• Joined: July 23, 2011

Topic: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

Hi everyone.  First post..
My 12 year old son has been making stop frame animation (legos) for awhile now using a digital camera and movie maker.  He is ready to move to the next level and I am trying to get him the right tools.
I would like a software tool that has all the functionality we are looking for bundled together.  I notice that many of the stop frame animators use 3 or  more software tools to build their movies.  One for picture capturing, one for painting effects, one for rig removal etc.  I don't think my son would be able to juggle many different software tools that well.
He is currently working with the Stop Motion Pro Studio HD trial version and says it is much better than movie maker.  It seems like this software has all the capabilities that he is looking for in one package.  Are there any others that we should be trying out though?
Here are the features that he is looking to put into his stop frame movies:
1.  He primaryily uses Legos
2.  Lightsabers (this has been difficult so far with Stop Motion Pro)
3.  Effects such as people flying through the air (rig removal)
4.  Lasers, explosions.  He has been able to use the paint feature in Stop Motion Pro to add lasers.  Not sure how to do explosions yet.
4.  Sound.  He wants to be able to have moving mouths

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

Last edited by tmaxx (July 23, 2011 (05:08am))

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

For voice/sound recording, I suggest Audacity. It's free, too.

Last edited by LASF (July 24, 2011 (05:44am))

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

^Sound recording^
Mouth movement must be done in post-production, with editing/effects software like sony vegas or adobe after effects.
Explosions too.
Lightsabers can be done in a program called GIMP, using this method.

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

There are a few programs that we use in our animations. For the masking (rig removal) a free program called "gimp" which also works as a great photo editing program (it has come in handy countless times, too). Your son could also use this for mouth animations/other related minifig effects. For effects we use particle illusion se (pretty cheap) that holds thousands of AMAZING effects (e.g. explosions, muzzle flashes, random flashing objects and other handy fx). As lightsabers can be done on GIMP as Briks pointed out, there is a free program called Lsmaker. This program allows you to do frame by frame lightsaber movements.
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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

Rig removal can be done in SMP, but it's kind of hard because you don't have a magic wand tool like in Photoshop. I tried it a few times, but I got fuzzy edges. So I developed a way for easier, smoother masking. I call it Double Rigging.
To do it, you take the usual rig-on-the-bottom frame first. In the next frame, have a rig supporting it from the top. Use onionskinning to make sure the object you want floating is in the same place in both frames. Then, use the Rig Removal tool to mask out the rig in the first frame using the second frame as the backround plate. The result is smooth masking with realistic shadows.

Last edited by minifig051 (July 23, 2011 (11:42am))

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

.

Last edited by Riley (August 26, 2024 (10:07am))

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

You just have to be really careful when doing it with small objects, that's all. Use a really small brush width and go very slowly and very carefully when going on the object.

Last edited by minifig051 (July 23, 2011 (11:44am))

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

Well, I'd like a program that does all that too, like a menu where you film, back to main menu, add mouth movements and lightsaber effects then edit and a final button to upload but unfortunately, that isn't around just yet mini/sad , but until then, using a few programs is the only way to go. mini/wink
MonkeyJam is probably one of the simplest frame capturing softwares out there.
Sony Vegas is a good but complicated editor, Lightworks I here has a user-friendly layout, and it's free, so maybe give that a shot.
Gimp is sorta difficult at first but as with all things, gets easier as you practise. It can make people jump and fly as well as make some lightsabers, but each frame must be edited.

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

Sam Animation is very good for beginners, and, if you buy the full version, I believe you can add voices with that. But I wouldn't recommend it. I use Sam animation (the free version, which is very simple) as a frame capture, then I use Gimp  for SFX and iMovie for editing. I am 13 years old and I think it flows pretty well.

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Re: Newbie needing some help with software choices..

For editing, I would recommend Adobe Premiere Elements 7.0 or higher.
I found it in a bundle with Photoshop for about $30 on eBay.

As for VFX (Lightsabers, lasers, etc.) I (Until recently) used an older version of Adobe After Effects, which I also got on eBay for $22.

Last edited by ZP (July 23, 2011 (06:03pm))

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