Learning the Art of Stop-Motion: Lesson 5

EASE IN, EASE OUT

OK... So we kind of got the hang of toggling a camera now; let's get into learning about animation techniques. All movement has an ease in, ease out motion. Now, what does that mean, you ask?

All movement starts by moving real slow, gets faster and faster, fastest during the middle of the movement, and then begins to move slower again until the movement reaches a complete stop. This is what animators call ease in (starts slow and gets faster) and ease out (starts fast and gets slower).

Here is a quick diagram of how ease in, ease out motion works:

The main goal of this animation is to depict the movement of a penny rolling from the left to the right side of the screen. Notice how it shows the penny moving slowly at first, fastest during the middle, and slows down again during the end.

Lots of animators tend not to do this, and that results in movement that have a "robotic moving" feel, meaning there is no precise motion.