The animation is a simple optical illusion and is a way of ticking your eyes into thinking that a static picture is moving. If you have tried some simple animations, then you can develop your skills via an animation course and use more sophisticated techniques and materials.
The basic process of animation and the techniques are pretty much the same for all kinds of animations, but you must know the different animation types and learn more about them.
- Simple Animation
Before the film was invented, early forms of animated images were used. For example, zoetrope is a simple wheel that has many static pictures around the inside and as the wheel spins the pictures seem to appear as if they are moving.
Another example of simple animation is a flipbook; each page of the book has a picture on it, and as the pages are flipped, the pictures tend to move and create an optical illusion. While these two don’t need cameras, chuckimation and object animation make use of simple animation via a camera and inanimate objects.
- Traditional Animation
Traditional video animation is sometimes known as hand-drawn animation and many famous films in the 20th century were created using it. This was a lengthy process and required thousands of pictures to be drawn by hand on acetate sheets. Each sheet was supposed to be slightly different than the previous one and was photographed on a separate film frame.
As the film reel was played, the animation moved.
This form of animation could have been combined with live-action video by placing the sheets on top of the film. Traditional animation was famous in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
- Computer Animation
The animation world was revolutionized by the advent of computer technology. Computer animations require a wide range of techniques, but the essence of this animation is that it is created digitally. Even though different forms of computer animations have been around since the 1960’s but it has become faster and better controlled today.
Computer animations can be broken down in Digital 2D and Digital 3D. Digital 2D can be created using programs such as Cel Action, After Effects and Flash. Digital 3D makes use of programmes such as Maya to create more in-depth animation.
A digital 3D animator will create a simple skeleton and then fill it up with a digital version by building muscles, skin, hair, pores and more.
Another method used in 3D digital animation is motion capture. This method helps in giving more life to animations and actors are filmed doing actions and speeches, and their motions are captured and placed on the animation.
- Motion Graphics
Motion Graphics is a kind of animation that does not require knowledge of body mechanics or acting at all, however; it requires some common attributes of animation such as good composition and proper camera motion.
Motion Graphics involves animating texts, images and video clips using keyframing that is editing in order to make a smooth motion between each frame. However, the process of creating motion graphics depends entirely on the programs used. The reason behind this is that video editing software has different settings and UI, but the process is the same.
- Stop Motion
Stop Motion animation can be denoted to any animation that makes use of objects photographed in one sequence in order to create an animated action. The process of Stop Motion is very long as each object has to be moved very carefully, inch after inch while photographing even the slightest change.
- Claymation
One of the most popular forms of Stop Motion is Claymation. This includes playing with play-doh or clay characters so that they can be easily manipulated for animation.
Puppets
Some animators make use of puppets instead of clay animators; these puppets are built upon skeleton rig, and the faces of the characters can be changed easily by being replaced.
- Cut-Out
This is another popular form of stop motion. This makes use of cardboard character or construction paper characters and placing them on a paper and then shooting the animation from the top. An example of this animation is how South Park was made before switching to computers.
The cardboard is then moved a little to help create the illusion of movement.
Conclusion
Some other form of Stop Motion animation is Lego, pixelation, and silhouette. You can easily learn about these animations by taking courses and buying books. You can also take help from Vidnado which is an animated video company to help with your animations and video making presentations.