I’ve been a big fan of Boinx Software’s iStopMotion for years.  I created several stop motion animations and time-lapse movies while working for Crayola and earlier this summer found an ideal use for it.

We were preparing to add two raised beds to the backyard, but were concerned if they were going to get enough sun.  They looked good in April before the leaves came in, but come early May, things were looking pretty shady.  So I set up my iBook G4 and Panasonic PVGS150 miniDV camera in an upstairs bedroom, set iStopMotion to take a frame every minute and walked away.  The resulting file showed just where the shade would be — and where the beds should go. The “black blob” that appears about halfway through is Angus, our cat. (Note — in the end, the beds went to the left of the screen, where there was almost no shade.)

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/14292967]