How to do Special Effects in Stop Motions
Special effects, such as lightning and green screen backgrounds, are added to "stop motion" videos during post-production editing. You can add certain effects, such as color correction or lighting, to each individual stop motion image. Adding a special effect to a group of stop motion images requires you to make those images self-contained video files. This allows you to add multiple special effects by applying them to the isolated video clips instead of each stop motion image.
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Instructions
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Import your stop motion images into a video editing software project. Select all the stop motion images in the project bin and drag them to the second video layer on the editing timeline. Place the new background for a chroma key effect on the first video layer underneath the images.
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Adjust the length of the images, so that the stop motion movement is animated and timed correctly. Stop motion still images should be four to six frames in length, depending on the movement you wish to achieve.
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Add the desired effect, such as color correction or a key effect, to one stop motion image and adjust the effect in the effect controls panel. Copy the stop motion image with the newly applied effect.
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Right-click the next stop motion image and select the "Paste Attributes" option. This adds the effect from the original stop motion image to the next image. Continue this step until all desired images have that effect.
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Export the section of completed stop motion images that needs a group special effect and make it a self-contained, uncompressed video clip. Import the video clip into the same stop motion video editing project, and place it on a new layer above the corresponding stop motion images. Add the desired special effects to the video clip and adjust them accordingly in the effect controls panel.
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Tips & Warnings
Always place the self-contained stop motion video on a layer above the original images. Do not delete the individual stop motion images until all the special effects are applied to the video clips and you are completely satisfied with the stop motion movie.
Online or free video editing software may not have the Paste Attributes option that allows you to apply an effect to multiple images. You may need a professional video editing application for more complicated special effects.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images
