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making a time lapse
- Thread starter rweakins
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most time lapse stuff is done with still cameras (events that take a long time, say construction of a building, or the moon passing across the sky take hours or months, so thats an awful lot of video to shoot. where as setting a camera to snap a pic once an hour, day or week, is much easier and obviously wouldnt require tons of tape) you snap a series of photos, then make a folder with all of them in order, and can open them in quicktime as an "image sequence" - set the frame rate and then export out to a video format.
My tips to you: If you're using a video camera, don't touch it once you've started. Don't even walk near it. Vibrations will shake the camera.
If you're using a still camera, get a cable release. You don't want to have to touch the camera to take a shot. Also, tripods, or a very stable surface, are pretty much required for both cases.
If you're using a still camera, get a cable release. You don't want to have to touch the camera to take a shot. Also, tripods, or a very stable surface, are pretty much required for both cases.
Using a DSLR
I have a Canon EOS 20D and i can use the supplied software (EOS Capture) to get the camera to take a photo at regular intervals, via USB control, and save it directly to the computers hard drive.
Obviously if you are doing shots over a very long timeframe, you may need to change the battery, or alternatively i have 240V (I'm in Australia) wall socket adapter, which powers the camera straight from the mains.
If using a video camera be prepared to use a heck of a lot of tape, or tapes.
I have a Canon EOS 20D and i can use the supplied software (EOS Capture) to get the camera to take a photo at regular intervals, via USB control, and save it directly to the computers hard drive.
Obviously if you are doing shots over a very long timeframe, you may need to change the battery, or alternatively i have 240V (I'm in Australia) wall socket adapter, which powers the camera straight from the mains.
If using a video camera be prepared to use a heck of a lot of tape, or tapes.
No EOS Capture for all Canon SLR ???
I have a brand new Canon EOS 400D and there's no "EOS Capture" provided, just some "EOS Utility" that does not seem to allow time lapse photography. It makes me sad ! Where can I find EOS Capture ?
i do the good ol fashoned, leave the camera on till the tape runs out, then speed it up in fce. if youre going to use this method, i suggest using a tape only for time lapses, just incase any artifacts are left.
This only works for 60min lapses at a time.
Having to change the tape, capture the entire 60mins, just to speed it up to, say, 1 minute for the entire hour, is alot of work.
I just did a 14 hour timelapse of a corporate show ballroom setup using my Canon Digital Rebel and the Canon RemoteCapture program on my Powerbook. I now have a spectacular, full HD movie of the entire setup!
My biggest tip, no matter what camera you use is SET EVERYTHING TO MANUAL: Focus, white balance, exposure (shutter speed/aperature on a still cam), and gain. If you don't, your camera will auto adjust for each and every frame, causing brightness/color shifts as things move around. And that is very distracting in the final movie.
My biggest tip, no matter what camera you use is SET EVERYTHING TO MANUAL: Focus, white balance, exposure (shutter speed/aperature on a still cam), and gain. If you don't, your camera will auto adjust for each and every frame, causing brightness/color shifts as things move around. And that is very distracting in the final movie.
really? I thought it was a good thing that it would autofocus and auto adjust I just set my rebel st to do a time lapse of a flower its only going to be for 48 hours and it a in p mode we ll see how it goes
I have done a couple time lapse movies and I use a firewire camcorder hooked up to my mac. I use iMovie6 and set it to capture frames at set times. I also just got a Nikon D300 that will let me take pictures at a certain time interval. Check out www.599productions.com for a couple cool time lapse videos.
This place...
This place in my signature www.stevenpriceproductions.com offers video tutorials on two different types of timelapse (with actor, without actor). worth checking out.
This place in my signature www.stevenpriceproductions.com offers video tutorials on two different types of timelapse (with actor, without actor). worth checking out.
i just finished the time lapse i did about a flower, here is a link to it, tell me what you guys think.
http://www.vimeo.com/804275
http://www.vimeo.com/804275