Sunday, 17 November 2013

P3


What Are the Different Animation Formats?


There are many different animation formats that all have different uses depending on the requirement. These different animation formats give animators even more creativity and design choices. This allows for a wider variety of animated content for many different uses among the web. The most common animation format is an animated GIF. An animated GIF file is a sequence of still images being rapidly flipped through to produce the illusion of motion (Think of it as a virtual flipbook). GIF files can be completely motionless or they can be animated which increases there versatility beyond other formats.

Another animation format is FLA. The FLA format is used for flash files and is also used commonly. Flash files are generally used for hand drawn animation but can also be used for stringing together still images, much like a GIF. The main difference between a flash file and a GIF file is the size. GIF files are generally much smaller than flash files, but flash files allow you to do more with them. A common use for flash files on the internet is within online games. They can also be used for videos and small animated images, although GIF’s are predominantly used for animated images.

One other animation format is Dynamic HTML. Dynamic HTML is used in conjunction with HTML, but the main difference between the two is that regular HTML creates static sites while Dynamic HTML creates sites with animation within it. This is advantageous to use because it does not require the user to physically create the animation, instead they can use java script to create it for them which saves a lot of time when creating a website. Dynamic HTML file sizes are variable but can be relatively small.

What Are the Different Animation tools/Programs?


There are a lot of different animation formats, but there are also a lot of different animation tools/programs. These tools/programs can vary in use with some doing a lot of tasks while others doing specific tasks. One tool/program which is very popular is adobe flash. Adobe flash (As the name suggests) creates flash files and contains a massive verity of tools to help make animation easier. On such tool is the morph tool which allows you to change one image into another image fluently. This saves time as it does not require the animation to manually change the image to the other image.

Another animation tool/program is GIFmaker. GIFmaker is a free online program which allows for simple creation of GIF’s. It works by first uploading the images you want and then finalizing the file to download it. You also have options to change the speed of the animation and the size of the images. In addition you can change the order of the images to suit the animation.

What are the Advantages of Animated GIF’s?


There are many different advantages to using GIF’s, these include:

·         Transparency

·         LZW (Loss-Less Compression)

·         Small File Size

·         Can Be Anything You Want

Transparency


Transparency is when you have an image with a blank background that other images can be seen through. For example if you put a transparent image in front of a multi-coloured background, the background would show behind the transparency of the main image. This is useful when you want to place an image on top of another without having to merge the two together.

LZW (Loss-Less Compression)


LZW (Or loss-less compression) is when you compress a file but no data is lost. For example if you wanted to compress a GIF file to upload it to a website, you could do that and the image resolution would stay the same. This is useful for when you want to upload a GIF file to a website, or if you wanted to have a GIF file load on a website. This also allows for multiple GIF’s to be present on a web page at any given time.

Small File Size


The small file size of GIF’s is what makes it possible to use on websites. This coupled with LZW allow the GIF file to be used for many different things. GIF files can be animated and still maintain their small file size which makes it great for websites, and it also allows them to load as if it was just a J-PEG file.

They Can Be Whatever You Want


GIF files can be whatever you want. They can be static or they can be animated. This alongside the previous advantages make GIF files one of the most versatile file types out there. A lot of image files on the web are in fact GIF files and almost all animations are GIF’s. This is because the limitations for their design are in the hands of their creators.

What Are the Disadvantages of Animated GIF’s?


There are Disadvantages to using animated GIF’s. These include:

·         256 Colour Limit

·         The Resolution Can Be Blocky When Zoomed In

·         Too Many GIF's Can Slow Bandwidth

·         Too Many GIF's Can Spoil The Viewing Experience

256 Colour Limit


The 256 colour limit for GIF files is a trade of for the small file size and is incredibly small when compared to the 16 million colour limit for J-PEG files. Although this might sound like a huge disadvantage, GIF files can be used for animation which is what makes them so popular. GIF’s aren’t always animated though so the small file size and LZW make up for it by allowing multiple GIF’s to be present on a web page at any given time.

The Resolution Can Be Blocky When Zoomed In


The resolution for GIF files is fairly reasonable and stays at its optimal resolution because of LZW. However if you zoom into a GIF file it will keep its original resolution. This means that the image will become more pixelated the more you zoom in to it. This is disadvantageous because it means that you would have to increase the file size in order to view the image at a larger state.

Too Many GIF’s Can Slow Bandwidth


Having too many GIF’s on one web page can slow your bandwidth down. This is because there are potential over 100 images that the web page may have to load depending on the length of an animated GIF. Even though the file size is reasonably small, having too many on screen at any given time will slow your bandwidth down and cause problems for your internet. This can also be a problem if the same amount of GIF images is present on every web page, making your website load even slower for your viewers.

Too Many GIF’s can spoil The Viewing Experience


Having too many animated GIF’s on a web page can spoil the viewing experience. This is because the human brain will feel clustered and overworked since it needs to cope with all of the animations at once. This can leave the viewer disoriented and confused which may lead to the number of viewers on your website decrease. It is important to know your limitations on animated GIF’s for a web page and it also factors in on bandwidth and load times.