Animation is the art of photographing or creating images using a program to create a series of images that form a motion picture. There are various types of animation, from traditional types to digital ones. Traditional animation includes stop motion and cel animation, among others, whereas digital animation includes 2D or vector animation and 3D animation. Another type of digital animation is called motion graphics.
2D animation is defined as using vectors to create an animation, where the artist can control, resize, and move the character being animated. 3D animation is the form of animation that most animated films use today. 3D animation is also called computer animation, and is described as the artist using a computer program to animate the characters or objects.
All forms of animation take a long time to produce a motion picture. Traditional animation may seem to take longer due to the fact that the artist must draw or paint each frame out, but even in 3D animation with the use of a computer program, the artist must still create the entire scene and the characters, and manually move the different pieces to create motion.
Animation in general has been around since the late 1800’s, but due to technological advances, 3D animation is able to produce stunning motion pictures. Since the 1920’s, animated films have become a large part of the film industry, especially with the work of Disney. Disney started making films in stop motion, but now you can watch a Disney film that was created using 3D animation, such as Coco or The Lion King. We’ll have to see what is in store for animation in the future, and whether new advances in technology and AI will create ways to make animations even faster.
These articles have given me a better understanding of animation and the various traditional and digital types of animation processes. I personally find myself more interested in the traditional forms of animation, but that may just be my personal aesthetic for vintage looking works.
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