Animation Options

[TechSupp]

Used to use Digital Blue for animation but are there any other options to use instead that dont cost the earth (or free ) and what hardware could I use.

[SYNACK]

Slightly more complicated but still easy enough to use is Windows Movie maker with a standard digital camera.

 

Simply take the shots that you want in order then go into movie maker and under the options - advanced change the picture duration to something like 0.1 seconds and change the translation duration to 0 seconds. You can then just select all of the photos from the camera and drag and drop them into movie maker and it will give you a nice stop motion movie. You can then add sounds or whatever as needed.

 

I did a thunderbirds one ages ago to demo it to staff but can't find it now unfortunatly as I was quite proud of how well it turned out. I just used my phone camera.

[TechSupp]

Only got two cameras for that year group if they have not lost them!!! again! However may have to use the web cam in the lid of the Samsung netbooks we have with something like monkeyJam.

[Progeniga]

I recently helped the Art department out with an animation project using Adobe Flash. I suppose that's an expensive option unless you already have it as we did. We just took still photos and imported them into blank keyframes, then changed the frame rate to suit.

 

The other software we used was Pencil (Pencil - a traditional 2D animation software) which is free and open sourced, but it depends what your source for animation is and whether you are creating it from scratch or digital images.

[jamesmay]

We use I can animate. A site licence for it was relatively cheap and covers you for both the mac and pc versions of it. We find it very simple to use, but some good features for providing differentiation of pupils, such as green screen, onion skinning and ilife integration (if your into that kinda thing) it works with standard webcams (alba ones from argos ~ £20) and what we have done is build mini animation sets so camera is fixed, a4 background has somewhere to attach to and also painted green for said greenscreening. hoping to add LEDs to this to provide even better lighting.

 

It also does time lapse, basic frame illustration variable speeds....

[elsiegee40]

A couple for consideration:

Kerpoof Studio

Xtranormal | Text-to-Movie

[stevenlong1985]

Clay Animator How To Site: Free Stop Motion Animator Program This is what you want! this is what were using in school as it works well with the digi blues.

Just connect the DB via usb and then run the software!

 

 

AND ITS FREE!!!!

 

and remember to thank me!

Edited November 1, 2010 by stevenlong1985

[marekbrad]

May i recommend I can Animate as your one and only point of call.. the software is deffo a "ronseal" product and thus allowing students to develop further skills in storyline development and movie making. It does not have all the bells and whistles of many ofthe other progs out there but in terms of developing animation skills the software does not do it all for you. After all if the software is good enough for ardman animations its good enough for me lol. Once you have completed your animation you can then export the movie into another program (imovie, moviemaker, movieplus etc) and the students can really go to town with editing and movie production. Oh yes and the digiblues work with it along with higher resolution camcorders etc

 

pm me for further info if you like

[TechSupp]

Well thanks for all the replies but have gone down a slightly different route. Have tried and I am going to use Helium Frog (strange name I know) but its a cracking product, does chroma key, onion skinning, works with most cameras etc etc and more options as well and its free. Everything I will need. For the cameras I was a little stuck as I did not want to go down the DigiBlue route after past experiences so found that Currys (PC World) were selling nice little USB webcams for £2.4! (can't beat that price!), bought one and tried it and it does just the job for what we want, so now I'm the proud owner of 18 of them! Decided that if we are to do some movie filming i.e. away from the computer we'll get something a little better, maybe a flip camera and we would only need a few of them.

[p858snake]

What about Stop Motion Pro and some pretty standard webcams, it is what me and a class member used to produce this in class piece of assigment:

 

 

Well I ended up exporting the frames out of and compiling it in a ulead or adobe package (can't remember which) because it started to peeve me off.

[TechSupp]

Cant view as Youtube blocked here (and I wont risk unblocking it) but I presume Stop Motion Pro is a paid for product, as usual at the moment if its free its better! Thanks for the suggestion though. Will have a look when I get home.