DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Here are six different ways you can shoot a timelapse

Jun 3, 2019 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Timelapses aren’t always as fun to make as they are to watch. The shooting process involves a lot of sitting down and just waiting for it to be done. But the results usually make it well worth it. But how many different ways can we actually shoot timelapse? This video from Rob Nelson at Science Filmmaking Tips we look at six different ways we can shoot timelapse from the super basic to more advanced setups.

Shooting timelapse tends to go through phases for people who really get into it, and these are basically those phases that many timelapse photographers go through. But they’re logical steps, each getting slightly more advanced than the previous one, offering you more control and quality.

Shoot video and speed it up in post

This is the most simple way to create timelapses, and it’s where many of us start out. We just shoot video, and then speed it up. Does the job, right? Well, yes and no. Depending on what you’re shooting, this can result in very jerky footage, because lots of the in-between frames get skipped, and with the relatively short shutter speeds required for video, you’re not really capturing any sense of motion.

For slower moving subjects like clouds or snails, then you don’t notice this lack of motion so much. But for things like people walking or cars moving, you do. Premiere Pro and other software has features that allow you to blend multiple frames together when you speed up video, which can help, but it can also introduce some pretty severe ghosting.

In-camera Timelapse Video

I’ve used this method before a couple of times, but only in cameras that have forced me to, because they offer no other option. Here, you tell your camera the interval you want to shoot, sometimes you get manual control over the exposure and it proceeds to take a picture at the interval you’ve set. When it’s all done, it compiles it all out to a single video clip.

This can be a great way to shoot a quick timelapse while using as little space on your memory cards as possible. But you don’t get a massive amount of control this way. The final video often has heavy compression and is relatively low resolution (at best, it’s 4K) compared to actual still images shot by your camera. So, there’s little freedom in post to incorporate a virtual pan or zoom, or to rotate to correct a slight non-level horizon.

Shooting a bunch of RAW images

This offers you the ultimate in control over how the images are captured and what you can do with them in post. You’re utilising the full resolution of the sensor, and you’re getting the most dynamic range captured in that 12, 14 or 16-bit raw file. You get to tweak your white balance and all of the other settings in post that you get to tweak on other regular photographs, but you also have complete control over the compression used when you render it out. And scaling down from a huge image to a 4K video file results in generally sharper footage, too.

Many cameras have a feature built-in to allow them to take photos at intervals. Nikon DSLRs have had it for about 15 years. Canon has had it for a few. I think Sony might have finally allowed you to install an app to do it again. For those that don’t, you can use an external intervalometer to control the interval. I prefer wireless intervalometers because there’s no risk of knocking the tripod. Just be careful you don’t walk out of range of your camera.

Get your camera moving

After figuring out the best image quality workflow, the next thing to take your timelapse work up a notch is to get the camera moving. The most obvious way to do this is with a camera slider. There are simple sliders that simple move the camera from one end of the rail to the other, or there are more advanced systems which offer full pan & tilt control.

Shoot Hyperlapse

This takes moving the camera to the next level, because you don’t have any computerised control like you do with a slider or pan & tilt head. Here it’s all manual, it’s all about you. There are a couple of ways to shoot hyperlapse.

The first is that you have the camera set up on a tripod, and you move that tripod at fixed increments between taking each shot, and you only take the shot once it’s moved the right amount and you’ve realigned your shot. The other means putting your camera on a gimbal, having it automatically just keep firing every second or two, and then walk your path with it.

Both methods come with some caveats, and both will probably require some kind of stabilisation in post, but if you’re shooting raw, you have the resolution to do so.

Long Term Timelapse

Seeing a scene in person even every single day might not show a lot of change. Some things just take a really long time to notice the differences. And this is where long term timelapse comes in. They’re a solid commitment, though, and not something you people doing all that often. Mostly because they require your kit to be tied up for days, weeks, months, or even years at a time.

But if you’ve got a camera or two lying around doing nothing for months at a time, this can be a good use for them.

Have you tried all of these? Which method do you use the most to shoot timelapse?

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

It took six hours and 400,000 images to shoot this timelapse of massive solar activity Six ways to film like a cinematographer but think like an editor Six ways to find time for photography in your busy everyday life How to shoot smooth timelapse of fast moving subjects during the day

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Rob Nelson, timelapse, tutorial

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This 1-minute timelapse shot from the ISS shows a third of our planet captured over half an hour
These photos show what a sunset looks like from space »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Comparing iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 for astrophotography
  • Don’t buy a Z8 directly from Nikon, customers say
  • YouTube is killing off “Stories” to focus on Shorts and Live
  • Four ways to shoot epic stop motion hyperlapse with a smartphone gimbal
  • Canon reported to be working on a “zoomable” teleconverter

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy