Monday, September 27, 2010

Tej Kohli Explains 2D Animation Techniques

Tej Kohli Animation Career Blog explains the basic 2D animation techniques...

Animation, be it 2D or 3D, is a string of frames that imparts movement. Traditional animation comprised of a sequence of illustrations shat at 24 frames per second. The art of animation is varied and that's why the list of 2D animation methods has gone far behind paper and pencil. Give below is the overview of 2d animation techniques and principles.

The art of movement – one of the basic aesthetics of animation is deciding the motion of the drawings. Will it snap, or will it have an attitude, this is up to an animator to select any realistic or unique style he likes to bring about the desired effect.

Timing – once you have decided the movement of the animation, the next step is to decide how much time to allot to that action. This process is known as timing. In order to accomplish this, an animator can enact the action in his head and determine the duration using his instinct. If you want to have a more precise measurement, try this technique using a stopwatch. You may also act out the motion yourself to get a better understanding of what you are drawing.

Spacing – spacing means determining how the drawings will be placed between each other. When done in a right manner, the spacing of illustrations can create weight and believability. This do this, always remember that when you add more drawings, the longer they will be seen on the screen. While a fewer drawings takes less time, they imply a shorter action. If the motion takes place at equal intervals, then the illustrations must be spaced equally from each other. As the motions speeds up or slows down, drawings can be spaced accordingly - slow in and slow out.

Slow In - Think acceleration the same way as the action of reaching out your hand. The actions begins at a slow pace but gets faster as your hand accelerates upward. This is executed by padding drawings together at the beginning of the action, showing longer onscreen, to using fewer frames, father apart as the action completes, thus the ending is appearing for less time onscreen.

Slow Out - This is a term for deceleration. The action starts fast and ends slowly, creating a slow out. At the start, drawings are placed father apart from each other, with many drawings padding the end of the action. This creates a slowing effect.

Key Frames - These are usually the first frames drawn, and represent the major points of action. Key framing the animation is a general way of laying down a foundation of the most important poses. The biggest benefits to using key frames is the ability to see if the animation works with a relatively low drawing investment. As a note, not all animators use key frames, as it can make animation look stiff or unnatural. It also depends largely on preference.

1s, 2s, 3s, 4s - Animation is recorded at 24 frames per second. The term 1s, 2s and so on refers to how many frames are shot per drawing. If each drawing were shot only once, a 1 to 1 ration of one drawing to one frame shot, this would mean the animation was shot on 1s. If each drawing was shot twice, one drawing for every two frames, would be called 2s, and etc. Contrary to popular opinion most animation is not shot on 1s, but rather 2s unless the action needs to be particularly smooth as in dancing or an underwater scene.

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