As well as working in 2D and 3D formats for a range of different medias graphic designers will also often work using animation. With the popularity of the internet increasing more and more people are starting to take advantage of the benefits animated designs can offer. With the demand increasing for animated works the IT and software market has also begun to accommodate the growth by offering a range of software packages, online tutorials and additional services.
The following information explains how animation can be used effectively by graphic designers for a range of purposes.
Animation Software Packages
A range of different software packages can be used to employ animation to varying degrees. Depending on the kind of animation required a range of programs can be used.
For simple images such as gifs with limited frames of animation programs such as photoshop can be used. Gifs can be used for advertising banners on websites as well as for adding a little more impact to thumbnail images for social networks and avatars for blogs.
For more advanced animations for uses on sophisticated websites programs such as flash can be used. Using more advanced software packages such as this the designer has more facilities to manipulate the stills and images used into more advanced displays.
Programs such as adobe flash have an interface similar to a music or film editing package and allow the user to view the design over a timeline. This means the designer or editor has complete control over all aspects of the animation and can implement even minute changes with relative ease.
Animation Designs Online
Animation can be used for a number of different purposes online. By adding animated elements to your website you can attract more interest to the services and resources on offer.
Many people use banners to advertise on a reciprocal basis. Banners which are usually created in gif format are quick and easy to make and can incorporate a variety of eye catching designs. Banners also take up little space, usually a few kilobytes and so can be uploaded quickly and won't cause a browser to slow down whilst loading a page.
For promotional materials such as film trailers and preview clips for computer games more complex animations can be presented. Short films can be edited from footage and used for streaming on websites or for download. Films like this are usually available in mpeg or QuickTime formats and are available in varying qualities to suit different connection speeds.