Basic Animation Concepts

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

Stills, Frames & Key Frames

Frame Rate
Picture
KEYFRAME
Picture
TWEEN
Picture
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
Picture
8 frames at 8 fps
Picture
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

Picture
6 Keyframes No Tweens, 15 fps
Picture
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

The animation programs we will use in this class are Animate, After Effects, and Premiere.

ANIMATE is a character animation program geared toward web-based outputs with smaller file sizes. It is great for frame-by-frame animation. The output from Animate can be a looping GIF, a web-based SWF file, or a video file.

AFTER EFFECTS is a motion graphics program that adds special effects and motion to video and still assets. It is best for motion graphics, moving logos, integrated video and motion-tweened effects. The output is a video file.

PREMIERE is a video editing program that allows you to edit already captured video assets, stills, and sound. The output is a video file.