How to Shoot and Edit a Time Lapse Video on Phone/Computer

Time lapse videos can turn patience into spectacular. The hours or days of footage are compressed into a fast-moving video. You can see a sunset, a plant growing, and a city street swelling and emptying within 30 seconds. No matter whether you use the phone's time lapse mode or edit your footage after recording, you can get the detailed steps here.

What People Struggle With Time Lapse Videos

A time lapse video compresses a long period of time into a short video by recording frames at set intervals and playing them back at normal speed. However, there are many problems that you may encounter before or during time lapses.

• Stop recording early. The phone storage fills up mid-session before the shoot ends.
• Black flashes in the video. There are dropped frames from Lightroom's slideshow export.
• Camera shake. One bump ruins the entire sequence.
• Export too short. The frame math is easy to get wrong. 30 minutes at 1 frame per 5 seconds = 360 frames = just 12 seconds at 30fps.
• Choppy motion. The interval is too long. Fast-moving subjects need tighter spacing between shots.
• Massive file sizes. The 3,000 4K images can eat through storage fast.
• Phone overheating. This problem usually happens on common or older models during long outdoor sessions.

Capture with the iPhone and Android Time-Lapse Mode

Both iPhone and Android can handle time lapse natively. Even though you don't have a dedicated camera or intervalometer, you can turn your phone into a time-lapse camera. It is suggested to mount the phone on a tripod to avoid subtle movements. And you can enable airplane mode to avoid vibrations from incoming calls or notifications. (See solutions to fix Do Not Disturb not working on iPhone if necessary.)

Use iPhone Time-Lapse Mode

• 1.Open the Camera app.
• 2.Swipe right to the Time-Lapse mode.
• 3.Tap the "Record" button to start and stop recording.

There are no manual controls. The time lapse video recording is straightforward. You can use the 1× lens for the sharpest result. If you want to prevent sudden brightness shift (such as lightning changes), you can tap and hold on your subject to lock AE/AF.

Use Android Time-Lapse Mode (Pixel & Samsung)

You can get a bit more control on Android. If you take timelapses on Pixel, see the steps below.

• 1.Open the Camera app first.
• 2.Switch to "Video" and then tap "Time Lapse".
• 3.Tap the "Auto" button to choose a speed multiplier manually.

If you record time lapse on a Samsung, the feature is labeled as "Hyperlapse". You can find this option by swiping through camera modes.

Speed Up an Existing Video to Make a Time Lapse Video

4Easysoft Total Video Converter provides a one-stop timelapse workflow. You can get a built-in Video Speed Controller to adjust the playback speed from 0.125× to 8×. Moreover, you can stabilize shaky videos, reduce video noise, adjust brightness, and more details in clicks within its Video Enhancer. There are also 20+ editing tools alongside the speed controller, including video compressor, merger, and more.

Step 1Open 4Easysoft Total Video Converter.

Step 2Click the "Toolbox" button at the top. Find and click the "Video Speed Controller" button.

Step 3Upload your video. Adjust the video playback speed with 0.125×, 0.25×, 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 2×, 4×, and 8× options. Change the output FPS and path folder. Then click the "Export" button.

How to Calculate Time Lapse Duration

This formula covers everything:

Total shots ÷ Frame rate = Final video length

So if you shoot 600 photos at 30fps, you get 20 seconds of final video. That's it.

Many people get wrong about the interval in timelapse videos. It is not easy to set how often the camera takes a shot. If you set it too long, your video may end in 3 seconds. If you set it too short, the motion video looks choppy.

Here is a quick reference:

Still confused? Check this quick example. If you shoot a sunset for 30 minutes at a 10-second interval, you will get 180 shots, which is about 6 seconds at 30fps. If you want to get a 15-second time lapse video, you need to shoot for 75 minutes, or you can tighten the interval to 4 seconds.

Tips for Better Time Lapse Footage

• Use a tripod. Because any camera movement ruins a time lapse.
• Turn off auto-exposure. Lock exposure to prevent flickering between frames.
• Turn off auto focus. Make sure to lock focus before starting.
• Shoot in RAW if possible. It can fix flickering and exposure.
• Charge fully and bring extra batteries. Long time lapse sessions drain batteries faster than normal shooting.
• Check storage before you start. If your phone run out of storage in the mid-recording, it stops with no recovery option.
• Use an interval shorter than you think. Faster-moving subjects always need shorter intervals than expected.

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