Time lapse, a type of video shooting that is done at a very slow frame rate. Usually not even video shooting, but photography.
The standard frame rate is 20 to 30 per second. To create a time lapse effect, the camera takes a smaller number of frames, for example less than 10, or even 6 frames per second. When playing back a video shot in time-lapse, there is an effect of fast video playback. This video technology is used to show and study long-term processes over time. For example, the change of time of day, flowering and growth of plants, etc. It turns out that in order to achieve the effect of acceleration, you need to shoot in slow motion for a long time.
Sample storyboard for the effect
Time-lapse effects were originally used for scientific experiments. For example, scientists using time lapse could see the entire life cycle of the plant under study, in real time, which lasts a month or more. Also, to study in detail the entire process of cell division of organic tissue, which takes 0.5 seconds in real time.
Video with time lapse effect
In point "Limit mode" You can choose when shooting should end:
– “User” - frame capture will stop when you click on the “Stop” button,
– “Frames” - shooting will stop when the camera has taken the set number of frames,
– “Timer” - shooting will stop when the set shooting time has expired.
How to determine the exact shooting interval
Let's say you want to capture the movement of clouds over 30 minutes (1800 seconds) into a 15-second video. Let's calculate the number of frames you have to take: 15 (seconds) multiplied by 24 (standard frame rate per second) = 360. Divide 1800 (total shooting time) by 360 and get an interval of 5 seconds.
Paragraph "Initial delay in Millisecs". It is better to set this value from 500 to 3000 so that the camera can focus before shooting if autofocus is enabled.
In point "Resolution" select the maximum quality allowed in the free version of the application at 480p. The paid version has the ability to choose 720p and 1080p resolution.
IN Focus Mode you can choose which focus mode you prefer when capturing a frame. The Default option uses your device's default mode. Changing this setting is useful when, for example, your image becomes blurry after a few frames. If this happens, try using the Infinity mode - this will help keep the image quality at the highest level, and is also suitable for landscape photography.
In point "Shutter Sound" You can turn the camera shutter sound on or off.
IN "Background capture" It's best to select "Fully enabled" - shooting won't stop if your phone screen turns off or you open another app. There are two more modes in this setup. “Partially enabled” - filming will pause if it is in background(does not work on all smartphones), but will continue if you turn off the screen. "Disabled" - stops anyway.
Menu "Compatibility mode" helps you force the app to be compatible with your device. But if the application works stably, then we leave the mode turned off (“Disabled”).
Time lapse is one of the genres of videography, the essence of which is to noticeably accelerate slow processes that are invisible to the human eye. Many individual frames taken at the same interval from one point are glued together into one video. Because of this, the long process is reduced by at least an order of magnitude!
Initially, the technique of time-lapse photography was used in science. A little later she gained popularity among professional photographers. Long preparation, painstaking filming and labor-intensive editing of the finished result - this is how the process of producing time-lapse video could be described a few years ago. Today, due to the rapid development of mobile technologies, it all comes down to installing a special application on your smartphone and looking for an idea!
What is required to create a video?
Well-prepared equipment is half the success! First of all, we need a smartphone. Any Android device will work, important condition - good camera. The quality of the final video depends on it, which is especially important when shooting in low light conditions.Time lapse involves taking all frames from one point, the camera must be fixed, even the slightest movement is unacceptable. The tripod is the most convenient way smartphone mounts. We talked in more detail about tripods and their use in mobile photography in. Alternatively, you can mount your smartphone using a regular car holder, which every car enthusiast can find. This method is not universal, but it is suitable for shooting time-lapses with a view from the window. Be careful, glass suction cups tend to fall at the most inopportune moment - secure your smartphone. In addition to car holders, a variety of stands and docking stations are also suitable. The main condition is the ability to place the device horizontally.
Before shooting, do not forget to prepare your smartphone. First of all, make sure that there is enough space in the device memory to record a video. One minute of video in HD quality takes up approximately 100 MB of disk space - a ridiculous amount for our time, free up memory with a small margin.
The second detail is nutrition. Shooting video is an energy-consuming process; charge your smartphone battery in advance. Better yet, use a stationary power supply or an external battery in the field.
In addition, do not forget about weather conditions. Shooting in direct sunlight in calm weather can lead to overheating and damage the device. Unexpected rain will also be a surprise! Choose a shaded location that is open to the wind. If rain is forecast, take care to protect your smartphone.
The application interface is completely Russified. The main menu is divided into three tabs, in addition to the videos you shot, the best time-lapse videos from YouTube are aggregated in a separate section - a great place to look for inspiration!
The application supports two modes. The first of them, Photo Lapse, is useful when it is necessary to demonstrate how the photographed subject changes over a long period of time. The video is assembled from many individual frames, filmed at intervals of 24 hours to a week. At the same time, it is important to take photos from approximately one point, so that the photolapse does not turn into a slide show of frames that are not related to each other. Using this technique, you can demonstrate changes in people’s physical shape and appearance over time: weight loss, the result of gaining muscle mass, pregnancy, growing up. In addition, the technique will be useful for demonstrating the construction process, plant growth, and so on. For convenience, the application will automatically remind you of the next frame depending on the selected interval.
The second mode is Video Lapse; at first glance, the interface resembles a regular video recording. The key difference lies in the additional settings. The application allows you to adjust the resolution; all modes that the smartphone records are supported. Frame interval ranges from 0.1 second to 60 seconds, acceleration is 3 and 1800 times, respectively. The shooting duration is up to 12 hours, the application does not calculate the timing of the finished video in advance, you have to figure it out in your head. Once recording begins, the display brightness is reduced to its minimum setting to save power and prevent overheating.
Framelapse- alternative to TimeSpirit. The most downloaded time-lapse recording program on Google Play.
The application is not Russified, but the interface is simple and understandable even without knowledge in English. The main menu is the viewfinder window, no additional actions, launched and immediately began recording.
Like the previous program, Framelapse records videos in all supported resolutions. The maximum possible resolution is marked as Recommended. The interval between frames can be set from 0.1 seconds to 60 seconds. It is possible to set the duration of the finished video in advance; the informant on the main screen will notify you of the time required for recording. Among other things: timer, autofocus mode change, white balance adjustment, various effects and manual exposure compensation.
A special mode helps automatically calculate the interval between frames depending on the selected recording duration and the finished video. This function is announced in the PRO version, but for some reason it also works in the free version.
If, when creating a time-lapse, the wrong interval between frames was chosen or the finished video does not have enough contrast, you will have to edit the source material. One of the easiest video editors for Android - ActionDirector from CyberLink.
The application interface looks neat and not overloaded. Unfortunately, the menu is not Russified, but mastering the program will not cause any difficulties; each function is indicated graphically.
Time lapse is also known as “time lapse”. Interval photography. One frame per N-seconds (minutes). The resulting frames are then combined into a video sequence. Time-lapse photography itself is a very interesting thing that allows you to achieve quite interesting results.
All photographers have an ambiguous attitude towards time lapse. Some are delighted with it, while others do not understand why mock themselves and their equipment. They believe that a photograph is a wonderful moment, which should remain just a moment, and not turn into a video. After all, there is a different form of art for video.
I don’t want to force this technique on anyone, I just want to show that something like this exists. And I also wonder How do you feel about time lapse?
Information taken from le_mount . I still feel sorry for my camera)))
- Move the lens to manual focus. If this is not done, then on wide-angle lenses the camera can be aimed at different objects and even with one focal length the frame geometry can change from frame to frame.
- Attach a lens hood to avoid unnecessary glare.
- Turn off image stabilizers (on the lens or in the camera).
- Switch the camera to Manual Mode. For Astro Time Lapses, use approximately 30 seconds of shutter speed and 2 seconds between frames.
- Always use Manual Mode. If you still use AV or TV, then make sure that the exposure metering is set to Evaluative. It is preferable to use AV rather than TV.
- Set white balance to MANUAL and do not touch this setting while shooting time lapse. When you set AutoBB and shoot in JPG, you will simply waste time and have to throw everything away. If the shooting was carried out in RAW, then you can set the BB in Lightroom or another editor by processing one frame from the sequence and apply this setting to all other frames. It will take more time, but the result will be better.
- I recommend shooting in RAW. If this is one of the new Canon cameras, then you can set sRAW (half resolution), because even for FullHD-Video it is enough to shoot at 5 megapixels. Although higher resolution = greater processing capabilities. RAW will allow you to correct exposure and color flaws in post and remove noise.
- When shooting a new timelapse create a new folder on your camera(100EOS5D, 101EOS5D, 102EOS5D). This will make sorting on the post much easier.
- Now about the diaphragm. The fact is that the diaphragm cannot close to exactly the same position twice in a row, so there will be inevitable flicker in the video. There are two ways to solve the problem:
- a) use completely manual lenses;
- b) on Canon cameras set the required aperture, then press the button for checking the depth of field, and while holding it, turn the lens out a little. The aperture will remain in the set position. Of course, there will be problems with installing the lens hood (it may fall into the frame), and you will have to remember to tighten the filter. But there is an option to unscrew such a lens completely and screw it back, covering the contacts with paper or tape.
- The ratio of shutter speed to the interval between frames should be 2/1. those. If the shutter speed is 2 seconds, there should be 4 seconds between shutter releases. This is not necessary, but try to strive for it. This is explained by our usual perception of a film frame. If anyone is interested, google it shutter device. When shooting movies (24 frames per second), each frame is exposed for 1/48 of a second. those. twice as fast as film speed.
- The average interval between frames is approximately 4 seconds (shutter speed, accordingly, should be about 2 seconds). But usually in windy weather it is better to set it to 1-2 seconds, and closer to night, when the wind calms down, you can set it to more than 4 seconds.
- ISO no more than 3200 (5d mark II).
- As is known, from high temperature cameras make more noise, so if possible, protect your camera and lens from the sun (especially when shooting at a long focal length). As a last resort, a cap, T-shirt, etc. Make sure that it does not fall into the field of view of the lens.
- You can use LiveView to compose your frame by setting it to Exposure Simulation mode.
- Use a sturdy tripod.
- If you have time, shoot a test 20-40 timelapse frames and use the wheel to scroll through them. This will be enough to roughly estimate the future result.
- To save energy, you can turn off frame review after shooting.
- On the latest Canon cameras, you can save all parameters in settings C1-C3 and edit them on the spot according to the situation.
- Double (triple, quadruple) check all settings. Manual mode, IS, White Balance, RAW, save folder, battery charge, free space on the card.
- Relax, meditate and contemplate in the place where you installed the camera. Remember that it will be boring for a person to watch more than 30 seconds of a time lapse of one type if no major changes occur in the frame. 30 seconds = 750 frames with final video 25 fps.
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