Computer-Generated Imagery

technology · movies · animation · visual effects

Used in movies. CGI creates everything from dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to the magical worlds in Harry Potter. Directors use it to show things that would be impossible or too dangerous to film with real cameras.

Powers video games. Every video game character, building, and explosion you see is made with computer graphics. Game creators design 3D worlds that you can explore and interact with in real time.

2D and 3D graphics. Some CGI is flat and 2D, like cartoon animations and graphics you see on websites. Other CGI is 3D, which makes images look like they have real depth and can be viewed from different angles.

Special effects magic. CGI creates special effects like explosions, magic spells, and weather that would be too hard or expensive to do in real life. It makes impossible things look completely believable on screen.

Computers do the work. Artists and programmers work together to tell computers exactly how to create and color every pixel. This takes a lot of computing power and can take hours or even days to create just a few seconds of video.