Where Do Animators Find Live Action Reference?

Where can animators find useful live action reference? Reference is often a necessary starting point for producing believable animation. Of course, YouTube is a great resource, but it can be hard to find what you want, and you may need to dig within YouTube to find particular channels that specialise in what you need.  Below is a list of some of the best online resources that we are recommending to find the perfect live action reference.

YouTube
The most obvious place to look. But, there is lots of material to wade through, and plenty of it isn't suitable for one reason or another.

AniRef at Vimeo
AniRef at Vimeo is a useful resource, and it's all free.

Endless Reference at YouTube
Endless reference at YouTube is a useful YouTube channel that has plenty of great reference. We did a blog post about it a while back.

BBC Motion gallery
The BBC Motion Gallery, done with Getty Images, is also a very useful resource. Again, we did a blog post about this site a while back.

Global Zoo
Global Zoo is a free YouTube channel dedicated to uploading inspiring and distinctive bits of animal and creature business.

Ultra Slo
Ultra Slo is another YouTube channel, this one dedicated to very very slow footage of things like birds and insects.

Rhino House
Rhino House isn't free, but it's priced competitively and, if you can find the clip you need, it will be well worth it.

Getty Images.nl
The Dutch version of Getty Images. Some great reference here.

Walks reference by Houman Sorooshnia
This is a video of human walks reference by animator Houman Sorooshnia. Again, we blogged about this a while back.

Walk, Trot and Canter
Useful video on horse walks, trots and canters at YouTube.

The Animator's Resource Kit
The Animator's Resource Kit is a great blog that we're recommending to our students for all kinds of stuff. It has useful posts on books to buy, jobs to apply for, rigs that work, and links to other sites like video reference material for download. Overall, it's a great site - well worth checking out.

You and your camera
Of course, nothing beats shooting your own reference. If you do try to film on a tripod; it will make your life much easier. We recommend this inexpensive tripod here.

Any other useful resources, post them below.

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