Animation Basics
Great animation follows fundamental principles derived from traditional animation. Understanding these concepts will elevate your motion graphics from functional to captivating.
Key Concepts
Anticipation
- Preparatory motion before main action
- Pull back before moving forward
- Helps audience anticipate what's coming
Force
- Weight and momentum in motion
- Heavy objects accelerate slowly, decelerate slowly
- Light objects snap quickly
Depression (as written in notes)
- Squash effect on impact
- Objects compress when force is applied
- Recovery bounce after compression
Match Cuts
- Visual continuity between scenes
- Match position, shape, or color
- Creates seamless transitions
Deform
- Squash and stretch for organic movement
- Puppet tool for character deformation
- Mesh warp for fluid distortions
Tips & Best Practices
- Study real-world physics — drop a ball and watch how it bounces
- Exaggerate anticipation for more dynamic animations
- Use Easy Ease (F9) as a starting point, then refine in Graph Editor
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