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		<title><![CDATA[Forums - Bricks in Motion - Smoother Animation]]></title>
		<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/topic/23264/smoother-animation/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[The most recent posts in Smoother Animation.]]></description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2016 20:42:13 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363552/#p363552</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I'm firmly in the "never frame blend" camp, for all the reasons Rio, Sloth and others explained.

[quote=Dyland]And, several older brickfilms, either out of purpose or limits to encoding and compressing programs of the time, appear to have a somewhat blended-frame effect on their animation. The first time I noticed this was in Nathan Wells' [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_-uP8Cq9E]Beast[/url].[/quote]

To be clear, that's not frame blending in [i]Beast[/i], that's good old fashioned Windows Movie Maker compression and interlacing.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (Nathan Wells)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2016 20:42:13 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363552/#p363552</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363376/#p363376</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Thanks SlothPaladin! The diagram is really helpful]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (AgentMichaelScarn22)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:26:10 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363376/#p363376</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363374/#p363374</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Excellent GIF. If any of these animated illustrations seem complicated the previously mentioned book clarifies a lot of it.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (VN)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2016 23:09:55 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363374/#p363374</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363370/#p363370</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Well the question was, how to get smoother animation, and frame blending will not achieve smoother animation, if you want to get smoother animation study and practice these things

[img]https://media.giphy.com/media/3oriOiLUqWXA9Rc7eM/source.gif[/img]]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (SlothPaladin)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2016 21:49:39 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363370/#p363370</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363360/#p363360</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Unless you have an artistic reason for it!  Otherwise, no!]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (HoldingOurOwn)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Oct 2016 11:59:49 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363360/#p363360</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363356/#p363356</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I echo VN and strongly recommend you get a copy of [url=https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+animator+survival+kit&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35271781201&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5021662296862540377&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027744&hvtargid=kwd-1916706848&ref=pd_sl_6inrxs8htw_e]The Animators Survival Kit[/url], and learn the principals of animation, if you understand those principles you can make 12fps animation look great. You should really focus on the mastery of ease in's and out's and anticipation, try to get a handle on arcs of motion.

To learn animation faster make sure you have access to animation software that allows you to playback your animation and flip between your last frame and current frame, if you can't afford Dragonframe use a web camera and free capture software. But use capture software, focus on movement not image quality!

[b]Do not, under any circumstance, use frame blending.[/b]]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (SlothPaladin)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2016 23:12:13 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363356/#p363356</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363309/#p363309</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Once in a while I wrongly asses the number of frames I need for a motion, and the animation is too slow.  So I'll do that movement at 30 fps instead of my typical 15 fps.  It does lead to an awesomely smooth look.  One example where I use it is when Angela shouts, "BLAM! BLAM!", as she mimics firing a gun in Holding Our Own Episode 2.  You can also see it sometimes in episode 3, it happens when characters are done talking and putting their arm down, sometimes, among others.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (HoldingOurOwn)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2016 17:46:53 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363309/#p363309</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363292/#p363292</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I think some of you are missing the point of all this, it's not just about having more frames. And blending may be useful for certain effects but otherwise it absolutely distracts from the beauty of fluidity. At the core, animation is all about timing, and spacing. Regardless what frame rate; ones at 12fps, 15fps, twos at 24fps or 30fps, or even ones at 60fps... It's simply a language that needs to be learned. I'd recommend "The Animator's Survival Kit" book by Richard Williams.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (VN)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2016 00:19:48 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363292/#p363292</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363287/#p363287</link>
			<description><![CDATA[[quote=Geouug]...The best solution is always more practice and more frames. You can always delete extra frames, but you can't insert new ones (very easily at least) so it's always better to take extra small adjustments just in case.[/quote]

^ This. Although, proper understanding of how things move in the real world, and a bit of "ease-in, ease-out" will save you a lot of headaches in editing.

[quote=Lechnology]Frame Blending should be used... if you know what you're doing with it.  Fast motions, don't use it.[/quote]

I would recommend improving your animations first and foremost, as, frame blending should be treated like makeup. Too much is a bad thing, and you can only go so far to make a stuffed pig beautiful... Good animation is good animation. No post effect will make choppy animation smooth. However, frame blending, while obviously a matter of different tastes, isn't completely worthless.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[thedylandproductions@yahoo.com (Dyland)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2016 17:41:48 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363287/#p363287</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363284/#p363284</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I would recommend against Frame Blending as well. It makes the edges look mushy and distorted. There is also no good reason to do it. To the motion blur like effect Dylan was referring, that is interlacing which is generally a sign of bad rendering settings. It's a default of a lot of editors back in the day. It has a purpose to save on file size. Back in the day you really cared about having small files since the internet was slow and online hosting was scarce. Now we don't have those limits and thus interlacing is frowned upon.
It took me years of practice to get my animation smoothish. I still feel like I can improve in that area. I found something that helped me was changing frame rate as needed. I new shoot on 24 on twos. Things like fast motions or camera movement I shoot at 24 fps while things that are slower or that look better with less frame I shoot on 12 fps. The 12 fps I just take two shots thus the on twos. The years of practicing comes from knowing wear to place everything in each frame so it looks smooth. framerates can make this easier but it doesn't make it smooth.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (AquaMorph)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2016 15:17:38 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363284/#p363284</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363280/#p363280</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Not exactly Frame Blending, but it's an example of why relying on post-production effect doesn't always give you the result you want, is [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKUIaeSmow]Protectors of the Earth[/url] by Joleo.  For the uninitiated, it may look very smooth and life-like movement, but if you look carefully, you can see frame blending--or rather After Effect's Pixel Motion--was used to generate the frames between frames to make it look smoother.  Some parts of Joleo's animation were smooth so it wasn't easy to catch the effect, some parts were choppier and those I notice because it causes distortion in the image.

[url=http://rowvid.com/?v=zDKUIaeSmow]Watch it here[/url] and use the frame-by-frame toggler to see how the effect causes unwanted distortions.

Frame Blending should be used as a last resort or if you know what you're doing with it.  Fast motions, don't use it.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (Lechnology)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2016 04:54:41 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363280/#p363280</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363278/#p363278</link>
			<description><![CDATA[[quote=Gillcrafter]So I'm getting a lot of mixed vibes about frame blending, so I'm confused if I should try it out or not. But if it is not recommended to use frame blending, I'll do what rioforce said and what others have said as to keep practicing. :)[/quote]

I believe you are right, and the best solution is always more practice and more frames. You can always delete extra frames, but you can't insert new ones (very easily at least) so it's always better to take extra small adjustments just in case.  That being said, frame blending has to be useful  in at least [i]some[/i] circumstances and I would be interested to see if anyone knows of any brickfilms that do an especially good job with it.]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (Geouug)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2016 01:38:51 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363278/#p363278</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363277/#p363277</link>
			<description><![CDATA[So I'm getting a lot of mixed vibes about frame blending, so I'm confused if I should try it out or not. But if it is not recommended to use frame blending, I'll do what rioforce said and what others have said as to keep practicing. :)]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (AgentMichaelScarn22)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Fri, 14 Oct 2016 23:37:40 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363277/#p363277</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363261/#p363261</link>
			<description><![CDATA[[quote=FeinsteinFilms]The only times I've seen frame blending in a brickfilm that really added to the film overall is when it has been used as an effect for flashbacks, fainting, and the like. So I believe that frame blending can be a useful tool, but only when used sparingly, never for an entire video. 
Good luck![/quote]

A slow blend like that is called a "Dissolve".]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (HoldingOurOwn)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2016 19:45:03 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363261/#p363261</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Re: Smoother Animation]]></title>
			<link>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363257/#p363257</link>
			<description><![CDATA[The only times I've seen frame blending in a brickfilm that really added to the film overall is when it has been used as an effect for flashbacks, fainting, and the like. So I believe that frame blending can be a useful tool, but only when used sparingly, never for an entire video. 

And to (try) to answer your question, the first thing I'd do would be to start animating at 12 or (preferably) 15 fps; If you don't at least use one of these framerates, it will be virtually impossible to make smooth brickflims. Second, I would definitely recommend watching FancyPants' tutorial called on easing in and out while animating (Rafael9522 posted the link above in post #6). In this useful tutorial, FancyPants not only shows you how to implement a helpful technique (with a frame by frame demonstration), but also shows some common mistakes to avoid. And finally: practice, practice, practice! It's the tried and true method of improvement. ;)

Good luck!]]></description>
			<author><![CDATA[dummy@example.com (FeinsteinFilms)]]></author>
			<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:27:09 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/363257/#p363257</guid>
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