Animated Chart & Video Terms
Definitions of key terms used in animated chart video production, compositing, and data visualization for video.
Alpha Channel
The transparency layer in video and images. An alpha channel allows chart animations to be composited over any background.
Animated Chart
A chart whose data, bars, lines, or labels animate into view over time — used in video production for data storytelling.
Bar Chart Race
An animated visualization where horizontal bars change length and reorder across time periods to show how rankings change.
Compositing
The process of combining multiple video layers. Transparent PNG sequences enable compositing chart animations over live footage.
CSV Data Visualization
Converting comma-separated spreadsheet data into visual charts or animations.
Data-Driven Video
A video where the visual content — charts, tables, infographics — is generated directly from structured data such as CSV files or spreadsheets.
Line Chart Race
An animated chart where multiple lines draw simultaneously across a shared time axis, with value labels racing to the right as lines overtake each other.
Lossless Export
Exporting frames without quality compression. PNG sequences are lossless, unlike H.264 MP4 which is lossy.
Motion Graphics
Animated graphic elements used in video production, including animated charts, titles, and data visualizations.
PNG Sequence
A series of numbered PNG frames that together form an animation. PNG sequences preserve quality and support alpha channel transparency.
Time Series Animation
A video that reveals how data values change over a sequence of time points. Common formats: animated line charts, line chart races, and bar chart races.
wgpu
A native Rust GPU engine that enables GPU-accelerated 2D and 3D rendering — used by framechart for cinematic bloom and motion blur effects directly inside DaVinci Resolve.
Last reviewed: April 2026