What Are Animation Smears REALLY For? - Doodley

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Video by David Oneacre
✒️ Portfolio: davidoneacre.com/
✉️ Contact: [e-mail]
Music by Jayfoo
www.jayfoo.com/
📼 Subscribe: bit.ly/2D0PhjX
🎵 Soundcloud: / jason-fujita
🐦 Twitter: / jasonfujita
Gimberly uses kamone's toon shader, which you can find here:
kamone416.gumroad.com/l/hnddn
Massive thanks to Sakugabooru, whose smear tag helped immensely with this video's research: sakugabooru.com/post?tags=sme... (Note that some material here can be NSFW. I tried to include a search term that filters it, but it's not perfect.)
Consider checking out their Patreon at / sakugabooru !
Audio:
Werehog Sonic Scream from Sonic Unleashed
Pause/Unpause sound effect from Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom
Witch Time sound effect from Bayonetta

[@doodley3d]

Thanks to Milanote for sponsoring this video! Sign up for free and start your next creative project: milanote.com/doodley

[@ernestocamacho5224]

I might use it!

[@Lexo7_7]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@placeholderdoe]

I really just wanted to compliment this video and the way you used your sponsor. I noticed while watching this video all the clips you added and the descriptions and appreciated it. When your sponsor came up it immediately clicked that this huge quality was because of your sponsor. I will definitely check Milanote out, thanks for showing this to your audience

[@mak3x7]

Wait a moment, that's video script writing witchcraft, no way something that useful exists to help make KZbin videos.

[@SophieSquid]

As an aspiring video essayist this is actually really appealing. Might look into reorganizing my notes for the script I'm currently working on using this. Sure beats google doc bullet point hell

[@mikn999]

pausing on smear frames are the greatest gifts God has given to humanity

[@FPE_Enjoyer68]

Fr

[@princessthyemis]

I love making them in my own animations, and spotting them in others is so much fun!

[@RaulBeyer]

Someone made a whole video of that one sonic mania animation that i forgot the name,that pauses on the smear frames

[@electroanimates1523]

Is also the gift from the animator

[@Gloves-T-Catzero]

I agree. Especially with Tom and Jerry as there are some golden smear frames in said cartoon.

[@inkerJ]

me when someone takes a smear frame, points at it and goes “loook!1!1!!11!! animation error!!!11!1!1!”

[@THE_TRAPPYMAN]

People who doesn't know about animation when there ... animation

[@RealProtonPrompt]

Literally Calobi

[@stickfig1080p]

pov calobi:

[@sabinewoofie]

naruto haters be like:

[@THE_TRAPPYMAN]

@@stickfig1080p who is calobi anyway

[@History_Man9]

A video in a time spam of 10 days? What is this voodoo magic?

[@tubofmacaroni]

I have no clue 😌

[@RememberThe67Pikmin]

The power of today’s sponser, milanote

[@user-coolestguy]

Same thing I was thinking

[@ernestocamacho5224]

this must be a sign.

[@dodsonboys]

Bro rose up

[@TYP1C1L]

smears have always been one of the best things in animation like tbh it adds a layer of realism and readiblity yet still can be stylized to the artists choice . Keep up the good content

[@princessthyemis]

Ohh yeah!! So well said!

[@Molo4ov]

Babe wake up doodley is falling from the ceiling.

[@shirasayakatana573]

GIBBYYYYY!

[@unfractured_]

And with the Sonic Unleashed Werehog death scream no less!

[@user-mx3lo6dv4d]

"Hey, Ron" "Hey, Billy" "That hurt"

[@oatsuho37]

@@unfractured_ And the touhou pause sound

[@lawnmowerdude]

I appreciate the music track on screen when it changes.

[@werttawertta]

Fr

[@gonderage]

fr fr, he's got peak citations

[@jayfoo]

Yeah, I agree. It’s a nice touch

[@PollenDev]

I love how your video can work with both 3D and 2D using both to convey your point

[@spiffy3430]

Blur frames will always be my beloved. When I’m animating or when im watching, they have meme potential and are just easy

[@partypoison_]

I like how there's no wrong or right choices in arts. There's just choices 🍷 🗿

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The smear frames is the most blessed and cursed image on every pause moments in animation.

[@FishDrinkLightGreen]

Love that you brought up Skullgirls and other fighting games in this. Readability in fighting games is often an overlooked gameplay element. I’ve never played a fighting game that articulates what is happening at any instant as well as Skullgirls does. It’s got such a small cult following now that any mention or praise of my favorite fighting game makes me happy

[@doodley3d]

I'm an OG Skullgirls fan!! Played it back on release day in 2012 on the PS3. I've been there for EVERYTHING and it's beautiful to me that it's still going strong.

[@FishDrinkLightGreen]

​@@doodley3d That's so awesome to hear! I relatively recently got into it because of a friend and it was the reason I started getting into fighting games. Can't wait for your video focused on fighting games!

[@KirbyUaufixD]

@@doodley3d skullgirl's animation is incredible!!! that one GDC talk mariel gave is so so so cool !

[@otaking3582]

Just a shame that Skullgirls is now ruined...

[@FishDrinkLightGreen]

@@otaking3582 I think the community overexaggerated how the censorship of the game ruined it. I think it was a poor decision that resulted in a lot of people leaving the game, but it's still just as enjoyable personally

[@MeloniestNeon]

I'm a simple man. I see Phineas and Ferb in a Doodly thumbnail, I click.

[@xruffel]

YAY!!! GUILTY GEAR MENTIONED!!! I'm quite excited to hear that you have a fighting game video planned, because I think the genre well deserves after it has continued to advance with its beautiful character animations and expressions that it continues to build upon to this day. Also, since you did in fact mention Guilty Gear Strive, I hope you don't shy away from talking from one of my favorite characters with some of the best animations from it, Faust! The way how his body contorts is honestly a work of art in itself, and I always love seeing that funny doctor move and schmove about. Great work as always Doodley! :3

[@chielvoswijk9482]

What i like about Doodley's videos is that there is this sense of encouragement behind it. It ain't just analysis, or why/when. Just boundless admiration for those who use it and encouraging people to use it themselves even if its really simplistic.

[@superbnns]

The snipe at Mortal Kombat's lackluster animation was unexpected but welcome. They've been doing that for so long that I'm convinced it must be a stylistic choice, possibly to emulate the aesthetic the digitized sprites had back in the 90s.

[@evilded2]

I'm convinced that they have realized mainstream consumers will lap up anything regardless of quality and decided to save money. I had someone tell me that they unironically thought Mk11 looked better than GGST.

[@superbnns]

@evilded2 for some people the only purpose of animation is to look as "realistic" as possible

[@evilded2]

@@superbnns that's the worst part, it's not. Characters flail about stiffly with no regard for inertia.

[@superbnns]

@evilded2 by "realistic" I mean high fidelity models, not the animation

[@doodley3d]

Yeah, I love Mortal Kombat but its animation has never been its strongest point. They always have trouble pushing their poses and I never liked that the series lacked hitstop. I always figured it's because they want it to be as visually realistic as possible, but you can absolutely have realistic animation that pushes and exaggerates. That said, in another context I'd be praising it for its cutscenes direction and presentation (especially in 1), so they definitely have talent on their team -- I think they're just limiting themselves much more than they should.

[@jorky]

I think it’s important to outline just how influential cinematography and technology throughout the years is on animation. smear-frames are naturally derived from shutter angles used on the majority of cinema film cameras, and drag is more influenced but earlier digital cameras with slow physical sensor readouts called “rolling shutter”. Understanding how cameras work can provide a huge benefit to the feel you want to achieve and cinematography is something research and practice as a support piece to you’re animation.

[@cloudshifter]

I was originally like "Psssh I knew smears for a long time". I love that you don't only touch the begginer aspect but also the intermediate and pro aspect of these subjects. I was expecting something I already knew but it gave me some extra food for thought

[@Qoride]

the subtle touhou sfx are just *mwa* chefs kiss

[@jaythezerosix]

bro before, i thought they we're animation errors and the animators are "very bad at drawing". you made me learn abt smears. thx

[@jackpijjin4088]

I think you can blame folks labeling intentional smear frames as 'errors' for your prior belief.

[@SheepUndefined]

@@jackpijjin4088 Bruh, people do that?

[@spacebassist]

​@@jackpijjin4088"hmm yes, today I'm going to share my expertise on something I've spent 0 seconds doing myself" Wild how many people will do that without at least learning the fundamentals

[@jackpijjin4088]

@spacebassist For real though.

[@Majik-7121]

This thumbnail is a true masterpiece 👌

[@lilliangoulston5706]

Bet you didn't think we wouldn't recognize the Touhou pause sound at beginning, would we? lol Can't wait for the fighting game video! ❤

[@Xenomorthian]

Wait doodley based?

[@aaamogusthespiderever2566]

reimu goin wild with this one

[@haydenibbott2350]

I heard that pause sound and I was freakin' out because I recognized it, but couldn't place it! Thanks.

[@toganium4175]

Anyone who hates smears hates having fun. You probably won’t even notice them unless you pause at random.

[@chocolatewaffles_yt]

0:00 *doodley waves*' 0:02 *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-*

[@flaris0706]

he wasnt aware of the trapdoor beneath him

[@Halberds8122]

Hi. That guy falling to his death? That's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation.

[@just_smolchild]

0:02 touhou pause sound

[@TheLetterJ10]

wop-sh, topada mornin' to ya, laddies!

[@Maxler5795]

The second you mentioned umvc3, my brain went "is he gonna talk about guilty gear?" And when you did, i literally did a monkey noise of excitement. Because gg is fucking lit. Like jesus christ

[@Goomba456]

I appreciate that you also talk about 2D animation, a lot of people seem to think of 3D as "better" than 2D in some sense (including Disney now unfortunately), so it's nice seeing people treat them more equally.

[@enchantedplayz71]

Fun fact: If you’re looking for a smear frame in a KZbin video use these keys! < and > These keys go back one frame! (Helpful if you wanna show your friend something that only happens for like 4/60 frames!)

[@Makinri]

Thank you for mentioning bna I have never cared for the show itself but its animation is so good.

[@pinkertonbyweezer]

shoutouts to whoever that animator was that thought smears were a sincere error and worked without them

[@atlaslovesedm8704]

0:03 *record scratch* "yep, that's me. you're probably wondering how i ended up here."

[@fadepanther6224]

"No two smears are alike." In a way, they are an animator, artist, or even rigger's fingerprint. Much in the way you can tell someone's hands being in a piece of media from the style of writing, art style, or audio design, smear work, or more to the point, how they make the action flow, is one of many elements that makes up a great animation, show, or even that one frame you point and either laugh at, or gawk in awe at how they managed something so weird to look so normal when you didn't freeze that frame. OH MAN! Milanote, I've been hoping for something like this. I'm... a tad over aiming with my goals. But having something I can drop in images, videos, and the like to help form idea paths and other elements I need is just what I need. Err, ignore the double usage. One big thing this will, hopefully, aid me in is making my own show. That and the help you, (Doodley) and other helpful artists, animators, and riggers are really allowing me to not overthink things, as well as understand that sometimes... it doesn't need to be a drastic thing. Just do what feels good, buut also make sure to look it over once you finish it. It is okay to redo something... every once and a while. It is better to do it right the first time... for saving time, but you don't learn as much doing things that way.... Okay, rambling over. Aloha you al!

[@chris2746]

The relatively recent use of smear techniques in 3d animation have really improved the "feel" of a lot of 3d animation that uses it. DreamWorks seems to have especially embraced it and it really makes movements look better, and paradoxically move more realistically.

[@oneiricNomad]

Wait. NEW SONG!!! Cherry! Can't wait for round 2 of the Doodley soundtrack drop! Keep up the good work, @jayfoo !

[@jayfoo]

Tyty I actually wrote cherry specifically for the rigging video

[@heightsoff182]

You quite possibly are the best animation helper in the world with understandable visuals

[@memyselfishness]

I really appreciate the use of Cats Don't Dance as examples. Lots of people sleep on that film.

[@SunnyIsOnline]

First youtube sponsorship I'm genuinely interested in, looks like something I've wanted for a long time

[@Arcad3n]

The Lego Batman Movie uses Lego blocks as smear frames and it’s INCREDIBLE.

[@ahdrjjgvc]

hearing the touhou pause/unpause sfx at the start for what ever resone makes me kinda happy :)

[@evilded2]

I don't think it's a coincidence how large the overlap between fighting game and animation fans is.

[@youraveragechroma2139]

Man, Gimberly’s power feats in physics manipulation are going to be insane when the non-Euclidean tutorial drops! Also, how have I not connected the dots on this being extremely similar to what sword-swing lines are? I’m oblivious.

[@TearMetoBitsDarling]

I really like how you do sponsors, it feels genuine over all the other ads, goes to show how much you care about this channel

[@Silly_artist]

I agree too!👍

[@smartkrafter2853]

You uploaded this video LITERALLY when I needed it! Thanks man

[@Micha-Hil]

Mentions of Marvel 3, MK, and Gear make me think we're gonna get a fighting game style analysis real soon

[@davidci]

As someone who's working on a fight animation that involves using a bat, the bat smear frame example really helps a lot!

[@sailorenthusiast]

Unfortunately, it's become quite common for people to point out smear frames in animated shows they don't like as evidence that the people who made the show are bad artists. Like, they don't care if the point of the smear is to make the character motion look smoother. They just look at the off-model appearance of the character and declare it to be an egregious example of artistic laziness. I miss the days when people would do the whole "don't pause a Disney film" meme, as at least them people were just acknowledging that smear frames exist, rather than pointing them out as "bad animation."

[@awesomeus-3]

I love your tutorials, the way you show both the techniques being used for things like movies, video games, ect. and being used for your own animations is just so great! Keep up the good work doodly!😊

[@BigSHOT_Purge]

Its awesome how you showed Jojo! They use a lot of the smear techniques when fighting.

[@Matthimeo]

To add to the readability of actions, smears are fantastic at letting the audiences feel arcs and line of action. Through making the smear follow the motion of the arcs you can add whole arcs to motions that happen faster than that arc can be resolved, and preserve inertia from other motions happening before so it doesn’t feel like the motion snapped to place in one direction.

[@christinacordova6271]

Hey doodles! I just wanted to say thank for these animation tutorials! I’m going into animation/art for college and these will help me! Thank you!

[@dzarthedemon4855]

one thing I think could be really cool is having the animation itself pause briefly on a smear as something impacts something else, like an animation where a swordsman parries a fireball, to cause it to have a bigger impact. though idk if that's really relevant to the video

[@XNorYT]

Congratulations on 500K subscribers!

[@Hero-rl5sc]

I’m so happy that your mentioning fighting games in this video, it’s what got me into animation in the first place

[@KindaBlorp]

You made a really good point. It’s not the tools you have, it’s the skills and understanding of the artist. I love smear frames in 3d animation and overthink it. I want it to mimic exactly what I see in my head most of the time but it always seems like the simpler the better and more in line with the original idea if I focus on the key frames and as a connection instead of the main course. A nice little learning lesson for me personally and great content as always, keep up the good work!

[@Randomly_selected6]

Wow! I enjoy watching your animation guides! I had a lot of trouble with animating! Thanks for helping everyone and keep up the good work Doodley!

[@Shasharles]

Finding this channel is the best thing that has happened to me this year. Thank you for being so passionate.

[@puggss]

first second in...love the content edit: full video done...love the content but actually, for real, smears can influence an animation by so much; it can add personality to a character; it can make the animation more pleasing to view; and let's not forget that moment when you pause it perfectly and get...PURE ART! Love the video, keep it up!

[@shachartzin5405]

Awesome video. It's worth noting how Arc system works redefined the use of smears, with the timing decisions that makes the smear frame HELD FOR THE LONGEST out of the action, to emphasize the gameplay aspect, communicating a connected hit.

[@NATSIRTZEPOL1]

Doodley uploading is like the closest I'll ever get to feeling the high of ecstacy!

[@princessthyemis]

I absolutely LOOOVE using smear frames! And it's not just making a random silly drawing. You really have to think about how to connect the smear frame to the frame before & after it! I've only been practicing animation for just under a year, and I've realized that if you use them too frequently it makes everything look rubbery and that can be an issue if that's not exactly what you're trying to make--although it's fine if it is!! I absolutely love using them; they are so much fun!!!!!

[@Da-Dorkus]

Smears are just the cooler, funnier version of squash and stretch. Also, love the history you have us of where and when smears were used.

[@ThatsABean]

I love the amount of examples you use! I finally have a good resource to fallback to when I'm struggling with smears

[@inktasticcreator1532]

Yayayayay I just got done spring cleaning and watching this with a well earned break is just what I need! Thanks Doodley :)

[@_lexi]

ive been working on something and stopped progress to watch this video, and it made me realize my project NEEDED smears! it was looking way too quick and choppy, but i had no frames to work with because it had to be precisely timed with the audio. thanks doodley!

[@MagikalKrabical]

I was like "Nice that they talked about skullgirls but shame they didn't talk about guilty ge" *And then there was guilty gear.*

[@FatBowels]

You're quickly becoming one of my favourite channels, good shit brotha

[@maxmarsden4402]

Every Doodley video brings me closer and closer to just taking the deep dive and actually animating

[@commanderkappa603]

Really great video overall but that opening bit with the Werehog scream cut out by the Touhou pause sfx sends me. I love it^^

[@user-ss8vo4xu3g]

First of all, i love milanote as a tool. And as you said, there is not a "time limit" but there is a limit in files you can upload (that number is not high) an then you have to pay... you can erase things to recover space, but unless you pay for ir. Its really difficult to work on more than one project. Still recomended, i dont want to say anything bad of the sponsor, milanote is really good...

[@Davemon115]

Doodley: Also Doodley:

[@RothAnim]

Good video! I've done a lot of smears in 2d Flash/Animate over the years, and still learned something! The idea of the "extra frame" is one I'll try and use going forward. There's one area I've had to use smears and blurs a lot in the past few years: reducing photo-epilepsy triggers in children's programming. Quick strobing flashes and patterns of contrasting colors can cause seizures, and there are now programs that can test for those in video. Using smears to stagger wide blocks of color, or modifying smears to reduce contrast between rapid frames in animation cycles has been an interesting creative challenge.

[@Elysian98]

That "ow" at 2:33 is adorable

[@gragh762]

you're literally the only person who has convinced me to check out the sponsor! loved the video by the way, ive been binging so much of yours! :-)

[@bobbycosmic]

Nice just subbed and now there's new content you're my favorite now

[@biancab.9733]

Thank you so much for this high quality conent. I really enjoy it!

[@Aleroski]

I love your videos so much. Genuenly fascinating and entertaining. I look foward to your next one.

[@bearwulf1396]

i think youtube reccomanded me this video after rewatching "other friends" slowing down and studying the smears frame by frame, I think the inclusion of the clips helped youtube's algorithm

[@pn4960]

It’s the first time I’m actually interested by a KZbin sponsor. Good job on curating !

[@ZeroTwoX2]

Thank you for "Don't overthink it" it's so simple but really helpful for a rookie in 3D. Love your videos.

[@Reveur_Lucide]

I want to be a comic artist, and ive started on the first pages of my story, so seeing a nice breakdown of motion in media like this has really given me an extra bit of understanding.

[@yoavocandostuff]

Life saver! This is literally gonna make animating so much easier

[@DanielNubeDN]

This is an amazing video! I alredy used smears but now i can finally perfect them, thank you!

[@yonnel9571]

Excellent video! I really loved watching it! It was super interesting!

[@karue7581]

Absolutely LOVE your vids!

[@BeautySnake]

hey I was just studying smears, what great timing!!

[@GoatingVirtual]

The best part about smears is the memes they create

[@simonlauterbach7972]

Very helpful video. I've loved the idea of smears and how much they change animation. Just like you said, it's always 1 to 2 frames, and those frames make a huge difference

[@EvKem]

Another wonderfully made video, thank you doodley :)

[@ZenUnique]

Awesome video! I think I finally understand how I should be using smears in my animation. Thank You!

[@whimsythings8018]

I really like this one! its cool to see some new points on smears i had yet to see animators really talk about.

[@uniformofsquids1718]

Ayyy this is the one I was waiting for! Haven’t watched yet but hoping it’s as good as your frame rate one!

[@SirloinBurgers]

Your videos are some of the best informative animation content I've seen, it really feels like you're just in it for the love of the craft and I'm so grateful channels like yours are still able to get this amount of attention :) Also I need to start using Cats Don't Dance for animation reference now that I've seen it broken down like that, that was great. Sorry if you've been asked already but do you have any microphone recommendations? I've never tried narrating stuff before but seeing how well you do it makes me want to try it at some point lol

[@doodley3d]

Thank you!! I care a lot about the craft and the people behind it and I really want more people to talk about it. I use a Shure SM58 and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, but you'd be fine with a USB microphone like a Blue Yeti if you're just starting. Good recording quality is just as much about the room you're in and the vocal compression you use as it is the microphone itself. I record in my bedroom with carpets and blankets which helps the quality a lot, and the compression I use is Adobe Premiere's Multiband Compressor set to the "Broadcast" default. That's pretty much all I do!

[@SirloinBurgers]

@@doodley3d Much appreciated :)

[@ChisanaKuma315]

This solves so many questions I've had for years!

[@oracle_ow]

I need a video talking about either animation fighting games or games in general. Loved the nod to the subject!

[@oracle_ow]

Edit: HE HAS A FIGHTING GAME VIDEO PLANNED

[@evilded2]

​@@oracle_owI know right, Like I know his name is a reference to Dudley but, it's so rare non FGC people mention fighting games.

[@TheRealBatabii]

I'm so glad you showed that Overwatch smear. They were basically a meme at one point

[@skycreeper0173]

That was super awesome! I really enjoyed this video.

[@princessthyemis]

8:26 thanks soooo much for this explanation!!!

[@tubofmacaroni]

Let's goooo another vid! I've actually been practicing my smear frames lol

[@tubofmacaroni]

Also on a side note I loved when we all just watched the Superbowl (not really) while animating too

[@KingGodzillaTM]

I’ve been already trying to do smears in my animations but, this will help a lot!

[@herobrine_jrhero2648]

I never plan to animate, I just watch your videos to learn and appreciate the art I enjoy so much more

[@noahferguson]

Another beautiful video 🥲

[@skylerric3]

I was expecting 3D animation to be covered way sooner in the video. I really liked that part too because there was a fair bit of depth that I wasn't expecting. I learned something today. Thanks!