The animation photo transfer process (APT process) was a photographic transfer system that can photographically transfer lines or solid blocks of colors onto
acetate
An acetate is a salt (chemistry), salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. Alkali metal, alkaline, Alkaline earth metal, earthy, Transition metal, metallic, nonmetallic or radical Radical (chemistry), base). "Acetate" als ...
sheets (
cel
A cel, short for celluloid, is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Actual celluloid (consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor) was used during the first half of the 20th century, bu ...
s). A similar process is used in making the
stencils
Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...
for
silk screen
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...
printing. The process relies on
UV-sensitive
ink
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...
s that cure when exposed to light and stick to the plastic sheet, while the ink in the non-exposed areas is chemically removed from the sheet.
Advantages
Compared to the earlier
xerography
Xerography is a dry photocopying technique. Originally called electrophotography, it was renamed xerography—from the roots el, ξηρός, label=none ''xeros'', meaning "dry" and -γραφία ''-graphia'', meaning "writing"—to emphasize ...
process used by Disney, the lines can be controlled better and multiple copies made quickly. The drawings are photographed on high-contrast
sheet film
Sheet film is large format and medium format photographic film supplied on individual sheets of acetate or polyester film base rather than rolls. Sheet film was initially supplied as an alternative to glass plates. The most popular size measures ...
, and these negatives are then exposed onto the cels. A line on an animated character can be in color instead of just black. This is known as self-colored lines. (Xerographic lines were rendered in color too, when colored toners became available.)
Examples
This process was used on
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's animated features such as ''
The Black Cauldron'', ''
The Great Mouse Detective
''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery film, mystery adventur ...
'', ''
Oliver & Company
''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...
'', and ''
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...
''.
See also
*
The Black Cauldron
*
Timeline of CGI in film and television
This is a chronological list of films and television programs that have been recognized as being pioneering in their use of computer animation.
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
See also
* Animation
* List of comp ...
*
Traditional animation
Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation.
Proce ...
References
External links
''The APT Process'' on the ''AllExperts'' forum''US Patent Number 4569577'' on ''Google Patent Search''
Visual effects
Animation techniques
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