How to Turn a Video into a Time Lapse?

Turn a Video into a TimeLapse – Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing.

Time-lapse videos are a collection of still images, usually taken every few seconds or so. On the iPhone camera app, you are not given options for how often the shutter takes new images. … Popular third-party Android apps include Framelapse and Lapse It.

How to Turn a Video into a TimeLapse?

Convert Video to Time-Lapse on Your Desktop

Many desktop video editing suites have built-in tools that make converting a standard clip into a time-lapse movie very simple.

But if you’re looking for free software to create time-lapse videos, there’s no better option than VLC. This versatile media player (check out the best VLC features) is one of those cross-platform apps everyone should be using. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Note that if you’re doing this on Windows 10, make sure you launch VLC Media Player with elevated privileges. Simply right-click the app icon and select Run as administrator and agree to the User Access Control notification.

Next, open Tools > Preferences, and at the bottom of the screen, find the Show Settings radio buttons. Select All (#1 in the image below), then in the new view that appears, look for Video. You can use the search box at the top if you can’t find it.

Expand Filters and select FPS Converter. In the right-hand pane, input the new Frame rate. At 30 or more frames per second in your original video, 10 FPS is a good option. Too high and the time-lapse video will look too smooth; too low and it will seem jerky. Experiment to get the best results.

To finish, click Save. Then go to Media > Convert/Save, click Add, then browse for the video you wish to convert.

Click the arrow beside the Convert/Save button and choose Convert. In the Settings panel clicks the spanner icon, then Video codec > Filters, and check the FPS conversion video filter.

Click Save, then use the Destination file field to set a location to save the compiled time-lapse video. Name it, then click Start. A few moments later, you’ll see a compiled time-lapse movie, ready to view in any video player or share online.

Convert into Time Lapse Video on Desktop

Most of the desktop video editing software comes with a built-in feature to convert a standard video clip into a time-lapse movie.

However, if you’re looking for free and easy-to-use software, Microsoft’s Hperlapse Pro is probably the best option and this is available for Windows and macOS. If you do not have it already, download it here.

1.  After downloading, install the software on your PC and launch it.
2. Click on “New” and select your video file from your computer.
3. After it is imported, click on “Next” from the above toolbar menu.
4. On the “Settings” page, you can change the speed of the video under “Speed control”.
5. Click on “Next” again and it will be processed.

You can then save the video by clicking on the “Save as” icon from the above options.

Note that just like most other free tools, your video edited from Hyperlapse will have a watermark, and to remove it, you will have to buy the product key.

Convert into Time Lapse Video on Mobile

Microsoft’s Hyperlapse app is again the best mobile app which is capable of recording time-lapse and converting existing videos into a time-lapse.

1. After you launch the app which has a landscape layout, you will see two options- import or record. Choose Import existing video to select a video from your phone.
2. Now, click on the “right check” button to import the video.
3. Here, it will show the video converted at 4x speed. If you want to make it even faster, you can drag the slider on the screen to the right side.
4. Click on the “right check” button again and your time-lapse video will be saved. You will not be able to remove the watermark in the free version.

Make Time-Lapse Video Online

There are some websites that let you change video speed online. One of these services is Kapwing which lets you make any video time-lapse by changing its speed with one of its tools. Here’s how to use it:

1. Visit the Kapwing website and look for a change video speed tool.
2. Now, click on “Upload” or you can also paste a URL if you want to change a video that is uploaded somewhere online.
3. The video editor will open and there on the right-hand side menu bar you will see “Speed” among other options.
4. Click on the ‘+’ icon under the speed option and it will increase the video speed to make it time-lapse. You can choose up to 4x speed.
5. Lastly, click on “Export” to complete the task.
6. You will have to wait for a few seconds after that you can download the final video by clicking on “Download”.
7. Note that the website leaves its watermark on the final video if you do not signup. Interestingly, Kapwing also lets you make any video in slow motion as well.

Also Read: How to Record and Post a Video using Vine.