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Trick Photography
"Special Effects" during the early 20th century were considered Trick Photography because the only effects were literally how the director gave a visual illusion to trick their audience. Special effects were just something that could only be done on film, not in real life. -
Optical Effects
Optical Effects emerged not too much later in the 20th Century as a way for the director to expand the range of what they could do with their environment. While they still only manipulated during filming by messing with the lens, we now see the use of optical printers to add effects like fades and dissolves. -
Computer Graphics Imagery (CGI)
As we head to a more tech world, the film industry has also grown towards computers. While techniques such as claymation and scale modeling became popular, CGI has ultimately become the number one way to create a special effect and is the most common out of the group.