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Keyframe

A keyframe is a special moment in an animation where you decide how a character or object should look and move. It's the start or end of a movement.

Animation is an art form that has been around for decades. It has evolved from hand-drawn images to computer-generated graphics, but the basic principles remain the same. One of the most important aspects of animation is keyframes. A keyframe is a significant point of change in an animated sequence that helps create a smooth and fluid motion.

In traditional animation, keyframes were drawn by hand. The animator would draw the starting and ending points of an action or movement, and then other artists would fill in the frames between these two points, a process called inbetweening, or tweening. This process was time-consuming and required a lot of skill and talent. However, with modern technology, keyframe animation has become much easier.

In computer-generated animation, an animator will create a set of keyframes that represent the beginning and end of an action or movement. The software will then automatically generate the frames between each keyframe to create a smooth motion. The animator can then use a graph editor to edit these inbetween frames to achieve the desired effect.

One of the benefits of using keyframes in animation is that it allows animators to create complex movements with precision and accuracy. For example, if an animator wanted to create a character walking, they would create keyframes for each step. The software would then generate the frames between each step to create a natural-looking walking motion.

Another benefit of using keyframes is that it allows animators to easily make changes to their animations. If they want to adjust the timing or speed of an action, they can move the keyframes around to achieve the desired effect.

Keyframes are not just for motion, they can animate properties as well. For example, if an animator wanted to create an explosion, they could use keyframes to control the size and shape of the explosion as it grows and dissipates.

Overall, keyframe animation is an essential aspect of creating high-quality animations. It allows animators to create complex movements with precision and accuracy while also providing them with flexibility and control over their animations. With modern technology, keyframe animation has become much easier and more accessible, making it possible for anyone to create stunning animations.

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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