Animation is the process of taking several frames and playing them one after another to create an animation. Each second several frames are played, and the more frames each second the smoother the animation will be. Different types of animation use the frames differently and will play them at different speeds to get the desired effect. For example, clay animation is played one frame at a time to create live action animation.

Traditional animation is a technique where each frame is drawn by hand and then played quickly one after the other to create the illusion of motion video and animation. Traditional animation usually begins with a storyboard, and this eventually gives life to the several images drawn and played to create a scene. 

Fantasmagorie is a french hand drawn animated film and is one of the first known animations. It was created by Émile Cohl in 1908. It is considered to be the first animated cartoon. The animation consists of a stick figure moving about and coming across different hand drawn objects which morph into other objects, such as a wine bottle which transforms into a flower. 

The Zoetrope was constructed by William Horner in the 19th Century. The Zoetrope was a spinning device with several frames painted on the inside depicting different scenes in a sequence, and when spun at high speeds and viewed through vertical slits on the outside, creates the illusion of motion picture and thus animation. 

There are several different animation techniques. Frame by frame animation, which is what clay animation is done on, is the process of taking single pictures very shortly after another and then playing them at high speed one after another afterwards. This can create a long video of still objects in the real world moving. Inanimate objects, such as clay, can be moved around and create the illusion of motion.

Tweening is is the process of creating a frame inbetween two frames to link between the pair, allowing the first image to move into the second one smoothly. More sophisticated software allows you to specify certain images and decide how slowly and how smoothly they transition into the next image. Tweening adds more frames to the animation, but makes it a smoother animation overall. 

Morphing is a special effect that transitions one photo to a middle ground and then finally a third photo, showing the change in a seamless transition. Morphing is often used to show a transition from one person to another person via technology, or showing the transition from one scene to another via a gradual transition. 

Masking is a visual animation of hiding certain things in a scene with a background or other object. This allows for the animator to reveal other parts of the scene at his discretion, for added dramatic effect. One of the most famous masking uses is the James Bond intro, where James Bond is hidden by the barrel of a gun until he comes into view.