mastering motion graphics terminology.pdf

8/19/2019 Mastering Motion Graphics Terminology.pdf

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Mastering

Motion Graphics

TerminologyLaura Smith

August 7, 2014 5:08 am

If you’re new to the world of motion graphics one of the best ways to get

up and running is to become familiar with some terminology you’ll likelyencounter on your journey to becoming a great motion designer. Use this

list to jump-start your motion graphics vocabulary or as a […]

If you’re new to the world of motion graphics one of the best ways to get

up and running is to become familiar with some terminology you’ll likely

encounter on your journey to becoming a great motion designer. Use this

list to jump-start your motion graphics vocabulary or as a reference guide

for terms that need a quick refresh in your mind.

2D, 2.5D, & 3D

These 3 topics refer to the different types of space that an image or

object can occupy. With 2D images, there ‘s simply a flat image with no

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visible depth. With 2.5D images, there is now a 3D space available that

the image can be placed within. However, the image still appears flat, as

if on a card. Think of a diorama styled image. With a 3D image the object

has been created in 3D space with full three dimensional capabilities and

the ability to orbit the object without seeing a paper-thin edge as with2.5D images.

Adjustment Layers

An adjustment layer is a type of layer that’s used to apply effects to

multiple layers at once. Whenever you apply an effect to a layer the

effect applies only to that particular layer. With an adjustment layer theeffect created on the adjustment layer can exist independently of the

other layers. So for instance, if you create an adjustment layer, the effect

applied to the layer will affect any of the other layers below it. If the

adjustment layer is at the bottom of the layer stack then it will have no

effect on the composition.


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Alpha Channel

A channel reserved for transparency data, Alpha channels are most

familiarly represented as a black and white image. Gray areas will show a

semi transparent area. The channel is used as the method for bringing

two images together and specifying how the images will overlay each

other. Learn more about about compositing from the first volume of our

Mastering VFX Terminology series.

Animation & Transformation

In motion graphics, you’ll mostly see transformation animations. This

refers to changes in the position, rotation, scale, anchor point or axis andopacity properties. Traditional animation is executed in a very different

manner, where the animation isn’t achieved through editing these

simplified properties above, but rather hand-drawing each frame of the

sequence. Both of these can be considered methods of animation for

motion graphics, but traditional animation requires more knowledge of

real-world movements to be convincing.

Bevel or Fillet

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Bevels and Fillets are synonymous. They’re a slanted edge between two

faces on a 3D object. Bevels help to make an object have a softer

appearance. When applied subtly, bevels can be the first step to making a

3D object appear more realistic, since objects in the real world don’t truly

exist with 90° angles. You can add bevels in After Effects when using the

Ray-traced 3D renderer.

Bokeh

In video and photography, bokeh is the effect produced by a lens upon

out of focus parts of the picture. Bokeh most commonly appears as light

areas of the image that show up in the shape of the aperture opening of

the camera. Learn more about creating bokeh in Photorealistic Camera

Lens Effects in After Effects.

Camera Pan or Orbit

Camera pan and camera orbit are synonymous. They both mean that the

camera is set to a fixed position in space such as it would be on a tripod.

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The camera is then rotated but remains rotating from that fixed axis.

Learn more about creating cameras in After Effects with our Introduction

to 3D in After Effects course

Camera Track

This term can mean two things. It depends on if you’re referring to the

movement of the camera itself, or if you’re referring to analyzing and

recording the movements of the camera for a compositing purpose.

When referring to the movement of the camera, tracking refers to

actually moving the camera, whether that be in/out, side to side or up

and down. The camera would be physically moving its position in space.

Another definition of Camera Track, is when you use software to track

the position of the camera. The track will be based on the input settings

of the camera used to shoot the video, and the motion that is visible

within the actual video. This is then used to input new imagery into the

original footage. Learn to do this with our Integrating 3D Titles into

Footage in NUKEX course.

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Cel

The term cel is actually short for celluloid. It’s a transparent plastic sheet

upon which hand-drawn animations are created. The “cel” refers to a

single drawing in the sequence of the animation. Learn more about

drawing cels in Traditional Animation Techniques in Toon Boom

Harmony.

CINEWARE

CINEWARE is an effect inside After Effects that acts as a bridge between

CINEMA 4D and After Effects. It allows the compositing workflow to be

sped up by allowing the artist to render only once out of After Effects. Itcan also be used to import and integrate assets between the two

software. CINEWARE is a completely different entity from CINEMA 4D

Lite. Learn the basics of CINEWARE with Getting Started with CINEWARE

in After Effects.

Collapse Transformations

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Collapse Transformations is a switch in After Effects that applies to

composition layers. When it’s checked on it has the ability to allow

settings and properties within the composition layer to interact with the

elements in the main composition. This will allow things like 3D depth to

become visible, blending modes to blend with things outside of theircomp and smoothing vector layers nested within the comp. Learn more

about this switch in the article, One Switch to Rule Them All.

Composition

A composition is the basic building block of the video. A typical

composition will contain multiple layers of things like video, images and

audio. Think of a composition as a container for all the elements you

want to edit together. You can also string multiple compositions together

as well.

Compositing

Compositing is the process of combining two or more images to make

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one single image. Sometimes there are layer-based setups and

sometimes there are node-based setups.

Continuously Rasterize

Vector graphics in After Effects will be treated as pixel graphics until the

continuously rasterize switch is checked. This switch will make vector

layers look clear, no matter how the layer has been scaled up or down, or

moved one way or the other in 3D space. This switch is also the same

switch as the Collapse Transformations switch. It will exercise different

functionality based on if it’s checked for a composition or a vector

footage layer. To learn more about this switch check out One Switch to

Rule them All.

Dependencies

Dependencies are the relationships which After Effects has with footage

sources outside of the program. There is a Dependencies button which

will allow you to perform different actions based on how much or little

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footage you want to keep referenced in your project. It will also allow

you to collect all your files into one place for better organization.

Ease In, Ease Out & Easy Ease

This refers to one of the 12 animation principles which are mentioned

very often in the motion graphics world. Ease in refers to the gradual

acceleration, and ease out refers to the gradual deceleration of a

movement. Since nothing in the real world really gets up to full speed

instantly or slows down instantly the same idea can be applied to your

motion graphic’s animation. Easy Ease is an interpolation type that will

allow ease in and ease out of the same keyframe. The object will both

slow into the position defined by the keyframe and gradually ease out

gaining speed over time. Check out Demystifying Keyframe Interpolation

in After Effects for a comprehensive look into these keyframe types. To

learn more about the animation principles you will likely encounter as a

motion designer check out the 5 Animation Principles Every Motion

Designer Needs to Know.

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Effects & Presets

The Effects & Presets section of After Effects is where you’ll find all sorts

of configurations of different properties you can effect for your footage.

If you want to change the color temperature of something, you can do

that with an effect. A preset is a few effects added together usually with

included keyframes that will cause a specific action to happen to your

footage. Check out this course for using assets and effects together.

Expressions

Expressions are a type of script that calculates a value for a single layer at

a specific point in time. Expressions are widely used in the motiongraphics world because expressions can be used to automate simple

animation tasks that would otherwise take much too long with traditional

keyframe animation. For instance, you could use an expression to make a

circle rotating at a set rate, for a set number of frames without having to

spend the time to hand animate the movement. You can also save an

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expression as a preset so you can use them on different layers and

compositions. After Effects Expressions Made Easy is the perfect

introduction to working with this powerful tool.

Flow Chart

The flowchart exists for each project or composition, individual boxes

represent each composition, footage item, and layer. Directional arrows

show the relationships between the boxes. These are a great way to see

how your compositions are nested within each other.

Footage

After Effects footage refers to anything that has been imported to the

project panel that is not a composition.

Frames

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Frames are the individual images that make up a moving sequence. When

these images are played back at a certain speed the movement is

created. The speed at which these images are displayed is determined by

the frame rate. The sequence can be something animated by hand,

created on the computer or even a live action shot.

Frame Rate

Frame rate is the rate at which frames are played back per second. The

smaller the amount of frames per second the choppier the animation will

look. Some common frame rates are 23.976 frames per second, 24 fps,

25fps, 29.97fps, and 30fps

Graph Editor or F Curves Editor

The Graph editor is a two dimensional representation of the interpolation

between keyframes. The points on the graph are represented by

keyframes and the curves or lines on the graph show either the speed or


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change in value over time. Check out Mastering the Graph Editor in After

Effects for an in-depth look at using this great tool.

Green Screen

A green screen is used to shoot live action footage that a compositor will

later use as a tool to remove the green background from the live action

foreground. It makes the compositing process much easier because it

greatly reduces the need to rotoscope around moving objects that need a

transparent background. Keying Greenscreens in After Effects is the

perfect place to start learning how to use this compositing tool.

Interpolation

Interpolation is the process of calculating the values between two

keyframes. There are different methods of interpolation that will change

either the path an object will take to move from one keyed position to

the next, or it will effect the speed at which the object travels. Different

types of interpolation denote different types of real-world movement.

Check out the course Demystifying Keyframe Interpolation in After

Effects or the article Swift Moves and Slow Stops to learn more.

Interpret Footage

When a sequence is imported to a compositing or editing program it’s

nothing more than a series of frames. When it’s brought into the

software, its frame rate and alpha settings must be interpreted. Therewill be default settings applied automatically but they’re not always the

intended settings.

Keyframes

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Keyframes mark a specific point in time where a significant change

happens. In motion graphics this can be a keyframe that marks the start

and end of an effect or used to create animated movement, like text

flying into the composition or different graphical elements being

animated. Typically there will need to be two keyframes needed to create

movement. The first keyframe will mark the point in time where you

want the movement or effect to start, and a keyframe at the end which

marks the moment in time when the effect or movement should end.

Depending on the complexity of the effect or animation there can be just

two keyframes or hundreds used on a single layer.

Layers

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You’re probably familiar with layers if you’ve ever used a program like

Photoshop or Illustrator. When you’re creating motion graphics you’ll

most likely be working in After Effects, which handles layers basically the

same way. A single layer can hold anything from graphics, text, effects,

shapes, etc. Depending on the how the layers are stacked on one another

will determine how they appear in the composition. For example, if you

have a red background layer above a bicycle graphic layer then the

bicycle graphic would not be visible. In order to create complex motion

design you will often be working with numerous different layers to create

the finished project.

Layer Styles

Layer styles are effects that can be applied to images to create simple

changes like bevels, drop shadows, and glows.

Masking


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Masking is the process of drawing a specific area that will cut away a part

of the image making it transparent.

Mograph & Motion Graphics or Motion Graphic

Motion Graphics are animated graphics or video footage designed to be

used for communication. Overtime they have evolved into not only being

communication devices but also simply an avenue to create short

animated works of art. Motion Graphics are usually shorter than an

animated movie and less character focused. However, as time goes on

the gray area between these two fields continues to broaden. Mograph is

sometimes a shorthand term for motion graphics, however, it is also a

tool set in CINEMA 4D that is used in the making of motion graphics.

Motion Blur

Motion blur is the blurring that happens to an image when it is moving so

quickly that the camera does not capture all of the information

happening between frames, therefore resulting in a streaking effect.


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Motion blur can be a tool used to make quick animations more visually

appealing by making them appear less choppy and more realistic. Check

out our CG101: Compositing lesson to learn more.

Motion Graphics Artist vs. Motion Graphics Designer

A motion graphics artist and a motion graphics designer are both people

who create motion graphics. In practice there’s not a very big difference

between an MGA and an MGD. You may find however that MGDs dislike

being referred to as MGAs. The reason for this is that the word design has

a more thoughtful and premeditated connotation than the word art.

Therefore some MGDs, especially formally trained ones, may be offended

when referred to as an artist rather than a designer.

Nested Composition

A nested composition is a composition that exists within another

composition. However it’s usually not referred to as a nested

composition until it’s at least 3 levels deep within the composition

structure. Check out our article, Wrap Your Brain Around Nested

Compositions in After Effects to learn more.

Null

A Null is an invisible object that doesn’t show up in the final render. It

does however have all the same inherent properties and can be treated

as other layers are in a workflow. It can be used as a control or aplaceholder and is a very useful tool when creating a camera rig.

Onion Skinning

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Onion skinning is a tool in 2D-traditional animation to create animated

drawings in a sequence. This tool will allow you to see multiple frames at

once which will make drawing the next pose easier to interpret. Learn

more about the whole process and how onion skinning is a vital player in

Traditional Animation Techniques in Toon Boom Harmony.

Pen Tool

The pen tool allows you to create points which have curves connecting

them to make a shape. The shape created can then be used to do many

different things like select certain areas, isolate areas or just draw a

shape to be used as an animated object.

Parallax

Parallax is the phenomenon which occurs when viewing a scene that has

images close to the viewer and far from the viewer. Parallax will cause

the images that are closer to the view to move more quickly than those

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that are far away. Even the most simple parallax is one of the first steps

to creating depth in an animated scene.

Parenting

Parenting is the action of linking one layer to another. Whichever layer is

“parented” will become the child and copy the movements of the

“parent”.

Paths

A path consists of segments and vertices. The segments refer to the

linear curve, and the vertices refer to the individual points the curves

connect to. These paths can be used to create different shapes, and can

be animated. For instance, you can use an animated path to make the

curve appear as if it’s being drawn directly onto the video.

Path of action

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The path of action of an object is the path which an object travels along

to get from one keyframed space to another.

Playhead or Current Time Indicator

The Playhead of Current Time Indicator is a line which represents which

point in time on the timeline one is currently viewing. You can scrub the

playhead to quickly see the animation without having to render or

preview the scene.

Precomposing

Precomposing is the process of combining multiple layers to be placed

into a new composition.

Puppet Tool

The puppet tool is used to create animations by a series of pins and

keyframes. It’s a simple way to create an easy rig for a 2D image.

Real-Time Preview

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Rotoscoping is the process of drawing over the frames of an image to

follow along with a moving image. It’s used in VFX to cut images away

from their background to create a transparent background that can be

filled in with the new composite.

Sequence

A sequence is a series of images called frames that flow together to

create an animation. When looking at a sequence it appears to be a long

list of files, but when brought into an editing software and properly

interpreted it will play back like video footage.

Sprite

A sprite is frames of an animation all captured into one consolidated

container. The sprite can then be used and reused in various areas of a

whole composition.

Timecode

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The timecode is a type of display in After Effects showing the exact time

in a composition in hours, minutes, seconds and frames. For example, the

timecode in the screenshot above that says 0:00:26:13 is 0 hours, 00

minutes, 26 seconds, and 13 frames. This is great for being able to see

the exact moment an effect occurs or where exactly a layer’s effect ends.

Timeline or Dope Sheet


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The timeline is an interactive interface found in a program like After

Effects that displays all of the important information like the frames in

the sequence, the layers within the composition, as well as audio and

video information, and where the layers can be trimmed, and effects can

be added. This is also the area where you will create and edit the

keyframes for an effect or animation on a specific layer. The dope sheet is

now another name for the timeline (in other programs besides After

Effects) but it was originally a way for animators to view where their

animations were located in time before computers were used to manage

this information.

Trim

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Motion tracking is the process of recording the position, rotation, and/or

scale data of a moving object in video. By tracking the motion of an

object, new objects or effects can be added to the composite. Motion

tracking can also be used to create a stabilization in footage that is shaky.

Tween

In Flash, the area between the two keyframes where the data is being

interpolated is called a tween. It’s derived from the word “between”.

Typography

Typography is the technique for arranging type. Sometimes typography is

well done and easy to read which is the goal, but sometimes

typographers explore less perfect forms of arranging to communicate

other ideas with the type.

Vector vs. Raster Graphics

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Vector Graphics

A vector graphic is the most common graphic type found in motion

graphics and typically come from Illustrator. A vector graphic is based on

paths or stokes which lead to different control points which make up the

graphic. Each one of these points has a definitive position on the work

plane. Vector graphics are popular because you can scale it up or down

and it never loses quality.

Raster Graphics

Pixel-based raster graphics will typically come from a program like

Photoshop. These graphics are made up of individual colored squares

(pixels) which are all assigned a specific location and color value. The

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amount of pixels that make up a graphic is determined by the resolution.

So this means if a bitmap graphic is scaled up or down it can lose quality.

With motion graphics vector based images are typically used more often,

but there are still times when a bitmap graphic is very useful.

Work Area

The work area is the bar in the timeline area that allows one to focus on

different parts of their video. This may be for rendering or previewing a

specific part of the video or just wanting to focus on a particular area for

editing without the distractions of other elements at other points on the

timeline.

That’s a Wrap

Now that you have a basic understanding of the terminology you’ll likely

come into contact with, you should have more confidence as you start

creating your own motion graphics work. To learn more about motion

design check out the After Effects motion graphics tutorials.

http://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorialshttp://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorialshttp://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorials


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Vector Graphics

A vector graphic is the most common graphic type found in motion

graphics and typically come from Illustrator. A vector graphic is based on

paths or stokes which lead to different control points which make up the

graphic. Each one of these points has a definitive position on the work

plane.

Vector graphics are popular because you can scale it up or down and it

never loses quality.

Raster Graphics

Pixel-based raster graphics will typically come from a program like

Photoshop. These graphics are made up of individual colored squares

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(pixels) which are all assigned a specific location and color value. The

amount of pixels that make up a graphic is determined by the resolution.

So this means if a bitmap graphic is scaled up or down it can lose quality.

With motion graphics vector based images are typically used more often,

but there are still times when a bitmap graphic is very useful.

Frames

Frames are the individual images that make up a moving sequence. When

these images are played back at a certain speed the movement is

created. The speed at which these images are displayed is determined by

the frame rate. The most common frame rate is 24 frames-per-second,

meaning 24 individual images are displayed over one second. However,

depending on the output the frames-per-second may vary.

Trim

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Trimming refers to the process of cutting out segments of a layer by

removing frames from the beginning or end. This is a process which is

used very often when a layer’s effect or animation is no longer important.

For example, a layer may be needed for a few seconds of the sequence,

but after those few seconds it doesn’t serve a purpose. So instead of

having the layer be calculated the entire time, you can trim the frames

back to the point where the layer’s effect ends.

Real-Time Preview


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A real-time preview allows you to play back the entire composition,

including all the effects directly in the program without having to render

out the sequence. In After Effects this is called a RAM preview. While it’s

definitely faster than rendering, depending on the length of the video,

and the quality of the real-time preview it can take anywhere from a few

seconds, to a few minutes.

Timecode

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The timecode is a type of display in After Effects showing the exact time

in a composition in hours, minutes, seconds and frames. For example, the

timecode in the screenshot above that says 0:00:26:13 is 0 hours, 00

minutes, 26 seconds, and 13 frames. This is great for being able to see

the exact moment an effect occurs or where exactly a layer’s effect ends.

Layers


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You’re probably familiar with layers if you’ve ever used a program like

Photoshop or Illustrator. When you’re creating motion graphics you will

most likely be working in After Effects, and After Effects handles layers

basically the same way. A single layer can hold anything from graphics,

text, effects, shapes, etc. Depending on the how the layers are stacked on

one another will determine how they appear in the composition.

For example, if you have a red background layer above a bicycle graphic

layer then the bicycle graphic would not be visible. In order to create

complex motion design you will often be working with numerous

different layers to create the finished project.

Adjustment Layers


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An adjustment layer is a type of layer that is used to apply effects to

multiple layers at once. Whenever you apply an effect to a layer the

effect applies only to that particular layer. With an adjustment layer the

effect created on the adjustment layer can exist independently of the

other layers.

So for instance, if you create an adjustment layer, the effect applied to

the layer will affect any of the other layers below it. If the adjustment

layer is at the bottom of the layer stack then it will have no effect on the

composition.

3D Layers


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When creating motion graphics in a program like After Effects the basic

graphics you manipulate are flat two-dimensional layers. With a 3D layer

the layer itself remains flat, but it gains additional properties like

position, anchor point, scale, and rotation. Any layer can be a 3D layer,

creating the illusion something is 3D when it’s actually 2D.

Keyframes


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Keyframes mark a specific point in time where a significant change

happens. In motion graphics this can be a keyframe that marks the start

and end of an effect or used to create animated movement, like text

flying into the composition or different graphical elements being

animated.

Typically there will need to be two keyframes needed to create

movement. The first keyframe will mark the point in time where you

want the movement or effect to start, and a keyframe at the end which

marks the moment in time when the effect or movement should end.

Depending on the complexity of the effect or animation there can be just

two keyframes or hundreds used on a single layer.

Timeline


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The timeline is an interactive interface found in a program like After

Effects that displays all the important information like the frames in the

sequence, the layers within the composition, as well as audio and video

information, and where the layers can be trimmed, and effects can be

added. This is also the area where you will create and edit the keyframes

for an effect or animation on a specific layer.

Expressions

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Expressions are a type of script that calculates a value for a single layer at

a specific point in time. Expressions are widely used in the motion

graphics world because expressions can be used to automate simple

animation tasks that would otherwise take much too long with traditional

keyframe animation.

For instance, you could use an expression to make a circle rotating at a

set rate, for a set number of frames without having to spend the time to

hand animate the movement. You can also save an expression as a preset

so you can use them on different layers and compositions.

Ease In and Ease Out


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This refers to one of the 12 animation principles which are mentioned

very often in the motion graphics world. Ease in refers to the gradual

acceleration, and ease out refers to the gradual deceleration of a

movement. Since nothing in the real world really gets up to full speed

instantly or slows down instantly the same idea can be applied to your

motion graphic’s animation. In After Effects this can be quickly achieved

with an Easy Ease keyframe.

To learn more about the animation principles you will likely encounter as

a motion designer check out the 5 Animation Principles Every Motion

Designer Needs to Know.

Paths

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A path consists of segments and vertices. The segments refer to the

linear curve, and the vertices refer to the individual points the curves

connect to. These paths can be used to create different shapes, and can

be animated. For instance, you can use an animated path to make the

curve appear as if it’s being drawn directly onto the video.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the key terms you will likely

come into contact with you will have more confidence as you start

creating your own motion graphics work. To learn more about motion

design check out the After Effects motion graphics tutorials.
http://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorialshttp://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorialshttp://www.digitaltutors.com/software/After-Effects-Motion-Graphics-tutorials

mastering motion graphics terminology.pdf

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