The Techniques used in 2D Animation

( information Sourced from www.eHow.com and is not my own )



Animation is a sequence of frames that conveys movement. Traditionally, these have been a series of illustrations shot at 24 frames per second. Animation is a varied art form and thus the list of methods for 2-D animation has expanded well beyond pen and paper. The following is an overview of the principles of 2-D animation technique.

1. The Art of Movement

   • Will the motion snap? Will it have an attitude? Deciding how the drawings will move is the fundamental aesthetic of animation. Animation is an art form; you are free to select as unique or realistic a style as needed for the desired effect.

   Timing

   • Once you decide how the animation will move, you have to decide how much time that action will take. This is referred to as timing. To do this, you can play the action in your head and use your instinct to determine the duration. For a more precise measurement, you can use this method with a stopwatch. Some animators will act out the motion with their bodies to better understand the action they're drawing.

   Spacing

   • Next, determine how the drawings will be placed between each other. The spacing of drawings can create weight and believability when done correctly. To achieve this, remember that when more drawings are added the more time they will be seen on screen. Fewer drawings equals less time and therefore a shorter action. If the motion is at an even time, then the drawings must be spaced evenly from each other. When the motion speeds up or slows down, drawings are spaced differently in two ways: Slow In and Slow Out.

   Slow In

   • Think acceleration, similar to the action of reaching out your hand. The action starts slow 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