<p>It depends on a few different things, including the content, the style, and when it was made (i.e. did the technology exist to do it one way vs. another?) </p>

<p><a href="http://youtu.be/YibyPAsCCJE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's a GREAT example of multiple anime styles used in a single show --</a> we go from "high quality" level animation for the transformations, to the more "western", flash-friendly style the show is normally in, to a rather garish live-action explosion at the end. These all require different approaches.</p>

<p>If you pay attention, you can also spot where the characters aren't moving much in certain points in the video (like where Panty &amp; Stocking are standing still under the "disco" lighting), so they can get away with only drawing the frame once even though the scene goes for much longer. </p>

<p>When "tweening" between keyframes (to produce moving animation like your soccer ball example), yes, those have to be hand-drawn -- or at least hand-checked, even if a computer is used to extrapolate between keyframes! Using certain animation software like <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/flash.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Flash</a>, <a href="http://www.toonboom.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Toon Boom</a>, or 3D modeling software like <a href="http://www.blender.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blender</a> may take out some of the work, but none of that software can compensate for a bad animator, or replace an artist at the helm. </p>

<p>There's plenty of shortcuts animators use, but the computer never draws the cartoon for them -- they still have to do that part themselves!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-11T21:29:39.617Z
2018-01-01T00:43:31.463Z
2018-01-01T00:43:31.463Z
Raye Keslensky
<p>Is there any particular software or software family specifically designed for making anime? Are they drawing all the frames of motion scenes, or does a software automatically generate them?</p>
<p>For example, consider a soccer player kicking a football. Let the duration of the scene be 0.5 seconds, and let the frame rate of the video be 24 fps; that makes 12 frames in that scene. Do they patiently draw all those 12 frames manually for that scene which takes only half a second?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-22T19:36:53.960Z
this question should *not* be about software. And **no speculation**. There is a *real* question *hidden* here about Japanese *commons* of anime production, that could be very special and quite distinct from anything else. And very on-topic (think about it: japanese.SE.com? no. avp.SE.com? no. may need a re-ask, though!) Just like their seiyuu are of *much-much higher quality* and thus the seiyuu-traning **internals** would be equally interesting as the anime-drawing **internals**.
n611x007
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-22T20:39:29.597Z
a little bit modifying my last comment: *not* be about software that *only* "could be" used to create anime; if it's reworded to "what *real* Japanese artists and craftspeople *actually* use", then software could still be interesting. See http://meta.anime.stackexchange.com/a/579/244 ;)
n611x007
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-11T21:01:07.530Z
This question isn't really appropriate for Anime / Manga -- this is a question about Animation in general, possibly Sequential Art or Graphic Design.
Raye Keslensky
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-11T21:03:01.683Z
@RachelKeslensky I think a couple of questions would be fine, just as long as it doesn't become a major topic. Also Japanese anime might use a different style of software than Western Anime
TheLQ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-08T06:05:59.690Z
For those interested, [this blog post](https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2018/02/27/violet-evergarden-production-notes-7/) goes into detail about the software used in the production of Violet Evergarden (based on behind the scenes videos that the studio posted on Twitter). And [this article](https://manga.tokyo/report/mob-psycho-100-making-of-the-ending-animation-behind-the-scenes/) goes into detail about the paint-on-glass animation in Mob Psycho 100.
ahiijny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-08T03:55:23.987Z
It's been a long time, but I decided to edit the title to clarify the scope and reopen it based on the implied topic of how (professional) anime studios have done it.
Aki Tanaka
<anime-production>
What software are used by anime studios?
# What software are used by anime studios?
Posted by: username_0 on 2012-12-11
Is there any particular software or software family specifically designed for making anime? Are they drawing all the frames of motion scenes, or does a software automatically generate them?

For example, consider a soccer player kicking a football. Let the duration of the scene be 0.5 seconds, and let the frame rate of the video be 24 fps; that makes 12 frames in that scene. Do they patiently draw all those 12 frames manually for that scene which takes only half a second?
**Tags:** anime-production
> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: This question isn't really appropriate for Anime / Manga -- this is a question about Animation in general, possibly Sequential Art or Graphic Design.  
> **username_3**: @RachelKeslensky I think a couple of questions would be fine, just as long as it doesn't become a major topic. Also Japanese anime might use a different style of software than Western Anime  
> **username_1**: this question should *not* be about software. And **no speculation**. There is a *real* question *hidden* here about Japanese *commons* of anime production, that could be very special and quite distinct from anything else. And very on-topic (think about it: japanese.SE.com? no. avp.SE.com? no. may need a re-ask, though!) Just like their seiyuu are of *much-much higher quality* and thus the seiyuu-traning **internals** would be equally interesting as the anime-drawing **internals**.  
> **username_1**: a little bit modifying my last comment: *not* be about software that *only* "could be" used to create anime; if it's reworded to "what *real* Japanese artists and craftspeople *actually* use", then software could still be interesting. See http://meta.anime.stackexchange.com/a/579/244 ;)  
> **username_4**: For those interested, [this blog post](https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2018/02/27/violet-evergarden-production-notes-7/) goes into detail about the software used in the production of Violet Evergarden (based on behind the scenes videos that the studio posted on Twitter). And [this article](https://manga.tokyo/report/mob-psycho-100-making-of-the-ending-animation-behind-the-scenes/) goes into detail about the paint-on-glass animation in Mob Psycho 100.  
> **username_5**: It's been a long time, but I decided to edit the title to clarify the scope and reopen it based on the implied topic of how (professional) anime studios have done it.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2012-12-11. Score: 7
It depends on a few different things, including the content, the style, and when it was made (i.e. did the technology exist to do it one way vs. another?)

[Here's a GREAT example of multiple anime styles used in a single show --](http://youtu.be/YibyPAsCCJE) we go from "high quality" level animation for the transformations, to the more "western", flash-friendly style the show is normally in, to a rather garish live-action explosion at the end. These all require different approaches.

If you pay attention, you can also spot where the characters aren't moving much in certain points in the video (like where Panty & Stocking are standing still under the "disco" lighting), so they can get away with only drawing the frame once even though the scene goes for much longer.

When "tweening" between keyframes (to produce moving animation like your soccer ball example), yes, those have to be hand-drawn -- or at least hand-checked, even if a computer is used to extrapolate between keyframes! Using certain animation software like [Flash](http://www.adobe.com/products/flash.html), [Toon Boom](http://www.toonboom.com), or 3D modeling software like [Blender](http://www.blender.org/) may take out some of the work, but none of that software can compensate for a bad animator, or replace an artist at the helm.

There's plenty of shortcuts animators use, but the computer never draws the cartoon for them -- they still have to do that part themselves!
---
