The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to animation:

What type of thing is animation?

Animation can be described as all of the following:

• One of the visual arts

• Manipulation of imagery to give the appearance of movement

Animation techniques

Animation

Cel animation (= traditional animation)

• Full animation

• Limited animation

• Rotoscoping

Stop motion

Puppet animation

• Puppetoons

Claymation (= clay animation)

• Strata-cut animation

Cutout animation

• Silhouette animation

Model animation

• Go motion

Object animation

• Brickfilm

• Graphic animation

• Pixilation

Computer animation

• Anime

Categorization by dimensionality of characters:

• 2D animation

• 3D animation

Categorization by speed of rendering and capabilities:

Pre-rendered animation: Motion is developed in the software. There is a delay for the software to render the animation before it can be viewed.

Talking avatar: The user provides or selects a picture of a character and provides a recording of a voice. The software animates lip movements, facial expressions, and small hand and body motions in the character that remains upright and stationary.

• Examples of software: HeyGen Photo Avatar, Aitubo Talking Avatar, Kreado AI, D-ID, Gooey AI Lipsync Maker, Adobe Express Animate from audio

Video from text: The user provides a text description of a desired motion, possibly along with other guiding inputs, such as a starting image, a video to transform, or a soundtrack to match. The software interprets the description, influenced by any additional inputs, and generates an animated video from it.

• Examples of software: Raw Shorts, Kaiber, Elai, Pika Labs, Gooey AI AI Animation Generator, Neural Frames, GenMo

Video from image: The user provides an image file, which the software uses as the starting point to generate an animated video.

• Example of software: Pika Labs, LeiaPix, Meta AI Animated Drawings,

Motion imitation: The user provides an existing video showing the motion of a person and selects or creates a character. The software makes the character imitate the actions of the person in the video, including facial expressions, hand gestures, walking, and dancing.

• Example of software: DeepMotion

Full motion: The software can generate an unlimited range and duration of motion based on designs developed by the user.

• Examples of software: Maya, Blender, Adobe Animate, Reallusion Cartoon Animator (2D)

Real-time animation (= machinima): Motion develops in the software in response to user input. The animation is displayed nearly simultaneously with the input.

Video game

• Examples of video game engines: Unity, Unreal Engine, CryEngine

Virtual world (= simulation game)

• Examples: Second Life, The Sims

Other real-time animation:

• Examples of software: iClone, Adobe Character Animator (2D), Toon Boom Harmony, Blender

History of animation

History of American animation:

• Animation in the United States during the silent era

• Golden age of American animation

• World War II and American animation

• Animation in the United States in the television era

• Modern animation in the United States

History of anime

• History of anime in the United States

• History of animation in India

• History of British animation

• History of Canadian animation

• History of Chinese animation

• History of French animation

• History of Hungarian animation

• History of Iranian animation

• History of Korean animation

• History of Russian animation

Computer Animation Software

2D animation

• Adobe Flash

• FlipaClip

3D animation

• Autodesk Maya

• Autodesk 3ds Max

• LightWave 3D

• ZBrush

• Rhinoceros 3D

• Cinema 4D

• Houdini (software)

• Blender (software)

• Autodesk Softimage

Animated films and TV series

Lists of animated films

• Lists of animated television series

• List of animated short films

• List of theatrical animated short film series

• Lists of anime

• List of animated Internet series

• List of animated direct-to-video series

• List of live-action films based on cartoons and comics

• List of films with live action and animation

• List of animated films in the public domain in the United States

• List of lost or unfinished animated films

• List of animated package films

• List of adult animated feature films

• List of children's animated films

• List of years in animation

Animation Industry

List of animation studios

• List of animation studios owned by NBCUniversal

• List of animation studios owned by Paramount Skydance

• List of animation studios owned by Sony

• List of animation studios owned by the Walt Disney Company

• List of animation studios owned by Warner Bros. Discovery

• List of animation distribution companies

Some notable artists and producers of animation

• Tex Avery

• Ralph Bakshi

• Hanna-Barbera

• Brad Bird

• Don Bluth

• Bob Clampett

• Quirino Cristiani

• Walt Disney

• Max Fleischer

• Paul Grimault

• Matt Groening

• Ivan Ivanov-Vano

• Chuck Jones

• Mike Judge

• John Kricfalusi

• Walter Lantz

• John Lasseter

• Todd McFarlane

• Hayao Miyazaki

• Joe Murray

• Fred Quimby

• Trey Parker

• Matt Stone

• Jay Ward

See also

• Outline of film

• Outlines of culture and arts

External links

• The making of an 8-minute cartoon short

• "Animando" , a 12-minute film demonstrating 10 different animation techniques (and teaching how to use them).