Hello guys, today in this article, we are going to discuss what is animation and how many types of animation are there. So keep reading.
It is important to understand the stories and technologies that have influenced the animation field and contributed to the development and popularization of high technology. The cartoons and flipbooks you watched as a kid, the cute TV commercial to buy something, and even the “The Lion King” and “Toy Story” 3D movies.
By developing your 3D animation and visual effects skills, you can develop new concepts and inspiration by getting ideas from other animation styles. After all, animation is not just a movie. Games, movies, explainer videos, graphic novels, and even some models break with this tradition. As a result, your animation work can draw inspiration from anywhere.
For over ten decades, animators and video animation services have brought new styles and technologies to animation. Generally speaking, there are five types of animation. However, the five main types of animations presented here are widely used nowadays. You’ll learn from various animation theories and practices while designing your signature style while developing your animation skills, creative vision, comforts, and knowledge of the software. This article explains what animation is and categorizes the different types of animation.
What Is Animation?
Animation is the creation of photos or videos of moving objects or people to entertain and engage audiences. Animation can be done in many ways: 2D and 3D animation, live action, traditional animation, motion graphics, and stop motion.
The purpose of animation is to bring objects to life, whether they are game characters or models. To bring your creative vision to life, animations take more than effort because you need tools and technical skills. For example, if you’re not an animator by profession, you may need to hire professional video animation services.
Animation can be used for a variety of purposes in the industry. It plays a vital role in product marketing, delivering complex information to your audience in a simple way, motivating users, and educating audiences. The art of combining fun and entertainment has given animation an important and famous status.
Also, you can check: What Is Frame-By-Frame Animation?
The Five Main Types Of Animation
Here, we’ll discuss the five main types of animation widely used for various purposes.
1. Traditional Animation
Traditional animation is called cel animation in which models are hand-drawn on transparent celluloid sheets and positioned over painted backgrounds. This is an older form of animation in which an animator draws each frame to create sequence animation, just like old Disney. If you’ve ever had a flipbook as a kid, you’ll definitely know what I’m talking about. Instead, a series of rapidly appearing drawings create the illusion of movement.
When creating traditionally animated videos, the animator draws frame by frame with a pencil on a piece of transparent paper fastened to a pin. Animators usually test their animations on rough characters to check how many frames need to be drawn to see the action correctly.
The animation process for traditional animation is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, timing is critical in traditional animation, as the frames must match the audio track. After the cleanup and rest are complete, production shoots individual frames.
2. 2D Animation
Next on our list is 2D animation.
2D animation refers to vector animation, such as animation created in Flash. This style has become widespread over the past ten years, and as the technology spreads, more and more people are practicing it. So you might be wondering why we put 2D animation in a separate category. In addition to the ability to animate frame by frame, animators can also create rigs for their characters, moving parts of their bodies instead of constantly drawing them.
With after-effects, you can create complex animation rigs and use the puppet tools to control and move the body parts based on this flexibility. Unlike traditional animation, which requires drawing skills, especially if you are not good at drawing, beginners have more options for 2D animation.
3. 3D Animation
3D animation, also known as Computer Generated Images (CGI) animation, involves computer graphics to generate images to create a series of images that make up the animation. CGI can be used to represent both still and moving images quickly.
Stop-motion and 3D animation have many similarities. They deal with animating and posing models, and while they are still consistent with the stop motion approach to 2D animation, they are all digital reactions and are more controlled rather than drawn or made of clay. 3D animated models are digitally demonstrated on screen and equipped with “wireframes” that allow animators to animate and work with the models.
4. Stop Motion
Stop motion animation is similar to traditional animation, but instead of drawing, there is a clay model and manipulation kit to create the animation. Puppets, decoupage, shapes, and even mannequins can sidestep movement. Stop motion animation, like cel animation, has a style that cannot be fully replicated in other media and is labor-intensive. Stop motion can also help you better understand visual effects and 3D animation.
5. Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are considered a type of animation but different from other types of animation. The main reason is that, unlike other listings, it’s not based on characters or stories. Instead, it is the art of creatively moving graphics or text, usually for marketing purposes.
This animation can be created in 2D or 3D, often used in illustrative films, advertisements, product guides, and similar promotional videos.
Motion graphics do not include character animation but can be combined with other animation styles to create dynamic marketing videos. Motion graphics skills don’t necessarily translate to other types of animation; as they don’t require knowledge of body mechanics or acting. Still, they do require, for example, an understanding of good composition and all-important camera movement. As a result, they have specific shared characteristics.
Wrapping It Up!
Animation may be a new art method, but it is one of the most popular and fastest-growing. You can find animation everywhere, from blockbusters to popular video games, TV shows, and commercials. In fact, it has become one of the most famous art forms. Animation has grown and evolved so much over the years that it’s no surprise that there are now so wide varieties and techniques to praise.
There are no signs of deceleration. Instead, it will develop and expand, and more animations will emerge one day. This means that the animation path goes up, and there is no way to stop the animation from rising.
Author Bio:
Mack Chris is an SEO specialist with more than 5 years of experience in promoting and marketing brands in the digital world. He loves to read and share his digital marketing experience with the rest of the community. In his spare time, he enjoys drawing, sketching, playing football, and goes, swimming.