Career profile · 27-1014
Special Effects Artists and Animators
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.
What the work can involve
- Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
- Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
- Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.
- Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
- Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
- Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for substantial preparation, often including a bachelor’s degree or considerable relevant experience. An introductory vocational course alone may not provide an entry route.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Design
- Communications and Media
- Customer and Personal Service
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Working with Computers
- Thinking Creatively
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Getting Information
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 58.1%08/2019 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 85.4%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 100.0%08/2019 · sample 20 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 85.4%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Continually or almost continually | 68.8%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 45.4%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Never | 83.7%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Work Schedules | Irregular (changes with weather conditions, production demands, or contract duration) | 54.1%08/2019 · sample 21 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Computer aided design CAD software: AutoDesSys form Z, Autodesk 3ds Max Design, Autodesk Alias Design, Autodesk Alias Surface
- Configuration management software: Perforce Helix software
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress
- Development environment software: Adobe AIR, Adobe ActionScript, C, Code libraries
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML
- Graphical user interface development software: Figma
- Graphics or photo imaging software: ACD Systems Canvas, Ability Photopaint, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe FreeHand MX
- Object or component oriented development software: C++, Object-oriented programming languages, Python, jQuery
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, UNIX
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for special effects artists and animators
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 34 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not published | Not published | 110 |
| Arizona | $89,650 | $43.10 | 190 |
| California | $130,540 | $62.76 | 7,410 |
| Colorado | $91,290 | $43.89 | 210 |
| Florida | $85,870 | $41.29 | 1,530 |
| Georgia | $81,390 | $39.13 | 350 |
| Illinois | $81,180 | $39.03 | 630 |
| Indiana | $75,250 | $36.18 | 300 |
| Iowa | $47,530 | $22.85 | Not published |
| Kansas | $62,720 | $30.16 | Not published |
| Kentucky | $50,970 | $24.51 | 40 |
| Maryland | $85,830 | $41.27 | 170 |
| Massachusetts | $80,640 | $38.77 | Not published |
| Michigan | $86,630 | $41.65 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $64,990 | $31.24 | 30 |
| Missouri | $65,470 | $31.48 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $50,830 | $24.44 | 90 |
| Nevada | $97,350 | $46.80 | 370 |
| New Jersey | Not published | Not published | 320 |
| New Mexico | $54,000 | $25.96 | 80 |
| New York | $96,770 | $46.52 | 1,540 |
| North Carolina | $88,350 | $42.48 | 370 |
| Ohio | $67,000 | $32.21 | 200 |
| Oklahoma | $66,980 | $32.20 | Not published |
| Oregon | Not published | Not published | 870 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,760 | $34.50 | 300 |
| Rhode Island | $80,040 | $38.48 | Not published |
| Tennessee | $83,080 | $39.94 | 90 |
| Texas | $78,930 | $37.95 | Not published |
| Utah | $88,210 | $42.41 | 320 |
| Virginia | $81,510 | $39.19 | 380 |
| Washington | $133,480 | $64.17 | 1,130 |
| West Virginia | $60,940 | $29.30 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $64,890 | $31.20 | 210 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 48 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 27-1014.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.