Stop Motion 101

Breaking down the basics of creating a stop motion animation.

In this beginner-friendly workshop, commercial food photographer and stop motion animator Megan Madden walks you through her complete stop motion process. She'll cover how to build a shot list from your concept, the role that lighting and camera settings play in stop motion, and how smooth, seamless movement sometimes comes together in Photoshop — from building and compositing your file to pacing movement and exporting for different platforms.

Key learning outcomes:

• Learn how to develop a stop motion concept and build a shot list to prepare for your shoot.
• Understand the roles that lighting and camera settings play in stop-motion photography.
• Learn how to build and composite a Photoshop file to create smooth, seamless movement.
• Know how to pace your timing and export your final video across different sizes and crops for various platforms.

Megan Madden is a commercial food photographer and stop motion animator. She works with food brands and agencies to create still and motion imagery for product launches, ad campaigns, packaging, rebrands, and more. Her work focuses on the balance of texture, color, and thoughtful composition.