Persistence of Vision

Persistence of Vision is the key to how we perceive movement in animation - or film, video or computer games for that matter. With animation, film video and computer games, the images does not actually move, but we are shown a series of still images in sequence, each one slightly different, and each shown for a very short time (no more than 1/12th of a second). Images presented in sequence for such brief periods of time are not actually understood by the eye and brain, but the brain is tricked into connecting these images together and reading the sequence as movement.

Persistence of vision  has been around since 5000BC in ancient China. However, the Victorian Age, with its love of novelty and invention, saw many toys and gadgets that used the process of persistence of vision.



The Zoetrope

The Phenakitoscope

The Kinetoscope

The Mutoscope

These  inventions and devices would later be developed into the earliest film cameras, taking images in sequence, which when played back would give the illusion of movement.