FRAMEBURST ACADEMY 9
Too Long; Drew & Rendered 😄 (TL;DR)
This is a pun, not a command. Imagine a cartoon as a stack of drawings.
You already know that animation is made from frames.
A frame is just one picture.
But pictures alone do not create movement.
What makes animation move is how fast those pictures appear on the screen.
That speed is called frame rate.
Frame rate is basically how many pictures appear every second.
For example:
• 12 frames per second = 12 pictures every second
• 24 frames per second = 24 pictures every second
The more frames you show in a second, the smoother the animation looks.
But animators usually do not draw every frame. Instead, they use smart tricks: such as working on ones, twos, and even threes to save time, or to convey a better message.
In this lesson, we will understand:
• What frame rate is
• Why it matters
• When animators work on ones, twos, or threes
• What keyframes, breakdowns, and inbetweens are
Don’t worry. Once you understand these ideas, animation stops feeling mysterious and feels like a puzzle you can solve.
What Is Frame Rate? 
Frame rate basically means:
How many pictures appear every second in an animation?
This is written as FPS, which means Frames Per Second.
Example:
If a video runs at 24 FPS {Frames per second}, it flips 24 pictures every second.
If it runs at 12 FPS, it flips 12 pictures every second.
More pictures per second = smoother motion.
Fewer pictures per second = slightly choppier motion.
Both can still look good depending on the style.
Why Frame Rate Is Important?
Frame rate affects two main things.
1. How Smooth Does Animation Look?
Higher frame rates look smoother.
Lower frame rates can feel more simple or stylized.
Many cartoons and animated films use 24 FPS.
But many YouTube animations use 12 FPS.
2. How Smooth Does Animation Look?
More frames mean more drawings.
For example:
1 second at 24 FPS needs 24 pictures.
But if you animate smarter, you can use fewer drawings.
That is where working on one, two, and three frames comes in.
Working on Ones, Twos, & Threes:
This sounds complicated, but it is actually very simple.
It just means how long one drawing stays on the screen.
Working on Ones:
Working on ones means:
One drawing appears for one frame only.
So if your animation is 24 FPS, you draw 24 drawings in one second.
This makes movement look very smooth.
But it also takes a lot of work.
Animators usually use ones for:
- Fast action
- Special scenes
- Special Effects
- Quick movements
Working on Twos:
Working on twos means:
One drawing stays on screen for two frames.
So instead of drawing 24 drawings per second, you only draw 12 drawings.
This still looks smooth.
In fact, many animated movies are animated in twos.
It saves time while still looking good.
Working on Threes:
Working on threes means:
One drawing stays on screen for three frames.
So at 24 FPS you only draw about 8 drawings per second.
This is often used for:
- Saving time
- Slow movement
- Simple animation
Many story-time animators mix twos and threes.
Working on Fours, Fives &Â Above:
Sometimes animators hold a drawing even longer.
This means one drawing stays on screen for four frames, five frames, or even more.
For example:
If an animation runs at 24 FPS:
- Working on fours = about 6 drawings per second
- Working on fives = about 5 drawings per second
Animators usually use this for very slow movement or pauses.
Examples include:
- A dramatic pause in a story.
- A character standing still while talking.
- A character thinking before responding.
- Holding a reaction face for comedic timing.
Story-time animators often use this trick because it saves a lot of time.
Instead of constantly drawing new frames, you can hold a pose longer while the voiceover continues.
Sometimes, only small parts move, like the mouth or eyes, while the rest of the body stays still.
This makes production much faster while the animation still feels natural for storytelling videos.
Extremes (The Start & End of a Movement)
Before animators start filling in frames, they first decide the extreme poses.
Extremes are the most important positions in a movement.
They usually show the start and the end of an action.
For example, imagine a character waving their hand.
The extremes might be:
• The hand all the way down
• The hand all the way up
These two poses show the full range of the movement.
Once the animator decides the extremes, it becomes easier to plan everything that happens in between.
Extremes help animators understand:
- How big is the movement?
- Where the motion starts.
- Where the motion ends.
After the extremes are planned, the animator can start creating keyframes, breakdowns, and in-between frames to complete the animation.
Keyframes (The Important Poses):
Keyframes are the main poses of a movement.
Think of them as the important moments.
Example:
A character jumping might have these keyframes:
-
The character crouching
-
The character in the air
-
The character landing
These poses describe the action.
Everything else connects them.
Breakdown Frames (The Middle Step):
Breakdowns show how the movement travels between keyframes.
Example:
If a character moves their arm up, the breakdown shows the arm halfway through the motion.
It helps the movement feel natural.
Inbetweens (The Extra Frames):
Inbetweens are the frames that fill the gaps.
They make the motion look smooth.
Think of it like this:
Extremes = the largest movement poses.
Keyframes = the main story poses.
Breakdowns = the direction of the movement.
Inbetweens = the frames that smooth and finalize everything out.
How Story-Time Animators Usually Animate?
If you want to make story-time animations for your YouTube channel, the good news is:
You do not need super complex animation.
Most creators use:
- 12 FPS or 24 FPS
- Animation mostly on twos
- Simple character movements
Sometimes a character will even hold the same pose while talking.
Only the mouth or eyes move.
And that is completely normal.
Story-time animation focuses more on:
- Breaking of the fourth wall
- Expressions
- Storytelling
- Delivery
- Humor
Not on thousands of drawings.
A Simple Way to Remember Everything:
Think of animation like a flipbook.
Frames = the drawings
Frame rate = how fast you flip the pages
Keyframes = the important pictures
Breakdowns = the middle step
Inbetweens = the extra pages that smooth the motion
Once you understand this, animation start making much more sense.
What’s Coming Next?
Now you know the hidden engine behind animation.
Frame rate controls how fast drawings appear and how smooth the movement feels.
But there is another secret animators use to make things look natural.
Something that makes characters feel like they have weight and energy.
In the next exciting episode of your hero’s journey, we will explore:
Timing and Spacing – the secret behind realistic movement.
Once you understand this, your animations will start to feel much more alive.
This is where animation starts to feel usable and fun. See you until the next relive. ✨🎬
Excellent work and excellent article. Keep it up and keep up all the excellent work
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your support and kind words. It means a lot and motivates me to keep creating more helpful content.
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Wow, thank you so much for your incredibly kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that you find the content helpful and easy to follow. Your encouragement truly means a lot and motivates me to keep sharing useful tips and insights.
You’ve provided an in-depth exploration of various traditional animation techniques, highlighting their evolution and significance in the industry. From the early days of hand-drawn animation to the modern era of computer-generated imagery (CGI), you’ve covered a wide range of methods used to bring characters and stories to life.
Traditional Animation (Cel Animation): This method involves hand-drawing each frame on transparent paper, allowing for independent movement of characters and objects against a stationary background.
Stop Motion Animation: Utilizing real objects and puppets, stop motion involves capturing still images of subtle movements, creating the illusion of motion when played sequentially.
Tim Burton’s Style Animation: Recognizable for its dark themes, distinct character designs, and play with light and shadow, Tim Burton’s style has become iconic in the animation industry.
Flipbook Animation: A simple yet effective method where drawings are made on separate pages and flipped rapidly to create the illusion of motion.
Stereography/Kinegram/Picket-Fence/Barrier-Grid Animation: Involves moving a striped transparent overlay across an abstract drawing to create the illusion of movement, also known as barrier-grid animation.
Praxinoscope/Zoetrope Animation: An early animation technique dating back to 180 BC, where sequential drawings are placed inside a rotating drum, creating the illusion of motion when viewed through slots.
Draw-on-Film Animation: Frames are drawn directly onto movie film, offering a unique and inexpensive method of animation production.
Pinscreen Animation: Utilizes a vertical screen covered in pins that extend to create shapes when pressed, resulting in intricate shadow play.
Live Action Mixed with Animation: Combines live-action footage with animated elements to create immersive and visually striking scenes.
Realistic Animation: Blurs the lines between traditional cartoons and human actor-driven movies, often integrating real-life scenarios with animated characters.
Paint-on-Glass Animation: Invented by animator Caroline Leaf, this technique involves painting directly onto glass with oil paints to create each frame of animation.
Sand Animation: Involves pouring and manipulating sand on a bright surface to create 2D images, offering a unique and visually captivating form of animation.
Your summary provides a comprehensive overview of these animation techniques, their historical context, and their relevance in modern animation production. It’s clear that while technology has advanced, these traditional methods continue to inspire and influence contemporary animation practices.
Too good! Mr. Barry 🙂
Thank you so much for your wonderful words! I truly appreciate the time you took to read through and share such detailed feedback. It’s amazing how traditional animation techniques continue to shape modern storytelling — a perfect blend of history and innovation. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found the exploration meaningful! Your encouragement really keeps me motivated to create more content like this.
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I particularly appreciate your emphasis on the importance of practicing the basic shapes: circle, square and cylinder in enhancing the overall video experience and its applications in crafting and animating. Your clear and engaging writing style makes the content accessible to readers of all levels of expertise.
Keep up the fantastic work, and I look forward to reading more of your insightful content in the future!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging feedback! I’m really glad you found the post insightful and appreciated the focus on fundamental shapes and their role in drawing, design, and animation. Mastering these basics truly forms the foundation for creating anything — from simple sketches to complex visual stories. Your kind words mean a lot and inspire me to keep sharing more content that helps artists see and build the world through construction and creativity. Stay tuned — there’s much more to come!
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