iStopMotion 3.5 Review

Now, obviously my favorite way of reviewing software is to get to the dirt n' grit of it all. And by that I mean shoot a Test Animation and export into a GIF. (GIF is a new format that you can export your project in). Though I wanted it to remain high-res so I uploaded it to Vimeo. I'll email it to you in GIF form if you really want to see it though, email me at chefelepsy@gmail.com. Now the definition of a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is, and I'll quote Wikipedia here:
"The Graphics Interchange Format (better known by its acronym GIF; /ˈdʒɪf/ or /ˈɡɪf/) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987^[1] and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability.

The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image, allowing a single image to reference its own palette of up to 256 different colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space. It also supports animations and allows a separate palette of up to 256 colors for each frame. These palette limitations make the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color, but it is well-suited for simpler images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of color.

GIF images are compressed using the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique to reduce the file size without degrading the visual quality. This compression technique was patented in 1985. Controversy over the licensing agreement between the software patent holder, Unisys, and CompuServe in 1994 spurred the development of the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) standard. All the relevant patents have now expired."

Therefore:

"GIFs can be used for small animations and low-resolution film clips."

Pretty cool, and great for sites like Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and it emails well also.

I made this short animation in a matter of 40 minutes of messing around with my Christmas tree and clay...

Clay Figure Animation from SMG on Vimeo.

I gotta say, sorry for the shakiness, I was using the remote camera
for the iPad with a bad tripod. Again, I filmed it on the fly. Christmas trees don't like to stay still very much...

Also, I shot this commercial (or entry for a commercial contest for Tech Deck), and have stayed quiet about it for sometime now. But, I think that it's safe to show you guys it now. They'll be announcing the winner the 20th so, fingers crossed..

Bus Stop Fun (Tech Deck Commercial) from SMG on Vimeo.

There is honestly not much to say that hasn't been said in my first review and my app review. Just that I love it and the GIF support is great. Also, for a while now I have been using the iStopMotion app and it is fantastic! I cannot recommend it more. Guys, one more thing: there is a DSLR live view option now! So the Canon camera's have live view! It's the goodness!

Boinx website: http://boinx.com/istopmotion/mac/

Comments

Vincent & Puppet Scales

Tim Burton's Vincent is a masterpiece; the short was animated by the brilliant Stephen Chiodo . I do love that the short was shot in black and white film, ask any true film-lover and

Read full article »

Phil Tippett Launches "Mad God (Part 2)" Kickstarter

In 2012, Phil Tippett ( Empire Strikes Back , Indiana Jones , and is ILM veteran), along side of a small group of dedicated volunteers Kickstartered, storyboarded, shot, and edited, his passion project Mad God . Now, comes the 2 part in this four part epic. In the Kickstarter video for Mad God Part 2 , Phil announces that there will be four parts in this epic. I find it very funny the way he puts this though, "I got four parts. Four parts, and I know what I'm doing! I'm not making it up as I go along, (laughs), honestly! His goal for the sequel is to raise $60,000. Though there is a number of stretch goals he has incorporated, for instance, if Mad God Part 2 raise $70,000, all backers receive a 'family photo' of Phil and his crew. Today is day 29 of the total 30 day campaign, and they have raised $1,500 so far. I recommend supporting this project. If you haven't yet watched the first part of Mad God , you can do so by going to their website (link b

Read full article »

Interview with Matt Bollinger, Painter and Animator Behind Stop Motion/Painting Hybrid Short Film "Between the Days," a Beautiful Portrait of Routine, Unfulfillment, and Despair in Middle America

"Before Work" finished painting featured in Between the Days . Photo courtesy of Matt Bollinger. Often – far too often – we forget the true weight of our actions, our everyday decisions, ranging from those big to small. And, in forgetting, we forget ourselves – who we truly are, where we have been, what we have done, how we have gotten here, to this very place in this very moment. For we are nothing if not the sum total of all our decisions, our actions…even the most minute, even those – perhaps especially those – made in the thrumming humdrum of the everyday: the act of rising from our bed and reaching over to flick off the alarm resting on our bedside table, lighting a cigarette, collecting yesterday’s trash before moving on to more, equally menial tasks. Moments spent alone, in ostensible comfort – the comfort provided us by 21st century accoutrements so many of us have grown to take for granted. Whether we are aware of it or not, each of our actions leave a ma

Read full article »

A Trip to the Moon!!

Today, on Stopmotion geek we are going old school, and I really mean old school. Why this is so old is that were discovering, well, your discovering, I'm giving you info that I already know, so, you know, not really discovering... so what, I can rediscover, mmmhun! Georges Melies, was the first-ever Stop Motion animator, in fact, he invented Stop Motion; therefore, we'll

Read full article »

Short Flicks: Bent Image Lab's "Fruity Pebbles"

What could be better than starting your day off with part of a whole breakfast, Fred Flintstone, and Stop Motion? We couldn't think of anything either. Nevertheless, these awesome commercials/BTS will bring out the kid, and nerd, in all of us. Directed by Rob Shaw for the incredible Bent Image Lab (a studio that just moved to Manhattan , by the way), these TV spots encapsulates everything we know and love about the modern stone-age Flintstone family who establish how we now think of Prehistoric times. Fire House : http://vimeo.com/45991027 Cocoa Pebbles "Fire Hose" from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo . Cop Rock : http://vimeo.com/42010097 Cocoa Pebbles "Cop Rock" from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo .

Read full article »

Interview with Lucy J. Hayes, Producer of Stop Motion Love Story, "Lost & Found"

Knitsune in Lost & Found . Photo courtesy of Andrew Goldsmith. Ever since her childhood, Lucy J. Hayes – the producer of Lost & Found , an extraordinarily beautiful short film that make for a profound mediation on the impermanence and imperfection of life and beauty – she’s wanted to play some part in the creative industry, in some way, shape, or form. For Hayes, that dream went unquestioned. However, the challenge turned out to be figuring out quite where she belonged in the creative industry. “I dabbled in acting and directing, however, I was terrible!” Hayes tells Stop Motion Geek. It wasn’t until she began to put on plays with her friends in her adolescence and early adulthood that the answer to her search dawned upon her: All that Hayes found came innately to her – everything from her ardor for creative work to her love for working with creatives to bring an idea, the kernel of a story, to fruition – she found in the title of “producer.” Knotjira (left) and

Read full article »

Frankenweenie armatures

These are armatures and puppets from the Tim Burton film "Frankenweenie."

Read full article »

Making The Holochess Scene From "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Nearly two years ago, Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit theaters. Star Wars: The Last Jedi , the sequel to Awakens , is set to hit theaters this December. Beyond being revered for its use of homage and devotion to staying true to the tone of the original trilogy, Awakens was celebrated in the special effects community for its use of many state-of-the-art digital effects, innovations only recently pioneered, all of which were practically alien to the practical effects methods employed in the original Star Wars trilogy. However, Awakens did not yet completely forsake what many would today consider its humble beginnings in special effects, including the original film’s use of stop motion. One such homages in The Force Awakens to the original film can be seen for a brief moment when the character of Finn accidentally turns on a holographic chess board in the Millennium Falcon – an effect entirely created with stop motion. Chances are that you remember the scene from the original fi

Read full article »

Interview with Samuel Lewis - Animator, Character Designer, and Sculptor on Stop Motion Short Film, "Lost & Found"

Knotjira, a clumsy dinosaur made of wool, as seen in Lost & Found . Photo courtesy of Andrew Goldsmith. “If I had to pick a starting point for my career as a stop motion animator I would have to say it was my obsession as a six year old with a book called ‘Playing with Plasticine’ by Barbara Reid,” Samuel Lewis – a London-based stop motion and 2D animator and director, whose most recent labor of love can be seen in his contribution to the Australian stop motion short film, Lost & Found – tells Stop Motion Geek. Upon reflection, Lewis explains that his love for the medium of stop motion began very early in life, and has merely managed to burn ever brighter in his fervor to master the craft. “I would spend countless hours fixated on sculpting tiny snails, fruit bowls and dinosaurs to the point where I would stay inside on family holidays sculpting a surfer in a beach scene rather than going to the actual beach that was only a short walk away,” Lewis recalls wistfully. “

Read full article »

MAD - Spy vs. Spy

We all love the brilliant original comic strip Spy vs. Spy, that's has been around, who knows how long, is in stopmo!

Read full article »

Stop Motion Geek

Search This Blog