How to use the importer for Stop Motion Capture in Studio

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Studio allows the user to capture sequential frames and then combine these frames into a single video file. An example of Stop Motion Capture is in "Claymation" to create animation out of stationary objects.

To begin, select the Stop Motion option in the Import From section. In this example, a Sony DV camcorder is used to provide the video. Once you have the frame that you want, select the "Capture Frame" button. This will add the frame to the bottom of the screen.

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Next, you will want to capture another frame. Stop Motion Capture uses a feature called Onion Skin Mode. This allows you to see the previous frames that have been captured as well as the current frame that is going to be captured on the same screen. This allows you to properly position the image to allow for smooth transitions from frame to frame. The image below shows the second image with the previous image transparent next to it.

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The third image shows the previous two frames that were captured as well as the current frame that is to be captured.

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You continue with this until you have all of the frames desired for the video.


Settings

When using Stop Motion Capture you have the option to import the frames as video, photos, or both video and photos. This option is selected in the Mode section in the upper-right of the Importer window.

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The image below shows the control bar used to affect several aspects of the Stop Motion Capture.

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The first option shows the Video / Frames toggle.

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This allows you to choose between previewing the current video source or individual frames that have already been captured.


The next set of options is the play controls.

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This will play back all of the frames that have already been captured. You can also use these controls to advance frame by frame.


The next option is the Frame Rate selection.

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This controls how many frames will play over the course of one second. There are two options, 8 and 12 frames per second (fps). 8 frames per second will give the video a more choppy looks. 12 frames per second will make the video look a little more smoothly.


The last option is the Onion Skin Mode toggle and settings.

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If you choose not to use the Onion skin mode, you can toggle it off here by clicking this button. If you choose the right arrow > button it will open up the settings for Onion Skin Mode. Here is an image of the settings.

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There are two adjustments. The first is the transparency balance between the current preview and the previously captured layers. You can mix the visual amount between the previously captured frame and the current preview to best align your next capture.

The next adjustment is the number of frames that will be used in the onion skin. You can choose between 1, 2, or 3 layers. Once you are complete, click the Start Import button. This will compile all of the captured frames into a single video file.

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