Top 25 Free Animation Courses

1. Toon Boom Harmony Tutorial for Beginners: How to Make a Cartoon

Toon Boom Harmony Tutorial for Beginners: How to Make a Cartoon is a course that teaches the basics of animation software. The course covers the fundamentals of using the software to create animations, including how to navigate the interface and use the various drawing tools available to create visual effects.

The course also covers two main methods of animation, frame-by-frame, and cut-out, and provides instructions on how to use these techniques to bring your ideas to life. Additionally, the course teaches you how to create time-lapse videos and import sound to enhance your animations. Finally, the course guides you through the process of exporting your completed video for uploading to YouTube or other video-sharing platforms. You can find this course on YouTube through this link.

The course is presented by Jesse J. Jones, a professional animator with over 10 years of experience in the industry. The course is designed to be accessible to beginners but also provides valuable insights for more experienced animators.

The course is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning how to create animations.

2. Stop Motion Animation (Class Central)

The Stop Motion Animation course offered by Class Central is a comprehensive guide to creating animations. The course covers the basics of the software and the various tools and features that will be used throughout the course.

Before you begin, you will need to gather some materials and ensure that your setup is ready for animation. This may include setting up your drawing tablet, installing the software, and gathering any necessary reference images or other resources.

The course covers important techniques like camera movement and exporting your animation as individual images. You will learn how to remove rigging and wires, and how to compile your images into a single animation.

The course is designed for graduates, postgraduates, those looking for an alternative to university, and those with animation experience who want to refresh their skills.

3. Workflow for Animating Dialogue (Class Central)

This course on Class Central is a comprehensive guide to creating realistic and engaging character dialogue in your animations. The course covers the following topics:

Selecting the right audio for your animation
Breaking down dialogue
Creating workflows to ensure that you are efficiently and effectively animating your characters’ lip sync and facial expressions.
When animating dialogue, consider the four components of language: jaw open/closed, corners in/out, lip shapes, and tongue placement.
You are polishing your animation to achieve a professional level of quality.

By the end of the course, you will have the knowledge and skills needed to create convincing character dialogue in your animations.

4. 12 Principles of Animation: The Complete Series (Class Central)

The course “12 Principles of Animation: The Complete Series” on Class Central is a comprehensive guide to the principles of animation. It covers key concepts and techniques that are essential to creating professional-quality animations.

The course covers a range of topics, including squash and stretch, which refers to the ability to distort an object’s shape to give it a sense of weight and movement.

Another important principle covered in the course is anticipation, which is the act of preparing the audience for an action that is about to occur. Staging is also covered, which refers to the way that you present an idea or action clearly and concisely.

5. 2D Game Development with libGDX (Udacity)

The 2D Game Development with libGDX course offered by Udacity is designed to teach you how to use LibGDX to build 2D games that can run on various platforms, including web browsers and mobile devices. The course is free and requires no prior experience.

The course is divided into 8 lessons that cover topics such as cross-platform game development, drawing, animation, physics, user input handling, and more. By the end of the course, you will have created a full game called Icicles.

The course is taught by Peter Heinrich and Jeremy Silver, who are experienced instructors in the field of game development. The course also provides practical projects based on real-world scenarios and challenges, allowing you to apply the skills you learn to practical situations while giving you real hands-on experience.

6. Introduction to Animation Fundamentals Course (Skillup)

The Introduction to Animation Fundamentals Course offered by Skillup is a great way to get started with animation. This course is designed to provide you with a solid foundation in the principles of animation and teach you how to use them in your work. The course is free and comes with a completion certificate.

The course is aimed at beginners and covers topics such as drawing basics, smooth motion animation, and Flipaclip.

You will learn about the 12 animation principles that serve as the foundation for all animation, including timing, positioning, arcs, secondary motions, volume, size, crush and flex, appeals, and lip-syncing.

If you’re interested in becoming a professional animator, this course is a great way to start. You’ll gain knowledge of the fundamentals of animation and learn how to use them in your work. The course is suitable for animators, graphic designers, illustrators, and animation students.

7. A Practical Introduction – Modeling and Animation in Blender (Udemy)

A Practical Introduction – Modeling & Animation in Blender is a beginner-friendly course offered by Udemy that teaches the basics of 3D modeling, editing, lighting, and animation using Blender.

The course is designed to help you develop a strong understanding of the 3D modeling process, enabling you to create impressive assets from scratch. You will also learn how to add materials to objects, set up cameras and lighting in the scene, and create your animations.

The course is structured into 5 sections, each covering a different aspect of 3D modeling and animation. The first section introduces you to Blender and its interface, while the second section covers the basics of 3D modeling.

In the third section, you will learn how to create a car model from scratch, while the fourth section focuses on road asset modeling. The final section of the course is dedicated to animation, where you will learn how to create your animations using Blender.

The course is free and can be accessed on Udemy’s website.

8. Introduction to Programming and Animation with Alice (Coursera)

Introduction to Programming and Animation with Alice is a beginner-level course offered by Coursera that teaches programming and animation using the programming environment Alice. The course is taught in English and is available in 18 languages.

The course is designed to teach you how to tell 3D animated stories by programming Alice’s 3D objects. You will learn how to set up a scene, to tell a story using storyboarding, to move the camera, and how to move and rotate objects. You will also learn programming concepts such as writing your instructions, repetition, making decisions, and grouping similar objects.

The course is divided into 8 modules and is approximately 47 hours long. The first half of the course focuses on teaching you how to tell 3D animated stories using Alice’s 3D objects. The second half of the course teaches you how to combine the topics you have learned with event programming to build 3D games that you and your friends can play.

9. Animation for Illustration: Adding Movement with Procreate & Photoshop (Skillshare)

Animation for Illustration: Adding Movement with Procreate & Photoshop is a video tutorial on Skillshare that teaches the fundamentals of animation and how to create an appealing character.

The tutorial covers all the necessary steps, from building and refining your character to adding layers and animating it using Photoshop. You will also learn how to incorporate creative elements to enhance the appeal of your character.

This tutorial is designed specifically for beginners and provides a comprehensive overview of the animation process. The course is taught by Libby VanderPloeg, an artist and illustrator based in Michigan.

The tutorial consists of 11 lessons, with a total duration of 50 minutes. Here’s a breakdown of the lessons:

Introduction
Storyboarding
Building Your Character
Refining Your Character
Consolidating Your Layers
Adding Layers for Animation
Animating in Photoshop
Adding Elements in Photoshop
Exporting Your Animation
Conclusion
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The course is available on Skillshare, and you can get unlimited access to this and thousands of other classes taught by industry leaders and working professionals.

10. Game Design Document: Define the Art & Concepts (Coursera)

The Game Design Document: Define the Art & Concepts course offered by Coursera is part of the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization. The course is taught in English and is available in 19 languages.

The course is designed to help you gain insight into the fundamentals of game design and develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects.

The course consists of four parts, with the final part being a capstone project that guides you to distill and improve the foundational aspects of your game so that you may express your ideas clearly and productively.

The course is designed for intermediate-level learners with no previous experience necessary. The course is flexible, with approximately 16 hours of content that can be learned at your own pace. Upon completion of the course, you will earn a shareable career certificate that can be added to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV.

11. Basic Animation in After Effects (Udemy)

Basic Animation in After Effects is a course offered by Udemy that teaches you how to create basic animation, motion graphics, and add special effects to video in After Effects.

The course is designed for beginners and covers topics such as creating original motion graphics for video, using preset animations and effects on video and text, animating a cartoon character, and turning a video into a cartoon.

The course is free and is a great way to learn the basics of animation in After Effects. The course is taught by an experienced instructor who will guide you through the process of creating animations step-by-step.

12. How to Animate Logos for Companies & Brands (Udemy)

You can learn how to animate logos for companies and brands in a course offered by Udemy. The course is called “Living Logos Animation: Simple After Effects” and it teaches you how to create simple motion graphics and apply them to lucrative logo animations.

The course is designed for beginners and no creativity is needed. You will learn the basic elements of motion graphics and how to use them to create logo animations in less than an hour.

13. Animatron University – Beginner Course (Udemy)

The Animatron University Beginner Course on Udemy is designed to teach you how to create HTML5 animations using the free web-based software called Animatron. This course is perfect for beginners with no prior experience in animation, design, or coding.

The course is structured to take you from concept to completion, covering everything from basic animation principles to creating engaging and exciting animations that will capture the attention of your audience.

14. Basic Animation in Adobe After Effects (Udemy)

Udemy offers a course on Animation in After Effects that teaches a variety of 2D and 3D animation techniques, from lip-syncing cartoon characters to lighting 3D scenes. The course also covers how to create unique special effects for video and custom motion graphics.

You will learn how to create and animate 2D and 3D text, add special effects to video, create and animate original lower thirds, create credits for film, television, or web video, turn a video into a cartoon, create 2D and 3D original animations, animate masks, create custom special effects and motion graphics, add lights and cameras inside After Effects, use masks to create animate and create unique effects, color correct video footage, integrate Photoshop, Illustrator and Cinema 4D files into After Effects, interlace After Effects projects for television and video on demand, and render for web or mobile devices.

The course includes several practice files so that you can follow along with the instructor.

15. AOS Animate on scroll with examples (Udemy)

AOS (Animate on Scroll) is a JavaScript library that allows developers to add animations to their web templates as the user scrolls down the website. The library is lightweight and easy to use, making it a popular choice among developers.

If you’re interested in learning how to use AOS, Udemy offers a free course called “AOS Animate on scroll with examples”. The course is designed for developers who want to add more animation to their templates.

It teaches how to create 5 easy animations for your web templates with the AOS on scroll script. The course is split into 5 lectures, with the first lecture providing an introduction to the course and the types of animation you can make with the AOS script. The second lecture covers how to add animation to your web templates using the AOS script.

The third lecture covers how to add animation to your HTML containers. The fourth lecture covers how to add animation to your HTML-animated image background. The fifth and final lecture covers how to add animation to your image with a transparent background.

16. Using Canva to help you Animate (Udemy)

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create a wide range of designs, including animations. The platform offers a variety of features that can help you create engaging and visually appealing animations. You can use Canva to create animations for social media, presentations, and other purposes.

Udemy offers a free tutorial on how to use Canva to create animations. The tutorial covers topics such as Canva’s video feature, different overlays, and special Canva tricks for “animating”.

17. Learn to Make Animated Presentations with Avatars (Udemy)

Udemy offers a course called “Learn to Make Animated Presentations with Avatars” that teaches you how to create professional animated presentations and marketing videos by quickly animating comic and photo-realistic avatars.

The course covers the following topics:

Creating comic and photo-realistic avatars
Instant facial and body animations
Exporting animations by copying & pasting them as animated GIFS for use in PowerPoints, Keynote, Google Docs, Evernote, or any other presentation tools.

The course is taught by John Bura, a software developer and instructor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. The course has received positive reviews from students who found it to be informative and engaging.

18. Powtoon for Beginners (Udemy)

Powtoon is a digital tool that enables users to create animated videos and presentations. One of the key features of Powtoon is its timeline, which allows users to organize the different elements of their animation.

Within the timeline, users can add entry and exit effects for various elements, such as basic shapes, images, and animated objects. Users can also add title text and other text elements to their timelines.

Powtoon for Beginners (Udemy) is a course that teaches users how to use Powtoon to create professional-looking animated videos and presentations.

The course covers topics such as creating a Powtoon account, navigating the Powtoon interface, adding and editing elements to the timeline, and exporting the final product. The course is designed for beginners and requires no prior experience with Powtoon or animation software.

If you’re interested in learning more about Powtoon and how to use it to create engaging animated videos and presentations, you can register for the course here.

19. 3 Simple Animation Tricks in PowerPoint to Make an Impact (Udemy)

Udemy offers a course called “3 Simple Animation Tricks in PowerPoint to Make an Impact”. The course is designed to teach you three basic yet impressive animation tricks in PowerPoint that can help you stand out with your content.

The course is structured in a way that you can save as much time as possible with learning and gaining skills as fast as possible. Each lesson can be used independently on its own, while there is a clear structure for the whole course.

The course is free and can be accessed through the Udemy website. It covers topics such as entrance and exit animation effects, sound effects, and motion path effects. The course also includes video demonstrations for each of these effects.

20. Animatron University – Intermediate Course (Udemy)

The Animatron University – Intermediate Course is a comprehensive course designed for individuals with an intermediate background in animation, design, or coding. The course is available on Udemy and is free of charge.

In this course, you will learn how to create fun, easy, and exciting HTML5, gifs, and short animations using Animatron, a free online tool. The course is specifically designed to help you create animations with an intermediate background in animation, design, or coding.

The course is in-depth and covers a wide range of topics, including how to use Animatron, how to create animations, and how to export your animations.

The course is divided into several sections, each of which covers a different aspect of animation. The first section covers the basics of Animatron, including how to create an account, how to navigate the interface, and how to use the various tools available.

The second section covers the basics of animation, including how to create keyframes, how to use the timeline, and how to create animations using shapes and text. The third section covers more advanced topics, such as how to use the camera, how to create animations using images and videos, and how to export your animations.

21. Animatron University – Advanced Course (Udemy)

This course is designed to teach you how to create animations using Animatron, a free web-based software. The course is also suitable for beginners with no prior experience in animation, design, or coding.

In this course, you will learn how to create HTML5 animations, gifs, and short animations that you can share with the world.

The course is divided into 5 sections, each covering a different aspect of animation creation. You will learn how to use Animatron’s tools to create engaging and interesting animations.

22. OpenToonz – How to animate 2D Animation Class [#004B] (Class Central)

You can learn how to animate 2D animation using OpenToonz by following the course “Best animation exercise for beginners – OpenToonz – How to animate 2D Animation Class [#004B]” on Class Central.

The course is designed to help beginners learn the basics of OpenToonz and create a 2D animation. The course covers topics such as setting up OpenToonz, planning the motion path, using the control point editor, changing the opacity of a layer, and avoiding common beginner mistakes in animation.

The course is suitable for anyone who wants to learn how to create 2D animations using OpenToonz, regardless of their prior experience with animation.

23. Create the Most AMAZING Animations with Rive – Crash Course (Class Central)

Rive is an animation platform that allows you to create and ship interactive animations to any platform. In less than an hour, you can learn to create the most amazing animations with Rive by taking the Crash Course offered by DesignCourse on Class Central.

The course is divided into 10 sections, including Introduction, Interface Overview, Design Basics, Design Timelapse, Finishing the Design, Creating the Animations, The State Machine, Project Export Options, A Challenge, and Outro.

Rive is a robust animation platform that enables you to create designs within Rive, rig them up with bones, and create logic-based animation sequences for any platform. You can create a rocket ship animation from scratch using Rive, as demonstrated in this video.

The video outlines the basics of Rive and provides a step-by-step guide to creating the animation.

24. Create CAPTIVATING Looping Motion Graphics | Tutorial (Class Central)

In this course, you will learn how to create captivating looping motion graphics in under an hour. TipTut presents the course on YouTube.

The tutorial covers basic animation principles like squash and stretch, arcs of motion, and reactive motion to create cool looping motion graphics with some classic bouncing ball action.

The tutorial is perfect for anyone looking to create digital Rube Goldberg-style motion graphics for their portfolio or social media page.

The tutorial is divided into five parts: The Elevator, Through the Tunnel, Bouncing Trampolines, Off the See-Saw, and The Finished Product. The tutorial is approximately 54 minutes long.

25. How to Animate | Complete Free Course (Class Central)

The course, “How to Animate | COMPLETE FREE COURSE” is presented by TipTut. The course is a compilation of episodes 1-7 of TipTut’s “How to Make an Animation” course and covers everything from creating a script to recording audio, all the way through to animation tips and tricks.

The course is approximately 48 minutes long and is divided into seven parts, each covering a different aspect of animation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these animation courses truly free?

Yes, all the courses listed in this article are free to access. However, some platforms may offer premium or paid versions with additional features.

Are there any prerequisites for these courses?

Prerequisites vary for each course. While some may be suitable for beginners, others might assume a basic understanding of animation concepts.

Can I earn a certificate upon completion of these free courses?

Many of the courses do offer certificates of completion, but this varies by platform. Review the details provided by the course provider to see if a certificate is available and if there are any associated costs.

How much time do I need to invest in these courses?

The time commitment depends on the complexity and depth of each course, as well as your prior knowledge. Some courses may be completed in a few hours, while others may take several weeks. Check the estimated duration mentioned in the course details.

Do these courses cover both 2D and 3D animation?

Yes, the list includes courses that cover both 2D and 3D animation, as well as other specialized areas like motion graphics and character animation. Each course description specifies its focus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world of animation is vast and ever-evolving. With the advent of technology, there are now numerous free animation courses available online that can help you hone your skills and take your creativity to the next level.

We hope that our list of these top 25 free Animation courses has helped guide you toward the right course for your needs.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced animator, there’s something for everyone on this list. So go ahead and explore the world of animation and let your creativity soar!

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