Dragon Stop Motion 2.0 Released

D-Zed Software has announced Dragon Stop Motion 2.0, an update to their professional level, stop motion animation solution for Mac OSX and Windows. Designed specifically to meet the needs of feature film, commercial, broadcast television and independent film, Dragon Stop Motion controls digital still and HD cameras for shooting single frame animation and effects.

Embraced by working professionals and independent filmmakers alike, Dragon Stop Motion excels in creating stop motion animation, digital effects and motion graphics. It offers a comprehensive set of animation and cinematography tools, and keeps scenes, takes and frames well-organized for post production.

Production operators can now break free from the computer and get closer to animation work. Among Dragon's most unique features is the inclusion of their Stop Motion Controller with the application. Featuring easy to read screen-printed icons and a ten-foot long USB cable, the Dragon Stop Motion Controller is a high-quality USB keypad for controlling the most important Dragon functions.


Version 2.0 adds support for Windows, bringing the program's unique features to a new audience of users. It also features a new Nav-Line, making it easier to navigate scenes, and adds frame editing from both the Nav-Line and the X-Sheet. Other new features include high-resolution playback of animation sequences, improved time-lapse capabilities, support for 64-bit processing, enhanced test shot features, and integration with industry-standard motion control rigs. Finally, version 2.0 further enhances Dragon's already-robust camera support, with integration of HDV capture, Olympus camera support, and folder watching for unsupported cameras.

Feature Highlights:
* Canon, Nikon and Olympus DSLR support with live view
* 3D Stereo Shooting
* Multi-Exposure for HDR/effects
* X-Sheet
* Onionskin & Chroma Key
* Time-lapse
* Audio Track Reading

"Because we designed Dragon Stop Motion in the stress environment of real-world production, our aim was to offer a feature set that was both concise and powerful," said Jamie Caliri, co-founder of D-Zed Software. "We focused on capturing high-quality digital stills or video to allow anyone to work directly with those files. Dragon Stop Motion organizes your images simply and gives you access to them in high resolution. As well, animating stop motion is typically not done at the computer with a mouse. We built Dragon Stop Motion from the beginning to work from a remote keypad - now we include it with the application."

Pricing and Availability:
Dragon Stop Motion 2.0 is priced at $275.00 (USD) for a single-user license. A trial license is available and valid for 10 days and limited to 50 frames per take. Version 2.0.1 is a recommended upgrade for all customers. Users may purchase Dragon Controller separately for $29.95 (USD).