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Video versus animation

Short answer

Video is a sequence of real-world images captured by a camera, while animation is artificially created by drawing or computer generation. Both rely on persistence of vision, but animation gives full control over objects and motion, whereas video offers little control after recording.

Differentiate between video and animation.

Video is a sequence of real-world images captured by a camera and played back fast enough to give the impression of motion. Animation is a sequence of images that are drawn or generated artificially, by an artist or by a computer, and then played back to give motion.

PointVideoAnimation
SourceCaptured from the real world with a cameraCreated by drawing, modelling or programming
ContentReal people, objects and scenesDrawn, imaginary or computer-generated objects
CreationRecording, then editingDesigning key frames and in-betweens, then rendering
Frame rateFixed by standards (25 fps PAL, 30 fps NTSC, 24 fps film)Chosen freely by the creator (often 12, 24 or 30 fps)
Data sizeVery large; needs strong compression such as MPEGSmaller if stored as object data or scripts; large if stored as rendered frames
ControlLittle control over the scene once recordedFull control over every object, motion and effect
ToolsCamera, video editors (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve)Blender, Maya, Flash/Animate, Synfig
ExamplesNews, movies, video callsCartoons, game graphics, explainer clips

Common ground: both rely on persistence of vision, and both show many frames per second. Animation can be mixed with video, as in special effects.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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