Stopping tutorials 👉 Starting -to- practice
Don't consume today but try this
It’s common to get stuck just watching tutorials. We consume a lot of information, but the real challenge is bridging the gap between knowing something and actually doing it.
If you’re a designer, a helpful way to start is to animate what you already make. You have existing material like posters, icons, and layouts.
So, you have everything you need to start
Try picking one piece you’re proud of.
(And you can see how to bring to After Effects here):
Or from Figma here
Sketch, don’t forget to just at least jot down what you think it should do on paper.
Find the main visual idea in it, like scale, contrast, or rhythm, and just try to animate that one idea.
Don’t know how? Wait a second, here you have a fast and quick start:
A useful method is to have your tool open while you watch a tutorial. Watch just enough to learn the next small step, then pause and try it on your own design.
And when you get stuck
You can search for that specific problem.
Find the solution, watch the tutorial or forum answer and go right back to your project.
For example, you have a title and don’t know how to do that cool type effect you find.
You can, for example, try to look for terms that describe that effect.
You can use an LLM, as Gemini or similar to put a screenshoot and make it put the words you don’t find.
And then just try to search for that in YouTube.
But this is important. The sequence should be watching a bit and then trying. Instead of trying to soak all in and then forgetting what you had to do.
Now try a 90-minute sprint:
• 15 min: Identify one visual idea in your design to animate (and sketch it with pen and paper, that easy).
• 20 min: Watch only the parts of a tutorial you need for that one move.
• 45 min: Create a first version. Keep it rough (maybe 5–8 seconds).
• 10 min: Note one thing that was difficult and one thing to improve next time.
If you do this a few times with different assets, you’ll end up with a small reel that looks like your work, because it is your work. The main goal is to “animate your design practice.”
That’s all you need for today.
And if by any chance you are looking to actually spend a bit more time and effort on starting to animate. You can check the Motion Basics for Designers short-course I just updated a few days ago.
Check the 20% discount here.