The ultimate guide to animation video quality testing

Perhaps, it is not easy to determine animation quality, especially if you are not from the animation industry but a completely clueless instructional designer or instructor.

Of course, a high-quality animation ­is not that difficult to recognize! If you believe animations by Walt Disney or Harry Potter series are astonishing, you are right! However, let’s be honest. That kind of animation is worth millions of dollars investment. 

Now the question is if this is not the standard regular animators often look for, how can one identify a good animation video?

Well, if you are also looking for the answer to this question, you have arrived at the right place. This article would walk you through the tips of creating a quality animation video, the role of a quality tester, how to improve video quality, and how does one conduct animation video quality testing.

But before we move forward, have a look at this character animation video made by us for one of our clients.

Role of an Animation video Quality Tester

A person working for this profile will be responsible for managing all the processes, procedures, outputs, and deliverables throughout the production while ensuring that the department's outcomes are aligned with the production schedule, budget, and the creative vision of the production. 

What factors determine the quality of an Animation Video?

The process of every animation video we create may differ based on the video animation styles, client's requirements or the gravity of the project. However, we need to take care of few key factors that ultimately determine an animated video's quality. 

If you are looking for answers on how to improve video quality, then you should perhaps have a look at these tips for each stage of animation video production.

Research

Remember, the heart of every impactful video lies in actively catering to your client's needs and vision.                                     

• Try to collect as much information from the client as possible.                                                   
• Find out everything you can about the business and the target audience.
• Make sure you openly communicate with the client regarding their expectations and their vision for the video. 
• You can always get on a quick call with the client to understand the project and make sure that you are on the same page.

Script

It should contain and convey a clear message of the business and brand.                      

• Keep the length of the video between 1 to 2 minutes. Approx. 125 words for 1 minute is enough.
• Avoid producing a dull script, as it takes away from the visual experience you are perhaps trying to create.
• Make sure the script is accurate with all the information from the client’s end, such as website link, what problems their target audience is facing, and how your service solves them? 

Voiceover

The soul of the video lies in the narration quality. You cannot see it; however, a great voice-over adds life to an animated video.

• Noisy and hazy voice can render the whole video poor, although it may have top-notch graphics and animation.
• Make sure you have a vision for the perfect voice that brings your animated characters to life with the right tone, pitch, and pace. 

Visual illustration/Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual script of the video. 

• This step involves the creation of graphics. 
• Uniqueness coupled with creativeness results in astonishing graphics and adds an appealing element to your video.

Let’s see a basic example of an error that has to be kept in mind while creating a storyboard.

As in this example, we can see that it’s written “loyalty Card,” which is not a correct way to write it. We have to apply sentence cases for such purposes wherever there are headings, or we need to put an emphasis, etc.

So, in this case, it should be written as “Loyalty Card.”

Animation

Animation movements, pauses, scenes, etc., are what eventually add life to your video. 

• The movement of characters, the background, smooth transition between the scenes, voice-over sync with the visuals, colors/font, etc., determine the animation's quality.
• Nonetheless, the animation is a time-consuming process, so make sure you give your animator the creative space they require.

Getting Started with Animation Video Quality Testing

As videos' distribution over the internet becomes pre-dominant, user expectation for high quality is continually rising. Therefore, it becomes imperative for content providers to undergo video quality testing.

Technical and editorial mistakes can be made in any context, particularly in creative fields like video production. Therefore, we suggest having a comprehensive quality testing system and a Quality Tester to help you maintain high standards and minimize any blunders that might affect your company's professional image.

Here is an example of how basic testing of animation is done.

Wondering how to test video quality? Well, have a look at the following tips.

Eliminate all distractions

The key to detecting all possible mistakes is to ensure that you’re entirely focused on the task at hand. 

• Ensure that people around you know what you are doing and find time in your schedule to watch the entire video. 
• Noise-cancellation headphones are indeed an excellent way to block out any noise around you, enabling you to give all your attention to the video.

Raise your concerns

Often errors in video production occur because the quality tester either a) does not want to offend the editor by proposing what they believe is an issue or b) does not have enough courage to bring up the mistake.

However, both of these attitudes can be risky as there is no harm in raising an issue, and a fair editor will be open to any feedback.

Often, to overcome uncertainty, noting down problems as you go through and only raising them once you have seen the entire video will enable you to make a reliable judgment as to whether there is an issue or not.

A fresh pair of eyes

The editor can spend hours scanning through a video and perhaps easily miss an error. However, when you check it over, you’ll bring a fresh pair of eyes and will likely spot issues, which probably the editor may have missed. 

Key things to pay special attention are significant color variations in the image, out-of-focus shots, or anything that doesn’t quite seem to work. 

Don’t forget to double check

You should always watch the video multiple times to make sure that any alterations made do not affect its overall flow and ensure that all the mistakes made have been corrected.

Follow a system    

If you’re checking on multiple videos, which are all at different stages, it’s natural to get confused about what you’ve already checked. An ideal way to prevent this is to ensure you have a well-defined system in place.

It could be as basic as a simple checklist or a flowchart that outlines what needs to be looked at. This way, you’ll always know what stage you are at.                                                                      

Wrapping Up

Follow these tips to create a solid quality testing system, and use it to ensure that you’re producing the best quality animation video! 

With some final touch-ups and quality assurance, your animation video will be ready to leave an impact of your brand.

Can’t wait to hire the best animation video production team for your next animation video? Reach out to us today.

Editor: Richa Sharma