Differences Between of Traditional and Digital Animation

A Complete Comparison of Traditional and Digital Animation

Animation has been around for decades and has changed with the times. Probably the biggest change is going from traditional animation to digital animation. Traditionally, scenes were animated by hand-painting each frame, whereas in the digital era, all that is done with computer software, whether it is 2D or 3D visuals.

On their surface, the two look different, but at their heart, both rely on the same artistic foundations, workflows, and creative goals.

It is important for us to understand the similarities between the two, whether you’re a student who’s learning, a professional animator expanding your skills or a business deciding which style fits your project best.

Overview of Traditional and Digital Animation

Traditional Animation

Traditional animation (also known as hand-drawn animation) is created by hand-drawing each frame of the animation on paper or transparent cels (hence why the technique is also called cel animation).

Here, backgrounds are painted individually and characters are layered over them. The frames are then photographed in sequence to create the illusion of movement.

Example of Traditional Animation:

Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Digital Animation

In the case of digital animation, computer software is used to replicate hand-drawn techniques (for 2D animation) or create lifelike environments and characters (for 3D animation). Tools like Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate and Blender allow for faster production and easy editing of animation projects.

Examples:

Pixar’s Toy Story series

Modern 2D productions like The Owl House

Core Similarities Between Traditional and Digital Animation

Same Animation Principles

Both of them follow the 12 Principles of Animation which were first developed by Disney animators in the 1930s. Some of the principles include squash and stretch, timing, anticipation and follow-through (we’ll go into more details later). Whether hand-drawn on paper or created using software, all the principles combine to bring the characters to life.

Storytelling and Character Development

Regardless of the type of animation, story is king. For that reason, animators focus heavily on:

● Character development

● World-building

● Emotional arcs (for an emotional connection)

● Clear narrative structure

● Visual storytelling techniques

So, whether the project is making a cel-drawn princess or a 3D-rendered robot, the goal is to make audiences care.

Frame-by-Frame Foundations

No matter if you are making traditional animation or digitally animating the project, most scenes still have to be made frame-by-frame for smooth motion. Computers can help interpolate frames, but the fact that you have to pay meticulous attention to detail remains.

Visual Composition and Design

In both cases, the reliance is on:

● The rule of thirds - for composition

● Perspective – for the creation of depth

● Color theory - to set the tone and mood of the scenes

Collaboration and Roles

Whether computers are involved or not, animation is still a team effort that involves:

● Directors

● Storyboard artists

● Animators

● Voice actors

● Sound designers

● Editors

- and more.

Iterative Creative Process

Cel animation and digital animation both have the same stages of production, even though some processes might be different. They start with the pre-planning and planning stage (conceptualization), then move on to production and end with post-production. The following are some of the common processes you have to go through:

● Storyboarding - for the visualization of the story

● Charater design – to give each character a unique look

● Scriptwriting – to set the story

● Animatics – an animated storyboard used for visualizing the timing, pacing and flow of a scene/sequence before it's fully animated

● Concept art – for establishing the visual style of the show, movie, commercial etc.

● Keyframing/drawing – to create motion and visual effects

● In-betweening - creating intermediate frames between two keyframes for the illusion of smooth motion

● Coloring – adding color to each frame

● Editing – correcting errors, adding motion graphics and more

● Sound design – creating and integrating all the audio elements (music, voiceovers and sound effects) to complement the visuals and enrich the storytelling

● Final rendering – for generating the complete, polished animation sequence

Why Do The Similarities Matter

Know the similarities between traditional animation and digital animation has real-world value:

● For one thing, you know that skill transfer is possible and animators can move between the two techniques more easily.

● It helps debunk myths about either one of the methods. For example, you may have been told that digital animation is “cheating”. Just so we’re clear, digital animation isn’t cheating, but an evolution. It’s a unique animation style by itself.

● The same creative principles apply regardless of the technology used, so there is artistic continuity if you want to use both styles for your project.

Key Differences to Keep in Mind (In Brief)

Now that you’re up to speed on the many similarities between digital and cel animation, it’s time to be aware of their many differences:

Tools and techniques: traditional animation uses physical tools like pencils, paper, light boxes, peg bars and animation discs. To animate digitally, you mostly just need a powerful computer processor and a good software.

Production speed and cost: Digital animation is often faster and more efficient than the traditional method. It’s mostly because the former requires more time, effort and a different kind of artistic ability. To add to that, it is much easier to make changes and automate some processes when using software to animate.

Distribution: Historically, traditional animation needed physical copies (like film reels) for broadcast, theatrical release or even home releases. The reach was also limited by the availability of physical copies and broadcasting rights. It’s also more expensive as there are printing, shipping and licensing fees involved.

In digital animation, distribution is much easier as there are many streaming platforms (like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video etc.) which have a global audience. It also costs less to distribute digital productions because they don’t have to be stored in physical form, which also allows for faster releases and updates.

The 12 Core Principles of Animation

No matter what technique you choose to use, both the traditional and digital methods follow the same 12 the principles of animation mentioned below:

1. Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch is arguably the most fundamental of the animation principles. It gives objects and people in the animation a sense of weight and/or flexibility.

For example, an animated bouncing ball squashes flat and widens when it hits the floor and stretches when it starts to bounce back and rise above the ground.

The motion might seem exaggerated but it has basis in reality as it creates the illusion that the ball is being distorted by an outside force (just like velocity, gravity, acceleration and deceleration affects a bouncing ball in real life).

2. Anticipation

The principle of anticipation is applied when you want to prepare your audience for some sort of action. Think about what people generally do when they are preparing to do something. For example, in a game of baseball, a batter will be focused on the pitcher and tense up his body waiting to swing the bat and hit the ball.

Anticipation isn’t exclusive to sports and it can apply to any situation. Example: a driver waiting for the traffic signal to change or a student waiting for their friend at the school entrance. The animator has to only focus on the object a character is about to lift/pick up or a character waiting for somebody’s/something’s appearance on screen.

3. Staging

Staging is where the animator tales on the role of a film or theatre director. They have to think about the camera angles, what they’re focusing on, where the characters will be and what they’ll be doing. Staging matters a lot regardless of whether the characters are absurd and cartoonish or they are hyper-realistic people. What you want is for the audience to pay attention to the important of the story and prevent distractions from unnecessary details.

4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose

They’re basically two principles in one and address different approaches to drawing. Straight ahead action or animation is where the frames are drawn in order from beginning to end. There’s no real planning ahead and the animators have to figure out the next frame as they go. It gives an organic flow to the scenes and makes them seem fluid. There is room for experimentation. On the downside, there can be inconsistencies in volumes and proportions.

Pose-to-pose is where animators plan out the particular keyframes and poses first and the intervals (in-betweens) are filled in afterwards. Animators get greater control of the volumes and proportions this way. It’s preferred for animating emotional or dramatic scenes. To its detriment, however, if the intervals are not filled in carefully, the scenes can end up feeling mechanical.

Most animators today use both approaches to animating based on the scenes. To add to that, computer animation basically resolves proportion issues caused by the straight-ahead action style. For the pose-to-pose method, they can fill in the missing sequences.

5. Follow-Through and Overlapping Action

Follow-Through and Overlapping Action principles make animations feel more realistic, organic and lifelike. They’re both movement-based principles that give the illusion that characters are abiding by the laws of physics. Follow-through is the continuation of motion after the character has stopped applying force, like when they swing a towel and it continues to move even when the hand has stopped moving. In real life, things don’t just stop when being thrown or swung around. Even certain parts of the body continue to move when the character stops and then pull back towards the center of mass.

Overlapping action demonstrates how parts of the character’s body don’t move at the same rate. For example, when a character moves and then stops, their hair, clothes, accessories etc. will move for just a little longer than their body. It creates a smooth transition between poses instead of all body parts move at the same time and speed, which looks a bit uncanny.

6. Slow In and Slow Out (Or Ease In and Ease Out)

Objects and people in the real world must accelerate when they start to move and decelerate (slow down) before they can come to a stop. The slow in (ease in) and slow out (ease out) principle is based exactly on this concept. So when animating an action, there will be more drawings at the start and end of said action to depict the real-world acceleration and deceleration, making the movements feel smoother.

Example: Take the same bouncing ball example we gave earlier. When animating the ball bouncing, you will add more frames at the highest and lowest parts of the bounce. Combined with the follow-through and squash and stretch principles, the bounce sequence is accentuated and entertaining to watch.

7. Arc

Most actions have an arched trajectory in real life, like when an arm moves while walking or an object is thrown. Adding natural arcs to movements creates fluidity and avoids unnatural, erratic animation.

In traditional animation, the animators usually draw the natural arc lightly on paper for reference for easy removal when not needed anymore. The speed and timing of the movement are important in the arc principle because they can sometimes happen so quickly that the motion appears blurred.

The blurred effect is also added intentionally to make it look like someone or something is moving unnaturally fast; a practice known as animation smear. An animator who was an expert at this was Chuck Jones, who created famous characters like Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner and Daffy Duck.

8. Secondary Action

Secondary actions are subtle motions added to the main action within a scene as a complement or support. The subtle motions add dimension to the characters and objects and make them more natural. For example, adding a slight rotation of the elbow in a person’s arms when they walk. It would look odd if everyone in the scene walks with their arms moving in straight arcs.

It could also be when a character is readjusting their clothes or dusting off their pants after falling.

They should not, however, take the audience attention away from the main action.

9. Timing

Timing is the number of frames each action gets allotted to make it appear as though they are following the laws of physics. To get it right, you have to think about the size and weight of the objects or characters in relation to their environment and other objects/people in it. For example, a smaller and lighter ball will move more quickly than a larger, heavier ball.

10. Exaggeration

Exaggeration is the core of animation, because without it, everything would look a little too real and dull. Not to say that exaggeration is unrealistic. At Disney, the animators believe that exaggeration must be true to reality, but be pushed just beyond realism, so the characters pop on screen and add some fun to the scenes.

The best example of exaggeration would be of a ‘jaw drop scene’. Most people would have seen scenes where an animated character’s jaw falls to the ground or table with a loud ‘thud’ to express unbelief or shock. Another example would be of the eyes growing large and almost popping out of the skull. They are real-world reactions, but exaggerated for the sake of comedy or emphasis.

11. Solid Drawing

Solid drawing is where you draw an object or character with volume, weight, light, shadow etc., basically making them feel 3D. It is one of the toughest principles, particularly in traditional animation. It prevents characters from looking too stiff, lifeless, flat or rubbery and combines the principles of squash and stretch and exaggeration in ways that create a sense of volume and weight.

12. Appeal

Finally, we come to Appeal – the most important of the 12 principles of animation. In animation, appeal is the creation of motions and characters that look entertaining, compelling and aesthetically pleasing. It’s basically giving your animations charm and charisma, regardless of whether the character is a villain or a hero or even a side character.

The point is to make the characters interesting enough that viewers will want to know their story and how it progresses.

A brilliant example is Scar from The Lion King (1994). He’s the main villain but still one of the most popular characters in the film. He has his own villainous charm, exaggerated expressions, movements etc., that make him entertaining to watch.

We mentioned that both traditional and digital animation styles follow the 12 principles we just explained, and this is true. The only difference, though, is that the principles have to be painstakingly applied frame-by-frame in traditional animation. In digital, they are either manually created or simulated with algorithms.

At the end of the day, they both depend on the principles to create believable motion, evoke emotion and enhance storytelling.

Conclusion

When it comes to animation (or pretty much every other process in existence), technology can change the tools used, but not the heart behind it. Whether animation is created with pencil and paper or pixels and polygons, both have a role to play and their own charm. They both also thrive on the same timeless principles, compelling storytelling and collaborative artistry.

So, if you merely want to understand animation or are serious about using it in your marketing and advertisements, you should explore both traditional and digital forms, because the magic is in their shared DNA.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are frame-by-frame techniques still used in digital animation?

Yes. Many digital scenes are still animated frame-by-frame for the sake of control and precision.

Why are the 12 principles of animation important for traditional and digital animation?

The 12 principles of animation are important because they make sure that the characters, objects and anything in the scenes move naturally, convey emotions correctly and engage audiences.

Do animators need different skills for traditional vs digital animation?

Both traditional and digital animation demand different sets of technical skills, although they have the same artistic fundamentals.

What are the similarities in pre-production steps between traditional and digital animation?

In the pre-production stage, both involve storyboarding, animatics and concept art.

How architectural firms benefited through BIM services?

The real estate and architectural firms are integrating sophisticated technologies in the construction and marketing processes over the years. The importance of building information modeling in architecture has increased manifold because of many obvious reasons. It serves as a single source of information, carrying the functional characteristics of the structure, the design ideas, operational details and other information. This is why most of the architectural firms are collaborating with leading BIM service providers in developing these models. It simplifies the overall process, reducing the cost and enabling the engineers to collaborate in a better way to come up with more productive outputs. Have a look at some of the uses of BIM in the construction industry.

Enhances productivity

The operational and communication efficiency gets a boost, with building information management systems at the disposal. It reduces the time required for approval and cross-referencing to a great extent, thereby improving the productivity. The overall construction costs of the project are reduced. You can reach out to the experts to a detailed idea on how BIM helps construction. Integrating the technology in the construction can help you generate more revenue.

Reduces errors

One of the most important benefits of using BIM in the construction industry is its ability to detect errors and reduce the necessity to rework. Often, communication gaps arise between the engineers, designers and developers due to the lack of clarity in information which can pave way for a lot of issues. Besides, you need to seamlessly convey the changes in design information. Due to the centralized nature of BIM, all the updates in the design instantly get reflected. Evidently, the information remains uniform across all the platforms. You should have a look at the key features of BIM to get a better idea about the potential of the technology for your business.

Providing related documents

Often, infrastructural designs lack important data like the details of the agreement, bills of purchase, bids, government and building specifications and other information. BIM fills up this dearth of information, helping in coordinating the entire process. This is one of the foremost BIM benefits for contractors and engineers. BIM is more effective, as compared to 2D drafting, as it allows you to view the elevation and other features of the building from various angles. This enables the engineers to detect and rectify the construction flaws at the outset.

Gives a complete view of the project

One of the key benefits of 3d modeling in construction is its ability to provide an all-inclusive view of the project. It often becomes difficult for all the departments to stay updated with the details about the project. Using BIM technologies enables the engineers, designers, architects, managers and stakeholders to get a comprehensive view about the project. All these departments get reliable information, through which they can easily track the progress of the project, get cost estimates and coordinate among themselves.

Detailed information

BIM enables the architects and engineers to share the necessary information. Besides, you need to focus on the quality of information being shared. If you are in the real estate or architecture industry, you should know the advantages of BIM. BIM models enable the users to share minute details about the project. This enables the architects to construct the project with more accuracy. They can share the exact specifications, like models, quantities, materials used in construction and so on.

Seek BIM modeling services from the experts

As an architect, you should be aware of the commercial benefits of BIM. Well, it is wise to collaborate with a reputed BIM modeling company and seek the necessary services from the experts. The technology transforms the overall construction process. Apart from pruning redundant data, it does away with communication gaps from the process. Besides, it fosters better coordination between the engineers and designers, keeping them updated with the necessary information. You can reach out to one of the established platforms for 3D architectural modeling service.

During a construction process, the developers and engineers need to deal with a huge volume of documents and information. In order to simplify the process, you should outsource your BIM services to a reputed company. If you are looking for BIM services India, get across to one of the established companies for these services that have a proven track record. A dedicated support from the experts can definitely boost up your business. Seeking professional BIM modeling services from a reputed platform would be a wise decision. 

Processes you should know when you hire photo restoration and repair services

Photo restoration and retouching services have become popular all over the world, thanks to the technology that can infuse old photographs with a fresh look. Old and worn out photos, get a fresh lease of life through digital photo restoration services. Customers who are unfamiliar with these services often find the process confusing. Digital photo repair consists of a number of inclusions. Some are photo retouching, repairing damaged photos and other services aimed to make old pictures look polished. it includes the following processes.

Photo repair and restoration services

Digital photo repair

Professional photo editors typically focus on all elements of photo restoration. Therefore, it is obviously necessary to get a clear image at the outset. First of all, the experts scan the image using a high-grade scanner of professional standards. This enables them to edit all the image details precisely to avail you the best photo restoration service. The faded areas of the photo are retouched and the damaged areas of the photo are repaired. Right color is incorporated in these photos to make it look new. A successful editing process makes the image look intact. Old images often become yellowish and tear along the edges. They develop folds in the center as well. The editors deal with all these aspects and enhance an old photo in Photoshop.

Photo retouching

Photo retouching enhances the looks of old snaps, making them appear lively and new. These deliver a better look to the images. Advanced photo restoration techniques are used along with various effects that enhance the presentation of an image. The picture editors make use of various software programs for this purpose. Another important advantage of photo retouching is that the editors can remove any unwanted elements from the image. At times, old photos develop spots that spoil its looks. These can be removed through high-end photo retouching. The technique is used to edit new photos as well. It can remove pimples or other marks from the face in the photo. Picture retouching enhances the qualitative values of an image.

Photo refinement

Professional photo editors increase the sharpness of the images through photo refinement. You will find that old photos become hazy and the sharpness of the features in the image decreases. Through this process of photo retouching, these flaws can be fixed and the image gets a new look. The software used for picture refinement can adjust the brightness and contrast features in the image, thereby infusing it with a refined look. It enhances the clarity of the images.

Photo manipulation

It involves elimination of unwanted objects or people from the image. It enables the editors to remove any part of the image that you do not like. At times, it happens that a person or another object appears on the background of your photo. In such cases, editors get rid of the unwanted element in the image. Old photographs also develop marks that you may want to remove. This is possible through photography manipulation. It enables you to keep the background neat and focus only on the intended object or person.

Photo colorization

Old photographs look dull and shabby. Through photography colorization, you can enhance the looks of these photographs by adding color to old photos. It is possible to convert photos in black and white to colored photos. Special effects are added to the image to modernize the looks. Digital image processing makes it attractive and improves its quality.

Besides these ways of image restoration using Photoshop, photos are enhanced through various other techniques like reduction of age, removal of eyeglass glare, watercolor effects, red-eye removal, removal of imperfections in the skin, like blemishes and so on.

Reach out to the best image retouching company and they will provide you with a myriad of retouching services. Inquire in detail regarding their service inclusions before hiring them. Make sure that they are a specialized people and are capable of offering what you are exactly looking for.

Harness photo editing expertise to get daytime photos transformed into night ones

Photoshop in combination with Lightroom offers a host of cutting-edge tools that allow you to literally do anything with your picture. In fact, you can transform the natural light captured with the photo to render a picture shot in daytime to appear as belonging to night time. Many photo editing companies are offering night photography retouching services that intend to retouch and edit your photos snapped in daytime to make them appear dark without compromising the integrity of the subjects. The visual appeal of pictures with the backdrop of night is definitely more than that of daytime ones. The task of transforming pictures is an arduous one but the outcome would certainly lift the spirits of anyone.

Day to night photography editing

On the professional front, the Photoshop night photo editing has optimized the saleable index of real estate. The apparently lacklustre property photos shot during daytime by real estate photographers assume added glamour and magnetism when the same are rendered in night setting. Property traders have shown greater affinity for professionals who can render the images impeccably as per their wishes.

Twilight photo enhancement services

The techniques offered by Photoshop can be leveraged to accomplish a number of tasks. Architectural twilight photography may not always yield expected results. Image with natural light of day can be depicted in swarthy complexion. A photo can be retouched with special effects for making day shot appear as night one. The time at which the photo was shot can also be tweaked. This implies that if the photo has been captured in glaring sunlight, the same can be portrayed to appear in soothing light of the dusk; further editing night photos in Photoshop can offer great results. All times lapses in digital mode can be addressed strategically in realistic manner.

Benefits of outsourcing

Outsourcing agencies edit and retouch photos at cost competitive rates. Superlative quality is assured from them for day to night conversion services. Commonplace photos with no inherent charm are rendered to captivating and soul-delighting images with night or dusk in the background. There won’t be any trace of artificiality or make-believe element in the image. The picture would appear in the natural atmospherics of night. For real estate agents, these renderings can work wonder in driving exceptional business.

Day to dusk image transformation

Image background is transformed from day to dusk setting by exercising blend options in Photoshop and interweaving layers. The colour pixels that represent daytime are treated digitally to render them dark from existing bright. You won’t come across any patchy formations or blemishes upon carrying out day to dusk editing. Adjustments in Photoshop fine tune the transition. Stars are created and applied to the image backdrop to set up the scene impeccably. Lighting effects are done accordingly.

In Photoshop, a number of sophisticated photo editing options exist that facilitate seamless transition. The levers one can exercise include ‘Adjustment Layers’, ‘Gradient Tool’, ‘ Solid Colour’, ‘Hue and Saturation’, ‘Adjustment Layer Masks’, etc. for night photo editing.

You should entrust your requirements to agencies which have on their rolls seasoned software professionals well-versed with the tactics of converting image backgrounds in most realistic and appealing manner. Reading customer testimonials before outsourcing is always recommended.

Always enquire about the credentials of the best image editing artists to get immaculate results. Any flaw in the image would put your credibility at risk. So, always choose wisely when it comes to real estate photo retouching services.

Document archiving benefits - An analysis

Though there are countless document archiving benefits, still a lot of companies stay reluctant towards the same. It is actually the process of archiving documents not being used actively and transferring them to another separate storage. By doing so, you enjoy several advantages from functionality and security perspectives.

Document archiving benefits

Data archiving - Overall synopsis 

Data archives typically store older files that companies are not currently using; such files, however, can contain vital information and may be needed for reference during auditing or for any other similar purposes in future. 

Data archiving that are structured properly and are formed with a DMS are normally indexed which means files in archive storage could be accessed and searched easily, whenever there is a need for it. Even if both are document management solutions, creating backup and archiving files are two different things. Usually, backups have copies of needed files and in the event of any file damage, misplacement or loss, backup database facilitates restoration. On the other hand, archives have older files which are not active but still needed for everyday processes completion

How document archiving helps in ensuring safety?

Online document archiving services are enjoying huger demands these days and one of the main reasons for it is the security factor associated with it. Archived files are read-only and this virtually means that you can retrieve information through members in your organization without carrying out any alterations that may lead to eventual file deletions. By making use of read-only archive, data loss risk is minimized and archives modifications is prevents for ensuring regulatory compliance.

It is possible to access data archive readily as far as the permission level utilized is appropriate. You can create different levels for accessing which can be provided specifically to different members of your company. Using such a system makes sure that all your vulnerable information is kept absolutely safe.  When you archive documents, legal compliance is achieved. Based on the specifics of an organization, it is most of the times legally mandatory to maintain documents archives for some time. Chances of legal consequences can be averted with perfect document scanning solutions. 

Extra perks of document archiving

Besides data security, there are several other benefits of embracing various document archiving techniques.  By archiving, operational files get easily accessible for your employees. Having a huge database with a pile of irrelevant files none is using currently can create a lot of headache. So, having a great document management system is always advisable. You can easily access document storage needed for everyday business activities when you move older files into separate archives. 

When you opt for a digital archiving solution online, archive will be easier to use. The upside with this is that good internet connection and adequate permission is enough for someone to have access to archived files. For the companies with several offices or having employees traveling a lot, online archiving is recommended. 

With this, data volume to be backed up regularly significantly reduces.  With smaller set of data, performance in regard of restoring and backing up is immensely elevated. The only thing is that you have to follow data archiving best practices. 

As your business grows, data that you need to deal with on a day to day basis keeps on increasing uncontrollably. The right time to start development of a data archiving strategy is well ahead of the point when you start incurring damages owing to data backup solutions. 

Getting the right people to help you out with document archiving too is very crucial.