How many animated films does FrameThrower cover?

274 animated films with 19,123 frames, of which 48 are anime. They sit inside a wider catalogue of 5,489 films and are indexed identically to live action.

Why use animation as cinematography reference?

Because every element in an animated frame was chosen. There is no accident of weather or available light — the key, the palette, the lens character and the staging were all decided, which makes animation unusually clear as a teaching reference for exactly those things.

What is the difference between a still and a screencap?

In practice, none for reference purposes — both are frames from the finished work. The distinction that matters is against publicity photography, which is shot separately by a unit photographer and shows lighting the audience never saw. Everything here is from the film itself.

Can I search animated frames by colour?

Yes. Every frame carries an extracted colour palette in hex, so you can search by a colour or a blend of up to six. Animation tends to be measurably more saturated than live action — the most saturated films in the whole catalogue are animated ones.

Animated movie stills

274 animated films, 19,123 frames — Pixar, Ghibli, Disney, DreamWorks, Spider-Verse — indexed frame by frame on lighting, shot size, camera angle, colour and mood.

Animation is unusually clear as reference because nothing in the frame is accidental: the key, the palette and the staging were all chosen. Looking for anime specifically? →

Search animation by what's in the frame

Lighting, shot size, colour and mood across 5,489 films. $2 of credits free, no card.

Common questions

How many animated films does FrameThrower cover?: 274 animated films with 19,123 frames, of which 48 are anime. They sit inside a wider catalogue of 5,489 films and are indexed identically to live action.
Why use animation as cinematography reference?: Because every element in an animated frame was chosen. There is no accident of weather or available light — the key, the palette, the lens character and the staging were all decided, which makes animation unusually clear as a teaching reference for exactly those things.
What is the difference between a still and a screencap?: In practice, none for reference purposes — both are frames from the finished work. The distinction that matters is against publicity photography, which is shot separately by a unit photographer and shows lighting the audience never saw. Everything here is from the film itself.
Can I search animated frames by colour?: Yes. Every frame carries an extracted colour palette in hex, so you can search by a colour or a blend of up to six. Animation tends to be measurably more saturated than live action — the most saturated films in the whole catalogue are animated ones.

More: anime screencaps · colour palettes · the stills database