How to Shoot and Edit Day to Night Time-lapses Using LR Timelapse

One of the more recent trends in time-lapse videos has been capturing the transition from day to night. While the process might seem like a difficult one, it’s fairly straightforward once you have down the basics.

To teach you those basics, photographer/cinematographer Cal Thomson has created this helpful tutorial.

In the ten minute tutorial, Thomson breaks down the various elements of capturing a transitional time-lapse, from the camera settings to the special program he uses to process the stills.

When shooting, Thomson says he usually opts for manual mode and RAW files, to have more control of quality and aesthetic from beginning to end. He notes though that aperture priority is also an option, so long as you’re aware of the challenges this convenience brings.Once the images are captured, Thomson brings them in to Lightroom, edits them as needed to create a consistent aesthetic and imports them into LR Timelapse, a third-party Lightroom plugin that automatically ‘ramps’ exposures for images to create the most seamless time-lapse possible.

The key to Thomson’s workflow is without a doubt the LR Timelapse plugin, which takes the most time-consuming aspect of post-production almost entirely out of the equation. Thomson makes sure to note that this isn’t a promotional video for either Adobe or LR Timelapse, stating, he shared them in the video because ‘[he] thinks they’re genuinely good products.’

You can go download LR Timelapse for free and test it yourself. If you end up liking the program, you can purchase a license for 99 Euro (approximately US$105).

For more videos from Thomson, you can head on over and subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

[via ISO 1200]