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.
19,970 people do this job in the US. $102,030 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 92%
- 0%
- 8%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 3%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 12% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | 0%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | 0%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Script, plan, and create animated narrative sequences under tight deadlines, using computer software and hand drawing techniques.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 12% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1 work week | 1%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 1 work day3.3 h to 3.1 work days | 6%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| 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.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.3 work days4.2 h to 3.1 work days | 3%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | 49%Half by now | |
| Develop briefings, brochures, multimedia presentations, web pages, promotional products, technical illustrations, and computer artwork for use in products, technical manuals, literature, newsletters, and slide shows.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | 9%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Implement and maintain configuration control systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Assemble, typeset, scan, and produce digital camera-ready art or film negatives and printer's proofs.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Create pen-and-paper images to be scanned, edited, colored, textured, or animated by computer.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 2% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Convert real objects to animated objects through modeling, using techniques such as optical scanning.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).