← Animation Glossary

Frame

In animation, a \"frame\" is like a picture that makes up a video. When many frames are played in quick succession, they create the illusion of movement, just like a flipbook. Each frame contains a slightly different image or pose of characters and objects, making the animation come to life.

Please note that Frame is not directly applicable to Brush Ninja.

When it comes to animation, the concept of frames is crucial. Without frames, there would be no animation at all. A frame is essentially a single image that makes up a sequence of images. In animation, these sequences are played in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement.

Each frame captures a moment in time and contains all of the visual information needed to create the next frame in the sequence. This means that every detail, from the position of each character to the background scenery, needs to be accounted for in each individual frame. The more detailed and intricate the animation, the more frames will be required to create a smooth and seamless sequence.

The number of frames per second (fps) is an important factor in determining how smooth the animation appears to be. Typically, more frames per second result in a smoother animation, but also require more time and resources to create. The standard rate of fps for traditional animation is 24 frames per second. However, this can vary depending on the style of animation and the specific project requirements.

One technique for creating frames is hand-drawn animation. This involves creating each frame by hand using traditional mediums such as pencil and paper or paint on cels. Hand-drawn animation has been a staple in the industry for decades, with classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Lion King being prominent examples.

As an aside - whilst the Lion King was mostly hand drawn, it did use computer animation for the stampede scene.

Computer-generated (CG) animation is another popular technique for creating frames. This involves using software programs such as Maya or Blender to create each frame digitally. CG animation has become increasingly popular over the years due to its versatility and ability to create complex visuals.

Stop-motion animation is yet another technique for creating frames. This involves physically manipulating objects or puppets and taking photographs of each individual movement or pose. When played back in rapid succession, these photographs create a seamless sequence of movement.

In conclusion, frames are an essential component in creating any form of animation. They capture every detail of a moment in time and are crucial in creating the illusion of movement. Whether it’s hand-drawn, computer-generated, or stop-motion animation, frames are at the heart of every animated sequence. The number of frames per second determines the smoothness of the animation, with more frames resulting in a smoother sequence but requiring more time and resources to create.

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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