Animation Concepts

Whether it's an animated GIF for your Web page or the latest box office blockbuster, all animations are basically the same. The concept involves rapidly displaying a series of images, or frames , so that the human eye is fooled into seeing one long, continuously moving picture.

In movies, for example, each frame is captured on film and is then displayed on a screen, using a movie projector. Each frame is displayed for a very short time, followed by the next frame, and so on.

In animated GIFs, a digital artist uses computer software to create each frame. The frames are then displayed, using other software such as a Web browser. Because each frame is rapidly displayed in succession, the person viewing the animation sees one continuous movie.