rotos

Rotos is a term that can refer to several distinct concepts, depending on the context. In film and animation, rotos is sometimes used as shorthand for rotoscoping, a technique in which artists trace over live-action footage to produce animation. Rotoscopes were invented by Max Fleischer in 1915 to help create more realistic movement for cartoons. The process involves projecting motion picture frames and tracing them, either on paper or digitally. In modern workflows, rotoscoping is a digital effect used for stylized animation, special effects, and compositing, often as a first step to separate subjects from the background. Notable uses include films such as A Scanner Darkly (2006) and Waking Life (2001), where rotoscoped imagery defines the visual style.

In Spanish, roto is an adjective meaning broken, damaged, or worn, and rotos is its plural form. It is widely used in everyday language to describe objects, clothing, or other items, for example vidrio roto (broken glass) or ropa rota (torn clothes). It can also describe broken bones as huesos rotos. The term appears in phrases across various contexts, from describing physical wear to metaphorical states.

Overall, rotos commonly refers to either the animation technique of rotoscoping or to the plural form of the Spanish adjective roto. Context usually clarifies which sense is intended.