Basic Animation Concepts

There are some basic parts, terms, and concepts that make animations work.

Stills, Frames & Key Frames

Frame Rate

KEYFRAME

TWEEN

KEYFRAME

• STILLS, FRAMES AND CELS all refer to a single image used in an animation
  • Frames appear on the animation timeline

• KEY FRAMES are specific frames within an animated movement that define the action
  • Animating key positions first can help animators get the character where they want it to go

• TWEENS are the frames that fill in the gaps in between the key frames
  • Animating between key frames helps make the animation smoother
  • The more tweens you add, the smoother the motion

8 frames at 8 fps

8 frames at 15 fps

• FRAME RATE is the number of frames played per second
• Changing the frame rate will change the speed at which the animation moves
• If you add more tweens as you increase the frame rate, the animation will appear smoother
• The standard frame rate for animation is 24 fps

Illusion of Motion

6 Keyframes No Tweens, 15 fps

Same keyframes with two tweens between each keyframe, 15 fps

• The illusion of movement occurs when frames maintain consistent visual touchstones for your brain to connect 
• Animators use small adjustments between frames to create a fluid, illusion of movement.
• When frames jump from one position to another without tweens to help smooth out the motion, the results do not feel like animation - they read more like a slideshow.

Animation Programs

STOP MOTION STUDIO

PREMIERE RUSH

ADOBE FRESCO

The animation programs we will use in this class are Stop Motion Studio, Premiere Rush, and Adobe Fresco.

STOP MOTION STUDIO is a stop motion capture animation program geared toward web-based outputs with smaller file sizes. It is great for frame-by-frame animation. The output from Stop Motion Studio can be a looping GIF or a video file.

PREMIERE RUSH is a light version of a video editing program that allows you to add sound to your already captured content. It is great for keying out a green screen or adding a soundtrack. The output is a video file.

PHOTOSHOP is a video editing program that allows you to edit already captured still images. This program would allow you to erase rigging you don't want to see in your finished animation.

FRESCO is a digital drawing program that has animation features built in. It can be used to create text overlays, digitally drawn animated items that can appear to interact with the physical items you sculpt.

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