Animators who want to breathe life into static objects on screen can utilize the technique of Stop Motion. Accomplish this by incrementally changing the position of the object while recording a frame per increment. The movement is seen when every frame is played in sequence.
Stop Motion Studio for Mac. Stop motion (also known as stop action) is an animation technique to make any object you choose to appear to move on its own. The object is moved or manipulated slightly in small increments and captured in individually photographed frames. This creates the illusion of movement when a series of frames is played as. Start the Stop Motion Studio app. Turn off the camera and connect it to the computer. Wait 30 seconds until the camera is available in the capture source drop-down box. If you don’t see the camera make sure no other app is accessing the camera at the same time. Software As stop-motion animation is little more than still images pieced together in a sequence, you can create a movie with any video application you like. And, for Mac users, that generally.
IStopMotion is a free stop motion software for Mac created by the house of Boinx. This featureful software can be used to make amazing stop motion animation clips. Its interface is pretty easy to navigate as it is neatly organized. Dragon Frame is the most popular software for 2016. The solution not only has a friendly user interface but also comes with all the tools you need to create the best stop animation motion. From doing an image review and perfecting your focus to chroma keying and camera control.
This 52things video will help you learn more about stop motion and how it works:
Stop motion provides an appealing and simple method that any video editor could blend it into their videos regardless of what type of videos they are making.
What is the best stop motion software on the market? Find out below from free ones such as qStopMotion to the ones used by the experts like Dragonframe. Let’s take a look!
Recommended: Movavi Video Editor
The stop-motion techniques used for producing animation will be dependent on your purpose and level of skill. If you are a stop-motion newbie or simply want to add a clip of stop-motion to your video project, the best way is to take a number of individual images at specific intervals. After that, import the images into one file in a photo slide maker or video editing software. Similar to a regular video clip, edit the stop motion. (Note: Rather than shooting every image in real time, in stop-motion photography, you take a single photo, then the subject is moved and another shot is taken, then moving the subject again etc.)
Movavi Video Editor is the best software for this kind of video editing. Produce professional-looking movies and slideshows on your PC with this all-inclusive video making software, even if you are a newbie.
Besides the video making tool in Movavi Video Editor, which includes a really handy Slideshow Wizard mode that lets you load a full folder of photos and efficiently produce a stop-motion video from many images.
You have the option to add background music from the royalty-free music included or add music of your own. Additionally, you can add titles and captions, adjust each image’s duration time etc.
Learn more in the step-by-step video tutorial below on ways to use Movavi Video Editor to create a Stop Motion video:
Special stop-motion software is vital if you would like to create a full professional stop motion movie similar to King Kong. You will find a list below of the best stop-motion software available.
Best Stop Motion Software for Windows PC: Stop Motion Pro
Stop Motion Pro Eclipse was made for expert and beginner animators and is ideal for those who want to make an animation with the best available tools.
This program is full of features and includes high-resolution stop motion, which allows you to get the animation right, and there is a short learning curve and no overwhelming tech stuff.
Quickly linked to your webcam or camera, it is possible to use Stop Motion Pro to record and paste pictures and show captivating stories via your animated figures.
Utilize markers to track and plan the movement of your characters. The tool plays as fast as 30 fps and lets you record audio while the animation is playing back. Also included is lip-sync support.
Dozens of cameras are compatible with the software and it includes tools for advanced project management that come in handy for managing animation projects that are long-term.
Five languages are supported in Stop Motion Pro’s UI: English, Spanish, French, Chinese and German.
Best Professional Stop Motion Software: Dragonframe
One of the leading frame-grabbing software is Dragonframe, which is ideal for stop motion animation as well as time-lapse photography. With a supported digital camera’s live view, animators get video assist tools with Dragonframe and this turns into the main hub for capturing and organizing your camera’s high-resolution frames.
Dragonframe is a great frame-grabber that includes tools like step-to-live, auto-toggling, drawing with a virtual grease pencil and onion skinning. Dragonframe has created innovations in stop-motion software by pushing the performance beyond frame grabbing to offer a complete range of production features.
Dragonframe’s software provides the following five workspace tools:
- Video assist, editing and frame-grabbing animation features
- Cinematography features for the Director of Photography
- DDMX-512 for full lighting automation
- Built-in audio and dialogue track reading features
- Multi-axis move editor to program complicated camera motions quickly
If you are working on a commercial with a small crew, an independent filmmaker editing your project in your garage, or a big studio creating a feature film, Dragonframe possesses all the tools you require to produce spectacular stop-motion animation.
Dragonframe was used to create productions like Shaun the Sheep Movie, The Little Prince, the 2012 movie Frankenweenie etc.
Best Free Stop Motion Software: qStopMotion
If you want to create stop-motion animated movies, qStopMotion is an ideal free platform. Once you have your perfect idea and storyline, qStopMotion will help you create an ideal stop-motion animation movie.
qStopMotion has a free version for Windows operating systems. The newest version of qStopMotion has a number of improvements, which include a negative grabber and a superior camera control system etc. These tools help you to create stop motions from pictures imported from your computer or straight from your camera. They can then be exported in animation style to a variety of video formats.
At present, qStopMotion supports AVI and MPEG formats that are used to produce stop motion movies.
The amazing thing about qStopMotion is that it has combined all the features and tool that will minimize your reliance on outside tools since it has changed them all with Qt features.
qStopMotion’s interface is user-friendly and has only the basic options required.
Best Stop Motion Software for Mac: iStopMotion
Bonix’s iStopMotion software is a very powerful and user-friendly app that is useful in producing time-lapse movies or stop motion animation on your iPhone or Mac.
This is a perfect solution for experienced animators who want to record animation directly to their computer without having to rely on film, and the Bonix software is even more useful due to the cool and very useful features, which include:
- Live Video Overlay: Handles the amount of the last frame versus the amount of the live camera is visible. Ideal for lining up your subsequent picture.
- Onion skinning: Provides you with the power to look back at as much as five prior frames, each one superimposed over the next. It is possible to shift your items and then view as it happens the length of time you moved them compared to the latest images.
- “Blinking” flashes the newest, live picture as well as the earlier recorded picture at user-set timeframes. Once again, this makes it possible to envision the way the scene will appear when animated and provides you with a simple reference point to make any changes if required.
iStopMotion has even more amazing features. You have the choice to edit a recorded frame with outside software like Photoshop. For example, if you caught a bit of hand in the shot by accident, edit the mistake with Photoshop, then go back to iStopMotion updating the bad clip with the updated one and you don’t have to stop the recording!
You also have control of your camera with iStopMotion, including the picture color balance, focus as well as hue and saturation.
Best Stop Motion App for iPhone and Android: Stop Motion Studio
Produce animation quickly and easily using the photo and video tool Stop Motion Studio. The app is available for Windows, Android, macOS, iPhone and iPad. The creators state that it is the easiest app in the world for stop-motion moviemaking. Find out for yourself by downloading and installing the app and using it for yourself.
Record new pictures or choose the photos from libraries using the app. The free version comes with basic tools like grid, overlay, frame positioning, fade and frame-by-frame preview.
You will have to buy the app if you want to use a remote camera, green screen and other movie effect features.
It is easy to get started and there is help along the way. It provides you with inspiration, allowing you to find even more ideas in your library of videos. When your project is finally done, share them on social platforms like YouTube, etc.
Best Free Stop Motion Software for Linux: Heron Animation
Heron Animation is a free program that allows you to shoot a series of images from a connected webcam and gather every shot in actual time moving animation.
The tool markets itself as an ideal one for newbies and experienced animators and is written using web technologies. This kind of balance is very difficult to achieve.
You will have to decide if it’s the best free stop motion software. This app is still relatively new and even though it doesn’t seem to be open-source, you can download and use it for free and it comes with some really good features like:
- Connect to a webcam
- Delete and move the frames
- Duplicate frames
- Export video as.MP4,.MOV,.AVI
- Loop playback
- Onion skin w/ difference mode
- Playback animation at any FPS
- Short play (play only the few last frames)
This app includes many keyboard shortcuts. Monitoring and controlling recordings is much easier using a Bluetooth keyboard and you diligently reposition your images.
Onion skinning, for those unfamiliar with the term, is where the prior image is overlain, which allows you to more accurately position your pictures. This is a common feature in stop-motion apps like the popular qStopMotion.
Best Stop Motion Tool for kids: IKITMovie
The iKITMovie stop-motion animation will work with computers that run Windows 10 and Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7/8.
This is the ideal tool for those who like Claymation or LEGO. Unlike the majority of stop-motion tools, users of all ages from older kids to teenagers will find this tool useful.
More than 2,200 free features are included in IKITMovie like background music and sound effects to customize your projects.
Greenscreen is also included in this tool, which lets users swap out the background with moving images or stills. Animators love this popular animation technique.
Stop motion animation newbies should watch the tutorial video, which shows step-by-step the most effective way to use the program.
Stop Motion Software Free Mac
IKITMovie is ideal for teachers and students.
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Let's Make a Movie.
Want to create movies like Wallace and Gromit or those groovy Lego shorts on YouTube? Stop Motion Studio is an amazing app to create terrific stop action movies with a whole host of unique features. Like the frame-by-frame editor, the never get lost timeline and the cool sound editor.
Stop Motion Studio it's simple to use, it's deceptively powerful, and it's tremendous fun. Available for iPhone, iPad, and macOS as well as Android and Windows.
Capture the perfect picture.
Capturing images has never been easier before. No matter if you choose automatic or full manual control of camera settings such as focus, exposure, ISO, and white balance. Capture images in 4K or use a live green-screen effect. You can also use a second device as a remote camera to get a new perspective.
Use your digital camera.
Stop Motion Studio supports digital cameras from all the most popular camera makers, including Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Use live view to easily control objects and movements. Control shutter speed, ISO and aperture directly from the app and take advantage of the full-size camera quality.
- Check camera compatibility.
Desktop-class movie editing.
The unique frame-by-frame view shows you all the images you took in chronological order, much like the single frames of a movie. Cut, copy, paste, delete, and insert frames at any position. Zoom in and out on the timeline view so you never get lost, even if you have hundreds of frames. Add audio clips, titles, credits, and filter effects. Creating the movie the way you want it.
Discover the ease of animating with In- and Out Points.
With Stop Motion Studio you can quickly set In and Out points to mark a specific portion of your movie for playback and looping. Then use the loop playback to animate the sequence until it looks perfect.
Use composition guides for perfect positioning.
Use the Grid and Onion Skin controls to help you position animated objects more easily and precisely. Define aspect ratio masks and safe guides. Add a path layer to define movements, use the draw tool to mark positions or load an image or video file as a reference. The onion skin overlays the last captured frame on top of your camera’s live view. This way, you can see how far you have moved your character between frames.
Bring it all to life with great sound effects.
Stop Motion Studio comes with dozens of sound effects and music clips for you ready to use in your movie. Bring characters to life by recording a voice over track directly to your movie. Use the built-in audio editor to trim the audio clip, set fade-in and -out, change the volume or add dozen of funny audio effects to sound like an alien, a robot, or an old radio station.
Make it your canvas.
Use the different painting tools to paint as you would on a traditional canvas. Control brush size and strength. Add multiple layers to define foreground and background objects. Use the painting tools to get creative. Draw a laser sword to a figure or fireworks in the sky. Stop Motion Studio has Apple Pencil support for and works great on the iPad Pro.
Magically get rid of unwanted objects in your movie.
The masking tool in Stop Motion Studio will help you to make unwanted objects to disappear from the image. Erase objects like a string you used to hang objects during capturing. The eraser has two tools, conceal and reveal. Reveal will reveal the clean frame image wherever you touch the image, whereas the conceal brush will restore the original frame image.
Turn good looking pictures into spectacular.
Use the image editor in Stop Motion Studio to change the composition, adjust color levels, or apply amazing filter effects. Everything is nondestructive to let you perfect all the details.
A powerful tool to design beautiful title and credit screens.
Stop Motion Studio comes with dozen of beautiful designed titles and credit cards ready for you to use. Or use the powerful editor to design your own. With its advanced typography features, you can make your design that fits perfectly with your movie.
Make your movie pop.
Choose from dozen of breathtaking effects to completely change the look of your movie. Add an extra touch of creativity by adding beautifully designed foregrounds, backgrounds, movie masks and fade transitions.
Green Screen
Using chroma keying or green screen, you can change the background of your scene to make the figures you capture fly or appear anywhere you can imagine – just by changing the background image.
Add Facial Expressions to LEGO® figures
Add mouth and eye shapes to your LEGO® figures to create facial expressions or let them speak. Choose from dozen of different mouth and eye shape that fit the expression you want to give your character.
Get close to the action.
With Stop Motion Studio you can use a second device as a remote camera. Use your gorgeous new phone device as a camera while controlling it remotely using Stop Motion Studio on your tablet device.
Share it.
Share your movie on the web and in your home. Share it with the world on Youtube, Facebook, Dropbox, or anywhere else. You can export your project as a movie, as an animated GIF, as iMessage sticker or printable flipbook. You can also export all images as an ordered list to import it somewhere else or export the whole project to another device.
Made with Stop Motion Studio.
Watch some of the finest stop action movies users created with Stop Motion Studio.
Check out the buzz.
Stop Motion Studio has been honored with numerous awards. It was featured as 'App of the Week' on Apples Keynote as well as Apple TV Ads. Stop Motion Studio was shown on many TV shows all over the world.
Stop-motion animation is a great way to bring toys and other objects to life — and learn the basics of filmmaking.
The New York TimesStop Motion Studio makes it easy to create your own stop-motion movies.
The Washington PostAll you need is an iPhone or iPad, a tripod, the right software, and a bit of creativity.
PCMagStop Motion Studio Brings Out the LEGO Moviemaking Geek in All of Us.
TechnewsworldOn all your devices.
Create and edit your projects on any device you want. Start a project on one device and finish it on another. Stop Motion Studio is available for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows. Depending on the device, some features may not be available.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Connect a keyboard or external keypad to your device for faster workflow.Youtube Export
Export your movie directly from the app to Youtube.Timelapse
Create a stunning time-lapse recording with the built-in interval capture feature.Export All Images
Create an ordered list of all frames in your movie for further processing.Dark Mode
Adopt a dark appearance to focus on content.Files
Manage projects directly using the files app.Export Project
Start a project on a mobile device and finish on your desktop device.4K Ultra HD
Create movies in Ultra High Definition with four times the resolution of Full HD.Rotoscoping
Create stunning animations from a video clip by painting over it, frame by frame.Remote Shutter
Use your headphones volume button, your Apple Watch, or a Bluetooth device as a remote shutter release.iMessage
Export your movie as an iMessage sticker.Cut, Copy & Paste
Rearrange frames and copy frames between projects.Undo & Redo
Reverse an action.TouchBar
Use quick shortcuts on your MacBook Pro TouchBar.iCloud Sync
Sync projects across all your devices using iCloud.Shared iPad and Mobile Device Management
Stop Motion Studio support Shared iPad and can be configured by a mobile device management system.