Animation isn’t just about making characters move—it’s about breathing life into stories, creating emotions, and transporting audiences into different worlds. But what goes on behind the scenes? How does an idea transform into a stunning animated video?

Welcome to the ultimate guide on the animation production process and the post production process in animation—your backstage pass into the world of animation!

Whether you’re a business looking for an explainer video, a filmmaker venturing into 3D animation, or just someone curious about how animations are made, this guide will break it all down in the simplest way possible.

The Animation Production Pipeline: Step by Step

The animation production pipeline is the structured process that every animation studio follows to create an animated video, from brainstorming ideas to the final edit. At Frame Makerzzz, we’ve mastered this process to ensure the best quality and smoothest production for our clients.

1. Pre-Production: Laying the Groundwork 

Before animation begins, we plan everything. This includes scriptwriting, storyboarding, designing characters, and recording voice overs. Think of this as the blueprint stage—without it, even the best animation won’t make sense!

2. Production: Bringing Animation to Life

Now comes the fun part—animation! This is where static designs start moving and turning into a complete story.

A. Layout & Scene Composition: 

Once the storyboard is finalized, the animation team begins setting up the scenes. This involves: 

• Camera positioning – Deciding how the “camera” moves in each shot. 
• Blocking characters – Determining their positions and movements. 
• Scene transitions – Ensuring a seamless flow between scenes.

Think of this as setting the stage before the real action begins!

B. Animation Process (2D & 3D): 

Now, the characters and objects come to life! Depending on the style, we use different techniques:

1. 2D Animation: 

• Done frame by frame using software like Adobe Animate or Toon Boom. 
• Artists create multiple drawings for each movement to ensure smooth transitions.
• Used for explainer videos, cartoons, and motion graphics.

3D Animation:

• Characters and environments are modeled in 3D software like Blender, Maya, or Cinema 4D. 
• Objects are rigged, meaning they get an internal skeleton for movement.
• Animators control movements, facial expressions, and actions using keyframes.
• Used in high-end advertisements, films, and product visualizations.

Motion Graphics & VFX: 

• Used for text animations, logo reveals, and product videos.
• Adds special effects like explosions, light streaks, or futuristic HUDs.

Example: If we’re animating an explainer video for a tech company, we might use a mix of 2D motion graphics and 3D product animations to make it visually engaging.

C. Backgrounds, Lighting & Special Effects: 

A dull background can ruin a great animation! That’s why:

• 2D Animations get hand-drawn or digital backgrounds.
• 3D Animations have entire environments built with lighting, textures, and shadows.
• Lighting is crucial to set the mood—whether it’s a bright, happy scene or a mysterious, dimly lit one.
• Particle effects like rain, smoke, fire, or magic are added for realism.

Example: If we’re making a 3D ad for a luxury car, we’ll add cinematic lighting, reflections on the car’s surface, and a realistic road environment.

D. Lip Sync & Character Expressions: 

For animations with dialogue, characters must speak naturally. This involves:

• Matching mouth shapes to phonetics (using tools like Adobe Character Animator).
• Fine-tuning facial expressions to enhance emotions.
• Body movements syncing with speech for natural flow.

Example: In animated ads, characters are often exaggerated in their emotions to make them more engaging—think of a super excited salesperson in a car ad!

What Is Post Production in Animation? 

Now that we have the raw animation, it’s time for the final touches. This is where we polish, refine, and perfect every detail to make the animation look professional and immersive.

The post production process in animation ensures that every visual and sound element blends seamlessly.

3. Post Production in Animation: The Final Touch

Post-production is where the magic happens—all the little details that make an animation feel truly professional!

A. Editing & Scene Transitions

This step involves:

• Trimming unnecessary frames to maintain smooth pacing.
• Adding cinematic transitions like fades, zooms, or seamless cuts.
• Enhancing motion blur for realistic speed effects.

Example: A tech startup’s animated video might use fast-cutting transitions to keep the energy high, while an educational animation will have smooth fades for clarity.

B. Sound Design & Background Music

Great animation isn’t just about visuals—it needs the perfect sound to feel complete.

• Sound Effects (SFX) – Footsteps, explosions, water splashes, whooshes, and even tiny background noises (like keyboard typing or birds chirping).

• Foley Sounds – Real-world sounds recorded to add realism. For example, the sound of rustling clothes when a character moves.
• Background Music (BGM) – Sets the mood, whether it’s uplifting, dramatic, or suspenseful.

Example: A 3D animated medical explainer video would have subtle background music and crisp voiceovers to maintain professionalism. 

C. Color Grading & Visual Enhancements

This is where the final polish happens:

• Adjusting brightness, contrast, and saturation to maintain a consistent look.
• Enhancing shadows and highlights for cinematic depth.
• Applying final special effects like glows, particle simulations, or fog.

Example: A 2D animated corporate video might have a clean, minimal color palette, while a 3D sci-fi animation will have intense lighting and dramatic shadows.

D. Final Rendering:

Rendering is the most time-consuming step!

• The animation is converted into a high-quality video file.
• Complex 3D scenes can take hours (or even days!) to render.
• Multiple formats are exported for different platforms (social media, websites, TV ads).

Example: A 30-second 3D animation with high-end lighting could take 10+ hours to render on powerful workstations! 

E. Quality Check & Client Review: 

• Every frame is inspected for glitches.
• We check for smooth playback, perfect sync, and crisp audio.
• The client reviews it, and final tweaks are made before the official release.

Why the Right Animation Process Matters? 

A structured animation production process ensures that the final video meets the highest standards. Whether it’s a brand video, TV commercial, or 3D short film, skipping a step can lead to poor results.

At Frame Makerzzz, we follow a meticulous animation production pipeline to guarantee the best outcome. Our clients—from startups to big brands—trust us because we bring stories to life with precision and creativity.

Example: If we’re creating an animated product video for a luxury watch brand, we ensure hyper-realistic reflections, smooth motion, and premium color grading to match the brand’s identity. 

Challenges Faced During Animation Production & Post-Production Process: 

Creating high-quality animation isn’t all smooth sailing. While the animation production process and the post production process in animation involve exciting creative steps, they also come with significant challenges. From technical roadblocks to artistic dilemmas, let’s look into some of the biggest hurdles animators and production teams face. 

Challenges in the Animation Production Pipeline: 

1. Tight Deadlines & Production Delays: 

Animation takes time—sometimes weeks or even months for a few minutes of footage. However, clients often expect quick turnarounds, making it a race against the clock.

• Challenge: Balancing speed and quality without cutting corners.
• Solution: A well-planned animation production pipeline with milestones and regular client updates. 

2. Maintaining Consistency in Animation

When different artists work on a project, even small inconsistencies—like slight variations in character design or movement—can become noticeable.

• Challenge: Ensuring character proportions, colors, and motion stay uniform.
• Solution: We use model sheets, animation guidelines, and master templates to maintain consistency.

3. Rendering Time & Technical Limitations

Rendering complex 3D scenes or high-frame-rate animations can take hours or even days. Even the most powerful machines struggle with heavy files, leading to delays.

• Challenge: Ensuring high-quality visuals without long rendering times.
• Solution: We optimize models, textures, and lighting to reduce render load while maintaining quality.

4. Achieving Realistic Character Movements

For 3D and motion capture animations, unnatural movements (like robotic or stiff body motions) can ruin immersion.

• Challenge: Making characters move naturally and express emotions realistically.
• Solution: We use motion capture, keyframe animation, and reference footage to refine movements. 

5. Voice Sync & Lip-Syncing Issues

Getting characters’ mouths to match voice overs—especially in different languages—can be tricky.

🔹 Challenge: Ensuring flawless lip sync across different languages.

🔹 Solution: Using phoneme-based lip-syncing software and manual adjustments for accuracy.

Challenges in Post Production in Animation

6. Integrating Sound & Music Seamlessly

A great animation can fall flat without the right sound design. However, syncing sound effects, voiceovers, and background music to match the animation perfectly is harder than it looks.

• Challenge: Avoiding off-sync audio or awkward sound placement.
• Solution: We use professional sound editing tools and conduct multiple audio passes for precision.

7. Color Correction & Visual Consistency

If lighting and colors aren’t balanced correctly, the animation may look inconsistent across scenes.

• Challenge: Maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout the animation. 
• Solution: We use color grading tools and reference images to match every scene. 

8. Fixing Animation Errors in the Final Stage

Imagine rendering a full animation only to find a tiny mistake—like a character’s hand clipping through an object.

• Challenge: Catching and fixing last-minute glitches without delaying the project.
• Solution: A thorough quality control check before final rendering.

9 File Sizes & Exporting Issues: 

High-resolution animation files are huge, making them difficult to export, transfer, or upload.

• Challenge: Exporting without losing quality or causing lag. 
• Solution: We use optimized compression techniques for different platforms (social media, TV, websites).

Conclusion: Bringing Your Ideas to Life with Animation

Now that you know the full animation production process—from pre-production to the post production process in animation—it’s clear that creating high-quality animations requires expertise, creativity, and technical finesse.

So, whether you need an explainer video, a TV commercial, or a 3D animation masterpiece, let Frame Makerzzz handle it! Our expert team will ensure your animation stands out in the best way possible.

Ready to animate your vision? Let’s create something amazing! Call us now!