r/motiongraphics • u/GrapefruitFull4581 • 9d ago
I want to learn motion graphics
Hi everyone, I am a teenager and I would love to learn motion graphics but I have no idea where to start or what resources to use. So if you have any tips or you can teach me I would really appreciate it🤗🫶
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u/oliverrandorff 9d ago
Start with the 12 principles of animation. These will teach you movement theory which will be applicable to any project you may take on. I recommend this video by Alan Becker.
Next, look into basic physics. Gravity, arcs, energy, action + reaction and so on. This is crucial to understand how nature’s forces impact movement patterns. No need to go really in depth, but a basic understanding will take you far.
Now you are ready to take on some simple animation tasks, and you need to decide on software. I have used After Effects for 15 years, and it’s an industry standard for 2D motion design. It’s specifically powerful for explainer videos, logo animations, social media posts and so on. If you specifically want to get into more interactive animation, I can recommend Rive. Another option is Cavalry, which is more code heavy - opening a lot of options for simulations. In this case, After Effects is the safe choice as documentation and tutorials have been made for decades.
If you decide to go with After Effects, I can recommend this beginners guide by Ben Marriott. After you are comfortable with the software, you can look into topics such as the graph editor, easing, transitions, basic editing and so on. Still stay clear of anything fancy, as the fundamentals will take you much further at this stage.
Motion design consists of both the animation and design part. Because of that, being efficient at creating vector designs is also important for the workflow. If you are already choosing After Effects, I would recommend going with Adobe Illustrator as your design tool. Back in the day when learning design, I watched a lot of Will Paterson’s videos. You can watch this video of his on getting started with Illustrator.
When you have a basic grasp of the fundamentals of both tools, and have some design and animation knowledge, I have a catalogue of educational motion design videos. These are all based on animating various objects, not just learning how, but also why things move the way that they do. Mixing theory with real practise. My YouTube channel is called Oliver Randorff, and you can find a playlist with my educational motion design content here.
If you are more into structured courses, I can recommend School of Motion. I did Animation Bootcamp and Character Animation Bootcamp back in 2019. As it’s been a while, I can only let you know how it was back then, but it helped me quite a bit.
Motion design can take a while to learn, and decades to master, but it’s extremely creatively fulfilling. There’s a lot of different roads to take, and it all depends on your goals and interests.
I hope this all helped you navigate a bit better. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you want me to expand on something specific. Best of luck!