Moving Image Basics
Frame Rate
Frame rate is the frequency in which frames (still images) are displayed. It defines how many images are shown per second. The higher the frame rate is, the smoother the motion.
Since the discovery of moving pictures around 120 years nothing really changed. The illusion of a moving image has always been still images viewed in a certain frequency with certain, progressive changes in each image/frame. What has changed is the way the single images are being created (developed from film, video to digital).
Common Frame Rates
- Film: 24 fps
- Video: 30 fps
- Games: 45, 60+ fps
15 frames per second, no motion blur:
30 frames per second, no motion blur:
60 frames per second, no motion blur:
Motion Blur
In order to best understand motion blur in animation is to look at examples when it isn't there. Those are stop motion examples, shot frame by frame (as oppose to live captured):
Captured film/video automatically has motion blur. If you look at a single frame of a sequence, captured objects in motion appear blurred.
Motion blur happens when a filmed objects moves but also when the camera itself moves.
An animation that contains motion blur feels more natural since it's natural occurrence when film or video is captured. This is neither good or bad, just a fact you need to be aware of. A sequence without motion blur may be more appropriate depending on what you want to visualize.