Types of Animation Today
If you are interested in visual effects and animation, one of the most important things you should do is to have a good understanding of the techniques and history that shaped the industry of animation and paved the way to the popularity and development of the advanced technology that it has become today. From the cartoons you used to love when you were still a kid to the hit movies you re-watched now that you’ve become an adult, animation plays an integral role in storytelling. As you hone your visual effects and animation skills, understanding the different principles behind the specific types of animation today can open doors to more new inspirations and ideas. Animation, after all, goes beyond the movies as it can also be seen and used in graphic novels, games, comics, and even toys. You can even find inspiration for your animation project everywhere you look. Below are the types of animation today that you can try: Celluloid or Cel Animation Cel animation is the original handwritten type of animation where the artist draws images written on a special paper and photographs them frame by frame. Traditional animation used to be the industry’s norm before the rise of the digital revolution. Learning traditional animation is an excellent skill to have, particularly if you are a fan of traditional media such as glass painting, color pencils, and water colors. The only common concern about traditional animation is the long process involved. But, don’t be put off by this style’s old-world flavor. This is because you can find lots of inspiration you can get for this type of animation. 2D Animation 2D animation is a vector-based type of animation with two notable benefits – easy to access and affordable. All you need is a basic understanding of the key frames and knowledge on using Adobe Animate CC. 3D Animation This type of animation is based on several principles and almost resembles puppetry. Here, you have to learn how you can digitally model your characters, sculpt them in perfection and give them a skeleton that can be moved and manipulated. You need to pose the models at specific frames and the rendering will be done by the computer. Stop Motion It almost resembles traditional animation. The only difference is that instead of drawing, clay models are used together with a set that you manipulate with care to produce animation. This can be done using puppets as well as silhouettes, action figures, and cut-outs. Stop motion was previously used as a special effects form for live action movies. Visual effects and 3D animation have now largely replace stop motion animation. However, some filmmakers still prefer to work exclusively with this form of animation. Motion Graphics Motion graphics is a visual effect technique involving moving graphic elements like logos or text, mainly using software programs. This type of animation works best for those who are doing multimedia projects or those who are part of the advertising industry. It is also applicable in designing the opening of movie titles. These are the types of animation today that you can try to learn and master.