User Guide

SAM Animation User Guide – Download full PDF!

We have compiled a comprehensive PDF user guide on the SAM Animation software and animation best practices.

For best practices specific to the classroom, review our Classroom Guide here.

If you have a specific software questions, you can download the section of the guide related to your question below:

I. Installation - Steps to download and install the software for both Mac and PC users.
II. First Animation – How to create your first animation.
III. Function Tabs and Tips – Overview of the 4 tabs in SAM Animation and their functions.
IV. Preferences and Onionskinning – How to customize your preferences and use onionskinning.
V. Importing – How to import images, videos, and audio files.
VI. Supported Files – Overview of file types supported by SAM Animation
VII. Editing Frames – How to edit each pictures
VIII. Export and Share – Guidelines on exporting and sharing your animation.
IX. Troubleshooting – General toubleshooting guide, including webcam recognition.

Teachers are excited and eager to get started. Even the most tech phobic teachers were working and enthusiastic. I think we can open your work up to a whole new field. Deaf kids and other kids with disabilities can use all the help they can get. — Administrator, New York, USA

It was a fun project. I liked it a lot. It gave my class and I a chance to learn and be creative at the same time. — Student, Massachusetts, USA

Thanks for working hard on a Sunday so our kid can have a great Christmas! — Parent, Washington, USA

SAM animation is a wonderful assessment tool for teachers and a creative outlet for students. Its use is unparalleled in the classroom across all curricular units. — Teacher, New Hampshire, USA

I tried a lot of a demo versions of stop motion software out there, and my 8-year old loves your version the best. Thank you! — Parent, USA

SAM gives students of all ages opportunities to show what they know in an artistic, engaging and non-threatening manner. And they have fun while they learn! — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

I appreciate the effort iCreate is putting into making the technology applicable to classrooms. — Teacher, Montana, USA

Thanks for all of the terrific tech support. It was comforting to know you were there to help whenever we had a problem. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

Adding SAM animation to our school's science program was truly transformative. The students experienced science as a CREATIVE process, and we think that's critical in helping them become the innovators of the future." — Teacher, Colorado, USA

This was my first time working with SAM Animation, or even a stop motion program in general. All in all I’m proud of how it turned out; it took 1307 pictures just to create this 1 minute 20 second video. I hope you enjoy it! — 10th Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

I would just like to thank you for your assistance with this matter and the prompt responses that I received to my emails. It is great doing business with a company that actually values its customers. I would also like to compliment you on the fantastic educational ideas on your website. I can't wait to get started! — Teacher, Australia

We learned about fables and even got to make fables with the SAM animation. — First Grade Student, Minnesota, USA

Using SAM in the classroom is a terrific way to have students enthusiastically engaged in demonstrating their understanding. After looking at their animations, it graphically shows what misconceptions they might still hold. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

SAM was a great resource to use with my 3rd grade students. While studying animals, the students were able to create realistic habitats and animals, animate them to show their movements and adaptations, and write narration to explain how their animal survived in their habitat and narrate their movies. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

Some of my students are are ESL and they learned that they can express or show something without using words. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

It look like the things that we make are moving by themselves. It — First Grade Student, Minnesota, USA

You are a great company to deal with! Its wonderful to be able to talk to a real person AND its always the same one! — Teacher, USA

The teachers were so blown away and happy that I just had to call to share the enthusiasm that cannot be shared via email! — Administrator, Massachusetts, USA

I thought it was a great way to express your creativity and have fun with your friends. — Fifth Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

My favorite part was that the pictures moved. — Kindergarten Student, Minnesota, USA

This was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I feel comfortable and excited about implementing this in my classroom. Thanks! — Teacher, New Jersey, USA

SAM has provided a tool for children to explore, not just to display, their own thinking. It also makes the thinking process visible to me, as students pull together their projects. So much science happens "inside the black box" of a child's head. To animate an idea, a child needs to play it out in slow motion and then plot out how to show it to other people. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

SAM was easy and kid-friendly. I plan to definitely use SAM again with other projects. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

My 12 and 10 year olds learned SAM animation at a summer camp affiliated with their school and LOVED it! It was amazing how incredible the movies were. I was stunned and sooo excited! — Parent, California, USA

I have been using stop-motion in the classroom pretty regularly but today — Teacher, Rhode Island, USA

We are looking forward to the next academic year when we plan to continue to enjoy and spread the word about our animation project. — Teacher, New Hampshire, USA

I loved watching the kids develop group decision making skills. Throughout the process, I noticed kids that aren't normally leaders speak up and get their voices heard. Group members gave each other positive feedback on how to meet their goals. I was encouraged by how many students commented that they knew more about their explorer than before. — Fifth Grade Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

The most fabulous part is that even though they are only little kids, they are able to use the software all on their own to do the stop-motion filming. It makes them feel really big to be able to think about a story and then create and film it....so much better than spending their time playing computer games!!! — Parent, Australia

The training went over extremely well. Everyone is excited and had tons of ideas of how to use this in our classroom. — Teacher, Colorado, USA

They loved it! I can really see this an an alternate assessment. My students will never forget onomatopoeia! — Teacher, Ohio, USA

It was awesome. They have never done anything like this before. They enjoyed it so much that I'm making a science computer club for them to make different animations using any school subject they want. Thanks for the opportunity to teach my students about your program. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

This is the best project I've ever done! — Fifth Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

Using this software allowed me to engage my students in a meaningful and creative way, all while including science, art and english language arts concepts! — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

I want to congratulate your initiative and look forward to seeing it grow. I teach stop motion animation to K - 3 graders during the summers and several of my children started reading while developing their storyboards! And so much more came to life when they saw their work on TV, of course. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

They were extremely enthusiastic and were so proud of their efforts. The added value of SAM and technology changed the mood and really excited the students. There were no audible groans (the usual response) when the grammar lessons are introduced because they felt they were learning while having fun. I had their attention - they were able to review something in a very user friendly way. — Teacher, Ohio, USA

I have been doing claymation with my students but this product will make my life so much simpler. Thank you for developing such a useful tool. — Teacher, New York, USA

When the students use stop motion animation they engage in higher level thinking. Students are motivated to teach others and while they are deconstructing and constructing their content knowledge they are able to clearly demonstrate what they've learned. It's a great culminating experience! — Fifth Grade Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

The sheer understanding of how the frame-by-frame works has so many possibilities. The predictions they need to do before they start shooting are very rich and conducive to using math in a very functional and intentional way. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

The class had its first day and the kids are all so excited about the abilities of the software. I can — Teacher, Colorado, USA

It was engaging and creative. Students were empowered to demonstrate their own learning. It was so much more fun to assess learning then a test. Students were able to teach each other "tricks" they had discovered. Any time students are up and about excited about learning it is time well spent. Students begged to work on their movies, what more can I say? — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

The students are so engaged that they are having such rich content conversations in their groups. The hands-on nature has appealed to many different types of learning styles, too. Everyone is on task and making a contribution. The technology tool, SAM Animation, truly is a facilitator allowing for real world skills to be developed and core curriculum to be front and center. — Instructional Technology Specialist, Massachusetts, USA

SAM is a great way to assess and solidify students' understanding of certain concepts, but it also helps them develop cooperative working skills, creative thinking, and simply enjoy learning. We can't wait to start our next SAM project! — Teacher, Minnesota, USA

It's a fun way to put technology into what we're learning. — 5th Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

I enjoyed working with the software because it allowed me to rapidly take pictures after I moved my clay figures. Another great feature is the onion skinning. It increased the quality of the video and made the entire process so much more efficient. — 10th Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

I am very impressed with the amount of effort you are putting out to support this wonderful program. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

I have not seen anything else that makes it so easy for students and teachers alike to create movies and animation to demonstrate learning. This is a really high quality piece of software, that has been rigorously tested and refined in the classroom. — Teacher, California, USA

It was a great way for students to show their understanding of fables. Students enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the activity and I was still able to assess student understanding and learning. My class loved it! — Teacher, Minnesota, USA

I wish we had more assignments like this. — Fifth Grade Student, Massachusetts, USA

Creating an animation was a wonderful experience for our students. I liked the excitement, the learning, and the cooperative work. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

I find the students' movies entertaining, some funny, some touching, some breathtaking in their art. It’s a great class for students to work to the best of their ability, and maybe be able to shine here in a way that’s difficult in more academic classes. I feel really lucky to have watched this work be created, and to have hard-working, talented, and creative students. — 10th Grade Art and Technology Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

I am very impressed with the added customer service you have given me! You went above and beyond and I really appreciate it! — Parent, Tennessee, USA

One student never before interested in writing asked her teacher, "When is writing time??" That made it so worth while. — Administrator, New York, USA

I like SAM because we get to be creative. — First Grade Student, Minnesota, USA

It was cool to make pictures turn into a video. — Kindergarten Student, Minnesota, USA

I love how SAM is both easy to use and affordable so that I can share the magic of making stop motion with my 5th grade students and stick to a very limited budget! — Teacher, Iowa, USA

Great workshop! I — Teacher, Connecticut, USA

I really found it to be a positive experience and hope to write a grant for next year to get more materials to utilize SAM more often and more effectively. — Teacher, Massachusetts, USA

Thank you for all your help and assistance, I must say I am very impressed with your level of support — Parent, UK

I look forward to how exciting this project could be; it fits with important core initiatives that are currently underway. — Teacher, New York, USA

Students were asked: Doing this project, I feel that a) I know more about the explorer than I did before or b) my knowledge of the explorer hasn't changed. Almost 100% have chosen "a". — Fifth Grade Teacher, Massachusetts, USA