MonkeyJam is a Windows-exclusive and free stop motion software that lets you capture still images separately from your camera and compiles them into a stop motion movie. What you need to do is to hook up a camera to your Windows PC through a cable, to launch MonkeyJam and set up video as well as camera settings. AnimatorHD is a Windows based software that you can use to create stop motion and time lapse animation. The tool also supports stereoscopic 3D movies and DSLR cameras, including Canon and Nikon Live View, as well as 3D stereo shooting. You can use your laptop’s webcam and other video recording devices as input sources.
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What is stop motion? What is the best stop motion software? In this article, we’re going to talk about what stop motion is and list the top 8 best stop motion software that you can use on your device. Now, read this post and pick one that suits your needs.
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Do you want to make a stop motion video by yourself? It’s pretty easy as long as you have professional and easy-to-use stop motion software. If you want to make music videos or other types of videos, try MiniTool software.
What Is Stop Motion
Stop motion is an animated technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when a series of frames are played.
What is the best stop motion software? It is a waste of time to compare all the stop motion software on the market one by one. To make things easier, here list the top 8 best stop motion software for you to choose from.
Top 8 Best Stop Motion Software
1. Stop Motion Pro Eclipse
Supported OS – Windows
Stop Motion Pro Eclipse is a comprehensive software solution that can be used to create complex stop motion animations. The tool can play up to 30 frames per second and allows you to record audio while playing animations.
Related article: Top 8 Best Explainer Video Software
Stop Motion Software Mac
2. Dragon Frame
Supported OS – Mac/Windows/Linux
As one of the most powerful stop motion animation software, Dragon Frame can help you create truly stunning images. It allows you to use advanced camera scanning tools to capture accurate movements, compose shots, illuminate perfect shots and edit images.
3. iKITMovie
Supported OS – Windows
iKITMovie is a stop motion animation tool compatible with Windows. It has more than 2200 free sound effects and background music tracks to customize your work. The tool also has a green screen that allows users to replace the background with still or moving images.
Related article: About Motion Graphics - Everything You Should Know
4. Stop Motion Studio
Supported OS – Windows/Mac/Android/iPhone/iPad
Stop Motion Software Free
Stop Motion Studio is a powerful, full-featured movie editor with a whole host of features, which allows you to create stop motion animations. Some users claim that this is the simplest application in stop-motion filmmaking.
5. Boinx iStopMotion
Supported OS – Mac/iPhone/iPad
iStopMotion from Boinx is a fully functional and user-friendly application that can be used to make time-lapse movies or stop motion animations on iPhone or Mac. This software can even be set to capture frames automatically at a given time interval.
6. Heron Animation
Stop Motion Software Linux
Supported OS – Windows/Mac/Linux
Heron Animation is one of the best free stop motion software that allows you to shoot a series of images from a connected webcam and gather every shot in actual time moving animation. It has a clean and user-friendly interface, which makes it perfect for beginners.
You might be interested in: How to Make a Green Screen Video
7. Kawping
Supported OS – Web-based
Kapwing is an online collaborative platform for creating images, videos, and GIFs. This program offers a wide range of tools, including Resize Video, Add Audio to Video, Collage Maker and so on. Therefore, making a stop motion video can also be done with it.
8. Clideo
Supported OS – Web-based
Clideo is an easy-to-use online video toolset. Creating a stop motion video with Clideo won’t take much time. You just need to upload the footage and adjust the available settings: clip rate and speed. Moreover, you can add a reverse effect if needed.
Want to make a happy birthday GIF? Here gives a guide on how to make a funny happy birthday GIF and lists 5 best sites to download free happy birthday GIFs.
Bottom Line
How to make a stop motion video? All of the above stop motion software can help you out. Which one do you prefer? If you have any questions or suggestions about it, please let us know via [email protected] or share them in the comments section below.
written by Lionel Ivan Orozco
What is Stop Motion frame grabbing Software? (also sometimes called 'frame capturing') It is a computer program which will accept a live image feed from your camcorder or web cam (& 'some' digital still cams) which is transmitted through firewire or USB to your computer. Through the Stop Motion software, you shoot a single frame of the 'live image' as displayed on your computer's monitor. Also, through the software, you can flip back to your previously shot frames and you can visually judge & compare the incremental movements of the puppets. This is oversimplification but the basic idea.
When you compare Stop Motion frame grabbing software with the complexity of the plethora of software for computer animation work, Stop Mo frame grabbers are a very simple technology but the impact and ramifications of this tool has tremendously advanced Stop Motion. It seems appropriate for our animation craft: 'Hands on concept & tactile skills of Stop Motion + non-complicated technological tools = Incredible Animation!'
In the past for many, many years, 2D (e.g.,cartoon type animation) animators always had great advantage over Stop Motion. When 2D animators draw each cartoon image, they used a light box underneath the paper so that they can see the 'previously' drawn cartoon through the layers of papers. That is somewhat similar to what Stop Motion frame grabbers do. You can see the previous frames by flipping back or some frame grabbers have features that allow you to overlay a ghosted image of previous frame to your current frame.
Way back in the 'old days', maybe not more than 20+ years ago, Stop Motion frame grabbers did not exist or, either very expensive, not affordable, or you had to pay big dollars to have custom software created. Before frame grabbers, the skill of the stop motion animator depended mostly on their memory abilities, focus & concentration (retaining the puppet positions in their minds) and they used physical measuring tools on the puppets, such as 'Surface Gages': The Importance of Using Gages
So literally, the animator's 'mind' was like an internal frame grabber! Ray Harryhausen, the master and godfather of commercial-marketable Stop Motion, did all his animation WITHOUT Stop Motion frame grabbers! He primarily relied on surface gages to visually measure the key positions of the puppets. On Nightmare Before Christmas, they used a limited frame grabber through a modified VCR unit. I believe, you were able to see & flip back to the two frames.
Today's Stop Motion frame grabbing programs have all kinds of bells and whistles and very accessible and affordable to the general public. With some of the programs, you can flip through ALL the frames you shot (not just one or two frames), instantly preview the entire scene at the proper playback speed, do multiple onion skinning, add sound, do chroma-keying, and so on!
The following link is to Stop Motion Works', 'Stop Motion Software & Tools Overview' page. You will find a more detail introduction to Stop Motion frame grabbers and also a very complete list of what is currently available. It will always be revised and updated: Stop Motion Software & Tools Overview
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