How To Make a Time Lapse Video: Awesome Method, With Examples & Tutorials

So, you want to know how to make a time-lapse video?

You probably have seen one of these already (perhaps you even have the time of day!) and thought to yourself how much fun it would be to make your own.

Time lapses happen every day, aren’t they? They seem to take hours or even whole days to form.

You might not have noticed them though until you are looking through the window in the car and see that the scenery has changed dramatically. Then you may realize that you are about to fall asleep!

How To Make A Time-Lapse Video

How to make a time-lapse video has got to be one of those things that you can look forward to with immense pleasure.

Of course, if you have never been involved in anything like this, you are probably very confused. It really doesn’t look as fun as it looks on TV.

You may think to yourself that you could have just had someone record the time-lapse for you… but who is going to watch it?

If you record the time-lapse by yourself, you may end up with something that is terribly amateurish and it will be obvious that you made it in the first place.

But, if you use a professional time-lapse video maker, it will look professional and it will be clear. Plus, you won’t have to worry about getting it mastered (if you want to make more than one).

There is also no need for a complicated video camera either. With a high-quality digital camcorder and lens, you can turn a normal time-lapse video into one that looks like a professional movie.

That means that how to make a time-lapse video is something that can actually lead to making a full-length feature film.

   

How To Make A Time Lapse Video – The Process

The process of making a time-lapse can actually be very easy. It’s not rocket science, but you will need to do some research before you begin.

First of all, you will need to decide where you would like your time-lapse to be shot.

If you want it in the same location each frame, that will require some planning. For example, if you are going to use a very wide lens, you may have to move around the subject to keep the same shot from happening too many times.

You will also need to make sure that you get as much as you possibly can out of the time-lapse recorder. This will help you know exactly how much you will be able to capture.

For example, you may want to make sure that you get as many frames as possible.

The more views that you get, the better chances you have of getting people to watch your video.

Of course, this also increases the likelihood of you getting hits on the site that you have created it for.

There are many other options when it comes to the best way to make a time-lapse.

How To Make A Time-Lapse With A Digital Camera

It is easy once you get started. Just remember that you will want to make sure that you get as much content out of it as you possibly can.

Of course, this can be somewhat difficult because it is often difficult to edit out parts of the video that are annoying or which do not contribute to the story.

However, as long as you can focus on the content of the time lapse, you should have no trouble getting the right amount out of it.

As you see, there are many different things that you can do with a time-lapse video.

Whether you want to put together a short educational video, or you want to create something that is going to go viral, you can do it with a few simple steps.

All you need to do is take the time to learn about the process of creating these videos so that you know what needs to be done.

Once you know what you need to do, then you can set off and start working on the project. After a little bit of trial and error, you should be able to create an excellent how-to make a time-lapse video.

Here is a tutorial for you!

1. Switch your camera to Timelapse Movie mode by hitting the Menu button and finding Time-lapse Movie mode in the red menu.

2. Hit the Info button while you are in the Time-lapse Movie mode menu to access the settings for your Interval time and Number of Shots.

3. Select an Interval number to determine the frequency that you want your camera to take each shot, e.g. once every second or minute.

Your interval times will vary depending on your subject. For slower moving subjects, such as drifting clouds or blossoming flowers, you will need more time between shots (e.g. one shot every 20 or 30 seconds).

For faster-moving subjects, such as fast-moving traffic and busy cityscapes, you will need a shorter interval (e.g. one shot every 2 or 3 seconds).

4. Dial in your No. of Shots to tell your camera how many shots you would like in total.

Based on the Interval number and No. of Shots you dial in, your camera will then automatically tell you how much footage you will end up with and how long you will need to shoot in order to get it.

There are no hard and fast rules and each scene or project will call for different settings.

However, as a general rule of thumb, it’s worth remembering that most online content plays at around 24 or 25 frames per second (fps), so you’ll need around 25 images for every second of video footage.