What are smear frames?
"In animation, smear frames are animation frames that create the illusion of motion blur. Smear frames are used in between key frames. This animation technique has been used since the 1940s. Smear frames are used to stylistically visualize fast movement along a path of motion. " (Wikipedia, accessed 1/18/2023)
"The earliest, most notable use of smear frames was in the 1942 film The Dover Boys at Pimento University. The nature of smear frames helped to reduce production costs of other motion blur techniques used in earlier cartoons." (Wikipedia, accessed 1/18/2023)
Types of Smear Frames
Elongated Inbetweens
Movement of the subject between key poses by distorting it over 1-2 frames. The term first emerged in reference to this type of smear in Richard Williams’ The Animator's Survival Kit. (Wikipedia, accessed 2/28/2023)
Multiples
Duplication of the subject or parts of the subject along a path of motion. Does not distort the subject and is used for repeated actions like walk cycles. (Wikipedia, accessed 2/28/2023)
Examples
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