What software is used to make stop-motion animation?

DragonStopMotion stop-motion animation software is the only professional stop-motion animation shooting software that can run on both Mac system and Windows system, and supports a variety of shooting devices, such as digital cameras, camcorders, SLR cameras and camcorders. Perfect file management, with its professional functions, unique advantages and intuitive operation, can directly move files into post-production and is favored by professional designers. And it has been widely used in feature films, commercial films, TV commercials and independent films.

Functions of Dragonstopmotion stop-motion animation software;

Dragonstopmotion not only has the basic functions of all general freeze-frame software such as onion skin, dialogue animation and real-time callback, but also has unique functions.

All Chinese interface:

It is very convenient for domestic users to use.

Ole stop-motion animation production system is a professional stop-motion animation production teaching production system, and it is a complete set of equipment solutions for clay sculpture animation, puppet animation, doll animation, paper-cutting, sand and physical objects.

Production process of stop-motion animation: The production of a stop-motion animation includes: script creativity → lens drawing → role setting and production → prop scene production → frame-by-frame shooting → post-synthesis.

Script creativity (script writing): Script creativity provides content for freeze-frame animation production. According to the complexity of the story, there are some detailed scripts and some production directions. For any cartoon, script creativity and script writing are the foundation. Good comics must have good story content.

Split-shot draft: The director needs to divide the script into shots and let the draftsman draw the shots. Shot segmentation is very important for the production of stop-motion animation. It provides reference for the production, shooting and post-synthesis of clay sculpture animation from the aspects of composition, content and color.

Role setting and production: Role setting is the key to an animation in a sense. The role design of stop-motion animation is divided into two steps: role drawing and role making. Usually, we design the characters in a plane way first. On the basis of figure drawings, choose more suitable figures, and then make them through various materials.

Prop scene making: Prop scene making is not available in other animation forms. Freeze-frame animation is actually to make the world in the story into a real object, and then let the characters interpret the story in the scene where the entity exists.

Frame-by-frame shooting: after all the production is completed, enter the shooting stage. Usually we use professional digital SLR cameras to ensure the perfection of the picture. In the process of shooting, lighting and shooting angle are the key to determine the quality of the film.

Post-editing and composition: post-editing, dubbing, special effects, and sometimes two-dimensional and three-dimensional techniques are needed.

Take clay animation as an example to illustrate each key step:

The modeling part of clay animation character is mainly divided into skeleton and clay attached to the skeleton. It is very important to make the skeleton, which requires it to be able to do all kinds of movements and postures, and to be strong and not easy to be damaged. This requires that the joint can be used repeatedly and is not easy to break. Generally speaking, aluminum wire can be used for low-cost films because it is soft and easy to swing.

There are two main requirements for the selection of clay: good plasticity and non-touching. Good molding means that it is easy to mold clay according to the set shape, not too soft or too hard, easy to control, and will not break when doing actions. If you don't touch it with your hands, the clay won't become soft because of the strong light, otherwise it will be deformed, and it will easily get on the clay on your hands, dirty the shape and affect the picture quality.

Clay animation is shot frame by frame, with 25 frames per second for TV series and 24 frames per second for movies. One beat and two beats can ensure smooth movements. Pay attention to everything in the fixed scene when shooting. Lighting arrangement is particularly important when shooting. It is best to shoot a digital camera with manual white balance, manual focusing and manual adjustment of shutter speed and aperture, so that shooting can be easier. It is also equipped with accessories such as cable release or remote control to minimize camera vibration when shooting. Use professional studio lights to adjust the light intensity to prevent flickering. The shooting platform should be equipped with a professional blue screen to facilitate post-production.

Prop scene:

After the character modeling is done, it is necessary to build scenes and make props according to the proportion of the characters and the requirements of the script. There are no special restrictions on the materials used to make props and scenes. Commonly used are cardboard, foam board, pvc board, wood board and other materials. Pay attention to the color of the materials used and the color of the pictures made. The tone of the picture is very important in the final film effect. Exquisite props and scenes will enrich the picture of the film and play an important role in improving the picture quality.

Late synthesis:

Post-production mainly includes editing, synthesis and dubbing, soundtrack and sound effects. One job is a very important part of the later work of stop-motion animation: retouching. The retouching should not only focus on the current picture, but also take into account the characteristics of stop-motion animation, and combine the two pictures before and after retouching to achieve the best effect when playing continuously.

Leo stop-motion animation studio consists of three parts: software, hardware and stop-motion animation toolbox.

Hardware: including scenery platform, professional lighting system, smart camera, fixed professional shooting track, general professional photography platform, etc.

Software: StopMotionStudio stop-motion animation software provides all the functions of shooting stop-motion animation, unique contraposition animation, onion skin, real-time keying and other functions, which can monitor the shooting effect in real time and effectively avoid rework in the middle and late production during the early shooting process.

Stop animation toolbox: Provide all tools and accessories needed for stop animation, such as precision metal skeleton, eyeball, clay modeling tools, acrylic foam landscaping tools, etc. Users can devote all their energy to artistic creation without worrying about tools and accessories.

Software functional characteristics

1. Onion paper

Onion skin is a stop-motion animation term, which is used to superimpose the last captured image frame on real-time animation. This makes it possible to measure the next position of the object well.

2. Type the real-time image and adjust the main image.

Keying synthesis is a very traditional stunt, that is, first take a solid color (usually blue or green) object, then take the background you need, then superimpose two pictures together to remove the solid color background, and finally get a composite picture, also called color key technology. The quality of keying depends largely on the quality of the camera image and the uniform solid color background.

Real-time keying is a brand-new function of Olay stop-motion animation software, which can be adjusted interactively with real-time video and a stop-motion animation shot image.

The robot photographed in the picture below is combined with the video image of the real person through the key function.

Main image adjustment: the size of the robot can be scaled freely and moved to a suitable position. Redisplay the covered part.

3. Keying function of foreground image/background image

Selecting "Import/Batch Processing" will open this panel, and the images in the still image directory will be imported (any number) and placed anywhere in the current project series frame. Can realize the function of foreground image and background image keying.

4. Remove the support line when shooting.

The support line during shooting can be easily removed.

5. counterpoint animation

In freeze-motion animation, counterpoint animation overlays images or video frames on real-time screenshots. Then it can be used to make people or objects simulate real actions.

6. Reduce "flicker": average frame brightness

This function is used to average the "flicker" of an image, and is often used when shooting a stop-motion animation with a digital camera.

It first draws the average brightness of all current frames and tracks the changes from frame to frame. Then the frame is leveled according to the definition, and the predicted trajectory is drawn by using a special algorithm. When Average Frame is selected, it will follow the predicted average brightness and change each frame to match.

7. Mark points

Markers are small red squares that can be placed anywhere on the screen to help draw the animation path. These marker points are not saved in the frame.

8. Paper mode

When the camera is not connected, you can choose a simple "paper mode" to draw a "jump" image, and then you can save it as a movie. Onion skins and limited editing are available. You can also add the final image, so you only need to redraw the changed/moved parts.