← Animation Glossary

Motion trail

A motion trail is a cool effect that shows the path of an object as it moves on the screen.

A motion trail is created by displaying a series of ghost images or “frames” of an object as it moves through space. Each frame is slightly transparent and offset from the previous one, creating a motion trail effect that shows the path of the object’s movement. The motion trail also helps in visualizing the speed and momentum of an object.

Motion trails are often used in video games to show the path of a moving object, such as a bullet or a character. They can also be used in animation to create a sense of speed and motion. They are closely related to Motion Blur.

The creation of motion trail effects requires an understanding of timing and spacing in animation. Timing refers to the number of frames that are used to depict a specific action, while spacing refers to the amount of distance and speed covered by an object between each frame. By adjusting both timing and spacing, animators can create realistic and visually appealing animations.

In addition to traditional animation, motion trails have become increasingly popular in video game development. In video games, motion trails are often used to display the path that a player has taken or to show where an enemy is moving on the screen. These make the motion easier to see, especially in fast-paced games where objects move quickly.

Motion trails are a popular technique for animators who want to create exciting animations that look realistic and visually engaging. They provide a clear understanding of how objects move through space and time, helping animators create animations that feel natural and believable. With their many applications in animation, motion trails will continue to be an important part of the animator’s toolkit for years to come.

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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