MOTK Shoot is a free browser-based camera-room tool for stop-motion animation. It runs on phones, tablets, and desktop computers with no app installer. The desktop workspace stays spacious; narrow screens automatically receive a touch-first shooting layout.
Open the web app: https://motk-public-site.pages.dev/apps/shoot/
New here? Read the illustrated User Guide.
The Windows local edition keeps the full stop-motion shooting loop—capture, TEST, timeline editing, holds, playback, onion skin, guides, layers, audio/X-Sheet, local mirror and export—without showing production administration or post-production hand-off tools. See docs/LOCAL_EDITION.md. Build it with powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File local-app/build-windows.ps1.
MOTK Shoot is deliberately centred on the work done beside the set:
- connect a camera and capture frames or disposable tests;
- use onion skin, composition guides, monitor aids, shooting layers, audio, and X-Sheet cues;
- check the last pose, step through the take, or play a short range;
- receive a prepared shot list as CSV or JSON and open the next take;
- record shooting notes, handover notes, and a session result;
- keep browser recovery storage, mirror JPEGs to a chosen local folder on compatible desktop browsers, or share/save a session backup on iPhone/iPad;
- start an After Effects project from previs before photography, publish each photographed pass as a versioned delivery, and load returned comps as non-destructive shooting references;
- use Focus mode for a clean full-screen camera view with Capture and Play/Pause, then hide even those controls with one tap.
It is not a production-planning or picture-editing application. MOTK, a spreadsheet, or another production tool prepares the shot context; MOTK Shoot receives it. Editorial comparison, alternate cuts, and delivery-package tools remain readable for older projects but are no longer part of the normal shooting interface.
MOTK Shoot does not contain MEGATOOLS or MegaProd code.
- Webcam / UVC / HDMI-USB capture: works directly in the browser.
- Phone camera: open the web app on the phone, allow camera access, then use the always-visible CAM button. On iPhone it presents one logical Back and one Front choice; the complete physical-lens list remains under Settings. Safari 18.4 or later can use the device photo pipeline when Hi-res photo capture is on (the default when available). The Camera panel reports the actual live resolution, photo capability, and the method used for the last capture instead of silently presenting a live-view frame as a full still.
- DSLR / mirrorless RAW and vendor controls: use the optional local Companion/tether agent. See Tether and camera control.
- SIGMA, Nikon, Canon, and Sony: support depends on the selected browser input, vendor SDK, or local camera backend. The browser remains the shooting surface; the Companion handles privileged hardware and disk access.
A camera requires HTTPS or http://localhost. Only one app can own a camera at
a time.
Every capture first goes to project-scoped IndexedDB in the browser. This is the recovery copy and works on desktop and mobile.
By default, opening MOTK Shoot after the browser session closes starts a new, empty shoot. A normal reload and Camera Stop/Restart keep the current project. Under Settings → Project → When MOTK Shoot opens, an operator who prefers a continuous device can choose Reopen the last project on this device. Older captures never appear automatically under the default: open Projects and choose Open project when you deliberately want them.
Settings → Project → Capture storage explains the active storage state in one place. IndexedDB inside this browser profile is always the primary local recovery copy. It is local, but not a normal Files folder; clearing this site's browser data removes it.
Under Session → Save:
- Chrome/Edge-compatible desktop browsers can choose a folder. Each new JPEG is
mirrored into
<chosen folder>/<project>/frames(tests go totests). - iPhone and iPad do not expose a persistent browser folder picker. Use Save / Share backup to send the session backup to Files, AirDrop, or another share destination.
- The optional Companion can maintain production roots, RAW originals, and
vendor-camera files when a normal browser is not allowed to do so. Camera
files are visible under
<FILES root>/Camera Originals.
Files are never silently overwritten. Disconnecting a folder stops the mirror; the browser recovery copy remains.
The same Save panel contains a compact After Effects round-trip. It supports
previs-first, photography-first, and an independently prepared AE project. A
chosen shared/NAS folder enables versioned initial_####, delivery_####, and
return_#### exchange; ZIP plus manual return import works without persistent
folder access. The compositor-owned .aep, source stills, RAW originals, and
older returns are never replaced. See
After Effects round-trip.
The same panel includes separately bounded DaVinci Resolve and Maxon
Autograph adapters. Resolve packages include FCPXML, OTIO, relative media, and
a documented-API import helper. Autograph packages include relative materials,
an import list, a neutral shot template, and—when the user selects one—an
unchanged studio .agp template. Both accept previs-first or photography-first
work and load returned renders only as guide layers. See
Resolve round-trip and
Autograph round-trip.
When the physical shutter is enabled, a browser grab remains provisional until Companion confirms the camera file is on disk. Failed shutter or storage writes do not advance the frame counter or leave a false frame in the project.
- Live view, zoom/pan focus check, mirror/rotation, and manual controls exposed by the camera.
- Capture holds (twos/threes), TEST frames, high-resolution browser capture, time-lapse, lighting passes, bracketing, and focus drive where available.
- Onion skin with previous/next ghosts, blend/difference modes, opacity, and registration offsets.
- Composition grids, aspect masks, safe areas, image/video reference layers, annotations, histogram, zebra, focus peaking, chroma key, and anamorphic desqueeze.
- Multi-track audio, waveform, frame stepping, and X-Sheet dialogue/phoneme cues. See Audio and lip sync.
- A tactile koma timeline, capture bin, immediate undo, short playback, loop, and keyboard/WebHID controls.
- Desktop keeps the full transport visible. Phones keep Capture, Live, Play/Pause, stepping, and ••• within reach; ••• opens a labelled modal for test shots, exposure hold, loop, short play, undo/redo, and the captures bin. Portrait and landscape shooting are both supported.
- Video-assist output, Observer, WebSocket bridge, and scripting API. See Ecosystem and Bridge protocol.
- Offline-ready installable PWA after the first load.
Open Session → Context and import CSV or JSON from MOTK, a spreadsheet, or another planning tool. A context may include production name, shot ID/name, frame target, and notes. Select the shot and open the next take. MOTK Shoot does not require GAS and does not create or redesign the production.
A context URL can also be refreshed when it serves CSV or JSON with browser access enabled. Existing project data and older production records remain compatible.
The application is a static site with no build step or runtime dependencies.
python -m http.server 8000
# open http://localhost:8000Or deploy the folder to any HTTPS static host.
For optional RAW/tether control:
node bridge/production-agent.mjs --production-root ./productionsThe browser cannot choose an unrestricted filesystem path. Privileged disk and vendor-camera operations stay in the local Companion/agent.
- MOTK Shoot: capture, on-set assists, immediate review, notes, and session handoff.
- MOTK: projects, schedules, shared records, and production management.
- Companion/tether agent: vendor camera SDKs, RAW files, trusted local folders, and external hardware bridges.
- MEGATOOLS: separate tools and separate codebase.
See Product design decision, 2026-07-16.
Start with AGENTS.md for architecture, invariants, and test recipes. The isolated WebUSB/PTP experiment does not replace the production tether agent.
MIT — see LICENSE. Free forever; if it helps your film, consider supporting the project through Stop Motion Database.