TECH BREAK: How to take time-lapse videos

Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the camera records video at a very low frame rate in a sequence.

A frame in this case being the single images that are shot in a sequence to create motion pictures (videos).

The end result is a video that looks fast forwarded, like time is moving faster and hence the name Time-Lapse.

Most, if not all, cameras have the capability to shoot time-lapse videos, and I’m not only talking about the professional DSLR cameras but even the one on your smartphone.

Today’s smartphones have a wide range of functionality and if you are a creative chap, you will find the time-lapse feature in your camera particularly interesting.

Here’s what you need to take great time-lapse videos.

TIME-LAPSE VIDEO

First things first, the key to time-lapse photography is to be as still and steady as a rock with your phone and since that is nearly impossible, I recommend getting a smartphone tripod.

The second key aspect is that you need to choose your location wisely since you may need to spend even more an hour at the location.

A minute-long time-lapse video may take close to an hour or more to create depending on the frame rate.

On location, you also want to pick a place with activity in the background. Moving objects make for great time-lapse videos, so think outside the box.

I took the video above out of my window, and it took me about five hours to shoot it and another five minutes to edit.

Such type of media also takes up a lot of space, so you probably need to have enough storage on your phone. The original video above before editing consumed 844 MBs of disk space on my phone, and the file was just seven minutes long although the size may vary depending on the smartphone.

If for some reason you don’t have the time-lapse feature in your camera, you can look around the Google Play store for third party Apps that can do so. Framelapse is a great place to start. Good luck!