Are you looking for free stop motion animation software for mac? Yes, I just love to hear people asking that. Using a Mac means we sometimes need to find alternatives that are similar or comparable to a certain windows program. This article will go over some of the best stop motion animation software, and it will point you in the right direction with links to each one!
Are you thinking about making a stop motion video? Are you looking for the best free stop motion software for Mac? Maybe you want to know about free stop motion animation programs and software for Mac. If that sounds like you, then keep reading. I’m going to share information about how you can use a free stop motion animation program or software on Mac to create professional looking stop motion animation videos for free.
FilmoraPro
Apart from being a stop motion animator, Filmorapro is also a powerful video editor. Being an intuitive software it can be used by almost all types of animators.
With Filmorapro you get the option to set keyframes in order to create smooth animations. Further, you can even adjust the duration as well as the speed of your animations.
Features like motion graphics and text effects can be customized on this software. But in the free version, your final animated work will have a watermark. You will need to get the paid version to remove the watermark.
It has a high quality audio mixer and a title or text editor. It also has a media library full with audio and images that you can use.
PROS:
- Drag and drop interface which is very intuitive.
- Gives good value compared to other software.
- Features text to speech functionality.
- Several uploading options including direct uploading to YouTube.
CONS:
- Windows 32 bit version and under 10.10 version of Mac is not supported.
- Videos can be exported only after logging in.
- Video effect is not available.
FramebyFrame
This free stop motion software for Mac has pretty standard features and functions. If you have an iSight camera then you must try FramebyFrame. You don’t have to make any special adjustments as this software is extremely easy to use.
To start animating using FramebyFrame you will need to take a picture and then your webcam will capture the parts that you want. In your timeline you will be able to view the duplicate frames.
FramebyFrame doesn’t have a lot of advanced features like iStopMotion and appears to be pretty basic.
PROS:
- A traditional form of animation.
- Characters can be animated in any way you want.
- You got more creative control.
CONS:
- Animation takes some time on this software.
- A bit on the expensive side.
- Doesn’t look very realistic.
iStopMotion
iStopMotion is a free stop motion software for Mac created by the house of Boinx. This featureful software can be used to make amazing stop motion animation clips. Its interface is pretty easy to navigate as it is neatly organized. Further, even if you produce HD videos this software functions smoothly.
You can easily integrate Final Cut Pro and iMovie with this software. If you have an iOS device you can use the mobile app version of iStopMotion. With the mobile app you can use your phone’s camera to capture images and use this software for animating in real time. iStopMotion has a time lapse function and it also can be activated using voice. However, you will not find many video editing features on this stop motion animation software.
PROS:
- Very flexible software.
- Lots of powerful features.
- Option to connect your device camera and shoot remotely.
CONS:
- No option for manual focus.
- No option for copying and pasting frames.
Dragonframe
Dragonframe has been built especially for stop-motion animation, so it’s handy if that’s all that you plan on doing. If you’re looking to do any other type of filmmaking, you may want to consider some of the other options on this list. Dragonframe has a number of simple-to-use tools and has been used for top stop motion animation features like Kubo & The Two Strings and Isle of Dogs.
Stop Motion Studio
Stop Motion Studio is, perhaps, the most versatile of all of these selections. It’s not just for Mac – you can also use it on your smartphone or your tablet if you’re editing on the go. The Stop Motion Studio does everything from helping you to take great pictures to making a live green screen while you’re out and about. There’s a free trial, and the prices are reasonable.
Adobe After Effects
After Effects has been Adobe’s top application for motion graphics and visual effects since 1993. The software focuses primarily on visual effects and digital compositing. Some examples include removing backgrounds from video for a green-screen effect or placing computer graphics into a scene.
After Effects is ideal for handling motion graphics with its various animation tools. The app has become a staple in film, television, and video games. It can also be retooled with plugins and scripts to create web animations as well.
Pros:
- After Effects is exceptional at merging different video formats. Motion graphics assembled in the program can easily be composited with live-action footage or even 3D animations. After Effects is also strong at compositing (removing backgrounds) that it’s built for more than just motion graphics.
- After Effects is highly customizable with scripts and plugins. These additions can make more elaborate motion graphics all the easier to manage with simplified processes and tools. These scripts can be of great benefit if you’re trying to create motion graphics with many moving parts or animations for websites.
- After Effects integrates well without other Adobe Applications. It can recognize layered files from Photoshop and make export to Premiere easily. Adobe Media Encoder, which comes bundled with Premiere, is a handy addition that allows you to render After Effects and Premiere projects at the same time.
Cons:
- The subscription pricing model can add up over time with a cost of $20.99 a month. The price can be a bit spendy for those not using the program professionally.
- While After Effects is excellent at crafting motion graphics, the video editor side of the program is not very good. If you’re working on a bigger project that requires audio and video editing, you’ll need to use a separate video editor like Adobe Premiere.
- After Effects can be pretty taxing on your computer, considering it can generate detailed previews while you’re working. You’ll need a solid computer to handle the heavy reliance on memory.
Adobe Animate
If you want to both design and animate simultaneously, Adobe Animate is an exceptional application. Originally known as Adobe Flash, the program is capable of creating and animating vector graphics. It used to be for web animation and games but now functions more as a general animation and motion graphics software.
Animate can be used to create old-fashioned 2D animation with its frame-by-frame tools. You can also use it to create tweened animations with merely clicking and dragging. The animations created can be exported either as a completed video or an image sequence brought into video editing applications.
Pros:
- Adobe Animate is perfect for vector-based motion graphics. You can easily edit all the assets, even after they’ve been animated. This aspect can be a real timesaver if you don’t want to switch between apps.
- The animation tools within animate are top-notch. Everything from motion paths to easing of timing can be accomplished with ease. This is all thanks to the Tween tools that can make automation in animation simple enough to implement and customize.
- The interface is organized enough for a speedy workflow. Having the timeline present at the bottom and a preview window that generates previews quickly will make the process proceed faster. You won’t have to spend much time checking the timing or waiting for renders to confirm how well your project is coming along.
Cons:
- Adobe Animate is best suited for vector graphics. If you’re working with non-vector artwork, you may convert it. That conversion can increase the memory strain of the program, considering slow vector-based programs run with too much information.
- While most of the tools for animating are simple enough to understand, the motion graphics tweening tools can be a bit complex. It will take some time to learn the many components of animating layers. The learning curve is pretty steep in this area.
- The exportation formats are relatively limited. You can either render the animation out as a video with a small number of codecs or an image sequence brought into a video editor. Either way, you’ll most likely not have a finished product when you render within Animate.
Conclusion:
As a filmmaker, I always wanted to use stop motion animation in my work. So I started searching for a tool that I could use to create stop motion animation videos. The problem was that they’re usually expensive and the free tools I found never got the job done. That is until I found some great free stop motion animation software that changed everything.