Time-lapse videos are a creative way to capture the changes in a scene over a period of time. They can show the movement of clouds, the growth of plants, the traffic in a city, and more. But sometimes, you may want to slow down the speed of your time-lapse video to make it more dramatic or detailed. In this article, we will show you how to slow down a time-lapse video on your iPhone using the built-in camera settings and some third-party apps.
Understanding Time-Lapse Videos
Before we dive into the methods of slowing down a time-lapse video, let’s first understand how they are created and what makes a good subject for them.
How Are They Created?
A time-lapse video is essentially a series of photos taken at regular intervals and then stitched together to create a video. The interval between each photo determines how fast the video will play.
For example, if you take a photo every second, your video will play 30 times faster than real-time (assuming 30 frames per second). If you take a photo every 10 seconds, your video will play 300 times faster than in real time.
The iPhone has a built-in Time-Lapse shooting mode that automatically adjusts the interval based on the duration of your recording. The longer you record, the longer the interval will be. This means that your video will always be around 20 to 40 seconds long, regardless of how long you record. However, this is also an indication that you do not have much control over the speed of the video.
What Makes a Good Subject?
Not every scene is suitable for a time-lapse video. You need to choose a subject that has some noticeable changes or movements over time. For example, a sunset, a flower blooming, a construction site, etc. You also need to consider the lighting, the stability, and the composition of your shot. You want to have enough light to capture clear images, a tripod or a stable surface to avoid camera shake, and a pleasing angle and framing to make your video attractive.
Using Built-In Camera Settings to Adjust Time-Lapse Speed
If you are happy with the default speed of your time-lapse video, you don’t need to do anything else. But if you want to slow it down, to change the playback speed, you get the option to use the built-in editing tools on your iPhone
Here are the steps to do that:
- Open the Photos app and select the time-lapse video that you would like to edit.
- At the top right corner of the screen, you will find the Edit button, you need to tap on it.
- Tap on the Time icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see a slider that shows the duration of your video and the speed factor.
- To slow down your video, you have to drag the slider to the left. You can choose from 1x (normal speed), 1/2x, 1/4x, and 1/8x. The lower the speed factor, the longer your video will be.
- Tap on the Done button to save your changes.
Using Third-Party Apps to Control Time-Lapse Speed
If you want to have more control over the speed of your time-lapse video, you get the option of using third-party apps that would offer you more features and options.
Here are two of them:
Hyperlapse App
Hyperlapse is a free app from Instagram that lets you create smooth and stabilized time-lapse videos. You can also adjust the speed of your video from 1x to 12x. Here are the steps to use it:
- You can also download and launch the Hyperlapse app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the Record button if you want to start recording your time-lapse video. By tapping on the Library button, you can also import an existing video from your camera roll.
- When you are done recording or importing, tap on the green checkmark to proceed to the editing screen.
- Use the slider to adjust the speed of your video. By simply tapping on the Play button, you can preview the result.
- To save your video to your camera roll, you have to tap on the green checkmark again. You can also share it on Instagram or Facebook and for that, you have to tap on the respective icons.
OSnap App
OSnap is a paid app and you have to pay $3.99, so it can allow you to create time-lapse and stop-motion videos. You can also customize the interval, the frame rate, the resolution, the filters, and the music of your video.
Here are the steps to use it:
- Download and open the OSnap app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the New Project button to start a new time-lapse video. You can also open an existing project by tapping on the Load Project button.
- Tap on the Settings icon to adjust the parameters of your video. You can choose the interval, the frame rate, the resolution, the filters, and the music. You can also enable the Onion Skin feature to see the previous frame as a guide.
- To start recording your time-lapse video, you have to tap on the Camera icon. By tapping on the Import icon, you can also import photos from your camera roll.
- When you are done recording or importing, tap on the Play icon to preview your video. You can also edit your video by tapping on the Edit icon.
- Tap on the Export icon to save your video to your camera roll. You can also share it on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or other apps by tapping on the Share icon.
Now that you know how to slow down a time-lapse on an iPhone, you get to proceed without much complication or any hassle. Here you also get information about two highly recommended apps that you can put to use.