A stop-motion studio that fits in a browser tab

KinoQ is a browser-based app for shooting stop-motion animation. It runs entirely in your tablet's browser and holds everything: the interface, your projects, the stored frames, and the exporting. You point it at a camera, shoot frame by frame against an onion skin, review the take, arrange your scenes into a cut, and export an image sequence or an MP4.

The app and the bridge

The camera does exactly one job — stream a live preview and, when asked, return a full-resolution photo. Because the app owns the storage and not the camera, it runs with no camera attached: every screen works offline, and a camera is a capability you gain by connecting, not something the app needs to start.

Between the app and the camera sits a small program called a bridge. It translates the app's requests into whatever that particular camera speaks. The app only ever talks to a bridge, never a camera directly — so supporting a new camera means writing a new bridge, and nothing in the app changes.

What's built today

The tablet app is complete: the data model, the editing strip, review playback, export, camera control, framing aids, and the sequencer are all built and tested. A built-in simulated camera means you can use the whole thing with no hardware.

On the camera side, the network protocol (served over HTTP and WebSocket) and an Android / Camera2 bridge run on real phones. A Raspberry Pi bridge for Nikon cameras is the remaining piece being built. The same protocol is meant to reach any gPhoto-supported camera — Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and others — one bridge at a time.

Where your work lives

Everything is stored in your browser (IndexedDB) — no account, no server, no sync. Exporting is the only way work leaves the device. See the privacy page for the full picture.

License & contact

KinoQ is dual-licensed: GPL-3.0 for open-source use, and a commercial license for use in closed-source products. For commercial terms or anything else, email john@rkroll.com.