KALASALINGAM UNIVERSITY

(KALASALINGAM ACADEMY OF RESEARCH & EDUCATION)

ACCREDITED BY NAAC WITH“A”GRADE
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KRISHNANKOIL – 626126

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MULTIMEDIA AND ITS APPLICATIONS
STUDY METRIALS
UNIT – 4: MULTIMEDIA ANIMATION

1. Animation Definition:

Animation is a dynamic medium in which images or objects are manipulated to appear

as moving images.

2. Computer Animation fundamentals

There are two types of animation techniques.
 2D Animation
 3D Animation

2D Animation

 A series of two dimensional images are used to make an impression of motion.

 2D images have two dimension are width (x axis) and height (y axis).

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  An illusion of depth (the z axis) is added to an image through shadowing.

 Zaxwerks’ 3D Invigorator provides 3-D effects for text and images.

 2-D space of image editors and drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator,

Photoshop, Fireworks, and After Effects.

Application of 2D Animation:
2D animation has many applications, including analog computer animation, Flash
animation and PowerPoint animation.
3D Animation
 A series of three dimensional real life objects are used to make an impression of motion.
 3D animation requires three dimensions like:
 width (x axis)
 height (y axis)
 depth (z axis)

 For 3D animations, all frames must be rendered after the modeling is complete.
 3D Software are NewTek’s Lightwave, Adobe Flash, X3D or AutoDesk’s Maya.

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Applications of 3D Animation:
Lots of 3D animation applications are available:
Medical Animation
A medical animation is a short educational film,
usually based around a physiological or surgical topic,
rendered using 3D computer graphics. While it may be
intended for a variety of audiences, medical animation is
most commonly utilized as an instructional tool for medical
professionals or their patients.
Architecture Visualization
Architectural Animation is a short architectural movie
created on a computer. A computer-generated building is
created along with landscaping and sometimes moving
people & vehicles. (Ex: Auto CAD)
Mechanical Animation
Using computer modeling and animation to create
virtual models of products and mechanical designs can save
companies thousands to millions of dollars, by cutting down
on development costs.

3. Animation S/W Tools and Techniques

Animations are artificial movements created by flipping a series of images at specific
speed. Animation Software is a tool which creates an impression of movements by showing a
series of images.

Techniques

There are five types of animation techniques are available:

a. Cel animation
b. 2D vector based animation
c. 3D computer based animation
d. Motion graphics
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 e. Stop motion
a. Cel animation
It is an older version of animation. Animator draws every frame to create the animation
sequences. The animation sequence are produced by displaying different frames of movement
one after another create the illusion of movement.
Cel animation artwork begins with keyframes.
Example: Animated a woman walks across the screen.
Tweening
The series of frames in between the keyframes are drawn in a process called tweening.
Tweening is an action that requires calculating the number of frames between keyframes and
the path the action takes, and then actually sketching with pencil the series of progressively
different outlines.
Software’s:
 Photoshop
 TV paint
 Toon Boom Harmony

b. 2D Vector based Animation

 A series of two dimensional images are used to make an impression of motion.

 2D images have two dimension are width (x axis) and height (y axis).

 An illusion of depth (the z axis) is added to an image through shadowing.

 Zaxwerks’ 3D Invigorator provides 3-D effects for text and images.

Software’s:

 Adobe Illustrator
 Flash
 After Effects.
c. 3D Animation

 A series of three dimensional real life objects are used to make an impression of motion.
 3D animation requires three dimensions like:

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  width (x axis)
 height (y axis)
 depth (z axis)
 For 3D animations, all frames must be rendered after the modeling is complete.
Software’s:
 NewTek’s Lightwave
 Adobe Flash
 X3D
 AutoDesk’s Maya.
d. Motion Graphics
Motion graphics is quite different from other types of animation. It is the art of creative
moving graphics element such as text.

Software’s

Adobe after effects

Cinema 4D
e. Stop Motion
Stop motion is done by taking a photo of an object, and then moving it just a little bit
and taking another photo. The process is repeated and when the photos are played back one
after another they give the illusion of movement.
Software’s:
 Dragon frame
 Istop motion
4. Kinematics
Kinematics is the study of the movement and motion of structures that have joints,
such as a walking man. Kinematics equations are used to describe three-dimensional motion
of a multi-body system in terms of translational and rotational motions.
Example: Animating a walking step is tricky. It needs to calculate the position,
rotation, velocity, and acceleration of all the joints and articulated parts involved.

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5. Morphing
Morphing is a popular effect in which one image transforms into another. Morphing
applications and other modeling tools that offer this effect can transition not only between
still images but often between moving images as well.
Example: Female transform to male

6. Multimedia Video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and
display of moving visual media. Multimedia videos are available in the different formats
like: .swf, .wav, .mp3, .mp4, .mpg, .wmv, and .avi. Video has several properties like display
resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, and color capabilities.
7. How Video Works
When light reflected from an object passes through a video camera lens, that light is
converted into an electronic signal by a special sensor called a charge-coupled device (CCD).
Top-quality broadcast cameras and even camcorders may have as many as three CCDs
(one for each color of red, green, and blue) to enhance the resolution of the camera and the
quality of the image.
Two types of video:
 Analog video
 Digital video

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Analog video:
Analog video is a video signal transferred by an analog signal. An analog color video
signal contains luminance, brightness (Y) and chrominance (C) of an analog television image.
NTSC, PAL and SECAM are analog supported video standards.
Digital Video:
Digital video signal formats with higher quality have been adopted, including serial
digital interface (SDI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface
(HDMI) and DisplayPort Interface, though analog video interfaces are still used and widely
available. HDTV is a digital video supported standard.

8. Video Standards
Four broadcast video standards are commonly in use around the world: NTSC, ATSC,
PAL, SECAM, and HDTV.
NTSC
 NTSC stands for National Television Standards Committee (NTSC)
 These standards defined a method for encoding information into the electronic signal
that ultimately created a television picture.
 NTSC video standard was made up of 525 horizontal scan lines drawn onto the inside
face of a phosphor-coated picture tube every 1/30th of a second by a fast-moving
electron beam.
 The drawing occurred so fast that your eye would perceive the image as stable. The
electron beam actually made two passes as it drew a single video frame—first it laid
down all the odd-numbered lines, and then all the even-numbered lines.
 Each of these passes painted a field, and the two fields were then combined to create a
single frame at a rate of 30 frames per second (fps).
ATSC
 ATSC stands for Advanced Television Systems Committee
 ATSC is used for over-the-air transmission of HDTV signals, replacing the former
analog standard NTSC.
 It can support video resolutions up to 1080p and 5.1 surround audio

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PAL
 PAL stands for Phase Alternate Line (PAL)
 PAL increased the screen resolution to 625 horizontal lines, but slowed the scan rate
to 25 frames per second.
 As with NTSC, the even and odd lines were interlaced, each field taking 1/50 of a
second to draw (50 Hz).
SECAM
 SECAM stands for Sequential Color and Memory (SECAM) system
 Although SECAM is a 625-line, 50 Hz system, it differed greatly from both the
NTSC and the PAL color systems in its basic technology and broadcast method.
HDTV
 HD stands for High Definition Television (HDTV)
 It provides high resolution in 16:9 aspect ratio.
 The broadcast industry promulgated an ultra-high-resolution, 1920 × 1080 interlaced
format

9. Digital video fundamentals

 The output of the CCD is digitized by the camera into a sequence of single frames,
 The video and audio data are compressed before being written to a tape or digitally
stored to disc or flash memory
 Digital video data formats, especially the codec used for compressing and
decompressing video (and audio) data, are important.

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 Video head for digital recording

Displays

The display technology shows in the above figure. There are three famous display
systems available to display the video. There are CRT, LED, LCD and plasma display.
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
 The cathode ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube that contains three electron guns
 The screen will be covered with phosphorescent coated
 Colored phosphors screen have red, green, or blue
 Based on the force of electron the respective color will be glow and produce the picture
in the screen.

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 Advantages
 Highest Resolutions
 Color and Gray-Scale Accuracy
 CRTs are less expensive than comparable displays using other display technologies.
Disadvantage
 Brightness: not as bright as LCDs. Not suitable for very brightly lit environments.
 Screen Shape: Some CRTs have a rounded spherical or cylindrical shape screen. Newer
CRTs are flat.
 Physical - They are large, heavy, and bulky. They consume a lot of electricity and
produce a lot of heat.

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

 An LED display is a flat panel display, which uses an array of light-emitting diodes as
pixels for a video display.
 EDs can produce several different colors, including red, green, and blue (RGB) light
 LED TVs and computer monitors are typically brighter and thinner
Advantages
 Slim Design
 Brighter Images
 Better Color
 Flicker-Free Images
 Better Picture Quality
 Longer lifespan and less environmental impact
 Lower Power Consumption
Disadvantages
 LEDs are currently more expensive
 Difficult to manage heat generate by the LED

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

 LCD screen contains a matrix of pixels that display the image on the screen.

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  Each pixel has a red, green, and blue RGB sub-pixel that can be turned on or off. When
all of a pixel's sub-pixels are turned off, it appears black.
 LCD is a flat panel display technology commonly used in TVs and computer monitors.
 It is also used in screens for mobile devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
 Two types: active matrix LCD and passive matrix LCD
 Active matrix LCD uses the transistor
 Passive LCD used capacitor
Advantages of an LCD’s:
 LCD’s consumes less amount of power compared to CRT and LED
 LCD’s are consist of some microwatts for display in comparison to some mill watts for
LED’s
 LCDs are of low cost
 Provides excellent contrast
 LCD’s are thinner and lighter when compared to cathode ray tube and LED
Disadvantages of an LCD’s:
 Require additional light sources
 Range of temperature is limited for operation
 Low reliability
 Speed is very low
 LCD’s need an AC drive
Plasma Display:
 A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display common to large TV
displays 30 inches
 The small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases like xenon and neon
Advantages:
 Larger screen size availability.
 Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.
 Better color accuracy and saturation.
Disadvantages:
 Plasma Displays requires more power thus more heat produced than LCDs.

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  Shorter display life span than LCD.
Interlacing
In television, the electron beam actually makes two passes on the screen as it draws a
single video frame, first laying down all the odd-numbered lines, then all the even-numbered
lines, as they are interlaced.
Overscan
In the television industry, to broadcast an image fit on a standard TV screen, so that the
“edge” of the image is expand beyond the TV’s physical frame.
Underscan
In the computer monitors, display a smaller image on the monitor’s picture.

10. Digital video production

Video production is the process of producing video content.
There are three stages of video production:
 pre-production
 production
 post-production.
Pre-production involves all of the planning aspects of the video production process
before filming begins. This includes scriptwriting, scheduling, logistics, and other
administrative duties.
Production is the phase of video production which captures the video content (moving
images / videography) and involves filming the subject(s) of the video.
Post-production is the action of selectively combining those video clips through video
editing into a finished product.

Currently, the majority of video content is captured through electronic media like an SD
card from cameras.
Video content that is distributed digitally often appears in common formats such as the
Moving Picture Experts Group format (.mpeg, .mpg, .mp4), QuickTime (.mov), Audio Video
Interleave (.avi), Windows Media Video (.wmv), and DivX (.avi, .divx).

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11. Video editing techniques
Video editing is the manipulation and arrangement of video shots. Before going to edit
a video, need to setting up a production environment. This requires hardware that meets
minimum specifications for processing speed, data transfer, and storage. The specifications
are:
 Fast processor(s)
 Plenty of RAM
 Computer with USB connection and cables
 Fast and big hard disk(s)
 Display
 External speakers
 Nonlinear editing (NLE) software
Some famous video editing techniques and tools are:
a) Storyboarding
b) Lighting Lab
c) Chroma Keys
d) Titles and Text
e) Nonlinear Editing (NLE)
a) Storyboarding
A storyboard is a graphic organizer in the form of images displayed in sequence.
It creates pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive
media sequence.
A film storyboard, commonly known as a shooting board, is essentially a series of
frames, like a comic book of the film
It helps film directors, cinematographers and television commercial advertising clients
visualize the scenes and find potential problems before they occur.
b) Lighting Lab
The standard lighting arrangement of a studio is displayed with fill, key, rim, and
background lights.
Changing any of these lights can make a dramatic difference in the shot.

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c) Chroma Keys
Chroma keying is a technique used for combining two frames or images by replacing a
color.
The chroma key process is widely used because it is cheaper to do this than to shoot in
expensive or inaccessible locations.
This technique frequently used in newscasting, motion picture, film and videogame
industries

It is often used in film industry to replace a scene's background by using a blue or green
screen as the initial background and placing the actor in the foreground.

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 Two colors such as green and blue backgrounds are more commonly used because they
differ most distinctly in hue from most human skin colors.
d) Titles and Texts
Titles and text are often used to introduce a video and its content.
Titles can be plain and simple, or they can be storyboarded and highly designed.

Text rendering in aftereffect software

Some suggestions for creating good titles for multimedia projects:
Fonts for titles should be plain, sans serif, and bold
If dark background, use white or a light color for the text
Use a drop shadow to help separate the text from the background image.
Do not kern your letters too tightly
If you use underlining, make your lines at least two pixels wide.
Avoid colors like bright reds and magenta that are too “hot”
Neighboring colors should be markedly different in intensity.
Keep your graphics and titles within the safe area of the screen (Like subtitles)
Avoid making busy title screens; use more pages or a longer sequence instead.
d) Non-Linear Editing
Top-of-the-line nonlinear editing (NLE) software includes Adobe’s Premiere, Apple’s
Final Cut, and Avid’s Media Composer, the “A Team” of professional video editors.

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 These software’s expected high configure systems for video editing process (six GB
RAM)
These tools take many hours to perform the video operations.

12. Video File formats

The container is what describes the whole structure of the file, and specifies which
codecs are being used. The following is a list of some of the more common types of container
formats: .flv, .avi.
Flash video format (.flv)
Because of the cross-platform availability of Flash video players, the Flash video
format has become increasingly popular. Flash video is playable within Flash movies files,
which are supported by practically every browser on every platform. Flash video is compact,
using compression from On2, and supports both progressive and streaming downloads.
AVI format (.avi)
The AVI format, which stands for audio video interleave, was developed by Microsoft.
It stores data that can be encoded in a number of different codec’s and can contain both audio
and video data. The AVI format usually uses less compression than some similar formats and
is a very popular format amongst internet users. AVI files most commonly contain M-JPEG,
or DivX codec’s, but can also contain almost any format.
The AVI format is supported by almost all computers using Windows, and can be
played on various players. Some of the most common players that support the avi format are:
 Apple QuickTime Player (Windows and Mac)
 Microsoft Windows Media Player (Windows and Mac)
 VideoLAN VLC media player (Windows and Mac)
 Nullsoft Winamp
Quicktime format (.mov)
The QuickTime format was developed by Apple and is a very common one. It is often
used on the internet, and for saving movie and video files. The format contains one or more
tracks storing video, audio, text or effects. It is compatible with both Mac and Windows
platforms, and can be played on an Apple Quicktime player.

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MP4 format (.mp4)
This format is mostly used to store audio and visual streams online, most commonly
those defined by MPEG. It Expands MPEG-1 to support video/audio 'objects', 3D content,
low bit rate encoding and support for Digital Rights Management.
The MPEG-4 video format uses separate compression for audio and video tracks;
video is compressed with MPEG-4 video encoding; audio is compressed using AAC
compression, the same type of audio compression used in .AAC files. The mp4 can most
commonly be played on the Apple QuickTime Player or other movie players. Devices that
play p4 are also known as mp4 players.
Mpg format (.mpg)
Common video format standardized by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG);
typically incorporates MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio and video compression; often used for
creating downloadable movies. It can be played using Apple QuickTime Player or Microsoft
Windows Media Player.
Windows Media Video format (.wmv)
WMV format, short for Windows Media Video was developed by Microsoft. It was
originally designed for internet streaming applications, and can now cater to more specialised
content. Windows Media is a common format on the Internet, but Windows Media movies
cannot be played on non-Windows computer without an extra (free) component installed.
Some later Windows Media movies cannot play at all on non-Windows computers because no
player is available. Videos stored in the Windows Media format have the extension .wmv.
3GP file extension (.3gp)
The 3gp format is both an audio and video format that was designed as a multimedia
format for transmitting audio and video files between 3G cell phones and the internet. It is
most commonly used to capture video from your cell phone and place it online. This format
supports both Mac and windows applications and can be commonly played in the following:
 Apple QuickTime Player
 RealNetworks RealPlayer
 VideoLAN VLC media player
 MPlayer

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  MIKSOFT Mobile 3GP Converter (Windows)
Advances Streaming Format (.asf)
ASF is a subset of the wmv format and was developed by Microsoft. It is intended for
streaming and is used to support playback from digital media and HTTP servers, and to
support storage devices such as hard disks. It can be compressed using a variety of video
codecs. The most common files types that are contained within an ASF file are Windows
Media Audio, and Windows Media video.
Real Media format (.rm)
RealMedia is a format which was created my RealNetworks. It contains both audio and
video data and typically used for streaming media files over the internet. RealMedia can play
on a wide variety of media players for both Mac and Windows platforms. The realplayer is
the most compatible.
Flash Movie format (.swf )
The Flash movie format was developed my Macromedia. This format can include text,
graphics and animation. In order to play in web browsers, they must have the Flash plug-in
installed. The Flash plug-in comes pre-installed in the latest version of many popular web
browsers.

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