What term describes the visual effect where images appear to move?

The term that describes the visual effect where images appear to move is animation. Animation is the process of creating the illusion of movement by displaying a series of individual images or frames in rapid succession. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as traditional hand-drawn methods, computer-generated imagery (CGI), or stop-motion.

Animation works by leveraging the way our brains process visual information; when consecutive images are shown quickly enough, the brain perceives them as a single moving image. This principle is foundational in film and video games, where a sequence of images is played at a certain frame rate—typically 24 frames per second or higher—to create a smooth motion.

Other terms related to image manipulation or display, like morphing or rendering, serve different purposes: morphing pertains specifically to transforming one image into another, while rendering refers to the process of generating a final image or animation from a model. Understanding the distinction helps clarify why animation is the appropriate term in this context.