You might be surprised that there’s really just a single extra step when creating timelapse videos from still photos, and that’s because of a great Final Cut Pro feature: compound videos. Most of the time, you’ll want to add a music track, so in that case I choose the music first, add that to the timeline and then set the duration of the video to match the exact length of the music clip (in the above example, it’s 37 seconds).Ĭheck out my video walkthrough below for detailed instructions. Generally, around 30 seconds is a good length for a finished timelapse – that ensures enough action/change in the light to hold people’s attention. Click the Duration radio button and type in the desired length of the finished video.Press CMD-R to retime it and select the Custom option.Click on the clip in the timeline to select it.Click on it to select it, then press W to place the clip onto the timeline.The bullet-point version of the instructions is this: The simplest case is that you have a single video clip, so let’s start with that before looking at the single extra step you need to take if working from still photos. The above example, which was rather lacking in actual sun, was 28 minutes – which was more than 3,000 photos, shooting one every half a second. For a sunset shot, for example, you’ll typically want to shoot for about 40-45 minutes to take you from the pre-sunset view to the blue hour. I’d intended to zoom in during the timelapse, but the low-light shots were just too noisy to allow this.Ĭhoose a time long enough for interesting changes. For example, this is something I shot with a GoPro Hero 5. Use the best quality camera you can, especially for low-light shots. The number of frames you shoot can vary a little depending on the subject, but because more is always better than fewer, I recommend two frames per second if your camera allows this. Changing exposure also won’t accurately reflect changes in light levels while you shoot, which is especially important for sunrise or sunset timelapses. If you don’t, it will automatically adjust the exposure between shots, and you’ll end up with annoying flickering. The most important thing you need to do on the technical side is to put your camera in manual mode. But if you do find yourself on the move without either, don’t worry: placing the camera on a wall, step or anything that will stop it moving will do the job – a tripod just gives you more flexibility in position and angle. I use this compact tripod, which is really easy to carry and more than good enough for my Sony a6300 compact camera. That needn’t mean carrying much kit with you. The simplest way to do this is putting it on a tripod, Gorillapod or similar. Unless you have a fancy rig to slowly move the camera as you shoot – in which case you’re unlikely to be reading a how-to guide on the basics of timelapse videos – you obviously need to keep the camera completely still while you shoot. The whole process, from importing the video or stills to uploading the finished result to YouTube or Facebook requires less than five minutes of actual work, plus a bit of hanging around waiting for Final Cut to do its thing. You’ll need to be a little more patient waiting for Final Cut to do the necessary processing, but in terms of the work you need to do, there’s only one extra step. But if you prefer to shoot stills – or are using a camera that can’t shoot video – that’s fine too. The simplest method is to shoot video in the first place, then all you need do is compress the duration of the clip. ![]() I had been holding out on this one hoping for better weather for the demo video, but as the weather gods aren’t cooperating, we’ll go with what I’ve got … But if you want to use another camera, Final Cut Pro X makes it a really simple process to create a timelapse video, regardless of whether you’re working from video footage or still photos. So if you want to use your iPhone or iPad to shoot, you’re good to go. The iPhone, of course, has a built-in timelapse feature – and a very clever one it is too. If you find yourself hanging out for a while at a scenic spot, creating a timelapse video can be a great way to share the experience with friends.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |