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Forums - Bricks in Motion » Equipment & Software » Best free or cheapest animation program for a DSLR
Hey guys as many of you already know I just bought a DSLR and really like it. But one thing I really miss is not being able to see my animation in till I import it and such. So I'm wondering if any of you know about a good program for animating with a DSLR thats free or not to pricey.
Thanks
OsomStudios
That depends. DSLR is a very generic term. What brand is your DRLS? What's it's model number? Those are the two most important things we need to know in order to recommend a program to you.
For Nikon, I recommend DigiCamControl. It isn't really a stop-motion software, but it is a tethering program. You can plug a USB cable from your camera to your computer and capture using the software. If your camera supports it, it will do live view. If not, it just captures. I use my Num Pad to control the program. I click capture once, then I can press Enter on the num pad and (with num lock turned off) press 4 and 6 to go back and forward in the sequence of images.
As for Cannon, I hear that the software bundled with your camera will work. It's called the Cannon EOS Utility. It does tethering, but I do not know much more about it.
There's also dedicated stop motion software like Stop Motion Pro, Stopmotion Studio 4.0, and AnimatorHD.
That depends. DSLR is a very generic term. What brand is your DRLS? What's it's model number? Those are the two most important things we need to know in order to recommend a program to you.
For Nikon, I recommend DigiCamControl. It isn't really a stop-motion software, but it is a tethering program. You can plug a USB cable from your camera to your computer and capture using the software. If your camera supports it, it will do live view. If not, it just captures. I use my Num Pad to control the program. I click capture once, then I can press Enter on the num pad and (with num lock turned off) press 4 and 6 to go back and forward in the sequence of images.
As for Cannon, I hear that the software bundled with your camera will work. It's called the Cannon EOS Utility. It does tethering, but I do not know much more about it.
There's also dedicated stop motion software like Stop Motion Pro, Stopmotion Studio 4.0, and AnimatorHD.
Oh sorry. Thanks. I have the canon T3i and a mac. Also I do use IOS utilities and I like it. But it is really hard for me to animate dialogue wen I can't see what I have done. Thats really why I would like to get animation software.
Thanks a ton
OsomStudios
Stop Motion Pro scans a folder/directory on your c: drive for the presence of a new image. It will then automatically add that image to your timeline, meaning, if you can find software to dump a new image onto your computer then SMP will import that automagically.
I don't know if it will do live view though - which is essential for onion skinning. I know when I start SMP I get a drop down of imaging devices to choose from so perhaps it will do a live view for DSLR. Never tried it. SMP has a list of supported camera's and I know its very Canon heavy. I know you're on a budget but entry level is $50 and I'm guessing you'd get value for money as you'd use it a lot. 
Edit:
The $50 version has directory scan. The $99 version has directory scan with video assist. I'm not sure what that means as I don't own a DSLR. The upgrade path from the $50 product to the $99 product is as simple as typing in a new software unlock key.
If your camera is a EOS 600D (Rebel T3i, Kiss X5) then live view is supported in the $99 version - which is prolly outside your budget, and full onion skinning for $189 - which is outside even my budget.
The other option is to try the free versions like MonkeyJam but I don't like your chances.
Last edited by togfox (July 15, 2014 (06:45pm))
I find that Dragonframe works the best, but that's a little pricey. If you're going to spend any money on a program, give Dragonframe a trial, and get that rather than wasting money on a program you will probably upgrade from in the future.
I recommend AnimaShooter Capture:
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