The major dilemma most students face after completing their schooling or 12th class is choosing the best career. If you get the right line to follow, you can easily excel in your field.
Nowadays, students after their 12th are showing keen interest in some creative and technical fields. You have plenty of courses to choose from but the most trending and beneficial ones are: Animation and VFX (Visual Effects). This article will give a clear idea for deciding the right path for you based on your skills, interests and goals.
What are Animation and VFX?
Although both fields require creativity and lots of technical knowledge, there are huge differences between them. Let's understand:
Animation:
Animation is a field where the main focus is to generate motion from scratch. Life is given to the characters, environments and other objects with creativity and good timing skills. Example: web series, commercials, games, movies, etc.
VFX (Visual Effects):
It focuses on adding computer-generated effects to live action footage as in OTT content, TV, ads, etc. Example: adding explosion, magical effects, and more.
Animation vs VFX: A detailed battle between both
To choose the right path after your 12th, it is necessary to delve deeper into the details of both courses. Let's have a look at their key differences:
1). Nature of work:
Animation focuses on giving life to the characters drawn with your creativity and digital skills, VFX implies adding the digital effects to enhance the visuals.
2). Skills:
Animation: Creativity, storytelling, art and perfect timing skills.
VFX: Simulation, Compositing, Software and Technical skills.
3). Applications:
Animation: OTT, gaming, web series, films, animes, etc.
VFX: Visual effects like OTT, movies, commercials, etc.
4). Software Focus:
Animation: After Effects, Toon Boom, Maya, Blender
VFX: Unreal Engine, Maya, After Effects, Nuke, Houdini
5). Approach:
Animation requires a story-oriented and imagination-driven approach.
VFX requires a realistic, technical and detail-focused approach,
6). Career choices:
Animation: Animator, Game Artist, Character Designer, Graphics Designer.
VFX: Compositor, Roto Artist, VFX Supervisor, VFX Artist, etc.
Courses to opt for after 12th
Based on the career objectives, there are multiple academic options available to choose from. Here they are:
Undergraduate Degree Programmes
Diploma Programmes
- Diploma of 3D Animation and VFX
- Diploma in Unreal Engine
Postgraduate Programmes
Choosing a career after 12th based on the skills
While choosing the career option, one must know oneself, I.e., their skills. Either you have already acquired them or can grasp respective to your interest.
For Animation:
- Frame gap and Time
- Drawing as a mediocre at least
- Visual designing
- Storytelling and composition
- Acting and Expressions of Characters
For VFX:
- A good software knowledge
- Motion tracking
- Composting
- Realism in details
- Camera and lighting handles
Animation vs VFX: Salary & Growth
What matters at the end is the salary you will get in your hand. Here are the details of salary in India in 2026 as it can modify in future:
Animation :
- Entry Level: ₹2.5-6 LPA
- Mid/ Senior: ₹18-15 LPA (more for experienced artist)
VFX :
- Entry Level: ₹3-7 LPA
- Mid/ Senior: ₹12-20 LPA (more for high technical specialists).
If you see here, it is clear that a VFX artist requires more software knowledge to earn even more.
Which one to choose from? Animation vs VFX
It's totally up to you which will match your goals, skills and interests. Both have good future growth but for now choose any from the following basis:
Choose Animation: If your keen expertise and interest is in storytelling, drawing expertise and creativity.
Choose VFX: if you love to combine technology with visual and realistic effects.
See which one is meeting your wage requirement along with your interests and skills.
Wrapping it up
Choosing the right path after 12th as your career option is a crucial decision. Animation and VFX, both the courses are both great choices to opt for. Students who acquire more interest in art, creativity and storytelling along with the visualisation can go for Animation. But if you have more interest in technological vidualisation ans cinematic realism must choose VFX as your career.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is the better-paying position?
A- As more students move towards Animation, VFX has a bit better-paying position.
Q2. Is AI replacing VFX jobs?
A- Not entirely but some of the tedious tasks can be done with the AI like background removal, rotoryping, etc so that the creators can use their entire focus on higher-level tasks of the job.
Q3. Which one is superior- Animation or VFX?
A- Both career choices are excellent. Animation requires more creativity whereas those who can solve the problems technically can fit perfectly in VFX.
Q4. Does VFX need math or science?
A- VFX requires good knowledge in simulation and composting and no math or science is required.
Q5. Does VFX have a future?
A- Yes, in fact, it is growing by 10-20% every year in India.