Animation is a magical medium that combines art and technology to tell stories, explain concepts, and captivate audiences. Whether you want to create explainer videos, short films, advertisements, or educational content, animation offers endless creative possibilities. However, if you’re a beginner, stepping into the world of animation can be daunting due to its technical complexity, artistic demands, and the variety of tools available.

This comprehensive guide presents 12 essential animation video tips for beginners that cover everything from planning and storytelling to technical execution and post-production. With these tips, you’ll build a strong foundation to create professional and engaging animation videos, avoid common pitfalls, and enjoy the creative process.

1. Start with a Clear Storyboard: The Blueprint of Your Animation

A storyboard is your animation’s visual script — a sequence of sketches or images that represent each scene or shot. It’s a crucial first step that helps you organize ideas, plan transitions, and foresee potential challenges before investing time in animation.

Why is a storyboard important?

• Visualize your story: It helps transform your abstract idea into concrete visuals.

• Plan timing and pacing: You can estimate how long each scene will take.

• Identify story gaps: Spot inconsistencies or confusing parts early.

• Guide collaboration: Useful if you’re working with a team or clients.

Tips for creating a storyboard:

• Use simple sketches, stick figures, or even notes. Artistic skill is not mandatory.

• Break your story into key moments or actions.

• Add annotations for dialogue, sound effects, or camera movements.

• Create rough timing estimates for each frame or scene.

Storyboarding saves you time and frustration later by providing a roadmap that keeps your project on track.

2. Keep Your Story Simple and Focused

Especially for beginners, simplicity is key. Complex stories with too many characters or plot twists can overwhelm you and confuse your audience.

How to simplify your story:

• Choose one main message or theme to focus on.

• Limit the number of characters to 2-3 to reduce animation complexity.

• Keep scenes concise, avoiding unnecessary subplots.

• Use straightforward dialogue and narration to convey your message clearly.

A simple, clear story is easier to animate, edit, and ultimately more effective at holding viewers’ attention.

3. Master the 12 Principles of Animation

Developed by Disney animators in the 1930s, the 12 principles of animation remain the foundation of compelling animation. Learning and applying these principles can elevate your work by making movement more realistic, expressive, and engaging.

Here’s a quick overview:

1. Squash and Stretch: Gives objects flexibility and weight. For example, a bouncing ball squashes when it hits the ground and stretches when in the air.

2. Anticipation: Prepares the audience for an action, like a character crouching before jumping.

3. Staging: Clear presentation of an idea or action so the audience understands it.

4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose: Two different ways to animate—frame-by-frame or by key poses.

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action: Parts of the body or objects continue moving after the main action stops, adding realism.

6. Slow In and Slow Out: Movements start slowly, accelerate, then slow down for smoothness.

7. Arc: Natural movements follow curved paths, not straight lines.

8. Secondary Action: Additional actions complement the main one (e.g., a character’s hair moving as they walk).

9. Timing: Controls speed and rhythm of motion.

10. Exaggeration: Enhances actions or emotions for effect.

11. Solid Drawing: Making characters and objects look three-dimensional and consistent.

12. Appeal: Creating visually interesting and relatable characters.

How to learn these principles:

• Watch animation breakdowns on YouTube.

• Practice by animating simple objects like bouncing balls or waving arms.

• Apply one or two principles per animation to master them gradually.

4. Choose Beginner-Friendly Animation Software

The software you use can make or break your animation experience. While advanced programs offer great features, beginners should start with easy-to-use tools like those at DMP that won’t overwhelm.

Recommended beginner software:

• Animaker: Web-based drag-and-drop platform ideal for explainer videos with pre-made assets.

• Toon Boom Harmony: Professional-grade but user-friendly for 2D animation with many tutorials.

• Blender: Free and powerful 3D software, but steep learning curve—great if you want to learn 3D animation.

• Adobe Animate: Industry favorite for 2D vector animation, with extensive learning resources.

• Moho (Anime Studio): Intuitive interface and rigging tools suitable for beginners.

Tips when choosing software:

• Match your software to your project type (2D vs 3D, explainer vs character animation).

• Look for active communities and tutorials to support your learning.

• Consider software cost—free or affordable tools are best to start.

5. Design Simple and Consistent Characters and Backgrounds

Beginners often get bogged down animating complex designs. Start with simple, clean designs for characters and environments.

Why simplicity matters:

• Easier and faster to animate.

• Less likely to cause confusion or technical issues.

• Keeps viewer attention on the story, not clutter.

Tips for designing:

• Use flat colors or minimal shading.

• Limit the number of colors for consistency.

• Create reusable assets like character parts or backgrounds.

• Develop style guides to maintain uniformity across scenes.

As you gain confidence, you can add more detail and texture.

6. Plan Smooth Transitions and Camera Movements

Jumping abruptly between scenes or shots can disrupt flow and confuse viewers. Learn to use smooth transitions and camera techniques like pans, zooms, and fades.

Common transitions for beginners:

• Fade In/Fade Out: Gradual increase or decrease in scene visibility.

• Cut: Instant scene change, effective for dynamic moments.

• Pan: Horizontal or vertical camera movement to reveal parts of a scene.

• Zoom: Moving camera closer or farther for emphasis.

Tips:

• Use transitions to guide the audience’s attention naturally.

• Avoid overusing flashy transitions that distract.

• Match transitions to your story’s mood (slow fades for calm scenes, quick cuts for excitement).

7. Perfect Your Timing and Pacing

Timing controls how long an action takes; pacing is the rhythm of your animation. Both influence how natural and engaging your animation feels.

How to improve timing:

• Study real-life movements or use video references.

• Experiment with the number of frames for each action.

• Use slow movements for emotional or suspenseful moments.

• Use fast actions for humor, surprise, or urgency.

Pacing tips:

• Vary pacing to maintain interest; avoid monotonous timing.

• Break longer scenes into smaller beats.

• Match pacing to your audio, especially dialogue or music.

8. Incorporate Sound Effects and Music Thoughtfully

Sound enhances animation by adding emotional depth, clarifying actions, and boosting immersion.

What to include:

• Music: Sets the tone—choose royalty-free tracks that fit your video’s mood.

• Sound effects: Footsteps, door creaks, button clicks, ambient sounds, or character noises.

• Voiceover: Narration or dialogue should be clear and synchronized with lip movements or action.

Tips:

• Balance audio levels so sound effects and music don’t overpower dialogue.

• Use sound sparingly; too much can distract.

• Sync audio tightly with animation for realism.

9. Maintain Consistent Color Schemes and Fonts

A consistent color palette and typography style make your animation visually cohesive and professional.

How to create consistency:

• Pick 3-5 main colors aligned with your brand or mood.

• Use complementary colors for contrast.

• Select readable fonts and use them consistently for titles, captions, and dialogue.

• Avoid using too many fonts or clashing colors.

Tools like Adobe Color or Coolors can help generate palettes.

10. Animate Using Layers and Groups

Working in layers separates elements such as backgrounds, characters, and foreground objects.

Benefits of layering:

• Simplifies editing individual parts without affecting others.

• Enables reusing assets across scenes.

• Helps manage complex animations step-by-step.

Tips:

• Name layers clearly (e.g., “Character_Head,” “Background_Tree”).

• Group related layers for easier manipulation.

• Lock layers not being worked on to prevent accidental edits.

11. Seek Feedback Early and Often

Waiting until your animation is finished before sharing can waste time if major changes are needed. Get feedback during different stages:

• Share your storyboard and rough drafts with peers, mentors, or your target audience.

• Be open to criticism and use it constructively.

• Use feedback to improve story clarity, animation smoothness, or pacing.

Constructive feedback accelerates your learning and improves final quality.

12. Practice Consistently and Embrace Mistakes

Animation is complex, and beginners often face frustration. The key is consistent practice and a growth mindset.

How to stay motivated:

• Animate small projects or short scenes regularly.

• Learn from tutorials, online courses, and animation breakdowns.

• Analyze animations you admire to understand techniques.

• Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities.

Remember, every animator started as a beginner — persistence leads to progress.

Bonus Tip: Join Animation Communities and Resources

Animation can be lonely, but communities offer support, inspiration, and learning.

Where to connect:

• Online forums like Animation Mentor, Reddit’s r/animation, and StackExchange Animation.

• Facebook groups dedicated to beginner animators.

• YouTube channels with tutorials and live streams.

• Local meetups or animation clubs.

Sharing work and experiences accelerates growth and keeps you inspired.

Conclusion

Creating animation videos as a beginner is a journey of creativity, learning, and patience. By following these 12 animation video tips, you will build strong foundations—from storyboarding and design to technical skills and sound integration.

Remember to keep your stories simple, master the basics, choose the right tools, and practice consistently. Seek feedback, engage with communities, and enjoy the magic of bringing your ideas to life through animation.

With time, effort, and passion, you can create captivating animations that educate, entertain, and inspire audiences worldwide.