Timing for Animation Reviews

• Timing for Animation

  
  By A3QQG1WGTK1OO8 on 2003-04-02
  Well, after waiting so long for this book to come back into print it turned out to be an overall disappointment. I found "Timing..." to be remedial and overpriced. True, timing itself is crucial to animation as with all acting, however this book offers nothing I didn't already learn from "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life" or Preston Blair's How-To books, which I cut my teeth on.
  If you are an animator who already owns every other book on the subject and you have 30 bucks burning a hole in your pocket then this book is for you. However, if you don't own the 50 other great animation books by Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Richard Williams, Eadweard Muybridge, John Canemaker, Brian LeMay, Jeff Kurtti, Preston Blair, Chuck Jones, Tony White, Culhane, Finch, Schneider, Adamson, Rebello, Green, and Hart to name a few; then please go buy one of theirs.
  This one is going back for a refund. Sometimes you just have to say "The Emperor is Naked."
  
  

• Good book to have, but WAY OVERPRICED...

  
  By A2ABOYIEYJN7VD on 2005-04-27
  I'm downgrading this book partly because it's overpriced and frankly I wish the drawing style in it were different.
  
  It's still a nice book to have and covers some specific timing and staging problems that a lot of other books don't, but it's not the end-all and be-all for animation timing that it gets hyped up to be.
  
  I still don't understand why this book was out-of-print for so long in the US and why it's so ridiculously overpriced now. It's really a $15 or $20 book at most, but the publishers are charging $30!
  
  

• This is a must buy for future animators!

  
  By on 2000-03-24
  Although I don't own a copy of this book, I've read most of it. Just as the title says, this book focuses on one of the most important aspects of animation: timing. It's well written and full of exercises and techniques that will help you improve your timing. I've heard that some animation schools use it as a textbook. If you're thinking about a career in the animation industry, this book is a must buy. However, it's pretty hard to find since it's out of print. I think that it's worth the extra effort to own a copy.
  
  

• Must have

  
  By ATWU8GK4UU8QN on 2006-11-09
  I've been a professional animator for over 10 years and I cannot believe that I never had this book before now. I wish I had this to reference on several of my projects. Instead I pretty much re-invented the wheel. It not only shows visuals, but also explains the physics behind what is going on with the graphics. For instance, for a water splash, the author explains how the air affects the volume when an object plunges into water, etc. It really makes sense of what is going on so that the artist can recreate their own version without the need of copying.
  
  

• A must-have for an animator's reference library

  
  By A12LBZDY1TQJ6 on 2002-03-01
  I recently purchased a copy of Harold and John's book, and find it to be well-written and easy to follow; were it not for the recent publication of Richard Williams' book 'The Animator's Survival Kit,' I would label 'Timing for Animation' a critical purchase for an animator's arsenal. Wait. I take that back. It IS a critical purchase, but 'The Animator's Survival Kit' also covers this material exceptionally well, too, plus it has SO much more... Bottom line: This book is worth having.
  
  
• MARVELLOUS BOOK
  By A2WUYDRBG5DIKJ on 2000-01-23
  If you are animator : BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT
  
  
• This book is small, but packs a big punch.
  By AZAC0FHD33M7U on 2003-01-15
  In this book, you will get concentrated doses of animation rules and laws as it applies to timing. Very simple explanations, tricks of the trade, formulas, and vital do's and dont's is what seperates this book from the rest. In animation, it's all about the timing.
  
  
• good old "Timing for Animation"
  By A1KB293ZFSTXY2 on 2005-03-06
  I think it's a very good book for the beginner, because it explains some basic concepts very very well. (Best explanation of overlapping I've ever seen.) But there's not much to it beyond explaining these basics. The language is very clear though and it's an easy&fast reading.
  
  
• frames per second
  By A1MZC8AU9OPVBV on 2006-08-31
  When a god of anything tells you to do something, you do it. I'm an animator, or rather i hope to be one day, and as such I read everything I can in the hopes of becoming better at animation. So the moment I saw that John Lasseter recommended this book my first job was to get it.
  
  its a fantastic book that goes into this secret art of timing. Timing shows weight, mood, and power. It can make or break an animation. The secrets inside are well worth the few pennies paid for. It's like finding a secret wizards book and learning his spells.
  
  It is simply a must, have much like the Illusion of life. I only wish I had found it sooner!
  
  
  
• You will learn quickly with this no-frills book
  By A1RBWVD8YQUO67 on 2007-05-18
  I have referred to this book for nearly ten years, and it is still my favorite with regards to the fundamentals of creating naturalistic movement.
  
  More concise, less self-indulgent, and less bulky than either Richard Williams' "Animator's Survival Kit" or Frank and Ollie's "Illusion of Life", Whitaker and Halas' "Timing for Animation" allowed me to advance in my knowledge of timing charts and the creation of believable, naturalistic movement more efficiently than either of those two venerable books. While I tend to agree with reviewers who question the book's price, the no-nonsense explanations it contains provide a solid base from which an animator can embark upon further exploration without being too tied to a particular guru's insights.
  
  
• Amazing animation book
  By AFSXJCLJ210AG on 2007-02-22
  This book is an essential to have for any animator. It communicates very clearly the basic principles of animation which is vital for either 2D or 3D animation. If you want to be serious about this field you should buy this book. Also contains very good animated cycles and explains how they work. I actually bought it before it was in print in the USA and cost me a nice deal of money.
  
  
• I learned so much from this book.
  By AMQQ2OBZWLMA3 on 2007-08-21
  My instructor recommended this book for my special effects animation class. It was such a life savor.
  
  It covers all the basic animation topics like Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, Slow In and Slow Out, Exaggeration, etc...
  
  
• A Must
  By A2JE5A61CNJ0WT on 2007-05-12
  This book is simply a must have for animators. It's very clear written and has great examples, I consider it a must just as the two masterpieces "Illusion of Life" and "Animation Survival Kit". Being about the timing I think it works great not only for traditional animators but also for CGI one (like I am).
  
  
• Great book!
  By AEZ5ZAT8E5R4I on 2007-06-27
  As an animation student I found this book very helpfull. Not too heavy, just enough facts and examples to get the point across. If you are an animator or a student, you should own this book.
  
  
• finaly, an animation book with words!
  By A153X5K561VKRR on 2003-11-09
  I have a whole bunch of animation books, but I found that the majority of them were just pictures. I found it a huge relief to have a book that can actualy explain the animation proccess at an above 5th grade level.
  
  

• The Animator's Survival Kit
• The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
• Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series)
• Acting for Animators, Revised Edition: A Complete Guide to Performance Animation
• The Animator's Workbook: Step-By-Step Techniques of Drawn Animation