How to make animations: 7 step-by-step tutorials

Animations are fundamental to user interaction, engagement, and communication across various media. But where to start?

Whether you're a graphic designer wanting to add movement to your illustrations, a UI/UX designer focused on improving user experience, or a marketer aiming to capture audience attention with dynamic visuals, mastering animation is crucial.

At Linearity, we understand the transformative power of animation and to help you get ahead we’ve put together the ultimate resource list to equip you with the skills you need to create animations with ease and confidence. 

This roundup of our top tutorials offers step-by-step guidance tailored to various applications, from animating .svg files to creating promotional videos. Each tutorial is categorized by difficulty and includes an estimated completion time to help you plan your learning journey effectively.

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Understanding the fundamentals of animation

Animation, at its heart, is about finding interesting ways to bring your static images to life.  Key animation principles like timing, easing, anticipation, and follow-through are the tricks and tools you’ll be using to get this working right. Let’s have a look at what to expect from your animation process. 

Timing and spacing

Timing refers to the duration of an action, which can dramatically influence the perception of a character or object's speed and weight. Spacing, on the other hand, deals with the object’s position over time, which dictates the smoothness and rhythm of the movement. Together, timing and spacing are crucial for creating animations that feel natural and engaging.

Easing

Easing involves adjusting the acceleration or deceleration of the motion. It helps animations to mimic the laws of physics, adding a realistic touch. For instance, objects don’t just start moving at full speed instantly and don’t stop abruptly; easing helps simulate this gradual increase and decrease in movement.

Anticipation and follow-through

Anticipation is a technique used to prepare the viewer for an action, making the scene easier to follow and more realistic. Follow-through, or overshooting, involves parts of a moving object continuing to move after the object has stopped. These elements help to convey a sense of weight and maintain momentum, making animations more lively and less robotic.

By mastering these foundational principles, you can enhance the quality and effectiveness of your animations, making them not just functional but a delight to watch.

Whether you’re creating a short animated logo or a detailed instructional video, these principles will guide your creative process and help ensure that your animations resonate with your audience.

SVG animation

• Level of difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes

Learn to bring scalable vector graphics to life with simple yet powerful animation techniques. This tutorial covers basic animations, such as rotations and morphing, which are perfect for dynamic web elements.

Text animation

• Level of difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated time to complete: 45 minutes

Discover methods to animate text for ads, web banners, and promotional videos. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on creating captivating text effects that grab attention.

Transparent background animation

• Level of difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated time to complete: 1 hour

This tutorial shows you how to create videos that integrate seamlessly with various backgrounds, ideal for overlays or mixed media presentations.

Logo animation

• Level of difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated time to complete: 1–2 hours

Animating a logo can make your brand stand out. This article will guide you through creating dynamic logos that make a memorable impact.

Picture animation

• Level of difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes

Learn to add motion to still images, a technique perfect for social media and interactive web content. This piece guides you through simple steps to make your pictures move.

Social media animation

• Level of difficulty: Beginner—intermediate
• Estimated time to complete: 45 minutes

This guide offers strategies for creating engaging social media content that stands out in a crowded feed. Learn to animate posts that captivate and engage your audience.

Promotional video animation

• Level of difficulty: Advanced
• Estimated time to complete: 2–3 hours

This is a step-by-step tutorial on crafting a promotional social media video using one of Linearity Move’s pre-designed templates. It will save you time and effort while communicating your message in a clear and engaging way.

Elevate your design game with animation

While it may seem overwhelming at the outset, mastering animation is exciting and rewarding. Our animation tutorials are crafted to teach you the mechanics of animation and inspire you to think creatively about how animation can be integrated into marketing design. 

Whether you’re enhancing the interactivity of a website, adding flair to social media posts, or creating memorable marketing videos, the skills you develop here will set your work apart.

With the lessons in your pocket you’re well on your way to creating animations using a platform designed to specifically empower you as a designer, using affordable animation software, and not outsource your production.

Linearity Move’s innovative features like Auto Animate, thousands of Templates, and masking capabilities ensure that there’s something for every level of animation designer. 

Bring motion in-house

Animate marketing assets in seconds with Linearity Move.

Get Started

Frequently asked questions