Stopmotion in motion
1 First steps
Launch Stopmotion and choose ‘Settings > Configure Stopmotion’ to select your webcam as an input device. Click Apply followed by Close, then click the camera icon to the left of the preview window to switch on your webcam. Use the viewfinder to set up your first shot as well as the webcam itself – for example, to focus the camera on foreground objects.
2 Configure overlay
By default, ‘Single frame capture’ and ‘Mix’ are selected – this means each frame in your animation is captured individually, and ‘Mix’ overlays a semi-transparent overlay of the previous two frames over the top of the preview window to help you line up your shots accurately. Use the slider to reduce or increase the number of previous frames to overlay.
3 Start snapping
To take a shot, click the camera button next to Mix or press Space – you’ll see the frame appear in the timeline at the top of the screen. An overlay of the previous shot will remain as you line up the next shot, helping you to position it correctly. Once it’s lined up, press Space again. Repeat to keep adding frames to your animation.
4 Test footage and edit
When you’re ready, click the video camera button to exit record mode and enter playback/edit mode. Click the play button to run through your animation so far. Spotted an error? You can drag and drop frames to rearrange them, or delete unwanted frames by selecting them and pressing Delete. Don’t forget to save your project – choose File > Save to do so.
5 Fix individual frames
Deleting a frame could introduce a noticeable skip in the animation. Before doing so, select the frame and click the video camera button to enter record mode. Select ‘Diff’ from the dropdown menu to help position objects exactly where they were in the original frame (the blacker the better). Once you’re happy, take the shot, then delete the unwanted frame.
6 Edit in GIMP
Alternatively, if GIMP is installed, you can click the GIMP button to open the offending frame in it, allowing you to perform minor surgery (such as removing unwanted hands). You can also use GIMP to add special effects to your frames – speech bubbles, for example, as shown here. Once done, choose File > Export to save the corrected or enhanced frame back to Stopmotion.