Want to try something new and creative with your iPhone camera? Stop-motion videos are so cool and fun to make, and although they may look difficult, the stop-motion process is actually quite simple. And posting a stop-motion video on Instagram or YouTube will add a unique flair to your account. Here’s all you need to know about making awesome stop-motion videos with your iPhone.
Stop-motion is a filmmaking technique that is used to make inanimate objects come to life using a series of still photographs. Between each shot, the objects in the frame are moved slightly to give the appearance of movement when the images are stitched together.
As you’ll soon learn, a stop-motion video requires taking dozens, if not hundreds, of shots that are every-so-slightly different from each other. And you don’t want to discover that your iPhone simply doesn’t have enough storage for all those pics. So before you begin, run a library cleanup with CleanMy®Phone to get rid of things like:
And after you’re done with your stop-motion video, you can run a scan again to locate all those almost-identical shots you took to create it. CleanMy®Phone and its Organize module will group them and help you delete them in a few taps.
The amount of time required to make a stop-motion video depends entirely on the length and scope of your project. Experimenting with short 15- to 30-second videos should take less than an hour. But, of course, if you want to create elaborate scenes or use artistic creations like claymation, your stop-motion project could take days.
No matter what method you use to create your stop-motion video, here are the basic steps:
If you’ve ever wanted to make inanimate objects come to life, this is the project for you! Fortunately, there are lots of different ways to make your own stop-motion videos using your iPhone. Experiment with them all to see which method you prefer, then let your creativity do the rest.
First, we’re going to take a look at one of the easiest stop-motion camera apps, Stop Motion Studio, which is available for free on the app store. This app is simple to use and stitches your photos together automatically to create a video in just a few steps. Plus, Stop Motion Studio includes some fun features that will help you improve your videos.
There are lots of advanced features that we won’t get into here, but you can watch the tutorials on the Stop Motion Studio website. For now, here’s how to make a basic stop-motion video using Stop Motion Studio:
Another option is to take Live Photos of your project and then stitch them together to create a single movie using the Photos app. Because of the nature of Live photos, this isn’t always the smoothest way to create a stop-motion video, but it does give you a basic understanding of how the process works. You can also use the following instructions to stitch together Live Photos that you’ve already taken:
Note that in iOS 16, this trick is no longer available if you select multiple photos. However, you can still save one Live Photo as a video by opening it, tapping the ellipsis top right, and selecting Save as Video.
Wondering how to make a stop-motion video with iMovie? It’s pretty straightforward! All you do is add your photos into iMovie and then create a slideshow that will play as a stop-motion video. Here’s how:
The number of photos needed to create a 1-minute stop-motion video depends on your frame rate. Film is traditionally shot at 24 frames per second, so it would take 1,440 photos to make a one-minute motion picture. You don’t need that many images for stop-motion videos, however, because the choppiness of stop-motion animation is part of the charm. A rate of 12 frames per second is about right, but you can use anywhere from 10 to 15 and still get the look you’re after. That’s between 600 and 900 photos for a 1-minute stop-motion.
Ready to shoot your own stop-motion video using one of the methods mentioned above? Here are some tips for creating fun stop-motion videos with your iPhone.
In order to create a seamless stop-motion video, you will need to keep your camera in one position for the whole time you’re shooting your frames. A tripod makes this much easier, but you can also use another type of stand if you don’t have a tripod.
The goal here is to create a series of photos that are stitched together to look like a video. Therefore, it’s important that the only things you are changing in your scene are the objects. You want everything else to stay the same — the camera settings, the lighting, and the background shouldn’t change unless you move on to another scene.
Creating a stop-motion video requires hundreds, sometimes thousands of photos, and believe us when we tell you that you won’t want to be editing every single one of them. So before you start shooting, take some test shots to ensure that your focus and exposure are correct and there’s nothing in the scene that will need to be edited out later. Adjust your lighting and camera position if you have to, then shoot with the intention of not editing every single frame when you are done.
As you may have gathered from reading the beginning of this article, neither the Photos app nor iMovie is the best way to create a stop-motion video. Sure, it can be done. But using a dedicated app for the process is a much better way to spend your time. Here are some of the apps that we’d recommend for creating stop-motion videos on your iPhone.
We gave a short tutorial for using Stop Motion Studio above because this free, easy-to-use tool will have you creating quick stop-motion movies in no time. Once you get the hang of the interface, you can decide whether or not to buy the premium version of the app with extra tools to enhance your creativity. With the pro version of Stop Motion Studio, you can use a remote camera, apply a green screen, shoot in 4K Ultra HD, and more.
Stop Motion Studio on the App Store
iMotion is an iOS app that was created for time-lapse videos and stop-motion animation alike. The app features several modes to make it quite easy to create your masterpiece, including the ability to import photos from your library to create your stop-motion video.
With iMotion, you can capture footage using your front or rear camera, and you can adjust your focus, exposure, and white balance manually. You can also quickly change your frame rate for a smoother transition between scenes. Be sure to check out the gallery of ideas before creating your own project. iMotion is free to download and includes in-app purchases.
Stop Motion Maker is another free app that is very straightforward and is a perfect choice for novice moviemakers — including kids. After launching the app and creating your scene, all you have to do is tap the shutter and move your scene around to create your sequence of images. While Stop Motion Maker doesn’t have the ability to add voiceovers or background music, it is a great app for learning the basics of stop-motion videos.
Stop Motion Maker on the App Store
Need some inspiration for your own stop-motion creations? We’ve tapped into Instagram to find some creative stop-motion video ideas to kick-start your creativity.
We know that your parents always told you not to play with your food, but stop-motion meals are a fun way to start experimenting with this art form. Stop-motion food videos don’t have to be long to create serious impact, and they are great for adding some wow-factor to your Instagram feed.
The nice thing about cut-paper videos is that they’re two-dimensional, so you don’t need any elaborate scenes — just a piece of paper for the background and a cut-paper subject. Cut-paper videos can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be. A taller tripod is useful for this type of stop-motion video because two-dimensional videos look best when shot from above.
If you have kids, there’s a good chance that you have some figures or toys lying around, just begging to be brought to life. Legos are great for creating stop-motion videos, even for beginners. With Legos, you can create elaborate or simple scenes, and because you’re working with literal building blocks, it’s easy to reimagine and readjust your scene as you go. The Instagram video above, for example, is the very first stop-motion video by the creator who posted it.
Ready to try your hand at stop-motion animation? Once you get started creating these cool videos, you’ll be hooked, and there’s no limit to how long or elaborate your videos can be!