Whether you're an experienced or novice animator, understanding the language of video production can greatly enhance your creation process. We've created a short quiz to test your knowledge of video terminology and we've even included a handy A-Z glossary of terms you should know!

 From basic terminology to more advanced concepts, we'll cover everything from camera controls and animation techniques to transitions and storyboards. This blog will help you to expand your understanding and discover new aspects of the video-making process.

Before we dive into the blog, don't forget to sign up for your 7-day free trial of VideoScribe so you can create your own professional animated videos! 👇

Take the Video Terminology quiz!

First up, let's see how much you know already! We've prepared ten questions for you to answer, each with four possible answers. You'll have a few seconds to guess before the answer is revealed, so be quick! If you need more time to guess, just pause the video.

💡 Why not use this quiz in your classroom to test your students knowledge?!

The ultimate A-Z glossary of video terminology

How did you do? The glossary below  can help you brush up on your video terminology knowledge and serves as a handy reference of various industry jargon and technical terms. Let's get into it!

Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio is the ratio of the videos width to its height, and is expressed as a ratio. In VideoScribe for Browser and desktop, you can choose between 1:1, 16:9 and 9:16 canvas sizes.

Bit rate

Bit rate is the amount of data used for each second of video. 

Canvas

A canvas is exactly that... a blank canvas to create your video on!

Camera controls

Camera controls are used to set the camera at certain points in your video so elements can be seen from closer or further away.

Compression

Compression is when you reduce the amount of data in a video file to make it smaller.

Drawing hand

Drawing hand is the hand that draws your animation. You can select from a range of diverse hands in VideoScribe when animating.

Emphasis animation

Emphasis animation is used to draw attention to a particular element. In VideoScribe for browser, you can emphasize your elements using effects such as pulse, bounce and spin.

Entrance animation

Entrance animation is used to animate your elements into the video. In VideoScribe, you can choose between many different styles such as fade in, draw in and bounce in.

Exit animation

Exit animation is used to make your elements disappear from your scene. In VideoScribe for browser, you can choose between different styles such as fade out, disappear and erase.

Watch our video below to see how you can use different animation styles together 👇

Export

Exporting refers to the process of assembling your edited video project into a single file. In VideoScribe for browser, you can export your video as either an MP4 or GIF.

Fade

Fade is an effect where an element, like an image or text, gradually appears or disappears in the scene.

GIF

GIFs are a series of images or video that loop continuously. In VideoScribe for browser, you can export your video as a GIF!

Grid

The grid tool is used to help line up images and text on the canvas.

Image library

The image library is a collection of animated images that can be used in your project.

Importing

Importing is the process of transferring videos from your camera onto your computer or into editing software.

Infinite canvas

An infinite canvas is a blank canvas that is infinite! This means you can zoom in or out of elements and add as much content as you want. 

Mixed media animation

Mixed media animation is a style of video where still images and photographs are used in combination with moving video. See the video below for an example of a mixed media animation you can make with VideoScribe 👇

Opacity

Opacity is the amount of which an image or element is transparent. You can adjust the opacity of your elements in VideoScribe.

Pixel Aspect Ratio

Little squares called pixels make up your video image. The width of each pixel relative to its height is known as the pixel aspect ratio.

Preview link

A preview link is a unique link that can be shared with anyone to provide feedback on your video. You can generate preview links in VideoScribe for browser.

Resolution

Resolution is the number of pixels a video contains horizontally and vertically.

Royalty-free music

Royalty-free music refers to a type of music license that allows the buyer to pay the music license once but use as much as they would like.

Scenes

Scenes allow you to break up your video into sections to better tell your story. Scenes can also help you to lay out your project.

Slow motion

Slow motion is the action of slowing down video footage.

Stop motion

Stop motion is a technique used to make objects appear as if they were moving freely.

Storyboards

Storyboards are drawings that show each scene of your video.

SVG

A Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) is a type of image format that doesn't rely on pixels to make up the image.

Timeline

A timeline is a visual representation of all the elements in your video. In VideoScribe for browser, you can use our advanced timeline when creating your video.

Templates

Templates are pre-made videos that you can customize to suit the needs of your project.

Voiceover

A voiceover is the spoken narration of a video. If you want tips and tricks on recording professional voiceovers, watch our recent webinar session 👇

Whiteboard animation

Whiteboard animation is a style of animation where elements, including images and text, are hand-drawn. See the video below for an example of a whiteboard animation you can make using VideoScribe 👇

And there you have it! The ultimate A-Z glossary of video terminology you should know. If you haven't already, be sure to have a go at the quiz to really test your knowledge!