Download and install the best free apps for Animation Software on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android from CNET Download.com, your trusted source for the top software picks. If you were wondering how they create movies such as Wallace and Gromit or those funky LEGO shorts online, your search is over. Although creating stop motion animation is not difficult, it is time-consuming and repetitive. As long as you're patient, this makes a fantastic hobby that may even grow into a career.
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Stop motion animation was key to many of the first special effects in movies. Jason and the Argonauts wouldn’t be as memorable without Ray Harryhausen’s creatures, and who could forget the original King Kong or even fully animated movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas?
What most appeals to me about stop motion, however, is that you don’t need a Hollywood budget or expensive equipment to do it. You can make your own stop motion movie using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
And patience—you’ll need a lot of patience.
Bonus: It’s a great activity for kids on rainy afternoons or long airplane rides!
Stop motion animation is incredibly time-consuming. It involves setting up a scene, taking a still photograph, and then adjusting the scene in a small way so that after you put all the photos together, the objects in the scene appear to move. (To learn more and see stop motion in action, watch the free video What is stop motion, and how does it work?)
For that reason, one of the top considerations before filming is finding a location that offers consistent lighting. Sunlight streaming through a window can be stunning when shooting normal video or still photos, but it’s unreliable for stop motion. While you’re adjusting the elements of a scene, the sun continues to travel without regard for your mini-masterpiece. When your movie is played back, shadows will jump and speed across the scene in a distracting way. So find a location where you can control every aspect of the light.
Capture
Several stop motion apps are available for iOS, but the one I prefer is iStopMotion for iPad from Boinx Software. The software runs only on the iPad (or iPad mini), but it has a secret weapon: a separate iStopCamera app can run on an iPhone or iPod touch and be controlled from the iPad. With that setup, the iPhone can be locked down on a tripod and not susceptible to tiny nudges when you capture each shot, which would be exaggerated in the animation.
In addition to having consistent lighting, you want to reduce variation in the focus, exposure, and white balance that the camera picks up. When you start a new project in iStopMotion, you’re immediately asked to set those.
The Exposure setting can be set to Continuous, which adjusts the brightness of the scene for every shot based on where you set the exposure reticle.
For example, if a dark object crosses the frame, the background will get brighter so the object is more visible. Alternately, switch to Fixed exposure to maintain the same exposure level throughout the video.
The White Balance setting works the same way, with the option to lock or unlock the color temperature of the recorded shots. Doing so preserves the illusion that the objects in the scene are moving at real speed.
Speaking of speed, it’s important to choose the frame rate of the movie you’re creating. A higher rate—in which more frames appear during one second—means more work, but also potentially smoother motion. The default in iStopMotion is 12 frames per second (fps); to compare, movies are projected at 24 fps, while home video is typically 30 fps.
Now here’s where the patience kicks in.
To capture a frame, tap the obvious shutter button. Then move the object(s) in your scene slightly. And tap the shutter button again.
Repeat thousands of times.
You will immediately realize that the onion-skin feature is your best friend. Named after the translucent paper used by some traditional animators, onion skinning keeps the last-captured frame onscreen and projects the camera’s live view at about 50 percent opacity. You can see exactly where the objects will appear in relation to the captured frame, making it easier to create smooth movement.
At any time, you can preview the work in progress. If a frame looks off, you can delete it and re-shoot it.
When you’re done, save the finished animation to the device’s photo library, share it via email, or upload it to YouTube, Dropbox, or a WebDAV server. The app can also turn the video into an animated GIF.
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Of course, iStopMotion is just one approach, but it will get you started on the basics of making stop motion movies. For a more comprehensive look at the process, see Richard Harrington’s course Getting Started with Stop Motion Animation on lynda.com.
Do you want to create your own animated movies or animated photos ( GIFs ) using your iPhone or iPad ? If you are a creative iOS user and looking for the best animation app for iPhone or iPad, this article can suggest you some fully featured animation apps for your device. These apps come with lots of animated movie creation features which can help you to make your own animated movies with your iPhone or iPad.
Best Animation Apps For iOS1. Stick Nodes Pro – Animator ( #iPhone & iPad ) –
Sticky nodes animator is a fully featured animation app for iPhone and iPad that lets you create your own animated movie and export your creation in animated GIFs or MP4 movie format. One of the best animation apps for iPhone/iPad, it comes with tons of features which can help you to make professional like animated movies , add animated characters & soundtracks and even your own voice and lots of other movie editing tools .
If you want to create animated movies and video clips for YouTube, Sticky nodes Pro app would be the best animator app for your iDevice. Fully functional animation app for iPhone/iPad that comes with lots of amazing features such as – automatic framing option for smooth animation, sound tool with movie like sound effects, virtual camera to move & zoom character like a movie, color & text tools, thousands of stickfigures and many other options. One of the best animation apps for animators.
If you are a creative animator and want to make own animated movie like professional, this app could be the perfect option for your iDevice. Recommended #animation app for iPhone and iPad users.
2. iStopMotion Animation App ( for iPhone & iPad ) –
Beautifully designed fully functional animation app for iPad users. iStopMotion comes with very easy to use UI that can help you to make your own animated movies quickly. Great animation app that has lots of useful features – camera overlay feature to animate scene quickly with perfection, instant playback option, iCloud integration, online sharing option and more. Simple and easy to use animation app for iPad. iStopMotion is one of the best premium animation apps on the Appstore for creative iPad users.
Istopmotion 3 5 – Create Stop Motion Animated Movies Online3. Animation Creator ( iPhone ) –
If you are looking for featured rich animation app for your iPhone, Animation Creator would be the best animation app for your device that comes with lots of features. Animation creator is a useful iPhone animation app that lets you create beautiful animations quickly with your iPhone.
Animation Creator comes with many useful animation creation tools including easy to use drawing tools, frame management feature , importing projects from express version, importing images to layers using camera or library , custom background option, frame rotation feature and audio support option. Simple, easy and powerful animation app for iPhone users.
4. Animation Desk for iPad –
Animation Desk is a featured rich animation app for iPad that comes with very nice user interface. Great app that comes with lots of animation creation tools which can help you to make beautiful hand drawn animations on your iPad. Useful animation app that allows you to create realistic animation scenes by using amazing backgrounds , audio effects, stamp tools and different types of painting and animation tools. Animation Desk is one of the best iPad animation apps on the Appstore and it helps you create animated projects easily on your iPad.
5. Stop Motion Studio Pro ( iPhone & iPad) –
Stop Motion Studio Pro is a fully functional animation app that lets you create professional animated movie easily on your on your iPhone or iPad and allows you to share videos to your Facebook, Twitter or YouTube & social media accounts. Very useful and featured rich animation app that includes tons of features such as preloaded themes, titles & sound effects, overlay mode option to view & control frames, animated objects which can be inserted through grid mode, you can capture images using volume button, a complete movie editing with frame editing option and many other features. Probably the best animation app for creative iPhone users.
Istopmotion 3 5 – Create Stop Motion Animated Movies List6. iMotion Pro ( iPhone & iPad ) –Istopmotion 3 5 – Create Stop Motion Animated Movies Online
iMotion Pro is a great animation app for your iPhone and iPad that allows you to take pictures, animate your photos, edit videos and export your movies in HD quality to your device or Youtube. Very useful animation app that includes lots of features such as 4 scene capture modes, ultra speed shooting option, variable frame rate playback and many other useful options including capture tools. If you are a professional animator, you would love this concept. iMotion pro is one of the best featured rich animation apps on the Appstore.
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