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Persistance of Vision

"Persistance of Vision" is a scientific theory that explains how our eyes and brains work together to make it seem like cartoons are moving when they're really just a lot of still images shown quickly one after the other.

Please note that Persistance of Vision is not directly applicable to Brush Ninja.

The concept of persistence of vision has been used in animation for over a century. It is the foundation for all animation techniques, including hand-drawn, stop-motion, and computer-generated animation.

Hand draw animation

In traditional hand-drawn animation, an animator creates a series of still images on separate sheets of paper. Each image shows a slight change in position or expression. These drawings are then photographed in sequence and played back at a fast enough rate to create the illusion of movement.

Stop motion animation

Stop-motion animation works in a similar way. Instead of drawing images, animators use physical objects that can be moved slightly between frames. For example, clay figures can be manipulated and photographed one frame at a time to create the illusion of movement.

Computer-generated animation

Computer-generated animation uses persistence of vision as well. Animators create 3D models and then move them slightly between frames. The computer software then renders the frames into a video file that can be played back to create seamless motion.

Frame rate and motion blur also play an important role in Persistence of vision. The frame rate determines how many frames are shown per second. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the motion appears to the viewer. Motion blur is created by showing each frame slightly blurred at the edges to simulate how our eyes perceive objects in motion.

While persistence of vision is essential for creating animation, it is not perfect. The human eye has a limited frame rate, meaning it cannot perceive individual images that appear and disappear too quickly. This can lead to problems with flickering or stuttering animations if the frame rate is too low.

In recent years, advances in technology have allowed for even more realistic animations by increasing frame rates and improving motion blur techniques. Virtual reality and augmented reality have also pushed the limits of animation by requiring even higher frame rates to maintain immersion.

In conclusion, persistence of vision is a key concept in animation that allows animators to create the illusion of movement through exploiting how our eyes perceive images. It has been used for over a century in various animation techniques, including hand-drawn, stop-motion, and computer-generated animation. Advances in technology have allowed for even more realistic animations, and the demand for high-quality animation continues to grow in various industries.

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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