Cel shading: History and Key Facts

Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3D computer graphics appear to be flat and hand-drawn by using shade gradient or tints and shades instead of shading colors. A cel shader is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or a cartoon and/or give the render a characteristic paper-like texture. There are similar techniques that can make an image look like a sketch, an oil painting or an ink painting. Though the end result of cel-shading has a very simplistic feel like that of hand-drawn animation, the process is complex. The name comes from cels (short for celluloid), clear sheets of acetate which are painted on for use in traditional 2D animation.

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