Boinx Software recently updated iStopMotion for Mac OS X and iOS (on the iPad), making its stop motion animation tool for Mac OS X, even better

In iStopMotion 3.2 for Mac, you can save any sequence of up to 200 frames as an animated GIF right to your hard drive. In iStopMotion for iPad 2.2, you can export the first 200 frames of your animation as an animated GIF and send it by email or iMessage or upload it to your DropBox.

iStopMotion's new support for animated GIF export is a fine addition to a fun, productive product. What's more, iStopMotion for iPad can now be configured to display only specific export options. This will allow educators to restrict the use of export options that are difficult to manage in environments where multiple people use the iPads.

iStopMotion is targeted to kids, parents, brickfilmers, pro animators and, well, anyone who wants to try their hand at stop motion animation. In case you're not familiar with the movie making technique, stop motion (also known as stop frame) is an animation technique in which you make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence.

Anyone who is familiar with the films of Willis O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, Jim Danforth, David Allen and others have experienced the process at work. For example, think of the original "King Kong" film or "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad." Or check out the upcoming "Frankenweenie" by Time Burton."

iStopMotion isn't going to instantly make you into a filmmaker on the level of the aforementioned icons. But it can set you on that path. Despite its plethora of powerful features, it's easy to get up and running quickly.

iStopMotion for iPad is now available on the Apple App Store for US$4.99 -- that's 50% off the regular price of $9.99. It's a free update for existing users. iStopMotion Remote Camera is available for free in the Apple App Store.

iStopMotion for the Mac (OS X 10.7 or higher) is now available both from the Mac App Store and the Boinx website (www.boinx.com) for US$39.99 -- that's 20% off the regular price of $49.99. It's a free update for existing version 3 customers.The special pricing ends Oct. 20 for both products.