How to use MonkeyJam in 10 easy steps

Introduction
MonkeyJam is a free program to create stop motion videos. Unfortunately, it is available for Microsoft
Windows only and will not run under MacOS or Linux. Search the Internet for MonkeyJam to find a
download site.
This document describes briefly how to create a short stop movie.

Usage
1. Open MonkeyJam.
2. Choose New XPS with Folders from the File-menu. It is recommended to create the project before
capturing the frames because MonkeyJam will then automatically create a folder for each layer.
3. Choose Preferences… from the Settings-menu. On the Capture-Tab, set Image Hold to 3.
MonkeyJam will then automatically hold each image for three frames. (This option does not work if
you import your images from file.)
4. If you capture your images from a video camera or a scanner, choose Capture->Video or
Capture->Scanner from the Tools-menu and choose the appropriate input device. You will probably
also have to choose to choose some other features, e.g. the size of your images. (The capture-option
will not work for most digital still cameras. In this case you should save your images on disk and
import them into the program as described below.)
If you import your images from file, choose Import->Images from the File-menu and browse for
your images. If you import your images from file, make sure they all have the same size (in pixels)
and the same colour scheme. To avoid confusion, it is recommended to name the image files in way
that makes clear in which order they will appear in the movie.
5. If you use a video camera, put the image in front of the camera and press the Capture-button. Repeat
this procedure until all images are captured.
6. Choose Import->Audio to import your audio file.
7. Adjust the duration time between the images to the audio by adding or deleting frames. To add
frames, click on the last frame of the corresponding image. Then choose either Insert Frame from the
Edit-menu or press Ctrl-Ins. To delete a frame, click on the frame you want to delete and press the
delete button. Then select all frames after the gap (by clicking on the first of these frames and moving
the mouse down), and move up these frames to eliminate the gap. (The Delete Frame-option from the
Edit-menu does not work.)
8. To preview your movie, choose Preview from the Tools-menu or press F7. If you have created a very
long movie, it will usually be faster to create an AVI-file (see below).
9. When you think you are ready, choose Export AVI from the File-menu to create your movie.
10. Save your project by choosing Save from the File-menu.