Many thanks to the identification of a unique visual perception among humans by Hugo Münsterberg, an American of German origin in 1916, the phi phenomenon ushered the technique of animation in visual media. Later, Walt Disney, the innovative genius practically enriched it with amazing results. Since then, this scientific art has made great strides and today, it could be viewed in varied modes such as the basic and conventional single dimension, 2D (two-dimension) and 3D (three-dimension).
Even drab themes which otherwise would have put a reader or a watcher and the audience to sleep have turned out to be lively when presented in animated versions. Capitalising on this trump card, academicians promptly gave a serious thought to impart lessons to students through animation. Indeed, it has worked wonders and the rest is history. Thus one can easily judge the powerful visual influence of animation on human minds. An animated illustration can catch the imagination of even a year old tiny tot!
In due course, application of colours and complex motions became value added features in animation. Further with the advent of DTP (desk top publishing), amazing software like Paint Brush emerged on the scene and since then, the animation techniques have not looked back with series of vector graphics based packages developed by brilliant designers of software. In other words, a 2D animation character design in digital presentations has created an overwhelming impact among the viewers, and it is heavily used in custom e-learning solutions.
Among the techniques used in 2D digital animation are interpolated morphing, onion skinning and interpolated rotoscoping. In rotoscoping, the animators trace the live action movement, frame by frame while in onion skinning an illustration is projected in several frames instantly depending on the pattern and sequence as deemed apt by the animator or video editor.
2D animation has many applications, including analog computer animation, Flash animation and PowerPoint animation. As such there is a great demand for high quality 2D animation design services that only a reputed company or a competent professional animator can offer. It may also be noted that any particular portion of even still photographs can be animated in GIF mode and these are known as cinema graphs.
Digital animation industry is one of the fastest growing industries. Apart from the cable and satellite-linked telecasts, animation has made its presence felt on the internet too. Initially, animation series like Walt Disney’s productions, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Shrek, etc. were meant for under-teeny bopper children but in the present era, TV producers have been coming up with programmes for teenagers, adults and even the entire family. News channels have confirmed that interludes with animated satires on the clan of politicians are greatly welcomed by the viewers, the ones with a sense of humour in particular.
In addition to the mass and new media, animation techniques have found wide applications in e-learning content development services and digital games such as PC-Man, Pokemon, Monster Farm, Power Stone and Detective Conan. More broadly speaking, animation is increasingly used in video games, and movies are also increasingly reliant on animation and computer graphic special effects.
