← Animation Glossary

Composition

Composition is the arrangement of the different elements of an image to make something attractive. Just like how an artist chooses where to put different colors on their canvas, animators choose where to put each part of their animation so that it looks nice and tells a story.

Composition in animation is an essential part of creating visually engaging stories that convey the intended message effectively. It is a technique used to arrange visual elements within a frame or scene in a way that creates depth and dimensionality. When done correctly, it can help elevate the quality and impact of an animation.

One of the key aspects of composition in animation is framing. This involves selecting the appropriate camera angle and distance to capture the scene effectively. The chosen frame should be able to capture the important elements of the scene and convey the intended message effectively.

Another important technique used in composition is the rule of thirds. This involves dividing the frame into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, with important elements placed at the intersections. The rule of thirds helps to create balance within the frame while also guiding the viewer’s eye towards important elements.

Balance is another crucial element in composition. This involves distributing visual elements evenly across the frame to create a sense of harmony. A well-balanced scene can help draw viewers’ attention to important elements within the frame.

Contrast is another technique used in composition that can be used to create visual interest and draw attention to specific parts of the frame. This involves using contrasting colors, shapes, and textures to make certain elements stand out.

Overall, composition plays a vital role in creating visually appealing animations. When done well, it can help convey emotions, set moods, and guide viewers’ attention towards important elements within a scene. Animators who understand the importance of composition are better equipped to create animations that resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact.

Animation Terms

2

2D Animation

3

3D Animation

A

Alpha Channel

Ambient sound

Animation

Anti-Aliasing

Anticipation

Aspect Ratio

B

Bezier Curve

Bitmap

Blue Screen

Bone Animation

Bounce

Broadcast Standards

C

Camera Angle

Camera Shake

Casting

Cel Animation

Character Animation

Character Design Sheets

Cinematic lighting

Claymation

Clean-up

Close-up

Color Correction

Color Grading

Compositing

Composition

Concept Art

Continuity editing

Cross-cutting

Cut

Cutout nimation

D

Depth of Field

Dialogue

Dissolve

Distributed Rendering

Dolby Atmos

Dope Sheet

Dutch Angle

E

Easing

Emitter

Exaggeration

Eyedropper

F

Foley

Follow through

Forward Kinematics

Frame Rate

Frame

Framing

Freeze Frame

G

Ghosting

GIF File Format

Golden Ratio

Graph Editor

H

High key lighting

Hue and Saturation

I

Inertia

Infographic Animation

Inverse Kinematics

J

Joint

JPEG File Format

Jump cut

K

Keyframe Interpolation

Keyframe

Kinetic typography

L

Layers

Lens distortion

Level of Detail

Lighting

Line of action

Lip syncing

Low key lighting

M

Match cut

Matte painting

Montage

Morphing

Motion blur

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Motion path

Motion trail

Mouth shapes

MP3 File Format

MP4 File Format

N

Network rendering

Non-linear editing

O

Occlusion culling

Onion skinning

Overlapping action

P

Pan

Parallel rendering

Particle system

Persistance of Vision

Phonemes

Playback speed

Plot

PNG File Format

Pose-to-pose animation

Props

Puppet animation

R

Render farm

Rendering

Resolution

Rigging

Rotoscoping

Rule of thirds

Run cycle

S

Safe zone

Scene

Score

Screenplay

Script

Shot

Silhouette

Skeletal animation

Slow Motion

Smears

Sound Design

Sound effects

Soundtrack

Special Effects

Split screen

Squash and Stretch

Staging

Stop Motion Animation

Storyboard

Straight-ahead Animation

T

Time Remapping

Timeline

Timing

Title Card

Title Sequence

Tracking shot

Tweening

V

Vector graphics

Visemes

Voice acting

Voice-over Narration

W

Walk cycle

WebM File Format

Weighting

Wide shot

Z

Z-depth

Zoom

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