Types of Animation

1. Traditional animation

2. 2D Vector based animation

3. 3D computer animation

4. Motion graphics

5. Stop motion

1. Traditional Animation:

Traditional animation, sometimes referred to as cell animation, is one of the older forms of animation, in it the animator draws every frame to create the animation sequence. Just like they used to do in the old days of Disney. If you’ve ever had one of those flip-books when you were a kid, you’ll know what I mean. Sequential drawings screened quickly one after another create the illusion of movement.

About Traditional Animation

In traditional animation, animators will draw images on a transparent piece of paper fitted on a peg using a coloured pencil, one frame at the time. Animators will usually do test animations with very rough characters to see how many frames they would need to draw for the action to be properly perceived. Timing is extremely important in traditional animation, since the frames has to fit the soundtracks exactly, as such the animation process of traditional animation can be lengthy and costly. Once the clean-up and in-between are complete, the production would step over to photographing each individual frame.

Software

Photoshop

Photoshop is sometimes skipped when considering an animation software, but in reality its powerful drawing capabilities makes it one of the best choices for frame by frame Disney-style animation. Photoshop’s timeline functionality allows animating by drawing frame by frame, using onion skinning and is incredibly robust.

 

2. 2D Animation (Vector Based)

This style has become very popular in the last decade with the increasing amount of people doing it due to the accessibility of the technology. Flash is cheap and easy to use. Such are other vector based animation programs. 2D animation can be done in After Effects too.

About 2D Animation

2D animation is mostly referred to any key framed animation that is produced on a flat surface, but can also refer to vector animations that adopts the techniques of traditional animation.

Cell animation is often most thought of when talking about 2D animation, and the process is often lengthy and complicated. The technique is the same as in traditional animation, but when the animations and in-between are done, the frames are brought over to a process called ink-and-paint.

There the people in charge of inking and painting the frames, places a plastic sheet of celluloid on top of the transparent paper containing the animated characters, and then proceed to copy the frames on the celluloid. This way frames can overlay each other because of the complete transparency of celluloid, which makes it easier to place multiple characters and props on top of a background.

Vector based animations, meaning computer generated 2D animations, uses the exact same techniques as traditional animation, but the benefits is the lack of physical objects needed to make traditional 2D animations apart from a computer.

Software

Adobe Flash

Probably the most popular 2D animation software out there. Flash has a long lineage of animation making, even before it was purchased by Adobe. Flash is vector based, which I don’t personally like, but it’s very intuitive to work with (as most Adobe’s products are) and relatively cheap.

3. 3D Animation (CGI, Computer Animation)

3D animation works in a completely different way than traditional animation. They both require an understanding of the same principles of movement and composition, but the technical skill set is very different for each task. while in the past you had to be an amazing drafts man to be an animator, with computer animation that is not the case. 3D animation is more similar to playing with puppets rather than drawing.

About 3D Animation

3D animation, also referred to as CGI animation, is made by generating images using computer graphics that create a series of images that forms an animation. CGI means Computer Generated Images, so it can easily mean both static and dynamic images using computer graphics.

The animation techniques of 3D animation has a lot of similarities with stop-motion animation, as they both deal with animating and posing models, and still conforms to the frame-by-frame approach of 2D animation, but is a lot more controllable since it is all digital feedback.

Instead of drawn or constructed with clay, characters in 3D animations are digitally modelled on screen, and then fitted with a ‘skeleton’ that allows animators to animate the models for their use.

Animation is done by posing the models in certain key frames, which the computer will then calculate and perform a ‘tweening’ animation that is interpreted by the computer in each frame between the key frames.

When the modelling and/or animation is complete, the computer has to render each frame individually, which unlike 2D or stop-motion animations, can be very time consuming depending on the quality of the images and the quantity of polygons in the scene.

a 3D animator will spend most of their time looking at curves that represent the movement of different body parts over time.

Another big difference with 3D animation is that unlike traditional animation, the character’s body parts are always present and should be taken to consideration.

I’ll explain:

When animating in 2D, the character has to be drawn from every frame. When the character is viewed from the side, half of its body isn’t shown and thus isn’t drawn. It technically doesn’t exist. It’s drawn on a flat page and there isn’t really more of the character other than what the animator draws.

With 3D though, the character’s body parts always exist in the shot. Even when one hand isn’t visible, it’s still there. That adds some work for the animator, since we need to be aware of the entire character at all times.

The last major difference with 3D animation is the frame rate. Traditional animators usually work on 2’s which means they draw a new drawing every 2 frames, and thus having one drawing last for 2 frames. With 3D animation, however, the motion is always smooth (except for stylised pieces which intentionally try to look different) and having a character stop completely looks like a mistake.

Even when the character is standing still there should always be some sign of life or gentle movement to keep the illusion of life, this is something 2D animation can get away with much more easily than 3D animation.

Software

Autodesk Maya

Maya is the industry standard 3D software, used in most large studios. Maya, Soft image and 3D Max are all a part of Autodesk and work quite similarly. Choosing one is a matter of personal and technical preference.

4. Motion Graphics (Typography, Animated Logos)

While still considered a form of animation, motion graphics is a rather different from the other types of animation. Mostly because unlike the other types on our list it is not character or story driven. It’s the art of creatively moving graphic elements or texts, usually for commercial or promotional purposes.

About Motion Graphics

It’s the art of creatively moving graphic elements or texts, usually for commercial or promotional purposes. Think animated logos, explainer videos, app commercials, television promos or even film opening titles.

The skills for motion graphics don’t necessarily translate to the other types of animation, since they don’t require knowledge of body mechanics or acting, but they do have some attributes in common such as understanding good composition and the all important camera motion.

The process of creating Motion Graphics depends on the programs that are used, since video editing software’s often have different UI or settings, but the process is the same. Motion Graphics usually involves animating images, texts or video clips using key framing that are tweened to make a smooth motion between frames. These programs also supports scripts that will automatically alter the animations to various preferences that are required. Motion graphics also often uses particle systems to create various effects. It is basically points in 3D and 2D space that is shown as texts, images or visual effects. The particle effects are made with emitters that digitally produces lights, surfaces, or a disassembling animation.

Motion Graphics are simply flat-based images or 3D objects that are given the illusion of motion, accompanied with music or sound effects. This technique is often used for multimedia projects.

Software

Adobe After Effects

After effects is the most common software for motion graphics. It is the software that streamlined motion graphics and made it so much easier to make.

It’s new integration with Cinema 4D made it the ultimate tool to make the best looking videos (with ot without 3D) for any commercial use.

5. Stop Motion (Claymation, Cut-Outs)

Stop motion is done by taking a photo of an object, and then moving it just a little bit and taking another photo. The process is repeated and when the photos are played back one after another they give the illusion of movement. This is similar to traditional animation but it uses real life materials instead of drawings.

About Stop Motion

Stop-Motion animation can be referred to any animations that uses objects that are photographed in a sequence to create a animated action.

The process of Stop-Motion animation is very long, as each object has to be carefully moved inch by inch, while photographing every change, to create a fluid sequence of animation.

Claymation

One of the most popular form is Claymation. Working with clay or play-doh characters that can easily be manipulated for animation. Advanced claymation (such as The Never hood or Armikrog) uses metal skeletons on which the clay is then moulded for more sturdy rigs.

Puppets

Some animators would use regular Puppets instead of clay one, usually also built upon some sort of skeleton rig. The faces of the characters can be replaced based on the expression, or be controlled within the rig.

Cut-Out

Another popular form of stop motion is Cut out. Using construction paper or cardboard characters and placing them on a paper while shooting the animation from above (That’s how South Park was made before they switched to computers.) The cardboard is then moved a little each frame to create the illusion of movement.

Silhouette

Similar to cutout animation, silhouette animation uses cardboard or some kind of flat material, but the objects are all black and the shot is depicted with silhouettes only. This is one of the oldest forms of stop motion and is rarely used today.

Action Figures / Lego

Some use action figures or lego characters for animation. This genre is very popular on YouTube with many channels dedicated to creating funny skits with lego characters. Robot Chicken is a great example of that. They use famous action figures to make fun of pop culture.

Pixelation

Pixelation is a form of stop motion that uses real people and real environments to create unreal videos. It uses the stop motion method of taking a still photo, moving things around, and then taking another photo, but the subject matter is usually real people instead of puppets.

Software

Dragonframe

If you’re planning on making a professional stop motion video, Dragon frame is the best tool for the job. Its comprehensive software can be used with many different attachments, such as devices that control the camera, lights and even camera focus.

It gives the user complete control over the lighting of the shot with an option to program the dimming of the different lights over a period of time. It comes with a keypad controller for easy control of the photo taking process, and for flipping between frames.