King Kong. Jason and the Argonauts. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. These are just a few classic films made via stop motion technology. In such movies, the filmmaker gives life to inanimate objects by shooting a few frames at a time while moving objects in between shots in order to mimic life. In the finished film, objects appear to move on their own.
You can make your own stop motion films; all you need is an iPhone or iPad, a tripod, the right software, and a bit of creativity. Let's look at how to create stop motion movies via your iPhone or iPad.
Find the Right Tripod
You can shoot stop motion films with just about any iPhone or iPad. I prefer to use an iPhone, since it's smaller, easier to maneuver, and fits better on most tripods. The result is the same, though.
Your first stop should be to a retailer to find a good tripod. You can check out Best Buy or other brick-and-mortar stores or browse the virtual aisles of online retailers. I scoured Amazon for tripods with legs that could shrink or bend significantly so I could shoot on the floor, if necessary. And I wanted one with a remote control so I wouldn't have to touch the iPhone each time I wanted to shoot. I finally purchased this one.
Finding the Right Software
Next, you want to find the right software to help you shoot your stop motion pictures. You can get by using the built-in camera features for Photo or Video mode, but the results will be uneven. Your best bet is to use an app specifically designed for stop motion shooting.
A few different apps in the App Store offer the ability to shoot stop motion footage, but I use Stop Motion Studio because you can control the frame rate at which you shoot, adjust the lighting and other conditions, and spruce up your video with themes and other effects. The basic app is free; for $4.99 you can add a feature pack with themes, special effects, and 4K ultra high-definition video.
Editing Your Video
Finalizing Your Video
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