I've always found those videos that look like a sunrise in quick motion, or how a flower blooms, etc. seemed super interesting. The truth is that it seemed very complicated until I gave it a try and I discovered that with the mobile it was really easy. Well, okay, it does not have the quality or creativity that a time lapse can have taken photo by photo with a SLR camera or similar, edited one by one and then joined in postproduction, as Iaio told you here . But it is much simpler, accessible and has the same functionality. If it is not for something professional and you follow certain advices, your time lapse can be of cinema. And so you can see for yourself, I tell you step by step.
WHAT IS A TIME LAPSE
Although it has this name so ... English;), it is actually a quick camera video . It is a technique used to show very quickly something that happens at very slow speeds and even imperceptible to the human eye. It consists of taking certain photos in a time interval and joining them in a video. And since the limits of creativity are infinite, you can use this technique for multiple reasons. For example, it is now widely used for those video recipes shared on social networks. In two minutes, for example, you can see how to prepare a dish that is made in about two hours.WHAT DO YOU NEED
Doing a time-lapse with the mobile does not require as much equipment as if it were with a reflex. As I said at the beginning, it is very simple. You will see that the first three are essential, the rest depends :- Your mobile , surely you have one. Either with the native camera that has a time-lapse option or with an application installed to do them. Below I tell you some.
- A tripod for mobile. I have this and it is wonderful. Because it works for the camera, the phone and if you have GoPro , too. It has a remote trigger and you can place it wherever you want because its legs are flexible. If you are interested, leave a comment and dedicate a more in-depth article. One trick: if you don't have a tripod, while you get it or not, you can try a mobile holder. But it is very important that the phone does not move at all while recording. And this is not a second in which you can remain in statue mode with a prize pulse. Here may be hours.
Mobile tripod - A reason. Yes, something to photograph. Your motive I have chosen the sunrise to set it as an example, but you can photograph a road from a bridge, people walking in an interesting place, the clouds, a sunset, etc. Anything that moves in a fixed environment will help you achieve a time-lapse. The game of light seems very interesting to me, so I chose this motive. Now, I recognize that my low-light phone works regularly. Other tests I've done (for pure fun) with more light have resulted in better image quality. I tell you in case it is something that worries you especially, if you don't mind, forget all this last roll
- Extreme battery. It is not essential, but if you are going to do a very long time-lapse, you will probably need it. Imagine that you want to record the opening of a flower, or a city from when the sun rises until it sets… the battery of your smartphone can last a lot (or not), but it sure won't work miracles;). Here is an example.
- Some entertainment to hang out. Depending on how long you are going to be recording you will need to pull something that entertains you. If you have a company to chat with, great, if not, you can take one of our books on your iPad or any other of our recommendations. To give an example. If yours is not reading, you will surely find some other hobby;).
- Others. Water and food if you are going to be many hours. If it is summer and you will be in the sun, you better take an umbrella or umbrella, a good hat and a thermos with cool water. If it is winter, warm clothes and dry socks can prevent a good cold.
HOW CAN YOU DO IT?
There are two ways to do a time-lapse, as I have already advanced.-
- Take many photos and join them with a video editing program.
- The easy version, directly if the native camera of your smartphone offers time-lapse option , which is what I used in this case. Or, if you don't have it, as I told you at the beginning, use some application. For example:
- Lapse It ( Android / iOS ). The best thing about this application is that you can modify certain parameters. For example, deciding the time interval in which you want the photos, something really very useful. Although to modify some of them you are asked for the Pro version ( Android / iOS ).
- Hyperlapse ( iOS ). Record a video and then you can process it with the speed you want (1x, 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x, 12x). It also applies to record a normal video and stabilize it if you don't have a tripod. You leave it at 1x speed and although it is not seen with the fluidity of a normal video, it is much more stabilized.
- Framelapse ( Android / iOS ) There is also the pro version ( Android / iOS ). With the free application you can, once the time-lapse is completed , edit it. More or less brightness or contrast and apply some of its filters. This has not convinced me much in its free version, but it is best to try and see which one works best for you, just like you get the point and you like it better. In the end everyone has their favorite tools;).
PLAN
In planning there is a high percentage of success that you can get with your time-lapse. Especially when it has to do with the sun, light, clouds, etc. Keep in mind the weather, or the place where the sun will rise , or when is the ideal time to capture it right where you want it to appear. The Photopills or The Photographer´s Ephemeris applications can help you in this regard.A MATTER OF TIME
It is also important that you consider time. Depending on how much you want your time-lapse to last you will have to record more or less time. It also depends on the reason the interval must be greater or less. Let's look at this in more detail. Aspects to consider.FRAMES PER SECOND
In the US, 30 photos are used per second (fps) which offers more fluid results than in Europe, which is 25 fps.MOTIVE SPEED
The faster the subject moves, the smaller the interval should be. For example:- Cars or people moving: between 2 and 5 seconds.
- Clouds: about 10 seconds.
- Flowers blooming: between 20 minutes and one hour.
- Fall or sunrise: about 10 seconds
- High sun movement: between 20 and 30 seconds.
| Trigger interval | 5s |
|---|---|
| Total number of photos | 360 |
| Total memory used | 5.63GB |
Also available in the PhotoPills app
Embed it in your web
ERRORS TO AVOID
I leave you with some errors that it would be convenient for you to avoid to achieve a better result. Some from own experience;):- If you take the horizon, make sure it is straight. In a photo it is very easy to fix it in postproduction. But if you record a video the thing gets complicated. Maybe not, it may be very easy for a video expert, but for those of us who move only in the field of photos ... I'm afraid it would be better to do it from the beginning. I thought I was straight, now I see that not quite;). For my defense I will go to my brain half asleep by the early bird; P
- Make sure you have enough space on your phone to record the time-lapse . I was a little overwhelmed because I realized in the middle that I had not emptied the memory of my mobile phone. If I had not been suffering from this detail, it would have resulted in a longer video.
- Batteries Luckily I didn't sin here (sigh of relief). But just in case, I remind you. Put your phone to charge before making your time-lapse. And if you plan to last long, an external battery can be your salvation.
- Lack of light. The biggest problem of the smartphone when taking pictures is that its smaller sensor makes it difficult to capture the light. That is why the difference between photos with a lot of light and with little is very significant. Make sure you have enough light to illuminate your time-lapse.
- Do not record vertically. We love vertical frames, however, video and mobile are not recommended.
- A bad composition. It is not a photo, but a set of photos. You might think that with the motive moving the thing works. It's not like that. It can be an example, to practice, to try and play. But if you want a time-lapse that you like, take care of the composition, beyond capturing the straight horizon. Be sure to capture the viewer's gaze, which will attract the global image, even if the elements move.
THE RESULT
Here you have my humble contribution with my humble smartphone. With my successes and my failures. For my experience to help you learn.IDEAS TO AWAKEN YOUR CREATIVITY
I have recorded a sunrise for you. You, with your mobile phone, can record this or any other reason you can think of. Here are some ideas to wake up your bug:- a cake in the oven
- visitors to your photography exhibition
- a ship at sea
- cars from a bridge
- people at the exit of a cinema
- a football match (basketball, tennis or whatever you like)
- the waves of the sea on the shore
- blooming flowers
- how sunlight interacts over a building
- product manufacturing
- a dance
- a change of look (hairstyle, makeup, costume ...)
YOUR TURN
I hope that getting up at six in the morning to record it was worth it and you had a crazy desire to record your first time-lapse. This time there are no excuses that you don't have reflex or style;). If you feel like it, you can. Then, if you feel like it, you can tell us your experience in the comments. Or add some idea as a reason to capture. And if you liked it or found it useful, do not forget to share it on your favorite social network and give it a “Like”, so I will know if the contents we prepare for you are to your liking;). Thanks and see you soon!