COURSE DESCRIPTION

Animation is the process of transforming still images into moving images. When still images are displayed rapidly on media, such as film or video, they create the illusion of motion.

Animators are digital artists with competencies that include conceptual design, drawing, creative development, and curiosity. They also use animation tools and software.

The following list offers a glimpse of the tools animators use:

1. 3ds Max (Autodesk). This commercial animation software tool allows digital artists to produce 3D animations, including developing models and rendering them into 2D or 3D images.
2. After Effects (Adobe). Digital artists can use this commercial tool to add visual effects and motion graphics elements to film, TV, video, online content, presentations, and more.
3. Animate (Adobe). Users can create animations across multiple media, from cartoons and banner ads to interactive content for games, TV shows, academic content, and infographics.
4. Blender (The Blender Foundation). This free open source 3D graphics creation suite offers a comprehensive feature set to create animations, digital art, visual effects, 2D and 3D models, and more.
5. Cartoon Animator 4 (Reallusion). Digital artists across TV, film, web, and game development using this versatile animation tool can create 2D animation with 3D motion.
6. Character Animator (Adobe). Digital artists can use their own movements and expressions to create animated characters in real time.
7. Dragonframe (DZED Systems). The advanced image capture interface of this tool is popular among digital artists in the movie industry for stop motion animation, motion design, and visual effects.
8. FlipBook (DigiCel). Whether drawing with a stylus and tablet or using pen and paper, this animation software offers digital artists intuitive tools to create 2D animations.
9. Maya (Autodesk). This commercial software provides digital artists with a comprehensive platform and an extensive feature set, including modeling, simulation, and rendering, to create 3D computer animations.
10. Moho Pro 13 (Smith Micro). Formerly known as Anime Studio, this vector-based 2D animation software gives digital artists various tools to create animations and cartoons, including 2D and 3D characters.
11. Moovly (Moovly). The novice and expert can use this cloud-based software to create animated videos and videos with animated graphics for various applications, including marketing and training.
12. OpenToonz (Digital Video SpA). This software tool allows digital artists to create 2D animations. As open source software, it’s free to use, anyone can modify its source code, and it’s frequently updated.
13. Pencil2D. For digital designers interested in using traditional drawing techniques, this open source software allows users to create 2D cartoons using both bitmap and vector graphics.
14. PhotoMirage (Corel). Corel, the developer of the world’s first full-featured graphics suite, continues to build innovative tools. For example, PhotoMirage is an animation tool that enables users to combine still images with motion graphics.
15. Piskel. This free online editor allows digital artists to create animations reminiscent of the pixel art in video games created in the 1980s.
16. Powtoon (Powtoon).This cloud-based animation software for digital artists and amateurs alike in business, education, and other sectors allows users to create animated explainer videos, demos, and presentations.
17. Spine (Esoteric Software). For digital artists interested in gaming, this software offers users the tools to create 2D animation for games, as well as 3D effects.
18. Stop Motion Studio (Cateater). This software provides an intuitive interface. Its features include frame-by-frame editing to allow digital artists of all ages to create stop motion movies using a desktop or phone app.
19. Synfig Studio. Open source software such as Synfig Studio provides users with a host of features to create 2D vector-based animations, and it’s free to use.
20. Harmony 20 (Toon Boom). This popular 2D software tool includes end-to-end features to enable digital artists to create animations, from conception to final production.
21. TVPaint Animation (TVPaint Development). For animators who may want to draw on paper, this 2D software, based on bitmap technology, allows artists to create animations using traditional and digital methods.

Animation History and Its Impact

In the early 1900s, the United States experienced significant shifts in the labor market, the economy, politics, and society. These shifts changed the U.S. role on the international stage and helped fuel attitudes that were reflected in animation of the period. Examples include the following:

• Progressive Era. The economy recovered shortly after the Panic of 1893, which ended in 1897. This gave rise to consumerism, which the entertainment industry helped to fuel during the Progressive Era, between 1900 and 1929. Women’s organizations, labor groups, social welfare associations, and investigative journalism were also on the rise.
• Immigration. Over 15 million immigrants arrived from Europe between 1900 and 1915, according to the Library of Congress. This helped change the demographics of many regions in the country. The immigration of the time also introduced new cultures and ideas.
• War. The U.S. became an imperial power in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions. The country also entered the First World War in 1917, demonstrating its military might and cementing its global presence.

Animation production often involved clay figures and puppetry. For example, an animator would take a picture of a clay figure, move it a little, and then take another picture. The process was repeated hundreds and thousands of times until an animator had achieved the targeted amount of film. Then when the images were played back in rapid succession, the viewer perceived the clay figure as moving. This process is an early form of stop motion animation, a technique also used in filmmaking in the early 20th century.

Source: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/animation-tools/