How to Create a Stop Motion Image

One of the oldest and most intriguing forms of animation is stop motion. Stop motion animation has been used to create special effects since the very beginning of cinema. Combining a number of still shots to create the illusion of motion is the central tenet of the animation form. This can be done for stylistic or realistic effect. While it was once the height of special effects, stop motion animation is now easily achievable by anyone with a digital camera and a basic video editing program.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Digital camera Camera cable Computer Video editing program Tripod

1. Plan the full range of movements performed by your subject. If you are animating an action figure, know how many steps that action figure is going to take and when he is to be intercepted by additional characters along his path.

2. Develop a running time for the actions. If your subject is going to march across a room and pick up the mail, have a sense of how long that full slate of actions is going to take. Having a sense of time allows you to shoot enough photos to meet the running time your video needs to convey the action.

3. Shoot ten to twenty photographs for every second of action you want to record. The standard frame rate for movies is 24 frames per second, so the closer you get to this number, the smoother your stop motion animation will appear. Similarly, the more you move your subject in between each shot the more actions you'll be able to complete. However, with the additional movement comes a drop in smoothness.

4. Keep your camera as static as possible during shooting. Use a tripod to deliver the best results. (Holding the camera in your hand will produce differences from frame to frame, making both the subject and the background appear to move.)

5. Upload photographs to your computer. Most digital cameras use a USB cord. Designate a new folder for your stop-motion movie and drag the photo files from your camera to the storage folder on your computer hard drive.

6. Assemble photographs in a movie editor. Since you shot the photographs in the same order as the movie's sequence, all that's necessary is to import the photos into your video editor. Drag the photos to your timeline in the order you shot them.

7. Adjust time. Most video editors have a default time to run a still photograph on the timeline. This can be anywhere from a second to ten seconds. Find this setting and change it to a speed that simulates motion between the pictures. If you shot ten pictures per second of intended action, adjust the timeline settings to show each picture for only 1/10 of a second.

8. Play your stop motion animation on the timeline. If it looks too fast, adjust the time to allow your photos to play a little longer, perhaps 1/6 a second each. Adjust until you are satisfied.

Tips & Warnings

• For the smoothest results, do not move your camera from shot to shot. Experiment with camera movement for more stylized results.

Resources

• Stop Motion Animation