Make sure you can attach the webcam to your device. On a mobile device, you will likely need to purchase a cable, and install an app that allows you to use webcams. Some of the software recommended below will only work with webcams, or certain cameras. Check for compatibility before you spend your money.

For Mac: iStopMotion, Boinx, Dragon Frame For Windows: I Can Animate 2 (recommended for children), iKITMovie, or Stop Motion Pro. Windows Movie Maker is an option with fewer features, but it may already be on your computer. For iPhone or iPad: Frameographer, Stopmotion Cafe For Android devices: Clayframes, Stopmotion Studio

Start with a small project, such as an orange peeling itself. One second of film can take 18–24 photos, so you’ll get plenty of practice from this. You can draw on a whiteboard or stack of paper instead, changing the drawing slightly with every frame. If you do this, set up a stable stand to hold the drawings, so there’s no accidental movement.

Some light bulbs take a while to reach full brightness. Leave them on to warm up while you get ready.

If a figure is tilting or threatening to fall over, stick it onto the surface with poster tack.

Before taking each photograph, make sure the object is in sharp focus. You may need to disable your camera’s autofocus. If using a webcam, rotate the focus ring by hand.

If you make a mistake, just delete the frame you just took and take another photograph.

If you can’t find this feature, look for a Help or Tutorial section, or visit the website of the software developers.

There’s no need to finish the scene in one sitting. Taking regular breaks will help make the process a pleasure instead of a chore.

If you don’t know how to do this, look for instructions for your specific software.

All you need for the easier method above is a free trial of the software and a $5 USD camera.

For Mac: iMovie (comes pre-installed on some Macs) For Windows: Virtual Dub, Windows Movie Maker (does not officially support this, but sometimes works; pre-installed on most Windows) More advance software includes Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier.

Stop motion animation takes a long time to make. Start with a short, simple idea, like a piece of paper crumpling itself up and jumping in a trash can.

Make sure the objects are in sharp focus. If your camera keeps adjusting the focus distance, you might need to disable auto focus and set it manually. Move it by the same amount each time.

If you’re using a photo application like iPhoto, make a new album first to keep them separate from your other photos.

iMovie: Make sure you’re in Timeline view. To import the images, click the Photos button and choose your photo album. Virtual Dub: File → Open → Image Sequence. Select the first image in your album, and Virtual Dub will automatically import all other pictures that follow in numerical order (e. g DCM1000, DCM1001, DCM1002). Windows Movie Maker: Do not import until after you’ve set picture duration, as described below.

iMovie: When you select your photos, you’ll be prompted to enter a time value. Try 0:03 (3/100s of a second) for a smooth, fast video, or 0:10 for a jerky but more relaxed pace. Virtual Dub: Video → Frame rate. 25 FPS (frames per second) is very smooth and fast, while 5-10 frames per second moves at a slower, jerky pace. Windows Movie Maker: Tools → Options → Advanced → Picture Options. Enter a picture duration (try 0. 03 or 0. 10). You can now load your images to the storyboard.

iMovie: Add dialogue by moving the playhead (downward arrow) to a frame and click Audio → Record. For music, drag a song or sound effect from iTunes onto the audio track of iMovie. Virtual Dub does not have these features. After exporting, you can open the video file in another program and make these changes.

Virtual Dub: File → Save as AVI. Your images are now a movie sequence ready for editing in another program, such as Windows Movie maker, Sony Vegas, or Adobe Premiere.