From the course: After Effects CC 2021: Character Animation Essential Training

Principles of animation - After Effects Tutorial

From the course: After Effects CC 2021: Character Animation Essential Training

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Principles of animation

- [Instructor] Simply put, animation would not be what it is without the introduction of Disney's 12 Basic Principles. These principles can be used to help bring characters to life with appeal and sense of real world physics. While this movie is by no means a comprehensive study, here we'll look at a few that you should consider as you set your key frames. Squash and stretch. To many, this is considered to be the main principle, where a character or object elongates when in motion and compresses on contact with other objects. Giving elasticity to an object or a character can greatly portray that it has weight, volume, and operates with a sense of real world physics. Follow through and overlapping action. Follow through is basically what happens to an object after it stops, while overlap sees various parts move at different rates. If I had to explain it to my five-year-old, it's like pushing a plate of jello. When it comes to a stop, there's that little bit of jiggle before it settles down. Follow through and overlap that you can eat. Then slow in and slow out can be thought of how the object starts and stops. Moving a car first requires getting it up to speed. It's not going to move immediately, because of the force required to overcome the car's weight, and that takes time. Likewise, coming to a stop takes time to bring that heavy weight to rest. Anticipation, this principle gives the audience a clue that your character's about to make a move. This is the prelude to getting the thing in motion. Think of getting up from a chair. With your back fully against the backrest, it's impossible for you to stand up without your head and body leaning forward. That little movement from a seated position shows an anticipation before standing. Unless you're animating robots, organic characters should move in arcs for the most realism. Rarely does natural motion operate in a straight line, and neither should your animations. I encourage you to explore the library for a more in-depth dive into the Principles of Animation. And while the software may differ, the theory behind it remains universal across 2D and 3D. Overall, while it's certainly not mandatory to include all 12 in every animation, keeping them in mind can only help you sell the illusion of life to a greater effect in your projects.

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