iStopMotion2 Review and Giveaway

As a contributor to MacApper I’m able to interact with quality software and relay my findings to you, the reader. Every once in a while you come across software that is something special; software that makes you stop and say, “Man, I can do some crazy stuff with this!” iStopMotion2 by Boinx Software is that type of software, allowing users at every skill level to use their Mac for things other than checking email, syncing with iTunes, or shill bidding on eBay. Read the review and check out how to enter for a chance to win one of three licenses of iStopMotion2 Home.

iStopmotion2 is an impressive piece of software from the get go. A lá iLife, iStopMotion has the user name their new project for auto-saving purposes. In version one, users who didn’t initially save their work would lose entire projects in the event of a software crash. Boinx decided to be safe and not sorry. This new workflow is a failsafe that is nice to have in clutch moments. Either way, I’ve used iStopMotion2 for a couple of projects and it has been nothing but stable.

MacApper reviewed iStopMotion (version 1) in April of last year and this new version has an extensive list of new features. There are three “flavors” of iStopMotion2 available for purchase: Home ($49), Express($99) and Pro ($499). For a nice overview on features, go check out Boinx Software’s Flavor Comparison Chart.

Working with iStopMotion2 is self explanatory. I get excited about powerful software that allows the user to simply learn by doing, and this software gets me going. Starting with the timeline, you’ll see each second divided into frame slices. In this case, I’ve started my project with a 15 FPS frame rate. By moving my mouse over the time line, each frame is magnified for easy reference. There were times in my film-making when I noticed my finger in the frame 5 frames too late. I was able to eyeball the culprit frame, remove it, and duplicate the previous frame to smooth things over.

There’s a reason software costs money: ridiculously powerful features. iStopMotion2 delivers at each price point, and most of these features can be accessed by the main window.

The Recording pane allows the user to choose a video input. The Home and Express versions can handle Digital Video, built-in iSight, or Digital Stills from a connected camera source. The Pro version can Stop Motion in HD, but the user needs to invest in some extra hardware. The recording pane can handle changes in aspect ratio and formatting, contrast/saturation and orientation, Single Frame or Continuous recording mode, and time lapse settings depending on which version of iStopMotion you purchase.

The View pane allows the user to control a host of features. My favorite features in this pane are Onion Skinning and Rotoscope. Onion Skinning ghosts a user defined set of past frames over the current frame. It allows, using DV or iSight input, for setting the frame before you input the still. Rotoscope/Lip Sync, only available in Express and Pro versions, lets you use superimposed video as a reference point for your still frame animation so your claymation zombie can accurately mouth the words to Thriller.

You can use the Compositing pane to add foreground and/or backgound to your composition. iStopMotion can eliminate single color backgrounds and insert imported digital sets for a professional touch.

iStopMotion2 is a welcomed contribution from Boinx Software. The interface is user friendly, and the features are powerful. It’s enough to give me a new hobby, and my wife knows I don’t need another one of those. I suggest that you make movies in public places. It’s a good way to talk to people, and if you’re like me you need friends. Gumby usually comes up in every conversation and someone may just call you a genius. iStopMotion2 makes being a genius easy.

I did a quick stop motion animation to kick off our giveaway of 3 licenses for iStopMotion2 Home.

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To enter the giveaway, download the demo from Boinx Software and create your own short stop motion monstrosity. Upload your iStopMotion2 video to the video hosting site of your choice and post the link as a comment. Three qualified entries will be chosen at random on midnight EST on April 8th. Break out the Play-Doh and have a blast!