Editing Computer animation (section)

==Web animations==
The popularity of [[website]]s that allow members to upload their own movies for others to view has created a growing community of independent and [[amateur]] computer animators.{{sfn|Sito|2013|pp=82, 89}} With utilities and programs often included free with modern [[operating system]]s, many users can make their own animated movies and shorts. Several [[Free and open-source software|free and open-source]] animation software applications exist as well. The ease at which these animations can be distributed has attracted professional animation talent also. Companies such as [[PowToon]] and [[Vyond]] attempt to bridge the gap by giving amateurs access to professional animations as [[clip art]].

The oldest (most backward compatible) web-based animations are in the animated [[GIF]] format, which can be uploaded and seen on the web easily.{{sfn|Kuperberg|2002|pp=112–113}} However, the [[raster graphics]] format of GIF animations slows the [[download]] and frame rate, especially with larger screen sizes. The growing demand for higher quality web-based animations was met by a [[vector graphics]] alternative that relied on the use of a [[Browser extension|plugin]]. For decades, [[Flash animation]]s were a common format, until the web development community abandoned support for the [[Flash Player]] plugin. Web browsers on [[mobile device]]s and [[mobile operating system]]s never fully supported the Flash plugin.

By this time, [[Bandwidth (computing)|internet bandwidth]] and download speeds increased, making raster graphic animations more convenient. Some of the more complex vector graphic animations had a slower frame rate due to complex [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]] compared to some of the raster graphic alternatives. Many of the GIF and Flash animations were already converted to [[digital video]] formats, which were compatible with mobile devices and reduced file sizes via [[video compression]] technology. However, compatibility was still problematic as some of the video formats such as Apple's [[QuickTime]] and [[Microsoft Silverlight]] required plugins. [[YouTube]] was also relying on the Flash plugin to deliver digital video in the [[Flash Video]] format.

The latest alternatives are [[HTML5]] compatible animations. Technologies such as [[JavaScript]] and [[CSS animation]]s made sequencing the movement of images in HTML5 web pages more convenient. [[SVG animation]]s offered a vector graphic alternative to the original Flash graphic format, [[SmartSketch]]. YouTube offers an HTML5 alternative for digital video. [[APNG]] (Animated PNG) offered a raster graphic alternative to animated GIF files that enables multi-level transparency not available in GIFs.

{{See also|Comparison of HTML5 and Flash}}