← Animation Glossary

Depth of Field

Depth of field in animation is the amount of distance between the closest and farthest objects in a scene. It is used to change how blurry objects are depending upon how far they are from the camera. This helps create a sense of realism and can be used to draw attention to certain parts of the scene.

Please note that Depth of Field is not directly applicable to Brush Ninja.

In animation, Depth of Field (DOF) can be used to add a cinematic feel to a scene. It can also be used to create a sense of scale and distance by emphasizing the size of objects in relation to their surroundings. For example, if an animator wants to show a character walking down a long hallway, they might use a shallow DOF to blur out the walls and focus only on the character, creating a feeling of distance.

Depth of field is also useful in creating mood and atmosphere in a scene. A shallow DOF can be used to create a dream-like or romantic feel, whereas a deep DOF can create a sense of clarity and realism. By carefully controlling the depth of field, animators can make their scenes more visually appealing and enhance the emotional impact of their stories.

In addition to camera settings, DOF can also be controlled through post-processing techniques such as compositing and depth maps. These techniques allow animators to adjust the depth of field after the scene has been rendered, giving them greater flexibility and creative control.

One challenge with using DOF in animation is balancing realism with artistic expression. While a deep depth of field might be more realistic, it may not always be the best choice for telling a compelling story or creating an emotional impact. Likewise, too much blurring or focus on irrelevant details can detract from the overall effect of the scene.

Ultimately, the effective use of depth of field in animation requires careful consideration of factors such as camera settings, storytelling goals, and artistic vision.

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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