Hi all. So I'm going to animate at 30fps, and I'd like to know some times at this frame rate for basic actions, such as turning around, walking, saying hello and other viseme/phoneme stuff, sitting down, that kind of thing if that makes sense. Is there any resource that explains these things for a starting point as I put in key frames?
Animation: Basic Action times?
- Thread starter Deleted member 6981614
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- Jun 12, 2021
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I hope it helps.
What is FPS?
FPS (Frame per second, fps) ― the number of frames per second. It shows how often the frames in the video sequence change. In another way, it is called frame rate - the frame rate. And a very close concept is "Hertz" (frequency per second).
But in the wilds of animation, as always, everything is not so simple. Let's try to understand this issue from a professional point of view in order to avoid confusion at work.
A short historical excursion
With the development of the film industry, the standard of the film feed rate to the projector of 24 fps was adopted. This number of frames gave a smooth, detailed image of the action and synchronized with the speed of the audio track. Later, with the advent of television, the standard of 25 k/s and 30 k/s was adopted.
The frequency of 24, 25 and 30 frames per second were found experimentally, during the exposure time, the image manages to be imprinted on the retina of the eye for a sufficient amount of time, so we see smooth movement. Now in Russia and in Europe, the video playback standard is 25 fps, in the USA ― 30 fps.
Ones, twos, threes
Animation, both hand-drawn and puppet, was also filmed on film and obeyed the general rules. By inertia, the first animators did an honest 24 phases for one second of the film.
This technique is called "on ones" ("on ones") and it is the most labor-intensive.
A fragment of the cartoon "Gertie the Dinosaur", 1914
Later, when animation began to be put on the conveyor, it became clear that it was necessary to speed up and reduce the cost of the process somehow. The animators began to shoot 12 phases twice, which became a compromise between smoothness of movement and optimization of labor costs. Subsequently, this method was called "on twos" animation.
A fragment of the cartoon "Steamboat Willie", 1928
So, we found out that there is a difference between the number of frames per second that the animator draws and the number of frames that the projector reproduces. In the modern world, any video file can be called a "projector", because it always contains a frame rate playback setting. For example, the final video file of a stop motion movie will in most cases be 24 or 25 frames per second, despite the fact that animators will shoot, for example, 12 pictures (phases) for one second. I think we have figured out the difference between the concepts of "fps" and "phases per second".
Modern frame rate standards
With the advent of digital technologies, formats have become much more numerous. Now we can easily set any FPS in our video: from 0.001 to hundreds of frames per second.
As for animation, different techniques require different frame rates. For example, for the gaming industry, you may need to animate in 30 or 60 phases per second, while classic frame-by-frame animation still often uses about 12 images per second.
The pioneers of animation could not even dream of the technologies that we now possess. We've become just FPS gods.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins. 30 FPS vs. 60 FPS
How do I choose FPS for a project?
The choice of fps before starting work depends on the task. In most cases, animators use the 24 frames per second standard. It makes it possible to vary the length of the frame throughout the scene within this amount. For example, let's draw 12 drawings and put them in 2 (on twos), or draw 8 and stretch them in 3 (on threes). The initial stage of working on the scene can be in wide strokes of 3 frames per second and it will be an animation on eights. It is extremely rare for fans to draw all 24 frames, and they will not require this from you in production.
8 FPS vs 12 FPS vs 24 FPS ｜ Thunder Breathing in 3 different frame rates
You can then immediately set 12 fps, you say, and I will answer you, in general yes, but it is better not to do this, because you will limit yourself in this way, 12 fps will not allow you to add additional phases, and you will be limited to 1 \ 12 seconds.
Of course, the question is, what kind of animation do you want to do? Classic or 3D, a shift or stop motion, in a program or made of plasticine, subtle and close to realism or limited, conditional and stylized? The answers to these questions will help you decide which FPS to choose.
FPS and timing
The industry has come to the conclusion that the most effective way to work is ― this is a combination of animations on twos, threes and fours, sometimes, if necessary, you can switch to ones, then returning again to twos and threes. This technology is the best compromise in the interests of beauty of movement and acceleration of production.
When you start choosing how long to extend a particular frame inside 25 frames, at that moment you think about timing. The longer the frame stays on the screen, the more it will stand out and become an accent. This choice will determine what impression your animation will make on the viewer.
Today we will talk with you about such an important concept as FPS (frame per second). This article will be useful for novice animators and video artists who have not yet fully figured out the intricacies of this issue.
What is FPS?
FPS (Frame per second, fps) ― the number of frames per second. It shows how often the frames in the video sequence change. In another way, it is called frame rate - the frame rate. And a very close concept is "Hertz" (frequency per second).
But in the wilds of animation, as always, everything is not so simple. Let's try to understand this issue from a professional point of view in order to avoid confusion at work.
A short historical excursion
With the development of the film industry, the standard of the film feed rate to the projector of 24 fps was adopted. This number of frames gave a smooth, detailed image of the action and synchronized with the speed of the audio track. Later, with the advent of television, the standard of 25 k/s and 30 k/s was adopted.
The frequency of 24, 25 and 30 frames per second were found experimentally, during the exposure time, the image manages to be imprinted on the retina of the eye for a sufficient amount of time, so we see smooth movement. Now in Russia and in Europe, the video playback standard is 25 fps, in the USA ― 30 fps.
Ones, twos, threes
Animation, both hand-drawn and puppet, was also filmed on film and obeyed the general rules. By inertia, the first animators did an honest 24 phases for one second of the film.
This technique is called "on ones" ("on ones") and it is the most labor-intensive.
A fragment of the cartoon "Gertie the Dinosaur", 1914
Later, when animation began to be put on the conveyor, it became clear that it was necessary to speed up and reduce the cost of the process somehow. The animators began to shoot 12 phases twice, which became a compromise between smoothness of movement and optimization of labor costs. Subsequently, this method was called "on twos" animation.
A fragment of the cartoon "Steamboat Willie", 1928
So, we found out that there is a difference between the number of frames per second that the animator draws and the number of frames that the projector reproduces. In the modern world, any video file can be called a "projector", because it always contains a frame rate playback setting. For example, the final video file of a stop motion movie will in most cases be 24 or 25 frames per second, despite the fact that animators will shoot, for example, 12 pictures (phases) for one second. I think we have figured out the difference between the concepts of "fps" and "phases per second".
Modern frame rate standards
With the advent of digital technologies, formats have become much more numerous. Now we can easily set any FPS in our video: from 0.001 to hundreds of frames per second.
As for animation, different techniques require different frame rates. For example, for the gaming industry, you may need to animate in 30 or 60 phases per second, while classic frame-by-frame animation still often uses about 12 images per second.
The pioneers of animation could not even dream of the technologies that we now possess. We've become just FPS gods.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins. 30 FPS vs. 60 FPS
How do I choose FPS for a project?
The choice of fps before starting work depends on the task. In most cases, animators use the 24 frames per second standard. It makes it possible to vary the length of the frame throughout the scene within this amount. For example, let's draw 12 drawings and put them in 2 (on twos), or draw 8 and stretch them in 3 (on threes). The initial stage of working on the scene can be in wide strokes of 3 frames per second and it will be an animation on eights. It is extremely rare for fans to draw all 24 frames, and they will not require this from you in production.
8 FPS vs 12 FPS vs 24 FPS ｜ Thunder Breathing in 3 different frame rates
You can then immediately set 12 fps, you say, and I will answer you, in general yes, but it is better not to do this, because you will limit yourself in this way, 12 fps will not allow you to add additional phases, and you will be limited to 1 \ 12 seconds.
Of course, the question is, what kind of animation do you want to do? Classic or 3D, a shift or stop motion, in a program or made of plasticine, subtle and close to realism or limited, conditional and stylized? The answers to these questions will help you decide which FPS to choose.
FPS and timing
The industry has come to the conclusion that the most effective way to work is ― this is a combination of animations on twos, threes and fours, sometimes, if necessary, you can switch to ones, then returning again to twos and threes. This technology is the best compromise in the interests of beauty of movement and acceleration of production.
When you start choosing how long to extend a particular frame inside 25 frames, at that moment you think about timing. The longer the frame stays on the screen, the more it will stand out and become an accent. This choice will determine what impression your animation will make on the viewer.
- Aug 17, 2019
- 5,379
- 8,646
Go on YouTube and turn on a reference video. Something you'd like to attempt animating. Starting from 0:00, press the ">" key. This will make the video go frame-by-frame. Try and copy those. Each frame is a keyframe. They tend to work pretty good at establishing your idea.