Animation works by creating the illusion of motion through the rapid display of a sequence of static images.
In traditional animation, individual hand-drawn frames, also known as “cels,” depict slight variations in a character’s or object’s position. When these frames are played in rapid succession, typically at 24 frames per second (FPS) for smooth motion in film and video, the human eye perceives them as continuous movement. Modern animation often utilizes computer-generated imagery (CGI), where digital models are manipulated to create the same illusion of motion.
The key steps in animation creation are:
- Storyboarding: Planning the sequence of scenes and actions.
- Design: Creating characters, objects, and backgrounds.
- Keyframing: Defining key poses or frames that convey the main movements.
- Inbetweening: Filling in the frames between keyframes to achieve smooth motion.
- Timing: Adjusting the duration of frames to control the speed of movement.
- Rendering: Producing the final images or frames.
- Playback: Displaying the frames in rapid succession to create motion.
These steps, whether done manually or with digital tools, form the basis of animation across various mediums, including film, television, video games, and web content.
