Pressed for time but need to show the passage of time on video? A time lapse video is an amazing production technique. With a time lapse video, you can do exactly that.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to do a time lapse video. We’ll explore tips and tricks for producing a time lapse. When we’re finished, you’ll know how to make a time lapse video of your own - easily!
Let’s get started!
What is a Time Lapse Video?
So, what is a time lapse video? You’ve likely seen them before, but what does it mean?
Well, a time lapse video is a clip where the frame rate and playback speed don’t match. In other words, you may watch a minute-long clip. But instead of lasting a minute, it could be filmed over an hour. What this does is condense action into a watchable frame.
Check out the example below from Envato Elements for an impressive time lapse.
Think of the advantages of time lapse videos. Learning how to create time lapse video can share a major change in a short period. These are just a few, but consider how to incorporate them into your next video project:
- Rapid action. Want to shoot a video of a sunrise from full dark until full day? While this is a beautiful capture, audiences might not want to spend an hour watching it. With a time lapse, you can condense the action into a few moments - with no loss of detail. It’s like watching a long video on fast forward.
- Enhanced rates of change. Similar to the above, time lapse videos let you speed up the rate of change. Imagine filming a video of the construction of a bridge or office building. It might last months, and at any given moment, would be incredibly dull. With a time lapse video, you can show the entire process coming to life very quickly.
- Showing the unexpected. This may seem counterintuitive. Yet, time lapse videos can bring attention to changes you might not otherwise notice. The speed of playback means trends emerge visually that could otherwise be missed.
- Creative storytelling. Video content is everywhere. That means, as a content creator, you really need to stand out. Time lapse videos are eye-catching. Not everyone films these. Try them to help your videos grab views and audience attention.
As you can see, a time lapse video is an amazing way to film in 2024 and beyond. Think of learning how to do a time lapse video as a new medium. Read on to learn all you’ll need to know about how to create time lapse video designs of your own.
Ideas for Time Lapse Videos: Filming Inspiration
We’ve looked at the benefits of shooting time lapse videos. But what should you film a time lapse of? I like to think of these in two key categories: urban scenes and nature scenes. Both cityscapes and the world around you can really benefit from a time lapse. Let’s explore some key examples for creative inspiration:
1. A Night Sky Time Lapse
A magical way to bring the darkness to life, try a night sky time lapse. This is a perfect way to use time lapse videography. Look up at the stars, and you can’t see them in motion. But when filmed over hours, the shifting cosmos becomes apparent.
2. A Cityscape Time Lapse
The ebbs and flows of city life are a classic example of dynamic motion. But in real time, they seem more chaotic than choreographed. A cityscape time lapse lets your audience see the patterns in this motion. Think of it for filming sidewalks, roads, trains, and so much more.
3. A Wilderness Time Lapse
Nature time lapses are incredibly popular, and with good reason. Like in the video above, you can capture sunsets, flowing rivers, and more. While these scenes appear static at any given moment, a time lapse brings out the life and motion they contain.
4. A Construction Time Lapse
Building takes time, but at speed, it’s a dramatic process. Construction time lapses like this show the process in action. These are especially useful if you have work-in-process tasks that you want to share with your clients, for example.
How to Shoot a Time Lapse
We’ve explored the benefits of time lapse video. And we’ve looked at some cool and inspiring ideas for how to take time lapse video. Now, let’s look at how to make a time lapse video of your own. There are a few ways to do exactly that. It really depends on what type of camera equipment you’re working with.
1. Shooting a Time Lapse Video on Mobile Devices
Filming your own time lapse videos is easier than ever. Why is that? Because of mobile phone cameras. Gone are the days when you had to have a digital SLR or expensive video camera. Now, you likely have all the technology needed to film time lapses right in your pocket.
Mobile cameras won’t always have the high quality of professional equipment. But they’re also very hard to defeat for simplicity. After all, you don’t have to carry around heavy cameras.
And you also don’t have to worry about post-production edit. Simply choose to record a time lapse video on mobile, and you’ll have the finished result ready the moment you stop recording.
Again, these features are built-in to most popular smartphones. You'll even find them on some newer tablets like iPads. Generally, you’ll find these in the Camera app.
Choose the Time-Lapse mode, tap to focus, and hit Record. Keep in mind: be sure you have your device kept very still. Handheld time lapse videos are virtually impossible to capture. You’ll likely introduce oscillations into your videos that make them hard to watch.
2. Using a Camera to Film Time Lapse Video
Want to see how to take time lapse video on your camera? You can do this with both still and video cameras. Learning how to do a time lapse video doesn't require owning both. Often, the decision point here is the length of your time lapse video.
Need a time lapse of a skyscraper under construction? A year-long video would be impossibly large in size. Here, it’s best to use still images. For shorter time lapse videos that capture only a few minutes of action, you can’t beat video for seamless and elegant motion.
For still time lapse “videos”, you’ll set your camera to take a burst. This means capturing the same photo over a period of time. Again, be sure you have a tripod or mounting point. Introducing unwanted motion is a no-no. These stills can then be placed in order in a video editing app. When you play the clip at an accelerated pace, boom, you have a basic time lapse video - made of still images!
Video cameras, on the other hand, work differently. Many will have a Time-Lapse mode built in. It works much more like the features on mobile phones described above. Essentially, you’ll activate the Time-Lapse mode and walk away. Your camera will automatically capture the inputs needed to produce a finished time lapse.
They’ll also give you more customization features. You can control how often images are captured. This controls the look and feel of the motion in your time lapse videos. This timing is called the interval, and it’s all-important. In the tips section below, we’ll look at interval in more detail.
You’ve just learned how to time lapse video. As you can see, this works with both cameras and mobile devices. Read on for top tips and tricks to help make your time lapse videos truly special.
5 Top Tips for Time Lapse Videos
Above are the basics for how to do a time lapse video. You’ll find what you need to know about how to take time lapse video. But to elevate your productions, embrace these five tips and tricks:
1. Scout Scenes Ahead of Time
When you think of how to create time lapse video, it pays to understand the environment you’re filming in. Unwanted - and even unnoticed - details can derail otherwise great time lapse videos.
- How to Make Great Landscape Photographs With Your SmartphoneMarie Gardiner25 Jun 2018
This is especially true for very long time lapse recordings. The rule of thumb here is to control and plan for any distracting elements that may enter your frame.
2. Understand and Adjust the Interval
Above, we briefly discussed the importance of interval. As we said, the interval is the time period between the capture of consecutive frames. It’s not something you’ll think about in everyday photography or filming. But with time lapse videos, interval becomes all-important.
The first rule of thumb: your interval value has to be greater than your shutter speed value. (We’ll explore shutter speed below). Ultimately, think of how much motion you’re trying to capture. A rapid interval isn’t needed for a construction time lapse. But it can be essential for faster movement.
The length of time you’re filming a time lapse for is another deciding factor. Filming over weeks or months? Odds are, a shorter interval is perfect. You’ll save file size and still get a stunning time lapse effect in your finished video.
3. Control the Shutter Speed
Shutter speed helps you control how fluid and smooth motion is. Remember the rule from above: your shutter speed needs to be less than the interval time. This gives your camera the time it needs to process each individual frame in the overall shot.
- How to Add Motion to Your Documentary With a TimelapseSlavik Boyechko25 Mar 2017
Smoothing motion requires a slower shutter speed. This delivers a softer and smoother look to a time lapse video. There’s some balancing here. It’s often useful to try a few short time lapse sample videos before recording your finished product. This way, you can dial in your finished settings risk-free.
4. Consider Adding Motion
We’ve talked about the value of removing unwanted motion from time lapse video recordings. But that doesn’t mean every one has to be perfectly still! It’s often useful to film a time lapse with deliberate motion introduced. For example, a very slow pan lends depth and weight to a scene.
- How to Use a Jib to Add Motion to Your DocumentarySlavik Boyechko19 Apr 2017
This is often done with a boom or tripod that lets you add smooth panning. The key difference between normal recordings lies in the speed of the motion. For a longer time lapse, the motion you add to your camera will need to be almost imperceptible in real time.
5. Remember a Power Source
As you’ve learned how to create time lapse video, you’ve surely seen that it takes time. So much time, in fact, that your camera or device may not survive on batteries alone! For long time lapse videos, it’s essential to find a steady and reliable power source.
If you can, there’s no substitute for plugging into an electrical outlet. This serves up a virtually unlimited supply of power. But if you’re filming in the field, this may not be an option.
Generators, or even rechargeable battery packs, can provide the boost you need. After all, there’s nothing worse than finding out your batteries went dead midway through your filming.
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Start Taking Time Lapse Videos Today.
In this video, you learned how to make a time lapse video of your own. As you can tell, it lets you add interest to scenes that aren’t readily changing. Whether it’s a jobsite or a sunrise, making a time lapse helps you tell your story on video. And in 2024, it’s easier than ever. If you’re only carrying your phone, you have everything you need to film a spectacular time lapse.
So, what are you waiting for? You now know how to do a time lapse video. Imagine what you can create. Then, go outside and get started today!
