Capturing moments in motion has always been a fascinating aspect of photography, but nothing captures the magic quite like stop-motion animation. This form of animation takes static objects and brings them to life, creating a surreal world where inanimate objects are free to move, dance, grow, and tell a story.
Each frame is a carefully crafted scene that, when put together, creates an unfolding narrative that has the power to captivate audiences. This ancient art form, which once required professional-grade equipment and a dedicated studio, has now been democratized with the evolution of technology.
In the palm of your hand, your smartphone, equipped with the right app, becomes a stop-motion animation studio. Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, educator, social media influencer, or someone looking to experiment with this unique form of storytelling, there’s an app to fit your needs.
In this article, we’ll explore a selection of powerful stop-motion apps, each providing a set of features to make your journey into the world of stop-motion animation not only possible, but also enjoyable and creatively satisfying. They are designed with an intuitive interface, professional-grade features, and a wealth of customization options, all while being easy for even a novice user to navigate.
The best stop-motion apps
Here are 5 of the best stop motion apps out there:
1. Stop Motion Study
Compatibility: iphone, ipad, Android
Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
Stop Motion Studio is a comprehensive stop motion application that features a user-friendly interface and a wide range of powerful features. Users can create complex animations thanks to the overlay mode and animation guides, and a versatile editor with copy, paste and insert capabilities. The app’s interactive timeline handles hundreds of frames effortlessly.
Studio-quality movie-making features include a variety of unique titles, video filters, foregrounds and backgrounds, and various effects. Users can create soundtracks with built-in music, sound effects, their own songs, or narrations. Advanced features like rotoscoping, green screen, and connectivity to DSLR cameras and Apple Watch enhance the creative process.
This app also includes a powerful layer-based image editor for adding text, speech bubbles, facial expressions, and retouching images. It’s easy to simulate fast motion by blending frames, and unwanted objects can be removed with the eraser tool.
Sharing options are extensive, including saving to your photo library, sharing to YouTube in 4K or 1080p, saving as iMessage stickers, or animated GIFs. The app makes it easy to transfer projects between devices via AirDrop, Dropbox, or iCloud.
In-app purchases unlock additional features. It is also a learning tool with included video tutorials, a comprehensive manual, and animation tips and tricks.
2.OSnap!
Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
Snap! offers professional quality HD time-lapse and stop motion capabilities with a high level of customization and flexibility. Unlike other apps, it uses individual photos instead of video for authentic time-lapse and stop motion creation. Users can experiment with preset projects and modify the resolution according to their preferences.
Unique features include support for dual and triple lens cameras like the iPhone 13 Pro, the ability to adjust playback speed in real time, manual or timed shots ranging from 1/4 second to 48 hours, and the ability to shoot in various aspect ratios. , including the square format for Instagram.
Users can add audio, manipulate photos from different projects, and employ unique guides such as “onion skin” for perfect image alignment. Special settings are provided for daily portrait lapses to visualize changes over time.
Various automation features are included, such as triggering photo capture by clapping your hands or using the headphone volume button, along with adjustable focus, exposure, and white balance points.
In-app purchases add the ability to import photos from various sources, add voiceover recordings, automatically save frames to Camera Roll, and transfer files over WiFi. Snap! Pro or a one-time upgrade offers features like 1080p/full photo resolution/4K shooting, unlimited projects, and timestamps.
3.PicPac
Compatibility: Android
Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
PicPac is an all-in-one app that seamlessly blends stop motion animation and time-lapse features. It allows users to use gallery photos, videos or time-lapse captures to produce stop motion and time-lapse videos, and even offers the ability for Hyperlapse creation.
A unique feature of this stop motion app is its hands-free, sound-controlled photo capture mode in Manual Timelapse, which can take a photo with loud sound. The app also allows users to add voice or music to their stop motion videos for a more personalized touch.
The free version of PicPac allows users to generate 360p videos, record their own audio, select local or online music, and reorder images. However, it comes with a small watermark at the bottom right and does not allow project duplication or merging, or the ability to change the video end logo.
Upgrading to PicPac Pro removes the watermark, enables 480p, 720p, 1080p video output, and allows users to duplicate and merge projects, add photos to existing projects, and use their own final logo.
4.iMotion
Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
iMotion is an easy-to-use app that lets you create professional-quality time-lapse and stop-motion videos right on your device. With this tool, you can enhance stories, bring memories to life, and share your unique visions.
iMotion’s intuitive and powerful features make it accessible to both beginners and professionals. This includes a variety of capture modes such as time-lapse, manual, microphone, remote wifi, and photo library import. It supports portrait and landscape orientations, front and rear cameras, flash light and camera zoom, and even an “onion skin” feature for precise alignment of frames.
With iMotion, you’re free to create without limits: there are no restrictions on the number of photos and videos you can use. Plus, you can export your videos directly to your photo library, email, social media, or via iTunes sharing.
In-app updates let you adjust camera settings like manual focus, exposure, and white balance, add an audio soundtrack, import multiple frames from your photo library, and export frames as you capture.
For added convenience, this remarkable stop motion app can be combined with the iMotion Remote app to preview and control your capture from another device.
5. Pass it on
Compatibility: iphone, iPad, Android
Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
Lapse It offers an intuitive and easy way to capture and edit time-lapse and stop-motion projects, unlocking the full potential of your device. With this app, there is no need for expensive photography equipment.
Lapse It’s key features include:
- The ability to create time-lapse and stop-motion projects using the capabilities of your device.
- Import multiple images and videos from different sources to create a new project using a variety of editing tools.
- Instant preview and quick export of your compositions, enabling the creation of stunning UHD 4K+ videos.
The app also provides a number of powerful camera features, such as:
- Image capture sequences using a robust camera and synchronization functions.
- Adjustable camera settings to get the most out of your device’s features like HDR, GPS, RAW, depth, and support.
- Programming and definition of the duration of the capture.
- Manual camera controls for exposure, focus, ISO, and white balance.
- Live access to images captured during recording via iCloud.
- Zoom adjustments over time, including remote control with Apple Watch.
In stop-motion mode, additional features such as onion skinning and touchless capture via sound are available. You can also resume previous captures for multi-day recordings or to continue a project in a different location.
Bottom line
The power to create captivating stop-motion and time-lapse animation now resides in the palm of your hand. With apps like OSnap!, PicPac, iMotion, and Lapse It, you have the tools to tell visually stunning stories, capture the smallest details over time, and create a narrative that engages and captivates.
