{{Short description|Animation technique}} {{single source|date=March 2023}} [[File:Doverboys-smearframe.png|thumb|upright=0.6|A sequence of five frames from ''The Dover Boys at Pimento University''. Frames 2–4 are smear frames, those being elongated inbetweens.]] In animation, a '''smear frame''' is a frame used to simulate motion blur. Smear frames are used in between key frames.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Santucci |first1=Walter |title=The Guerrilla Guide to Animation: Making Animated Films Outside the Mainstream |date=2009 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780826429858 |page=49}}</ref> This animation technique has been used since the 1940s.<ref name=":0" /> Smear frames are used to stylistically visualize fast movement along a path of motion.<ref name=":02">Drury, Matthew R., "Creating 3D Smear Frames for Animation" (2016). ''Undergraduate Honors Theses.'' Paper 348. https://dc.etsu.edu/ honors/348</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Lendenfeld |first=Christoph |url=https://theses.fh-hagenberg.at/system/files/pdf/Lendenfeld18.pdf |title=Smearframes in Video Games |publisher=Masterabeit Digital Arts in Hagenberg |year=2018 |pages=1–26}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Carter |first=Chris |date=October 2019 |title=Exaggerated Cartoon Style Motion In Hotel Transylvania |url=https://aircconline.com/ijcga/V9N4/9419ijcga03.pdf |journal=International Journal of Computer Graphics & Animation |volume=9 |issue=4|pages=29–43 |doi=10.5121/ijcga.2019.9403 }}</ref>
== History == While smear frames had been used sparingly in the 1930s, the most notable, major use of smear frames was in the 1942 film ''The Dover Boys at Pimento University''.<ref name=":13" /> The nature of smear frames helped to reduce production costs of other motion blur techniques used in earlier cartoons.<ref name=":13" />
Developed for 2D animation, smear frames did not evolve much even with the emergence of CG animated films in the 1990s.<ref name=":13" /> The more sophisticated, rigged style of animation for CG films was not conducive to smear frames at the time.<ref name=":13" />
The earliest notable use of smear frames in a computer animated film was 2012’s ''Hotel Transylvania'', in which Genndy Tartakovsky's traditional design philosophies were used to guide the 3D shots.<ref name=":22" />
The first documental textbook researching smear frames was released on December 29, 2024.<ref>https://www.routledge.com/The-Animation-Smears-Book-Uncovering-Films-Most-Elusive-Technique/Avender/p/book/9781032724348</ref>
== Types of smear frames ==
=== Elongated inbetween === Movement of the subject between key poses by distorting it over 1-2 frames.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":22" /> The term first emerged in reference to this type of smear in Richard Williams’ ''The Animator’s Survival Kit''.<ref name=":13" />
=== Multiples === Duplication of the subject or parts of the subject along a path of motion.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":13" /> Does not distort the subject and is used for repeated actions like walk cycles.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":22" />
== Smear frames in different media == While developed for 2D animation, smear frames can be seen in other mediums that employ the use of animation.
=== In 2D animation === * Chuck Jones’ ''Road Runner'' cartoons.<ref name=":13" /> * An example of a smear can be found in Williams’ ''The Animator’s Survival Kit.''<ref name=":22" /> * ''The Legend of Korra'' combined slight smears with motion blur to emulate a fast motion without distorting the realistic art style.<ref name=":13" /> * Animated with 2D puppetry, YouTube’s Super Science Friends used multiples as to not distort their models.<ref name=":13" />
=== In 3D animation === • 2012 ''Hotel Transylvania'' employed the use of both elongated in-betweens and multiples, depending on the motion of the shot.<ref name=":22" />
• 2014 ''The Lego Movie'' used Lego shapes in the same color as the character to simulate a smear.<ref name=":13" />
• 2018 ''Into the Spider-verse'' used squash and stretch with overlaid 2D effects to create smears.<ref name=":13" />
=== In Stop-motion === • Laika’s ''ParaNorman'' used 3D printed head replacements that were modeled in various smear shapes.<ref name=":13" />
• ''Wallace and Gromit'' used multiples to visualize quick action.<ref name=":13" />
=== In Video games === Much like 3D animation, smear frames were rarely seen in early video games due to the lack of power in gaming systems.<ref name=":13" /> Visually stylistic games with fixed cameras were more likely to have smears.<ref name=":13" />
• 1991 ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' smeared Sonic’s feet in his run cycle.<ref name=":13" />
• ''Crash Bandicoot'' used multiples and blur on Crash’s spin. According to Lendenfeld, this is the first notable use of smears in a 3D game.<ref name=":13" />
• 2001 ''Jak and Daxter'' used elongated inbetweens, though they were limited in how far they could distort the model.<ref name=":13" />
== See also == * Inbetweening * Morphing * Motion blur * Onion skinning
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Animation techniques