Understand the Techniques and Development of 2D Animation
Techniques: traditional 2D animation (flick book, cel animation, rotoscoping, drawn on film, photographic stills); digital techniques for 2D animation (2D bitmap graphics, 2D vector graphics); application software, eg Flash, After Effects, Anime Studio, Toon Boom Studio, PowerPoint.
Techniques: traditional 2D animation (flick book, cel animation, rotoscoping, drawn on film, photographic stills); digital techniques for 2D animation (2D bitmap graphics, 2D vector graphics); application software, eg Flash, After Effects, Anime Studio, Toon Boom Studio, PowerPoint.
What is Animation?
Animation is the process of displaying still images in a rapid sequence to create the illusion of movement. These images can be hand drawn, computer generated, or pictures of 3D objects.
The three main types of animation are traditional, stop motion, and computer generated. These can be used to make both 2D and 3D images.
Traditional 2D Animation
This involves drawing every frame of a film by hand. Afterwards they are photographed or scanned into a computer and then combined with sound on film. The process is extremely time-consuming, as they have to produce around 24 drawings per second of film, however it is generally much cheaper. This requires a team of artists, cleanup artists, painters, directors, background artists, and film/camera crews, along with the storyboard artists and scriptwriters to help and work out the original concepts. These are the different types of animation:
Flip Books
Flipbooks are the oldest form of animation and also the easiest to produce. For Flipbooks, you create a series of images on paper that are almost the same as each other, but not quite. You then flip the pages rapidly and you get the impression of animation. Flip Books became one of the biggest selling optical toys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although Frenchman Pierre-Hubert Desvignes had the idea for what he called ‘Folioscopes’ around 1860, it was the English printer John Barnes Linnett who patented a design in 1868 for the Kineograph.
Cell Animation
Cel animation is a transparent sheet, which objects are drawn or painted on for traditional, hand-drawn animation. It is extremely time consuming and requires a lot of organisation and attention to detail. The lead animator makes rough sketches of the key frames in a scene and the assistant animator takes those roughs and cleans up the line work, possibly creating some of the in-between drawings. These sheets are passed on to the in-betweener, who draws the rest of the action on separate sheets in order to complete the action established by the animator's key frames. Once the drawings are done, a pencil test is done to check all that all the movements flow and nothing is missing.
Cel animation is a transparent sheet, which objects are drawn or painted on for traditional, hand-drawn animation. It is extremely time consuming and requires a lot of organisation and attention to detail. The lead animator makes rough sketches of the key frames in a scene and the assistant animator takes those roughs and cleans up the line work, possibly creating some of the in-between drawings. These sheets are passed on to the in-betweener, who draws the rest of the action on separate sheets in order to complete the action established by the animator's key frames. Once the drawings are done, a pencil test is done to check all that all the movements flow and nothing is missing.
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping is an animation technique when animators trace over footage, frame by frame, for use in things like animated films. The technique was invented by cartoonist/illustrator/writer/inventor Max Fleischer, who used it in his, 'Out of the inkwell' animated series. He was legendary animator, director and inventor. He revolutionized animation in the early 20th Century and for future generations of VFX technicians by developing this technique. An animation stand called a Rotoscope was used to project a sequence of action frames against a surface so that a set of animation frames could be traced or created. The same work can now be done with digital images and special computer software.
Rotoscoping is an animation technique when animators trace over footage, frame by frame, for use in things like animated films. The technique was invented by cartoonist/illustrator/writer/inventor Max Fleischer, who used it in his, 'Out of the inkwell' animated series. He was legendary animator, director and inventor. He revolutionized animation in the early 20th Century and for future generations of VFX technicians by developing this technique. An animation stand called a Rotoscope was used to project a sequence of action frames against a surface so that a set of animation frames could be traced or created. The same work can now be done with digital images and special computer software.
Draw-on Film
Drawn-on-film animation is a type of animation that's drawn directly on the film reel. Drawn-on-film animators can use either blank (undeveloped) or black (developed) film in any sizes; which they use determines their technique. The first and best-known practitioners of drawn-on-film animation include Len Lye, Norman McLaren and Stan Brakhage. For example this is a Simpsons sketch.
Drawn-on-film animation is a type of animation that's drawn directly on the film reel. Drawn-on-film animators can use either blank (undeveloped) or black (developed) film in any sizes; which they use determines their technique. The first and best-known practitioners of drawn-on-film animation include Len Lye, Norman McLaren and Stan Brakhage. For example this is a Simpsons sketch.
Digital techniques for 2D animation
Bit Maps
Bitmap images are also known as raster images that are made up of pixels in a grid, which are small dots of colours. Together these form what is seen on the computer screen. All scanned images are bitmap images, and also all photo's taken with a digital camera are bitmap images. Common bitmap formats include BMP (Bitmap File Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and also JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group).
Examples of bitmap graphics are a digital photograph or a scanned image.
Bit Maps
Bitmap images are also known as raster images that are made up of pixels in a grid, which are small dots of colours. Together these form what is seen on the computer screen. All scanned images are bitmap images, and also all photo's taken with a digital camera are bitmap images. Common bitmap formats include BMP (Bitmap File Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and also JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group).
Examples of bitmap graphics are a digital photograph or a scanned image.
2D Vector Graphics
Vector Graphics are created in graphics packages and consist of shapes. They can edit each object separately; for example they can change the shape, colour and size. They are used to create graphics such as interface elements like banners, buttons, text, line art and detailed drawings (plans, maps).
Vector Graphics are created in graphics packages and consist of shapes. They can edit each object separately; for example they can change the shape, colour and size. They are used to create graphics such as interface elements like banners, buttons, text, line art and detailed drawings (plans, maps).
To produce different types of animation they will have to use application software, however there are different types of software animators can use.
Some animators use 'Adobe Flash', it is a multimedia and software platform used for creating vector graphs, animation, games and Internet applications. It uses vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings and still images. Other animators may use Anime Studio; this is a registered vector-based 2D Animation software for animators, which comes in two different versions, named ‘Anime Studio Debut’ and ‘Anime Studio Pro’. Mike Clifton developed this software originally “Moho” since 1999. The features contained camera movement, supports layered Photoshop files, includes timeline with key frames and tweening of layer and vector shapes.
Another software that could be used would be Toon Boom Animation; this is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production software. It was founded in 1994 and it is based in Montreal. The software develops animation and storyboarding software for film, television, web animation, games, mobile devices, training applications and education. They have 'Toon Boom Studio' which is aimed at home users rather than professional animation studios and also 'Toon Boom Animate' is aimed at professional animators, boutique studios, students and educators.
Some animators use 'Adobe Flash', it is a multimedia and software platform used for creating vector graphs, animation, games and Internet applications. It uses vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings and still images. Other animators may use Anime Studio; this is a registered vector-based 2D Animation software for animators, which comes in two different versions, named ‘Anime Studio Debut’ and ‘Anime Studio Pro’. Mike Clifton developed this software originally “Moho” since 1999. The features contained camera movement, supports layered Photoshop files, includes timeline with key frames and tweening of layer and vector shapes.
Another software that could be used would be Toon Boom Animation; this is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production software. It was founded in 1994 and it is based in Montreal. The software develops animation and storyboarding software for film, television, web animation, games, mobile devices, training applications and education. They have 'Toon Boom Studio' which is aimed at home users rather than professional animation studios and also 'Toon Boom Animate' is aimed at professional animators, boutique studios, students and educators.