by Christine Smith • 2020-06-23 21:05:17 • Proven solutions
If you have ever watched a movie with fast-moving things like clouds, people, cars, boats, and growing plants, then you have a rough idea about time lapse videos. Making a time lapse iPhone video is manual. It involves setting your camera on stable ground and recording the slowest events that you cannot bear to film normally. An iPhone is recommended because it has a great camera app and lasting battery to enable you to capture lasting events. You may as well charge it as it records just in case power diminishes. In this article, you will discover more about time lapse videos.
Part 1. What is a Time Lapse Video
A time lapse video involves capturing numerous photos of an event over a certain period: could be an hour or several minutes. The captured photos are later combined to create a sped-up video clip. Therefore, the point of taking a time-lapse video is capturing the movement of something that moves slightly or entirely slow and speed up to see within the shortest time.
Sep 11, 2016 This app helps you create beautiful flicker-free sunset, cloud, city scape, and day to night time lapse easily. Shoot in auto-exposure modes, TLDF will remove the flickers for you! Key Features: 1. Most advanced deflickering algorithm for timelapse. Non-linear adjustment of pixel brightness. Noise Reduction and Blending (lighten and average). Aug 06, 2018 Time Lapse Video app for Android to capture precious moments and lapse it with amazing speed. Create Time-lapse of your favorite moments such as Sunsets, sunrises, landscapes, parties, events, etc.It’s really easy to create amazing time lapse of your captured videos with few steps. How to Use?: - Record normal speed video using camera or select Video from Gallery. Aug 26, 2014 Instagram today launched a new standalone video app called Hyperlapse, which is designed to allow users to capture high-quality time lapse.
Most videographers capture the things other people usually ignore, like the movement of clouds, traffic, and the growth of beautiful flowers. It is quite impossible to sit and watch a flower budding since it could take hours. So, time lapse videos capture the process and create footage that you can watch in minutes. This also applies to projects like the construction of roads, houses, and important structures.
Time lapse videos are considered the opposite of slow-motion video. In the latter, motion seems to be slower than usual, while it is much faster in the former. Time lapse iPhone videos are the best because the app used takes the clearest and perfect images. You may record normal videos of 24 to 30 frames each second as well as time-lapse videos of 1 to 2 frames each second. If you target filming the movement of clouds using 1 to 2 frames each second, you will notice how clouds make patterns and move.
Part 2. How to Change Time Lapse Speed Settings on iPhone
For you want to control the iPhone time lapse speed, you will need more than just the iPhone camera app. The camera app on your iPhone normally adjusts the frames to capture each second automatically. This makes the process of how to change time lapse speed on the iPhone a little difficult. However, this does not mean that you should give up on how to adjust time lapse speed on iPhone.
So, can you change the time lapse speed on iPhone? The answer is yes through third-party apps, especially if you are serious about controlling iPhone time-lapse speed. Applications like OSnap and Hyperlapse are the best to change these settings since they help you on how to speed up a timelapse video on iPhone or how to slow down. These apps do not have limits of creating 20 to 40-second videos. OSnap is excellent at controlling the wide range of the settings of iPhone time lapse, while Hyperlapse controls the iPhone time lapse speed. Getting familiar with these apps eases the process of how to change time lapse speed on iPhone.
OSnap is a great and leading source of stop-motion and time-lapse in iPhones. It is perfect for highly experienced photographers, as well as casual. It comes with great useful features like white balance, exposure lock, and focus. You may also use it to zoom, edit using powerful options, and capture loud sounds. It enables you to shot in 4:3, landscape, and portrait. You may also create time-lapse videos from 1 to 200 frames every second. The best part about the OSnap application is that it supports 4K and 1080p videos.
Similarly, Hyperlapse is easy to use since it comes with a simple and clean user interface. It informs you of the amount of recording time as well as the duration of the last time-lapse video since you can record several clips. The process of how to adjust time lapse speed on iPhone using Hyperlapse takes place as soon as the recording is done. You have to utilize the slide to alter the iPhone time lapse speed.
Part 3. How to Take Time Lapse with iPhone’s Camera App
The process of how to make a time lapse video on iPhone through the iPhone camera app is not complicated since the application is built-in. You need to acquire the latest version of iOS since updates always come with better and updated features for you to enjoy. For instance, the modern iPhone comes with higher resolution and hence offers the best results. So, acquiring a 4K video with a maximum of 30 frames every second is easier in time lapse iPhone 7 video than time lapse iPhone 6s video. This is because the former comes with a better iPhone camera than the latter.
With the following few steps, you can easily manage how to time lapse a video on iPhone using the iPhone camera app.
Time Lapse Video Stars
- Go to the iPhone Camera app icon and tap on it to open it
- Go directly to how to make a time-lapse video on iPhone by accessing the Time Lapse section or shooting mode;
- To do so, swipe according to how you are holding your iPhone. If you are holding it vertically, then swipe horizontally across its screen. On the other hand, swipe vertically if you are holding it horizontally.
- During this swiping process, you will notice that the active shooting mode, which is next to the Shutter function, will appear yellow.
- If you wish to set the focus point, you can tap the screen. Additionally, you can swipe down or up to adjust the image brightness or exposure. Lock these settings by tapping and holding. The AE/AF Lock appears on the screen when settings are locked.
- Begin recording your time-lapse video by tapping on the Record button, which appears as a red shutter function
- When contented with the video you have recorded, stop the recording process by tapping on the Record button, which will also save your video.
- After the process of how to time lapse a video on iPhone using the iPhone camera app, you will definitely want to view the video created. To find the video through the Video or Camera Roll, you may also find time lapse iPhone 6s video or time lapse iPhone 7 video in the Photos app’s recently added.
Part 4. Tips for Shooting Great iPhone Time Lapse Videos
Whether you are a casual or highly experienced photographer, there are certain things that you must keep in mind as you create time lapse iPhone videos. These things determine whether you will capture those special moments well or in the best way. Assuming that you would like to create the most amazing time lapse iPhone videos, here are the tips to use:
- First, you must plan for your time lapse iPhone video. Failing to plan for anything that wishes to reach perfection is planning to fail. Plan in advance so that you can acquire a systematic way of handling every activity, especially setbacks.
- The best recording time is a minimum of 30 minutes. You need to keep this in mind because recording a time-lapse video for less than this time means that you have almost nothing to work with, considering that you will have to edit.
- Focus on video stabilization to avoid shaky footage. Some applications can help you stabilize shaky videos. However, they are not perfect, and so cannot guarantee that your video will be fixed completely.
- To avoid shaky videos, use a tripod or stand to mount your iPhone. These ensure that your iPhone sticks in one place the entire filming time. If you are taking a time lapse iPhone video of yourself, there are several ways to ensure stability. You can use the wall or car mount. The wall/car mount ensures that you attach the iPhone to any car vent or flat surface and no adhesive residue is left. It is basically removable and can be cleaned. The Mini SuckR Mount is also perfect because it is secure, strong, and small. It enables you to take create shots in a speeding boat or car without any troubles. You can attach it to two-way mirrors, any smooth or flat surface, and non-porous surfaces like windows and windshields.
- It is important to lock the focus of your subject. When making time lapse iPhone 7 or time lapse iPhone 6s videos, you are likely to find the AE/AF lock at the screen’s top section. It ensures that your exposure remains locked, which eventually prevents your iPhone from trying to auto-expose or auto-focus in each single frame. Such processes always waste time.
Conclusion
Capturing a slow event or occurrence can be tricky. However, you can still enjoy viewing if you utilize time lapse iPhone videos. Your iPhone is powerful enough to film cloud movement and other slow matters through its camera app. You can also use third-party apps to alter iPhone time lapse speed.
Wondershare UniConverter - Your Complete iPhone Video Toolbox for Windows/Mac
- Edit iPhone videos with trimming, cropping, rotating, adding watermarks, editing subtitles, and others with real-time preview.
- Compress videos for iPhone with changing video resolution, adjusting bitrates, selecting video formats, and others.
- Support 1000+ video formats to convert and compress without any quality loss.
- Transfer videos from PC/Mac to iPhone easily via a USB cable.
- Download videos from YouTube and other 10,000+ video sharing sites by pasting URL.
- Supports batch processing to compress and convert multiple files at a time.
- Toolbox with additional functions like Screen Recorder, VR Converter, GIF Maker, Fix Media Metadata, Cast to TV, and more.
- Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/2003/Vista/XP, Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6.
Time-lapse is a wonderful way to capture the essence of something, of a scene before you. A sunrise, or sunset. A busy city scene. The tide, as it goes out or comes back in. Buildings under construction are another popular subject, especially if you’ve got a good angle to watch one come to life, from the foundations to completion.
A time-lapse movie can also be used to capture a journey. Walking through city streets, or traveling on a train, or in a car, from one place to another. It isn’t only a method for capturing a stationary scene.
How to shoot a time-lapse video?
Time-lapse videos are an amazing way to capture a subject over a longer period of time than you would ordinarily take a picture or film something. The good news is, you don't need specialist equipment to create a time lapse video.
Anyone with an iPhone and a Mac can create it. You can do this one of two ways:
#1: Film using Time Lapse mode (iPhone)
- Open the camera app;
- Scroll along to Time Lapse
- Press the red button to start filming (a tripod might be useful if you plan on filming something stationary over a period of hours or days);
- Press the red button to stop.
#2: Make a time-lapse video from photos
Again, using a tripod or stable service, you can take multiple - potentially dozens, even hundreds - of pictures of the same subject. It’s important that your iPhone is positioned exactly the same way, otherwise, the angle of each picture is going to be different, which means you won’t achieve the desired result.
Time Lapse Video App Mac Free
Once you have enough pictures to capture what you were hoping for, you need to stitch them together to create the final time-lapse video. One way to do that is to download the macOS app GlueMotion. It's a perfect app for time-lapse photographers that lets you batch edit, deflicker and assemble sequences of images into time-lapse movies.
You can crop, rotate, flip and adjust the colors of your photos, inclining the exposure, saturation or brightness. In a matter of minutes, instead of hours, GlueMotion will have combined your photos to create the perfect time-lapse video.
For anyone who’s serious about filming a time lapse, you might be wondering, is there a way to gain more control than using the camera app? Yes, thankfully there is.
A time lapse calculator
You don’t have to be a videographer to create a perfect time-lapse video. Understanding the elements of your shots plus some basic math will help you do a good job.
How to choose the right intervals?
Intervals reflect the flow of your time lapse. To set the right intervals, you should dive into your setting and analyze how often the scenes change within the setting. Next, choose how you want to display these changes in a time-lapse video. So it’s all about “feeling” the scene and experimenting with the flow.
Here are a few examples of average intervals between one shot and another:
- Sunrise and sunset: 10 seconds
- Clouds moving: 5-20 seconds depending on the speed
- Crowd and commotion: 5 seconds
- Building construction: from 10 minutes to several months
Number of frames
The number of frames you use determine the length of the video. On average, it takes 25 frames to produce one second of a time lapse. So if you need a 5 sec video, you’ll use 125 frames. As simple as that.
Keep in mind that if you set custom intervals, the number of frames will change accordingly. Let’s say you have to create a 10 sec time lapse with a 3 sec interval. To calculate the total number of frames, multiple fps (frames per second) by 10 and then multiply the received number by 3 (interval): (10 x 25 = 250) x 3 = 750.
Gain more control over your time lapse settings
If you are filming using the iPhone camera app, there are no speed controls. It films everything at the same speed, with the option to make changes only when you are editing. Unless you download the free Hyperlapse app, which makes it easier to control the time-lapse speed.
When you record using Hyperlapse, it shows during recording that for every 6 seconds of recording it produces 1 second of time-lapse video. Once you’ve finished filming, use the slider in the app to change how slow or fast it plays the final time-lapse video. Further edits and changes can be made if you upload the video to your macOS device.
Another way to gain even more control is with the OSnap app. There is a free version or a Pro version for $3.99 from the App Store. Creating a new time-lapse project using Snap OSnap Pro gives you the ability to speed up and slow down filming, record a voiceover, and even film at a higher resolution. It is ideal for those wanting high-quality time lapse videos.
Instead of recording a video, you can always go the photographic route. Taking multiple pictures, then stitching them together in an editing session to create a beautiful time-lapse video.
Time-lapse photography and editing
When you are setting these pictures up, it pays to remember a few photographic essentials:
- Position your iPhone in the best location possible to capture the subject. Ideally, use a tripod to avoid balance issues. Keep the iPhone steady.
- Use leading lines. Whenever possible, give the viewer a way of coming into the scene, from the foreground to the main subject and into the background.
- Frame your scene using the rule of thirds.
Take the weather, sky, and lighting into consideration. In some countries, at this time of year, it gets dark early. If you've got subjects that are going to move through the frame, such as a train or a plane, make sure you’ve framed the picture(s) the right way as to capture that movement.
Do time lapses have sound?
They do if you want them to. You can easily add audio to your videos in iMovie, Apple’s native video editing software. Once you create a time lapse with GlueMotion, import it into iMovie and start personalizing the sounding:
- Click on Audio in the top left corner.
- Toggle between Effects and Theme music or import tracks from your computer.
- Drag the selected audio clip to your timeline or select a custom range to add a specific part of your clip.
To customize audio in your time-lapse video, you can use editing tools like Capto. The app allows you to change volume, mute as well as set audio fade in and fade out.
How to turn video into a time lapse
If you don’t have time to shoot a time lapse or you lack skills to pick the right intervals between snaps, go with converting. Video editors like Adobe Premiere CC or Pro allow to quickly turn a standard video into a nice-looking time lapse or hyperlapse.
Here’s how you convert videos in Adobe Premiere Pro:
- Import your video and open the Effects panel on the right.
- Select Posterize time and drag it onto the timeline to customize the frame rate.
- Change the rate from the default 24 frames per second. If you set fpt to 1, you’ll see only one frame per second.
- To adjust the speed, right-click on the video and select speed/duration. Increase the speed several-fold so that the frames change at a normal rate.
The key mistakes in time-lapse photography
Apart from dos, there are many don’ts that you should be aware of to produce a high-quality time lapse:
Not everything should move. Embrace a clear focus in your time-lapse video – an object or a set of objects that you want to speed up. The common mistake is to make the background move in sync with the foreground.
Apply filters. If you don’t play, you don’t win. ND filters in a slow time lapse can make a huge difference, so it’s a good idea to experiment with effects before you pick the final snaps for your video.
Get rid of flicker. The difference in brightness between snaps which is known as flicker damages the coherence of your time lapse. Even if you do it for the first time, GlueMotion can fix flicker automatically for you.
With GlueMotion, several hundred or thousands of images can be batch edited and successfully stitched together to create the perfect time-lapse video.
Once you are happy with the pictures you've captured - there will probably be dozens or hundreds - you can edit them using a macOS app when they're uploaded or synced using iCloud Photo Library to your Mac.
Comments are closed.