Modern optical methods applicable to vibration analysis, monitoring bending-wave propagation in plates and shells as well as propagating acoustic waves in transparent media such as air and water are described. Field methods, which capture the whole object field in one recording, and point measuring (scanning) methods, which measure at one point (small area) at a time (but in that point as a function of time), will be addressed. Temporally, harmonic vibrations, multi-frequency repetitive motions and transient or dynamic motions are included. Interferometric methods, such as time-average and real-time holographic interferometry, speckle interferometry methods such as television (TV) holography, pulsed TV holography and laser vibrometry, are addressed. Intensity methods such as speckle photography or speckle correlation methods and particle image velocimetry (PIV) will also be treated.