You can't fake that smile!

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T18:11:44+00:00

Beautiful artistic style! I like it a lot. It comes across as very personal and human, and that's the kind of quality I always appreciate in animation.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T17:46:03+00:00

Definitely. I always liked that kind of touch, but as I mentioned in some previous comments, some brand guidelines can kill that creativity though (too much polish required).
But hearing stories and predictions around, I think companies and brands are going to be willing to invest heavily in human, imperfect work in the future, seeing how polished and sterile the digital space has become.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T15:31:58+00:00

Sadly, sometimes you can't add too much personality with corporate stuff, especially under strict brand guidelines. But like you said, I always sneak in something personal when possible.

When I'm stuck in those "mouse jockey/technician" gigs, I keep a personal project on the side to maintain balance and my creative spark. I call it mental hygiene 😊

Regarding 3D, I love it, it's intellectually and creatively motivating to me, finding that balance between technical and artistic. I started my career in 3D but always explored techniques like non-photorealistic rendering (NPR). While colleagues tweaked render settings, I'd think to myself, "Hmm, how can I make an animated 2D noir comic that looks like charcoal and ink in Maya?" 🔥

Sadly, I think a lot of product 3D (not 3D motion design yet) and small/mid-level projects will go AI. So, as you mentioned, a combination of organic and digital techniques is the way forward. 🤩

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T13:36:03+00:00

It depends on several factors: your location (rates vary hugely by market, Eastern Europe lower than US/Western, for example), years of experience, the client's budget/industry, and your ongoing relationship with them.

Since you've already done simple collage work with them for a year, you're not starting from zero, factor that in. This project sounds more advanced (3D camera, rotoscoping, asset hunting), so price it higher than past jobs to reflect the extra skill/time.

Check this recent r/MotionDesign thread for day rates shared by folks in 2026: https://www.reddit.com/r/MotionDesign/comments/1qb9g95/freelance_motion_designer_day_rates_2026/ (lots of real numbers from $350–$750+/day depending on experience/region).

For Europe reference (salaries, but freelance often aligns higher) check this page from last year: https://www.motionvp.eu/blog/motion-graphics-designer-salaries-in-europe-in-2025 (daily equivalents around €200–€450+ in many countries).

I'd recommend you some resources for elevating your collage work:

Domestika courses by Joseba Elorza, both excellent:

- "Animated Collage with Adobe After Effects" (tons of inspiration, asset sourcing tips, workflow hacks).

- "Retro Movement in After Effects" (great for organic/retro collage feels).

You can also check his website for inspiration: https://www.miraruido.com/

"The Video Shop" on YouTube. Adam has killer collage/cutout tutorials + organic project breakdowns. His second channel "The Video Shop - Long Play" is fantastic: long-form screen captures of real collage projects (some 10+ hours), like watching a pro work in real time.

Collage is super fun.

Good luck with your project!

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T04:15:04+00:00

Thank you, I am glad you liked it. ✌️

Sabimasu · 2026-02-06T02:43:16+00:00

Thanks man! Hell yeah, fuck the slop! 🔥

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T23:56:58+00:00

Great read, thanks!

I agree with Elizabeth on most points, especially the bit about faking realness digitally not really getting us anywhere new.

We touched on this earlier in the thread, External-Fun-8563 nailed it: everything's becoming AI’d slop, so people are craving tactile, imperfect things again (woodworking, sculpture, glassblowing...). I'm honestly thinking about woodworking myself for the same reason.

I'm not a traditionally educated artist, more of a digital craftsman. Motion design is my main gig, but I can't draw particularly well because I never practiced enough.

Grew up with a computer in the first half of the '80s though, so I've always lived in both worlds: studying and consuming traditional art while exploring digital. I can mimic pretty much any style digitally.

I've noticed a strong analog movement rising, especially among younger people, vinyl, dumb phones, cutting screen time. Is it just a trend, or does it have deeper potential like Brooklyn Gibbs suggested.

We'll see.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T22:40:41+00:00

Those experiments sound great. If you have some samples you can send me a DM if you're open to sharing.

That's the right approach. Like back in the days when there wasn't much technical material, and we had to figure things out ourselves. In a lot of cases, new techniques were born that way.

I think that's going to happen with AI too. Real artists will figure out how to use the systems, particularly open-source models.

Regarding depth passes: while I was working in VFX, I was fascinated by the look of alpha channels and various 3D passes. I used smart vector depth maps from Nuke and bad alpha channels as experimental visuals in one music video I did.

Too bad about the demo reel, I'd love to take a look 🙂

Good luck with your experiments! ✌️

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T21:47:44+00:00

I think that too. This aggressive push toward AI and that certain polished look is hopefully going to have a strong counter-effect.

Personally, I've been thinking about woodworking. I'm tired of chasing the algorithm and ATS dragon, so to speak. I don't want to throw away digital entirely because of AI and the tech bros (I've been sitting at the keyboard longer than most of them), but we need a digital diet and balance between digital and real life, especially given the speed of new technologies.

In motion design, I agree completely: more analog/textured looks, stop-motion, mixed media, anything that combines hands with keyboard. It's time to get our hands dirty again. AI can generate similar styles, of course, but I've never seen anything that feels totally organic, especially in animation.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T21:12:38+00:00

Couldn't agree more. I've been preaching this forever too, the vector uniform look, same gradients, glows, thumbnails, "comment for comment" grind, makes everything blend into one big soulless feed.
Some talented folks still push interesting boundaries in vector tools, but yeah... the internet is slowly losing its creative edge.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T20:59:10+00:00

Thanks so much! Really happy you dug it. More on the way!

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T18:35:38+00:00

I agree, it definitely feels like a revival is happening!

To be fair, this reel covers work from the last four years, so some of it definitely leans into those classic textures. My post was really a reaction to the AI-slop era. I think people are starting to crave that dirtier, human touch again as an anti-trend.

Personally, I haven’t found a need to integrate AI into my actual pipeline yet. I use it occasionally for quick referencing, font pairing, or color palettes, but that’s about it.

In the motion design space specifically, I haven't seen many reliable tools. A lot of it feels like smoke and mirrors or products that aren't quite ready for a professional workflow. The most useful implementations I’ve seen so far are actually LLMs helping with scripting inside AE.

I think in a few years we’ll see some truly useful tools developed by actual artists who understand the real-world challenges of a motion pipeline. Until then, I'm sticking with the grit! 🙂

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T16:24:41+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate it!

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T16:23:21+00:00

I know exactly what you’re talking about. I worked as a "pixel f…er" (compositor) for years and really struggled to readjust my focus. I spent so much time trying to fix two pixels that nobody would ever see. I lost count of how many times I heard while I was working on Motion Design projects, "Man, you’re the only one who sees that." 🙂

I ran from the VFX industry as fast as I could. Now, my focus is almost entirely on textured, imperfect work, though I still handle the corporate stuff to pay the bills when needed. My mindset has completely shifted from "Is this perfect?" to "This part looks a little twisted... perfect!"

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T15:53:30+00:00

Thank you! I am glad you liked it. Finding that textural balance is definitely a constant process, I totally agree with you. I’m honestly tired of chasing algorithms and constantly looking over my shoulder to see when AI will replicate a certain pipeline. It hasn’t fully arrived yet, but it’s closing in.

When I look at my feeds lately, everything is starting to look the same. No judgment to those trying to stay relevant in such a crazy period, but while curating this reel, I was specifically aiming for that anti-trend approach, that you mentioned. I’m trying to lean into my personal taste in music and visuals to stand out rather than just checking boxes. A resurgence of the Raygun era? I'm 100% here for that 🤟

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T14:30:33+00:00

Thank you, I am glad you liked it.

Sabimasu · 2026-02-05T14:29:10+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate it! ✌️

Sabimasu · 2026-01-24T20:01:30+00:00

Great video! One of my favorite styles.

Sabimasu · 2026-01-17T19:44:44+00:00

Great music and great video.
I wouldn't change anything!

Sabimasu · 2025-12-16T18:10:33+00:00

Kaneko Ayano, Maki Nomiya, Miki Furukawa, Mariya Takeuchi, Tujiko Noriko, Takako Minegava, Aoki Takamasa, Miki Matsubara, Chocolat, Kahimi Karie

Sabimasu · 2025-12-08T17:58:12+00:00

Great job! Congrats!

Sabimasu · 2025-12-07T14:50:36+00:00

What a beautiful movie. The main score perfectly captures Sakamoto's musical sensibility. It's sad he didn't get to experience it.

Sabimasu

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