Stop Motion Tutorial: Basic Setup and Animation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- www.michaelmparks.com
Here's a start-up tutorial for those looking to try stop motion animation, covering camera setup, software, and basic animation principles. You'll learn about the tools you need to get smooth, steady movement and how to bring an object or character to life.
Please see my other tutorials on how to make an armature for a puppet, as well as other stop motion subjects.
Software: Dragonframe. iStopmotion (Mac and mobile) is a good frame-capturing app for the price. I understand iKITmovie is a good free option for Windows. Stop Motion Studio is a good mobile app. If you have a favorite stop motion app, please tell us about it in the comments.
Effects compositing in After Effects and editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. I have not had the opportunity to try out free or inexpensive alternatives for Windows.
Camera: I'm using a DSLR. But if you're not there yet, a good option is a camcorder that can run a live video signal to your computer. For best results, set the camcorder to fully manual to prevent focus and white balance flicker.
Shopping for Puppet-Making:
Clay (Van Aken, Sculpy III), armature wire: Arts/craft store like Hobby Lobby or amazon.com.
Armature kit: stopmotionstore.com
16-gauge aluminum armature wire (from an art store or Amazon, not the hardware store)
For the head, aluminum foil or wood ball (craft store)
Just about everything here can be found on Amazon if you don't have all these kinds of stores in your area. You can also get animation supplies from stopmotionstore.com.
One of the best tutorials I've found so far.
Micah Buzan Thanks!
Micheal you deserve to make stopmotion for the big screens
Damn Right
@@christophergeorge2894 I was 12 when i wrote that comment damn
This is kinda awkward don’t you think 😑
Boy, if I had seen this video a few years ago, it would have saved me lots of research and trial and error. Thanks and keep doing this. All newbies love this kind of help.
Oh god. This has made me realise how complicated claymation actually is. Motivation... failing... dreams... dying...
PaterBinks BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! YOU CAN DO IT!
Bruh, it's been 8 years, but still, even if your dreams take effort, you can have so much more fun doing what you want. Try it out for a bit if you still want, it can be really cool to play with claymation even as a hobby
Wow! This is just what I needed for my stop-motion projects! Thanks!
Great points. Very helpful. Thanks again for doing these!
This is a great video! Thanks for taking the time to make it. I did some stop motion while I was in film school and have just recently taken it back up. I had forgotten how difficult timing is to achieve. I'm sure I would've save a lot of time doing tests had I seen your video first. LOL. The bouncing ball is a great example of movement so thanks for sharing that. 😁
Hands down the best video on stop motion I've found yet.
Glad the tutorial is helpful to you and you're getting started with stop motion. My first surface gauge was wire sticking out of a blob of clay. Still useful for gauging feet.
Awww, that snail is so cute
I'd like to thank you for this very in-depth tutorial because it gives lots of really good advice that I haven't come across anywhere else. Anyone can get the basics of stop-motion but I feel like the tips you gave could really help an amateur like me master it sooner. Right now I'm practicing with modeling clay and a small amount of wire, waiting for the chance to visit the local craft store for better supplies. I also built myself a surface gauge with an Erector set and a paper clip.
Hm, a subject for another tutorial. If you can do post-production work on the video, you can hold up the character with armature wire or other support system, and then erase the support in photoshop. If not, you can hold things up with thin fishing line painted the same as the background if necessary.
A very good tutorial, I'll be recommending this one! You cover a lot of ground in under 7 minutes, but not too rushed to take in (unlike my rapid style that requires watching twice and pausing a lot). And the small bit of character animation you show here is superb!
Can find them on ebay. Electronics store may have them. I got mine as a gift and don't know specifically where it was purchased.
I'd like to thank you for this. It opened my eyes on a lot of things. Coming from CGI I didn't think the process could be done smartly as you explained. In the old days we only heard that they animate each frame in a straight linear way and if some incident happens in the set they should redo everything from the start which is wrong obviously.
honestly you dont need all of this if you
just want to do it for fun just use what you have and try your best most of all have fun,by the way i recomend stop motion studio,oh and sorry if i sounded rude,
no hate,you are very good at what you do.
Thanks! This really helped. I’m working on a BIG project, so this is really helpful.
best tutorial so far. cant believe I found this video.
thanks ! the tutorials playlist is the best i have found
greetings from Mexico !
I've just gone as far as to download a free app for my iPhone and tested it out to see if it really worked. I don't know what is available for Android, but I suggest getting a tripod for the phone (they clamp the phone rather than screw in) and download the free stop motion apps available and try them out. Then if they're not good enough, see if there is a better paid one.
Thanks for 6-8 frame hold tip.
Using Photoshop CS5 or higher, you can import sequentially numbered images as an image sequence. They will open in a timeline. Then open the timeline window for player controls and layers.
I've zeroed in on DragonFrame. Just a lota nice features.
Thank you for sharing these tips. This tutorial was extremely helpful and one of the best I've seen.
Thanks a lot
Thanks Nick! Really like you're tutorials as well. Would like to try the silicone head. Looks more flexible than my layers of rubber latex.
This is so brilliant, your tutorials are big help, thank you!
Thnx for the tips Michael!😄
If you're using the demo version of DragonFrame, there is a limit to the number of frames you have in a scene. Under the File menu there's an option for exporting to Quicktime. iStopmotion is a very good, less expensive option that has frame flipping and onion-skinning.
Wow! This answered everything I needed to know for a "basic" Stop Motion! Thank You. =)
obrigado pelos vídeos.. vou aprender muito com eles
u have great tutorias. thanks for all the good in depth info.
This was a truly amazing tutorial. I incredibly appreciate this.
+ Michael Parks -Love your voice, is actually so funny and animated as your videos
Incredible tutorial! Thank you so much :)
This was very helpful. Thanks!
thanks!
Nice
Awesome ! ;) ...
this video is grate! it deserves allot more likes...
Mostly used iStopmotion, with a bit of Dragon in the middle and Stop Motion Pro for the arm move.
Here's a couple of tutorials on my channel that get into that. The one on making an armature is for those first starting out or on a really tight budget, while the latex puppet one is more involved.
I have tried a couple of attempts at stop motion, using an old digital camera and windows movie maker, feel free to look and leave comments and like if you like...
One of the best tutorials I've found on the web. Could you please give me some links of those gadgets?
Thx for the tutorial.
DUDE THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The only technical hangup I'm having is connecting my current camera to my current computer for use with stop-motion software but I think I'll have it figured out soon
A small stop motion studio can take 9 months to make 30 minute show from concept to final. One person would probably take a few years of complete isolation and moderate insanity and no facebook. If you're just working out animation time with existing puppets, you can work it out by how many seconds of animation per day would be produced, depending on quality. For TV that can be ten seconds a day or more.
Thanka, man your the best
THANK YOU
Thank you thank you thank you just what I was looking for xD
Your very talented
So good!
Very helpfull!! thanks for the tutorial master :D, i wil be waiting for more haha n.n
Thanks! I edit with Final Cut, but it can't grab individual frames. Frame grabbing is being done with iStopmotion. I also use Dragon and Stop Motion Pro.
cool
Really great tutorial thank you so much :D I only don't get what are we supposed to do on the computer, the red line drawing thingy? why were you doing it?
An OK way to start animating is a software called "FramebyFrame." It's free and has onion skinning and a timeline, but it's very basic (and easy to use).
Wow, this is so much information. Very well explained. I cannot believe I didnt do this research before. Do you have a suggestion on what clay to use for making the dolls?
Lock the audio tracks and you will be able to delete gaps.
You should make a video of how to do a set
cool next you should do how to make a character jump/ action scenes
So, do you find work doing stop motion animations? It seems much more limiting than 3D animation, but much more enjoyable to play with the characters.
Pyro A/V Link by ADS Technologies. A little googling has me wondering if they still make them, but searching for "digital video converter" on amazon shows some other options.
Ok thks so much which one do u prefer
Certainly not. I'm working on Smurfs 2, and it's very much crunch time. And rather than doing tutorials on the side, I have another side project going. Check out the Rudolph video on my channel. But thanks for asking.
how do stop motion artists create background? digitally? anything non digital if so?
Windows Movie Maker also helps with Stop motion
Can you tell more about taking puctures with my mobile phone??? (galaxy mini)
does the canon t2i or t3i cameras have manual apertures? I heard that you need a non-canon lens to reduce the flicker.
this is an excellent video btw
If you used dragonframe to capture the frames, they're already on the computer. If you mean using dragonframe to edit the images you shot on your camera, I don't see a way to import. Anyone else try this?
Can I just ask you what is this blue spidery thing that holds your phone called... and where can I get it? Looks super usefull haha
Oh I don't remember, it was almost ten years ago and I don't see anything like it on amazon. It's basically a phone tripod with flexible legs, kinda like www.amazon.com/Tripod-Compatible-Android-Lightweight-Flexible/dp/B07QN7MJ1L/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=phone+tripod&qid=1591499417&sr=8-22
I’m trying to help my little brother set up his stop motion what lighting do we use and what other accessories are needed
Those adjustable-arm "luxo" type lights can be a quick option. Preferably two or three of them. You can get clamp lights at the hardware store. It's good to have a three-point light setup, with two side lights at different heights and distances, and a rim light.
Can you make a video of making a stage
Great tutorial. How did you get the stop motion to play in Photoshop?
Cool! Hey, ever heard of Ray Harryhausen?
***** You're confused with Willis O'Brien!
Are you a claymation worker? Do you work with an actuall company? BTW, Subscribed!!! ;)
Hi thank you for tutorial, do you draw path and distance between frames using reference?
If you mean shooting video reference, I sometimes do that for stop motion, but often things move in an exaggerated, "cartoony" way like a quick zip in or out. But even then it is a good idea to draw the path so that there is still an ease-in or ease-out.
@@MichaelParks But why somitimes? Is there any other way knowing exact path and distance between frames without shooting video reference?
@@tevekkulmemmedov6921 You can work out the timing with a stopwatch. Or find existing video with the action you want and count the frames. When I animated my first sword fight, I analyzed the light saber duel in Empire Strikes Back. You will also find that, once you have animated for a while, you will know how many frames to shoot for an action. But reference and a stopwatch are a great way to learn.
is Istopmotion good I'm trying to use dragon frame but i don't kno how to make a whole scene and then bring it to iMovie or final cut pro
I am wondering if you can copy and paste frames over and over to avoid taking so many pictures. For example, I want to create a character with four or five lip-syncing mouth poses. Maybe I want the character to talk for 30 seconds consecutively. Can I copy and paste the four or five lip syncing poses repeatedly to cover 30 seconds or more to avoid having to do so much more setting up with more lip syncing? Thank you for your help.
I've repeated frames for some cycles and blinks, but haven't tried it with lip sync. It seems to me that it would be kind of boring to watch. There is so much more to a dialogue shot than the lips moving. The head should move and accent the parts that are accented in the audio. The eyes and brows should change. Shortcuts in dialogue can be replacement mouths, or a mouth that simply opens and closes like a muppet. Then your character can deliver their performance with the rest of the face and their entire body.
@@MichaelParks yes, I was thinking of moving the other things you talked about moving like the head and eyebrows along with the lip sync but I was trying to avoid creating all new framesfor every second of chatter by the character. If I could put it on a loop, just for a 10 to 20 second time frame, it would save a lot of work. Do you think that is doable? Thank you so much for your replies.
@@brettwinstead Technically doable, it's just unlikely it will always look like the movement is in sync. But if it's in sync at the start of the line, and stops on the right frame, often you can get away with some cheating in the middle.
How do you make the characters in the first place?
I'm using a Canon PowerShot G11 and I'm not sure why it's not connected to the software and working? (Using Stop Motion Pro)
where you buy the tripod for the ipod iphone
which software did you use more
Hi! What's the best camera, you could recommend, in order to make the stop motion animations? 😺😸🐈✌️👍
The best camera to use is a DSLR, and for some reason Canon cameras are the most popular. I use a Canon Rebel and all the studios I worked at used a Canon DSLR as fell.
@@MichaelParks Awesome. I somehow knew that Canon Rebel and DSLR are both great choices. I better keep them in my mind. Thank you, Michael. 😺👍
when you use dragon frame to see the pictures you have allredy done do you have to use your camera usb
Hey! I was just wondering if there was anywhere I could get something for an ipad that would allow me to screw it on to a tripod?
is that the same armature for the pig that was made in the armature making video?
The pig has a ball-and-socket armature I made from a kit. But a wire armature would work for a character like that.
hello!
i think this tutorial is very helpful and i'll maybe make a stop motion video one day.
but first i want to ask:
i figured that in most movies, the animators are using a formula of 24+ frames-per-second for smooth lifelike animation.but in this video we only use 1 or 2 frames per move and we still get smooth animation.so how the process of 24+ frames-per-second animation is done?what are the differences?
Maybe I can answer.
What he meant is that to get the smoothest animation you should go for "ones" which means every frame from the 24 is different. But he said that you could get away with "twos" which mean you shoot only very second frame and that leads to having only 12 frames per second which is a half. They do that to save up some time and money especially in 2d drawn animation and it looks good as well.
Bear in mind that the number 24 applies only to old cinema look. If you are doing something for TV that runs on 25 fps or 30 then that's how it should be.
A new tendance this days is to fo for 60 frames per second in cinema, in this case you should animate at least 30 times each second to get something decent.
Hope this helps
ok,thank you.
spinocroc123 Since making this video I have worked a couple of studio stop motion jobs where shooting in 2's was required. I learned quickly that you can get both smooth and snappy animation in 2's by making sure that the ease-in and ease-outs are good. Sometimes having just one ease-in move before an arm is moving at full speed can look great. Shooting in 1's can get you fluid movement and looks graceful and refined, but all the entertainment value you want can be achieved shooting in 2's.
If I wanted a live video feed into Dragonframe and out of my Canon EOS Rebel T5 1200D, would I need a firewire cable, USB, or something else?
I use a USB on that very camera.
Well thank you very much!! :D
What software that is more advanced than windows movie maker and is free on windows.
What is the exact name of your digital converter
Hey!
If I have a digital camera and I can't attach it to the computer while shooting and I can't get stopmotion software,how the animating process of the frames will be done in,let's say, after effects or photoshop? I could still get good results?
spinocroc123 Yes, you can edit frames in after effects or photoshop, where you can also remove supports, clean up minor mistakes, and change the timing. Some of the more advanced editing apps like Premiere and Final Cut can do this as well.
i have a cybershot is that good
Should all lights be the same color? because I have 2 lights in front and 1 in the back. The one in the back is a different light It's more yellow than white so should all of them be white?
That's an esthetic choice. Just look in the viewfinder or monitor and see if it looks good to you. Seems like that could have a nice effect.
Michael Parks Thank you!
Do you use the newest version of dragonframe?
Do you know of any stop motion software for a Sony a35?
do you make your own armatcher
I have some ball-and-socket armatures I keep reusing. If you can get one basic biped, you can get a lot of uses out of it.
Does all Stop Motion software allow motion blur?
Stop Motion Pro and Dragonframe allow for motion blur by letting to have long exposures (you can blur the motion by moving it while the object is still moving). But if you want to have some blur between animated frames, like an arm move that you would like blurred, you'd do that in editing or compositing, like using the plugin Real Smart Motion Blur in After Effects.
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