Taekwondo flying side kick — a motion sequence from wind-up through full extension against a heavy bag

Support

Getting Started

with Bodies in Motion

The Library

The Bodies in Motion library has four distinct sections, each giving different insights into how the body moves and looks. Find inspiration in one or all of them.

Three ballet dancers in flowing green dresses captured mid-leap — a Motions sequence

Motions

High-resolution photo sequences of both dynamic and routine poses.

Browse Motions
A greyscale 3D scan of a figure balancing on one hand, frozen mid-movement

3D Scans

Dynamic figures captured in full 360°. Perfect for sculpture, drawing & anatomy study.

Browse 3D Scans
A grid of facial-expression reference shots of the same model from several angles

Expressions

High-resolution facial-expression captured from five cameras simultaneously.

Browse Expressions
Black-and-white Eadweard Muybridge motion-study plates of a man throwing a javelin

Muybridge

The complete Eadweard Muybridge Animal Locomotion vintage movement plates.

Browse Muybridge

Motion View

Motions, Expressions and Muybridge use the MotionViewer which loads the full-resolution sequences and provides tools for studying the figure as it moves. Zoom in to inspect details.

The Bodies in Motion MotionViewer — Elle Silk 05, frame 35 of 59, with playback, drawing-timer, frame-step, onion-skin and zoom controls 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
  1. 1
    Breadcrumbs

    Find your way back through to the Set, Category, and Module.

  2. 2
    Quickdraw

    Start a Quickdraw session from images in this set.

  3. 3
    Play / pause

    Starts / pauses playback. For longer durations, a timer appears at the top of the frame, counting down to 0, then automatically advancing to the next frame.

  4. 4
    Drawing timer

    Sets playback speed — 12 fps by default to preview the movement. Drag to the right to slow it down: 2 fps, then 30 seconds, 1, 2, or 5 minutes per frame for timed gesture drawing.

  5. 5
    Frame interval

    Sets how many frames to step between — handy when adjacent frames barely change.

  6. 6
    Onion skin

    Layers a ghosted version of the previous frame over the current one.

  7. 7
    Add to collection

    Adds the current frame or entire Motion to one of your Collections (or make a new Collection).

  8. 8
    Filmstrip

    Preview the past and upcoming frames. Drag on the filmstrip to scrub the movement back and forth, or advance frames by clicking the arrows, or using the arrow keys (‹ ›) on your keyboard.

  9. 9
    Fullscreen

    Opens the full-screen view — full-bleed and distraction-free. The drawing/annotation tool lives here, ideal for marking up frames during presentations or lectures.

Going Further

Sets and angles, your own work, and the things you save.

The viewer's Related Motions and related Artwork panels — thumbnails of other sequences and community artwork

Related Motions

Every Motion belongs to a Motion Set — all the sequences from the same model. Browse the cards below the viewer to discover more content.

A multicam Motion shown as two synced camera angles side by side in the viewer

Multicam Motions

Roughly half the library is shot with multi-cams — two or three synced cameras to understand the body from complementary camera angles. Look for the multicam keyword, or use the Filter panel on the left of the Browse grid.

The Share your work upload dialog, referencing Male Dance James 4, with title, caption and keyword fields

Uploading Artwork

Bodies in Motion has a vibrant community of artists using the site. Get inspired by artist's work, or contribute by uploading your work to the motion or scan it references.

A public Collection titled M. Trapezius — a grid of motion and scan thumbnails showing the trapezius muscle

Save to Collections

Collections let you gather interesting/inspiring images you find — motions, scans, poseSearch results, and artwork — and store them all in one place. Create as many collections as you like to organise your reference. Find them in your Profile → Collections.

Browsing and creating Collections requires a paid subscription.

Resources

Bodies in Motion for TeachersClassroom access, licensing, and lesson ideas. FAQAnswers to the questions we hear most. Contact usStuck on something? We're happy to help.

Ready to draw?

Open the library and find your first motion.

150,000+ studio-lit images of the body in motion, captured for artists.

Browse Motions See plans & pricing