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Plan a tiny stop-motion story with frame counts
Turn a simple object idea into a shootable sequence of still photographs.
Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedAnyone starting a personal creative project
What you’re working towards
Turn a simple object idea into a shootable sequence of still photographs. The worked result was written for this guide; it is not a recording of an AI run.
Your choice also saves this guide’s current worked-example checkmarks. Only this browser; no account or sync. View saved guides
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Make a start
One step at a time.
3 steps
Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.
Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.
01
Open a text assistant and try the example
For a concrete starter route, open https://chatgpt.com and choose New chat. Sign in if that service requires it for your access. You can also use another text assistant you already have. Copy the entire prompt below (the instructions to paste), including the sample input, into its message box and send it. No upload or image generation is needed. Expect six numbered frame ranges, movement instructions and duration arithmetic. The wording may differ from the example; the constraints should not. If it only explains the task, ask it to produce the finished result using the supplied input.
Your starting prompt
Create a text-only stop-motion plan: stop motion means taking still photographs after small object movements, then playing them in sequence. Use six beats of twelve frames each. Give the frame range, object positions or movement and intended story meaning for every beat. Include a continuity checklist and total duration calculation. Do not claim a video exists.
Use this complete made-up practice input:
Story: A blue button finds a drawn circle that becomes its “home.”
Materials: One blue button, one sheet of plain paper with a circle drawn on it, a phone camera and a stable tabletop. No people, extra props, music, purchases or risky camera positions.
View: Fixed camera looking at the paper from a comfortable supported position; the actual support method depends on equipment already available. Keep hands out of captured frames.
Plan coordinates: Use horizontal positions along the paper only: button starts at 4 cm; circle center is at 14 cm. All positions refer to the button's center on the same horizontal line. Circle is large enough to contain the button.
Timing: 6 frames per second; 72 frames total; six beats of 12 frames.
Beats: establish start; approach from 4 to 10; overshoot from 10 to 16; return from 16 to 14; pause at home; final hold. This is a plan, not camera or editing-app instructions.
Return the finished result. Keep it fictional and do not add claims about real people, products or events.
02
Check, correct and save
Read the response beside the original input. Check frame ranges cover 1–72 once, with no gaps or overlaps. Verify 72 divided by 6 gives 12 seconds. Trace button centers from 4 to 10 to 16 to 14 cm, then two holds. Confirm this is a storyboard plan and no captured video is claimed. If a check fails, paste the correction prompt below in the same conversation. Check the revised result yourself, then copy the version you want into your own notes or document.
Your starting prompt
Check your previous result against this original input:
Story: A blue button finds a drawn circle that becomes its “home.”
Materials: One blue button, one sheet of plain paper with a circle drawn on it, a phone camera and a stable tabletop. No people, extra props, music, purchases or risky camera positions.
View: Fixed camera looking at the paper from a comfortable supported position; the actual support method depends on equipment already available. Keep hands out of captured frames.
Plan coordinates: Use horizontal positions along the paper only: button starts at 4 cm; circle center is at 14 cm. All positions refer to the button's center on the same horizontal line. Circle is large enough to contain the button.
Timing: 6 frames per second; 72 frames total; six beats of 12 frames.
Beats: establish start; approach from 4 to 10; overshoot from 10 to 16; return from 16 to 14; pause at home; final hold. This is a plan, not camera or editing-app instructions.
Check these requirements one by one:
- Check frame ranges cover 1–72 once, with no gaps or overlaps.
- Verify 72 divided by 6 gives 12 seconds.
- Trace button centers from 4 to 10 to 16 to 14 cm, then two holds.
- Confirm this is a storyboard plan and no captured video is claimed.
Quote each problem, explain the smallest repair, and return a complete corrected version. If there is no problem, say which checks you applied. Do not claim that your own review proves quality or audience response.
03
Optional: use your own material
Open a new chat. Copy the prompt below and replace [PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE] with objects, positions, six story moments, camera limits and exclusions. Use material you own or may use and leave out private details. The output limits written in this prompt stay in force; change a limit here too if you want a different one. Send the whole message. Expect the same kind of written result with your new material. Check it against this new input and these limits, not the sample’s names or numbers. If it differs, describe the exact mismatch and ask for a complete correction before saving.
Your starting prompt
Make a text-only stop-motion plan from my input below. Stop motion uses photographs after small object movements. Keep six story moments of twelve frames each at six frames per second: 72 frames and 12 seconds. Give each contiguous frame range, positions or motion and story purpose, then a continuity check. Flag incompatible distances or props; do not claim a video exists.
If an essential detail is missing or two requirements conflict, ask me before filling the gap.
MY INPUT
[PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE]
Optional: improve the result
Try a more expressive movement rhythm
Change spacing while keeping the same frame budget and endpoints. Keep the first version so you can compare the change. This extension uses the worked example. Return to that example chat, or paste its input and your checked example answer into a new chat first. Do not apply its sample values unchanged to your own input.
Advanced prompt
Rewrite only Beat 4 so the button returns quickly at first and slows near home. Give twelve explicit center positions ending at 14 cm, all between 14 and 16 cm and decreasing. Keep every other beat and the 72-frame total unchanged.
Use the original input and result in this conversation. If either is missing, ask me to paste it before continuing.
Show, then try
See the shape of the result.
This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.
01 / The starting point
Synthetic input
Made-up example for practice. All people, places and events are invented.
Story: A blue button finds a drawn circle that becomes its “home.”
Materials: One blue button, one sheet of plain paper with a circle drawn on it, a phone camera and a stable tabletop. No people, extra props, music, purchases or risky camera positions.
View: Fixed camera looking at the paper from a comfortable supported position; the actual support method depends on equipment already available. Keep hands out of captured frames.
Plan coordinates: Use horizontal positions along the paper only: button starts at 4 cm; circle center is at 14 cm. All positions refer to the button's center on the same horizontal line. Circle is large enough to contain the button.
Timing: 6 frames per second; 72 frames total; six beats of 12 frames.
Beats: establish start; approach from 4 to 10; overshoot from 10 to 16; return from 16 to 14; pause at home; final hold. This is a plan, not camera or editing-app instructions.
Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.
Worked example written for this guide; it is not a recording of an AI run.
Stop-motion plan: A Button Finds Home
Stop motion builds movement from individual still photographs. Keep the paper and camera fixed; move only the button between photographs. Confirm your available camera support is stable without improvised climbing or balancing. Hands should leave the frame before each photograph.
Beat 1 — Frames 1–12, 2 seconds
Hold the button at 4 cm. The circle at 14 cm is visible. Establish the distance to home.
Beat 2 — Frames 13–24, 2 seconds
Move the button right by 0.5 cm before each photograph: 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10 cm. The button approaches.
Beat 3 — Frames 25–36, 2 seconds
Continue right by 0.5 cm per photograph, from 10.5 through 16 cm. The button passes the circle and goes too far.
Beat 4 — Frames 37–48, 2 seconds
Return left in twelve equal small steps from 16 cm to 14 cm, about one-sixth of a centimeter per step. The last frame places the button at the circle's center. Exact tiny hand movements are approximate; use the endpoint as the important check.
Beat 5 — Frames 49–60, 2 seconds
Hold at 14 cm. Let the arrival register.
Beat 6 — Frames 61–72, 2 seconds
Continue the hold at 14 cm to give a clear ending. Do not introduce another action.
Timing: 72 frames ÷ 6 frames per second = 12 seconds. Six beats × 12 frames = 72 frames.
Continuity: Same button, paper, circle, camera view and light; no hands in frames; final center at 14 cm. Actual capture, assembly and playback review remain separate steps.
These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.
Unsaved checks stay in this tab and reset when you reload. If you choose Save guide, its current example checkmarks are kept in this browser when storage is available.
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A few things to watch for.
Changing camera position can look like unintended movement. Check the framing against the first photograph during a real shoot.
A planned frame rate does not configure an editing app. Confirm playback settings separately when assembling actual images.