase sales. They market directly to consumers and physicians. It’s common for companies to create short advertisements meant to inform and persuade consumers to try their products. Many advertisements will either include actors or will depict animated characters that represent users of their products.

Animation Jobs & Salaries in NJ

If you have animation skills, there are several jobs in New Jersey that you may be qualified for. Animation is not just needed in the entertainment industry; these skills are transferable. Below are several animation-related jobs in New Jersey and their salaries.

3D Modeler

A 3D Modeler is provided with concept art and expected to replicate it into a 3D model. In the entertainment industry, a 3D Modeler may create models of environments, people, or props. They work closely with Animators who use their creations as part of the animation process. 3D Modelers may also work in the fields of marketing, healthcare, or design.

3D Modelers in New Jersey make an average annual salary of $62,000. Salary is dependent on skill level and where in the state the job is located. Larger cities with higher costs of living are likely to have higher starting salaries than those in areas with a lower cost of living.

Graphic Designer

Graphic Designers create visual concepts using technology. Companies hire them to create logos, packaging, and brand-related visuals. Graphic Designers and Animators have overlapping skills, making it relatively easy for a Graphic Designer to transition into the field of animation and vice versa.

According to Indeed, Graphic Designers make an average annual salary of $61,000 in New Jersey.

Animator

Animators take static images and turn them into moving images. They do this using traditional animation techniques, computer-generated animation, stop-motion animation, or 2D and 3D modeling. Animators typically work in the entertainment industry, creating films, series, and games, but they also work in other industries. Some Animators choose to work in marketing departments or other creative fields.

The salary of an Animator will depend on the company they’re working for. Some companies hire Animators on a project basis while others hire them long-term. The average annual starting salary for an Animator in New Jersey is $68,000.

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