An animator is one who is involved in the process of animation. How this person actually creates animation depends on the field in which he or she works.

Some fields in which an animator may work:

• Motion pictures
• Television
• Video games
• The Internet

Among the specialized categorizations of animators are character animators (artists who specialize in character movement, dialogue, acting, etc.) and special effects animators (who animate anything that is not a character; most commonly vehicles, machinery, and natural phenomena such as rain, snow, and water).