Developed with input from Aardman Animations (the makers of Wallace and Gromit), Stop Motion Pro version 6.5 offers students, animators and animation producers the most comprehensive and easy to use toolset yet.
Stop Motion Pro HD Studio
The ultimate in stop motion animation production. Developed with studios involved in animated feature film production, SMP HD Studio has all the tools for making animation, including the options to:
Create HDR (High Dynamic Range) imagery - when used with a compatible Canon or Nikon DSLR, Stop Motion Pro can automatically capture a number of shots (bracketing) with different shutter speeds. These shots can be exported so they can be batch processed into Open EXR or Radiance HDR image formats. Applications such as Photoshop and Photomatix can be used to create these files. The resulting 32 bit floating point HDR image sequences can be used in high end editing and compositing applications such as Adobe After Effects.
Multi Exposure /Checkerboard - Sometimes multiple shots are required during filming of animation. An example would be an effects shot that requires a beauty pass (lighting for the subject) and also a backlit version for creating an alpha channel mask. Stop Motion Pro HD studio can be set to take these multiple passes with a single click. The parallel port remote control interface also means that lighting rigs, motion control rigs and other interfaces can be controlled between each exposure. A good example of this techinique would be the filming of 3D animation with the camera being moved between each pass. The View menu shows each pass that can be selected for viewing. For each pass both a video assist and high res frame are captured.
Log file of actions - A log file can be set up to track the frame order during filming. Every time a frame is captured or the editor closed, a new log file is generated. These log files can be used to track changes in the animation, the file name contains the date and exact time of generation.
Looping - Three great looping modes are available, Loop single, Loop range and Loop last.
Loop single, it is possible to loop the live video or video assist with any stored frame. An auto onionskining system is also available. This tool is great for lining up complex looping actions.
Loop range lets you specify any start frame so you can loop from that frame through to the end of your sequence.
Loop last will loop any number of frames up to the last frame, and move along as you capture - for example, if you loop the last 5 frames in a 15 frame sequence, frames 10-15 will be looped. If you capture a new frame, frames 11-16 will then be looped.
Both Loop range and Loop last modes allow the loop to be continuous, or just cycle once per key/button press. You can also specify if the loop should stop on "live" or the last stored frame.
What is new in version 6.5:
•Multilingual – switch between English, French, Spanish and German.
•Improved playback – new rendering engine give even smoother playback.
•More cameras - greater connectivity to cameras and capture cards
•Open existing projects faster
•HDV support (contact us for information)
•Bundled with over 20 soundtracks and images for chromakey and rotoscope tools
Stop Motion Pro 6.5 includes all the tools for Schools and those new to animation:
New audio recorder , giving you the power to record live over your animation.
New easy to use editor, with preview player.
Browse projects with a thumbnail image and preview player. Find your projects fast.
MSI rollout for easy network distribution.
WMV export options - share and edit films easily
For professionals:
Nikon DSLR support (SMP SD, HD and HD Studio only).
Support for Canon "Live View" DSLR cameras (100D, 450D, 40D, 1D MkIII and 1Ds MkIII), the ultimate video assist.
Support for BlackMagic HD video capture cards (Intensity and Extreme).
New looping modes for more precise feedback.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) image capture compatibility for film-like latitude.
Checkerboarding for difficult lighting, 3D films and effects shots.
RAW image processing tools with import/export capabilities.
|
