Special Effects Artists and Animators
What Special Effects Artists and Animators Do
Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 61.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 5.0/5
- English Languageimportance 4.4/5
- Designimportance 4.2/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 4.1/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 3.9/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.5/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
- Spend Time Sitting4.6/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Time Pressure4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators96% skill match
- Farm and Home Management Educators95% skill match
- Astronomers94% skill match
- Advertising Sales Agents94% skill match
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products94% skill match
- Accountants and Auditors93% skill match
- Health Education Specialists93% skill match
- Management Analysts93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5
- Instructingimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Autodesk Maya
- Maxon Cinema 4D
- SideFX Houdini
- Unity Technologies Unity
- Unreal Technology Unreal Engine
Other Software Used
- ACD Systems Canvas
- Ability Photopaint
- Adobe AIR
- Adobe ActionScript
- Adobe Director
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe Flex
- Adobe FreeHand MX
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Innovation
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Achievement Orientation
- Adaptability
- Dependability
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ArtisticHigh
- RealisticMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where special effects artists and animators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA5.77× national avg
- 2Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL5.30× national avg
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA4.71× national avg
- 4Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA4.43× national avg
- 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA3.84× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Graphic DesignersLateral Move
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific ProductsCareer Change
- Management AnalystsCareer Change
- Accountants and AuditorsCareer Change
See the full career path from Special Effects Artists and Animators →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Design and Visual Communications, General
- Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)grads earn ~$45,923
- Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, NY)grads earn ~$45,096
- Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)grads earn ~$51,370
- Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, NY)grads earn ~$60,882
- The New School (New York, NY)grads earn ~$56,838
Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$129,737
- Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$40,186
- Northeastern University Professional Programs (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$158,542
- School of Visual Arts (New York, NY)grads earn ~$67,483
- George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)grads earn ~$162,691