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The differences between animation artists and production artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an animation artist, becoming a production artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an animation artist has an average salary of $80,929, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.
The top three skills for an animation artist include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.
| Animation Artist | Production Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $80,929 | $61,870 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $29.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,822 | 59,103 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Animation artists or animators are skilled professionals who create multiple images that form animation, which can be seen in movies, commercials, television programs, and video games. To produce those illusions of movements, animation artists must use several animation software such as Maya, AfterEffects, and Photoshop. They must collaborate with graphic designers and editors to create animations for the entire show. Animation artists must also create high-quality animations by producing expressive characters that can portray a wide range of emotions.
A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
Animation artists and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animation Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average salary | $80,929 | $61,870 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $125,000 | Between $40,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Media | - |
There are a few differences between an animation artist and a production artist in terms of educational background:
| Animation Artist | Production Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between animation artists' and production artists' demographics:
| Animation Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |