DSLRTimeLapse Wispycloudsgentlyflypasttheviewer,thousandsofstarsrotateinthenightsky overhead,andthesunrapidlyfallsbelowthehorizonrevealingthestarsintheduskysky. Einsteinwrotethattimeisrelativeandwehavecometoexpecteventstooccurat specifiedrates.However,throughthemagicoftimelapsephotography,flowerscan bloomanddieinmereseconds,shadowscanraceacrossmountainouslandscapes,and citytrafficstreaksthroughcityhighways. Surelyyouhaveseen amazingtimelapsesequencesinnaturefilms,onYouTubeand Vimeoandevenincommercialfilms.Speedinguptherateatwhichsomeeventsoccur willoftenrevealdetailsthatwouldnotbeobviouswhenseenattheirnormalrate. Manipulationoftimetoseeeventsthatarenotapparenttotheunaidedeyeincludehigh speedvideotoslowdownrapidlyoccurringeventsandtimelapsephotographytospeed upeventswhichcanoccuroverminutes,hours,orevendaysandweeks!Highspeed videorequiresspecializedequipmentthatisratherexpensive.

Remarkably,timelapse photographydoesntrequirealotofexpensiveequipmentandmostdigitalcamerasare capableofcreatingtheseimages.Sincetheimagesarecomposedofseparatestillimages, videocapability isntnecessary. Infact,theveryminimumrequirementsareadigitalcamera,asteadytripodandlotsand lotsofpatience!Alsorecommendedisatriggerreleasealthoughyoucanjustpressthe shutterbuttonrepeatedly.Justbearinmindthatyourfinalvideowillbedeterminedby yourabilitytositandrepeatedlytriptheshutter! Moreadvanceduserswillwanttouseautomatedintervalometersandperhapseven automatedcameraslidersormotorizedheads.Manyoftheseitemscanbefairly inexpensiveandwillensurethatyoudontendupgoingcrazyordevelopsomeformof repetitivestraininjuriesbypressingacameratriggereveryfewsecondsforhoursata time! History Motionpicturesandvideonormallyareprojectedataratebetween24and30framesper second(filmsare24,videois30fpsintheUSAand25fpsinmanyEuropeancountries). Letsuse24framespersecondtoillustrate.Thatmeansforeverysecondofscreentime, thereare24individualframesthataresequentiallydisplayedtoproducetheillusionof motion.Theframespersecondarethesameforcaptureandplaybacksothemotion appearsnormaltous. However,imagineifyoutookaframeeveryminutefor24minutesandthenprojected thembackatthenormalrateof24fps.Those24minuteswouldflashbyinasecondof screentime.Thisisthebasisoftimelapse.Thephotographercapturesindividualframes overanextendedperiodoftime,whichareplayedbackattheirregularrateandsuddenly aworldofgradually occurringeventsismagicallytransformedintosomethingamazing. Itallowsustoseeeventsthatnormallyoccursoslowlythatwemaynotevenbeaware ofthemotion. 1

OneofthefirstphotographerstousetimelapsewasEadweardMuybridgebackin1872 tohelpsettleabetonwhetherahorsehasallfourfeetoffthegroundatonetime. MuybridgewashiredbytheGovernorofCalifornia,LelandStanfordtotrytosettleabet. IttookMuybridgeafewyearstocomeupwithasystemtorecordsuchaneventand beganbyfiring24largeglassplatecamerasusingthreadstotripthecamerasandthen ultimatelyusingaclockworktimingdevice(theprecursortoanintervalometer). In1877hewasfinallysuccessfulincapturingtheiconicgallopingimageonasingle negativeandprovedthatahorseindeedhasallfeetoffthegroundatonepointina gallop.

Realizingthatiftheseimageswereprojectedrapidly,oneaftertheother,thiswouldgive theappearanceofmotionandsothemotionpicturewasborn! In1898,aGermanbotanistbythenameofWilhelmPfeffer,thedirectoroftheLeipzig BotanicalGarden,createdthefirsttimelapsesequencebyphotographingatulipover manyhoursandprojectingtheimagesbackatregularfilmspeedstorevealthetulips bloominganddancingonthescreen!

Basics WehaveitmucheasiertodaythanHerrPfefferandMr.Muybridge.Ourdigitalcameras produceimagesequencesthatcanbequicklyandeasilymadeintovideosequences. Therearealsosomeadditionaldevicesthatwillmaketheworkandcaptureeveneasier! Firstofallyouneedtodecidewhattimebaseyouaregoingtouseforfinalplaybackso thatyoucancalculatethenumberofframesyouwillneed,theperiodoftimetocover andhowlongwillittaketocapturetheseframes. Yeah,Iknow.Mathsucks.Butthemathisntcomplicated! Tokeepeverythingeasyandtohelpavoidconfusion,Imgoingtouseatimebaseof30 framespersecondfortheremainderofthisguideinordertosimplifytheconcepts.Once youunderstandtheunderlyingprincipals,itiseasytoadjustthetimebaseto24fpsor25 fpsorwhateveryouwant.Imusing30fpsbecausethatisthestandardvideoplayback speedintheUnitedStatesandmanywesterncountries.Besides,itisbettertocapturetoo manyframesandspeedthesequenceuplaterinyourvideoeditor,ratherthantrytoslow itdown!Bettertodropframesthantrytoartificiallycreateinbetweenframeswithyour videoeditingsoftware! Forpurposesof illustration,letssayyouwanttocapturea2houreventtobeplayed backin10seconds.10secondsofscreentimeat30fpswouldrequire300frames. Thats10secondsx30fps=300frames.So,wewanttocapture300framesovera2 hourperiod.Twohourscontains120minutesor7200seconds.7200secondsdividedby 300framesgivesus24,soweneedtocaptureaframeevery24secondsforatwohour periodandthatwouldgiveusthe300framesweneedforour10secondsequence. Soyousee,themathisrathersimple(ugh!).Youjustneedtodeterminehowmuch screentimeyouwantandhowlongaperiodyouwanttocompressintothatscreentime. Itjusttakessomesimplemathtosetupandbegincapturing! Alsobeawarethatifyourtimebetweenframesisrathershortandyourexposuretimeis relativelylong,youhavetoaccountfortheexposuretimeaswellinyourcalculation.For example,letssaythatyouwanttorecordaframeevery5secondsandwillbeexposing theframefor2seconds. A2secondexposureevery5secondsisatotalof7seconds.7 secondstimes300framesis2100secondsanddividedby60secondsmeansthatitwill take35minutestorecordthe300frames!Ifyourexposuretimeisshort(like1/30 secondorfaster),thenyoulikelydonthavetoincludetheexposuretimeinyour calculation,asitisntreallysignificant. Therearesomeroughguidelinestofollowdependinguponwhatyouarecapturing.For movingtrafficorfastmovingclouds,1framepersecondworksbest.Forsunsetsor sunrises,slowermovingclouds,crowdsofpeople,captureaframeevery1to3seconds. Formovingshadowsacrossthelandscape,thesunmovingacrossthesky,starsatnight, youwilllikelywanttocaptureaframeevery15to30seconds,orevenlonger.For plants,youmaywanttocaptureaframeevery90secondsto2minutes.Basically,the slowertheeventtakesplaceinrealtime,thelongerthegapbetweencapturedframes. 3

So,letusassumeyouwanttorecordasunsetandstillwant10secondsofscreentime. Thatsoursame300framesthatarerequired.Youdecidetorecordaframeevery2 seconds,so2(seconds)x300(frames)=600secondsor10minutes!Thatmeansyou needtotriptheshuttereverytwosecondsfor10 minutestocapturethe300framesthat youneedforyourfinalsequence.Simple! Theamountofframestocapture(generallyyouwantatleast10secondsofscreentime) andlengthoftimebetweenframesisaskillthatyouwillquicklyacquireafeelingfor. JustkeeptheroughguidelinesinmindthatIpreviouslydiscussed. Thetimebaseyouchooseisonlyimportantatthisstagefordoingyourcalculations.You canalwayschangeyourmindwhenyourenderyourstillframesintoavideosequence.If youchoose24fpsanditistooslow,justrenderitwithatimebaseof30fpsandvice versa! However,whoreallywantstositandpressacamerashuttereverytwosecondsfor10 minutes,muchlessevery24secondsfortwohours?Notme,andIllbetyoudont either.Fortunately,therearesomeclevergadgetsthatyoucanbuythatwillperformthat taskforyou! Equipment intervalometers Naturallyyouaregoingtoneedadigitalcamera,andyouwillneedonethatwillallow youtotriggerthecameraremotely.Thismaylimityourchoicesforpointandshoot cameras,butmostDSLRsshouldallowremotetriggering.Thereisapossibilitythatyour cameramayhaveanintervalometerbuiltin.ManyNikoncamerashavethiscapability andthenewD800caneven combinetheframesincameraintoanMOVfile. Ifitdoes, thenyoumaynotneedaremotetrigger,althoughremotetriggersarelikelytobemore flexible. Youwillalsoneedagoodsolidtripodandhead.Sinceyouaregoingtoberecordinga sequenceoveranextendedtimeperiod,youwanttobesurethatthecamerawillnot moveorshakeduringthecapture.Ifitdoes,thefinalsequencewillshutterandshake andwilllookextremelyamateurish.Avoidusingthemiddleriserontripodsandyou mayalsobeabletohangsomeweightonthemiddleextensioninordertopreventthe tripodfrommovinginthewind.Forthehead,agoodballheadorevenavideohead shouldworkfine.Older,heavyaluminumtripodscanoftenbefoundusedandareideal forthispurpose. Therearelotsofoptionsforintervalometers.Anintervalometerisadevicethatyou attachtoyourremoteshutterportonyourcameraandcanbeprogrammedtocapture framesoveraperiod(interval!)oftime.Anintervalometerwillautomateyourcapture andallowyoutotakeabreakwhileitdoesallthework! Manymanufacturershavetheirowndedicatedexternaltimers.NikonandCanonboth haveunits,whichsellforaround$180 $200.TheCanonunitistheTC80N3and NikonsistheMC36.

Howeverthereareanumberofthirdpartiesthatmaketimersthatmaylookidenticalto thenamebrandtimersforalotlessmoney.Ihaveaunitfrom Linkdelight (www.linkdelight.com)formyCanon(theymakethemforothercamerastoo)thatisonly $25andlooksandworksexactlyliketheCanonTC80N3. IfyoudoasearchonAmazon.com,youwillfindseveralthirdpartyintervalometers, suchastheSatechi,whichsellsforaround$50.Also,Poloroidhasabatterygripforthe Canonlineofcamerasthathasabuiltinintervalometer.

CanonTC80N3andNikonMC36Intervalometers

Onthehigherend,Promotecontrol (www.promotesystems.com)hasaunitthatsellsfor about$300andalsocanbeprogrammedtodoHDRtimelapse.Timelapse+ (www.timelapseplus.com)hasauniversalunitforCanon,Nikon,Olympus,Sony,and Pentax.Italsooffersbulbramping,whichisaspecialtechniquetograduallyincreaseor decreaseexposuretimeforsunsetsandsunrises.Anotherhighendintervalometeristhe TimeMachine(www.bmumford.com/),whichsellsforabout$325andhasadvanced capabilities. ThePromotecontrol wasoriginallyfundedbyKickstarter.comaswastheTriggerTrap byHajeJanKamps.TheTriggertrapV1canbefoundatwww.triggertrap.com and comesinthreeflavors:aprebuiltmodelfor$199,ashieldonly(buildityourselfmodel) for$49,andfinally,aniPad,iPodTouch,iPhonemobileversionwhichisonly$9.99plus $19.99foradedicatedcameracableanddongle.TheTriggertraphasalotofadditional capabilitiestofireacamerabaseduponcertainevents(sound,movement,etc.)andI wouldhighlyrecommendlookingintothemobileversion. EnlightPhotoalsohasamobileintervalometercableandappavailable,IOShutter the cableis$69.96and$9.99fortheapp.Also,onOne(www.ononesoftware.com)hasa mobileappandcableavailablecalledDSLRRemote. IfyouarehandywithDIYprojects,therearelotsofdoityourselfprojectsavailableas well,suchastheMX2Dollyshieldfrom(www.dynamicperception.com )whichis$55in 5

akitform(youwillalsoneeda$30Arduinochip)or$225foraprebuiltversion.Iwill discusstheMX2inmoredetailundercamerasliders.

TriggerTrapV1

In additiontothemobilephonedevicesmentionedabove,therearealsocomputerbased applicationswhichrequireyoutotetheryourcameratoyourcomputerorlaptop.These arentasconvenientorportablebutthereareanumberoffreeandcommercialoptions available.Inaddition,therearemoreandmoreappsbeingreleasedforbothAndroidand IOSdevices. EquipmentNDfilters Finally,thereareafewotherextraitemsthatyoumaywishtoconsider.InamomentIm goingtodiscussidealshutter times,whichinsomeinstancescanbesomewhatlong. Forreasonsyettobediscussed,ND(neutraldensity)filtersmaybenecessary.Youmay wantarangeoffiltersormayevenwanttoconsideramoreexpensivevariabledensity filter. NDfilterscomeintwodifferentclassifications:eitherasafilterfactororafilterdensity. FilterfactorsaresoldasND2,ND4,etc.andfilterdensitiesaresoldas.3ND,.6ND,.9 ND,etc. Thefilterfactorliststheamountofextraexposurethatisrequiredwhenthefilterisused, soanND4wouldrequirefourtimesmoreexposure,or2stops.So,youwouldneedto reduceyourshutterspeed,orapertureby2stopstocompensate. Filterdensityscaleis.3perstop.So,a.9NDfilterwouldrequire3stopsincreasein exposuretocompensate. Filterscanalsobestacked,butextraglass(orplastic!)infrontofyourlenscanleadto oddreflections,reducedsharpnessandevenvignettingonwideanglelenses. Fordaylighttimelapse,youwilllikelyneedatleasta3stopreduction,sothatwouldbe anND4ora.9ND. 6

Equipmentlenses Althoughnearlyanyadvanceddigitalcamerashouldbeabletobeusedtotimelapse photography(andmaybeevensomepointandshoots!),youwillneedtoconsideryour choiceoflenses.Ifyouaregoingtobecapturinglandscapetimelapsesequences,thena wideanglelensislikelyyourbestchoice.Keepinmindyourcamerasensorsizeneeds tobeconsideredwhendeterminingthefocallengththatyouwillneed.A20mmlensona cropsensorDSLR(suchasthe1.6croponaCanon7Dorthe1.5croponNikons)would givethesameangleofviewasa30mmlensonafullframesensorcamera,ora35mm filmcamera. Ifyouareplanningtodostartrailsornightandlowlighttimelapsesequences,thenyou willwantasfastalensasyoucanget(smallerfstops).Unfortunately,thesefasterlenses arealsomoreexpensive! Equipmenttripod Youdontneedanythingfancyforatripod,butitshouldbeheavyandsecure!Itis amazinghowmuchastrong,steadywindcancauseatripodtomoveslightly.Some tripodshaveacenterhook,fromwhichyoucanhangadditionalweighttomakesureit remainssteady. Thetripodheadalsodoesntneedtobeanythingspecial.Itjustneedstoholdthecamera steadyduringthetimeyouwillberecordingexposures.Ofcourse,ifyoursequenceis goingtocoverhours(ordaysorevenweeksandbeyond)youmusttakethatinto considerationaswell. Equipmentextras Sinceyourcameraisgoingtobetakingmanyimagesforanextendedperiodoftime(or evenlongexposures),youwillneedasmuchbatterypowerasyoucanget.External batterypacksandbatterygrips(withextrabatteries)canbeextremelyhelpful. Also,youwilllikelyneedextramemoryandIrecommendyouconsidergettinglarger capacitymemorycardsthatareasfastasyoucanafford.ForCompactFlashcards,you shouldgetnolessthana133xspeedcardandforSD,class10cards.Thehigherspeed cardsarentasnecessaryif youwillbecapturingindividualframeswithextendedtimes inbetween,butmaybenecessaryifyouaregoingtoattempttimelapseHDR,orwillbe doinglotsofdaylighttimelapseinordertopreventthecamerabufferfromoverflowing whichwillcauseyoutomissframes. Issues Thereareafewadditionalissuesthatmustbeconsideredforcapturingandcreating pleasingtimelapsesequences.

Theapertureandshuttersonstillcamerascanbeveryaccurateandreliable,however, theywerentintendedforthekindofexposureaccuracythatisrequiredfortimelapse sequences. Considerthelensaperture.Itisamechanicaldevicethatmustmovemetal(plastic?) bladestoreducetheamountoflightpassingthroughthelensandthenmovebackinto theirrestingplaceagain.Theymustdothisveryquicklyforstillimagesincredibly quickly!Imagineifyoutakeanexposureof1/5000second,theaperturemustcloseand openinlessthan1/5000ofasecond! Sincetheapertureisamechanicaldevicetherewillalwaysbetinyvariationsinthe amountitcloses.Normallythiswontshowupandisntaproblemforregularstill imagesastheamountisquitesmall.However,forconvertingoursequenceofstill imagesintoavideo,thetinyvariationscouldcausethefinalsequencetoflickerlikean oldtimemovie(yes,Iknowoldmoviesdidntflickerwhentheywerenew!). Dontdespair.Therearewaystoworkaroundthisproblem! Thefirstwayistoalwaysshootwiththelenswideopen.Settingtheaperturewideopen willmeanitdoesnthavetoclosedownandthereforecannotcausetinyexposure fluctuations.Therearetwodisadvantagestothismethod:depthoffieldanddaylight exposure. Sincethelensiswideopen,thelensisattheshallowestdepthoffield.Asyoureducethe aperture,thedepthoffieldincreases.Ifyouareusingawideanglelens(whichalready hasagreaterdepthoffield),thismaynotbeaproblem.Itdependsifyouhavesomething intheforegroundthatneedstoremaininfocusalongwiththehorizon. Thesecondproblemisexposure.WhenthelensiswideopenwewillneedalowerISO combinedwithafastershutterspeed,especiallyindaylight.AsIwillpointoutina moment,thebestcapturedmotionfortimelapsehasabitofblursoweactuallywantto dragtheshutter(useaslowershutterspeed).Itispossiblethatyoumaynotbeableto reducetheISOtoalowenoughsettingforthelenstobewideopen and touseaslow shutterspeed.ThisiswhereNDfilterscomeinhandy!SimplyaddthenecessaryND filter(s)ontothelenstoreducetheamountoflightpassingtothesensor. Therearetwoothertechniquesthatyoucanusetoworkaroundusingtheaperturewide open. Thefirsttechnique(lenstwist)maynotworkonallcameras,butdoesworkontheCanon 5DMKIIandtheCanon7D.SetthemodecontroltoAperturepriority(Avonthe Canon)oronmanual.Setthedesiredaperture.Now,holddownthedepthoffieldbutton onthefrontofthecamerabodyandwhilecontinuingtoholditdown,carefullypressthe lensreleaseandrotatethelensslightly.Youmaynowreleasethedepthoffieldandthe lensapertureshouldremainfixedonthesettingyouchose.Thecamerashouldstillbe operational,althoughsomecamerasmaynotoperate,astheymaynotdetectthelens. Youmustbecarefulandonlytwistthelensasmallamountandbecareful,asyoudont wantthelensfallingoffifyoumovethecamera! 8

Thesecondtechniqueinvolvesusinganolderlens.Canoncameraswillacceptadaptors toallowyoutouseothermanufacturerslenses(IpersonallystillhavemyOlympus ZuikolensesfrommyOM2andOM4Tidays!).Thereisnoautomaticcouplingbetween thecameraandtheselenses,soyouneedtofocusandsettheaperturemanually,butfor timelapsethisisexactlywhatyouwant!ForNikon,youcanpurchaseolderNikon mountlenses,whichshouldalsofit,butwillalsohavenoautoapertureorfocus.The glassontheseolderlensesshouldstillbeexcellentandyoucanoftenpickthemupfrom auctionsitesveryinexpensively! Shuttersarealsomechanicalandcanvaryslightly.Iftheshuttervariesbyamere.1%,it willhardlybenoticedat1/30sec,butcouldhaveanimpactat1/5000ofasecond! Fortunately,wewanttouseslowershutterspeeds,sowereallydontneedtobetoo concernedaboutaslightvarianceinthemechanicalshutter.Thereasonwewantslower shutterspeedsistocaptureabitofmotionblurinorderforthefinalsequencetolook niceandsmoothwhenplayedback. Theamountofblurthatisdesirableforanygivecapturecanbeeasilycalculated. Letusreturn,foramoment,toourmotionpicturecaptureof24fps.Thisisthestandard captureandplaybackspeedofmodernmotionpicturefilm.Sincethefilmispassing throughthecameraat24frameseverysecond,theslowestshutterexposurewecan possiblygetis1/24thsecond. However,duetothetransportofeachframeintothegate,weactuallycantcaptureat 1/24thofasecond,asweneedtoclosetheshuttermomentarilyinordertoallowthe cameramechanismtopullthenextframeintoplaceandregisteritbeforeitisexposed. Motionpicturecamerashaveadiskshutterwithasectioncutout(usuallyaround180to 190degreesorso).Whenthecutoutportionofthediskisinfrontofthefilm,lightcan passthrough.Whentheopaquepartofthediskspinsintoplace,themechanismcan safelypullanotherframeintoplace,whichisthenexposedwhentheopenportionrotates intoplaceagain.Thisallowsthecameratopull24framesintothecameragatetobe exposedforeachsecond.(Manymodernmotionpicturecameraswillallowtheamount ofcutoutofthedisktobevaried,butthatisntimportanttothisdiscussion!).
th Sincetherotatingdiskblocksthelightforaportionofthe1/24 ofasecond,theactual th th exposureisapproximatelyhalfofthistime,orabout1/40 ofasecond.At1/40 ofa second,somemovementthatiscapturedwillbeblurred oneachframe.However,when playedback,thisblurredmotionactuallyenhancesthesmoothnessoftheprojectedimage andlooksnatural!Withouttheblur,theprojectedimageswouldappearoddandhavea staccatoeffect,whichwasactuallyusedpurposelyfortheStevenSpielbergfilmSaving PrivateRyanfortheNormandyinvasionsequence.

However,fortimelapse,Imrecommendingthatweactuallywanttocaptureacertain amountofmotionblur.Oursequenceswilllookalotmorenaturallyifthepeopleand carsracingthroughtheframeappeartostreakaroundandnotjustpopinandoutofplace. Ifwefollowourmotionpictureexample,theidealblurwouldrequireashutterspeed thatsaboutthesameproportionofblurasour24fpscapture.So,atimelapsesequence thatwillbecapturedat1frameeverythreeseconds,theidealshutterexposurewould 9

bearound1.5seconds orapproximatelyhalfofthegapbetweeneachcapturedframe. Forcloudsandslowmovingobjects,thiswilllikelybetoolongandyoumayhaveto experimenttofindacapturespeedthatworksforeachsubject. Insomecases,suchasHDRtimelapse,thatmaynotbepracticalandtheextra movementmayimpacttheabilitytolineuptheexposures!Thetotalamountofcapturing multipleframesmayexceedthe3secondsbetweenframes,andIwillcoversomeof theseconsiderationsintheadvancedsection.Inaddition,youdontwanttoomuchblur, orsomemovingobjectsmaydisappearentirely!Considertheamountofmovementin theframelittlemovementwillrequirelongerexposuretimesandrapidmovement, shortertimes! Technique IntheprevioussectionIdiscussedsomepotentialissueswiththecamerashutterand aperture.However,thereareothersettingsonourdigitalcamerasthatwedontwantto changefromframetoframeaswell!Irecommendusingmanualforeverything!Dont letthecameraautomaticallyadjustanysettingoryoumayendupwithstrangeartifacts, colorshifts,orotherissuessuchasthenastyflickerproblem. ISO ChooseanISOsettingthatisappropriateforthelight(consideringshutterspeedand aperture,ofcourse!).Alsoconsiderhowmuchnoiseyouarewillingtotolerate.For lowlighttimelapsesequences,youmaywishtousehigherISOsettings,butconsiderthe amountofnoiseyourparticularcameraproducesathigherISOsettings.Manufacturers aremanagingtoreducenoiselevelsandpermitusablehigherISOsettingsforeach generationcamerathatcomesonthemarket.Currently,onmyCanon,Iwouldlikely limittheupperISOtonomorethan3200.However,IrecommendyouavoidusingAuto ISO,asthissettingwillbemorethanlikelytocreateflickerinyourfinalsequence. Whitebalance Thesamelogicappliestoyourwhitebalancesetting.Setitwithcustomwhitebalance, orchooseoneofthecamerapresets,butdontusetheautosetting.Ifyoudo,youmay experienceannoyingcolorshiftsfromframetoframe. Focus Likewisewiththefocus!Turnoffautofocus(usuallyasettingonthelens).Youdont wantthecameratobechangingfocusbetweeneachframe.Inaddition,byleavingon autofocus,youmayincreasethetimeforthecameratocheckfocusandcaptureaframe, whichcouldresultindroppedframes.Thisisabadthing! Mode Onceagain,Irecommendusingthemanualsetting!Youcandeterminetheexposure beforehandbyputtingyourcameraononeoftheautomaticsettings,scanaroundthe sceneyourearegoingtocaptureandthensettheapertureandshutterspeedmanually.If 10

youaredoinglowlightcapturesusingtheintervalometertocontroltheshutterspeed, thenyouwilllikelyneedtosetthecameraonBulbsetting.Bulbwillkeeptheshutter openaslongasthecamerashutterbutton(orcablerelease)ispressed. Beforewecontinue,hereisalittletriviaabouttheoriginofthebulbsetting.Inthe earlydaysofphotography(backinthemid1800s),glassandmetalplatesneededalotof lighttoexposethem.So,thephotographerswouldtriggerthecameraswithasqueeze bulbandholditforthetimerequiredfortheexposureandthenletgo,orsetoffflash powder.Thatiswhythetimeexposureshuttercontroltodayisstillcalledbulb. FileFormat Yourchoiceofwhichfileformattouseislargelyapersonalone.Ifyouwantthe maximumamountofcontrolovereachframe,thenyouwillwanttousetheRAWformat. However,RAWimagesaregoingtotakeupmorestoragespaceandwillrequiremore postproductionwork.SomecamerasdohavesmallerRAWimagesizes,whichwillhelp tosaveonstorageroom. Fullhighdefinitionframesare1920pixelsx1080pixelswhichisthesameasa2mega pixelfile.EvenatthesmallestJPGsettings,yourcameraiscapturingalargerimagethan this.Therefore,youwillbecapturingmorethanenoughresolutionthatwillevenallow youtoaddpanandscanmovementstoyourfinalsequence,ifyouwish.Thiswill allowsomeadditionalmovementintheframeifyoudontwanttoresorttomore expensivecameraslidersorothermechanicalmovementdevices. IpersonallyprefercapturingRAWimagesandoftensetmycamera(IuseCanon)tothe sRAWformat,whichcapturesasmallersizeframethatisstillmuchlargerthan1080p highdefinitionframe.BycapturingaRAWimage,youhavealltheadvantagesofRAW processing,butitwillrequireextrastepsafteryoumoveyourimagestoyourcomputer. Morethanlikely,yourvideoprocessingprogramsmaynotbeabletohandleRAWfiles directly,soyouwill havetoconvertthemtoJPGorTIFF. IpersonallyuseLightroom toprocessmyfirstimageinthesequence,thencopyand pastethedevelopsettingstotherestoftheimagesinthesequence. Asyoucanseeinthefollowingillustration,eventhe5DsRAWfileismuchlargerthan afull1920x1080HDvideoformat.Usingtheselargerformatsgiveyoutheadvantage ofbeingabletocropduringpostproductandevenaddhorizontal,verticalmovementor evendigitalzoomswithoutalossofquality.Thedisadvantageisthefacttheytakeup morespaceonyourmemorycards!

11

FileformatscomparedtoHDvideo

Onelasttipifyourcameraallowsyoutocreatefoldersonthememorycard,Iliketo createanewfolderforeachsequence,whichhelpsmeorganizeandprocessmyimage sequences. Composition Findinganappropriateplacetoputyourcameraandcomposingtheshotisthesameas anygoodphotograph.Keepinmindtheruleofthirdsandbasiccompositionwiththe foregroundandbackgroundframingyoursubject.Rememberthatobjectsinfrontofthe camerawillbemovingintheframe,soplacethecamerainapositiontoaccentthe movement.Itisoftenbettertohavethemovementcomingtowardtheviewerorgoing awayfromtheviewerratherthanmovingstraightacrossthescreen.Ifyouarecapturing starmovement,youwillwanttopointyourcamerainanortherlydirectioninthe northernhemisphereortowardthesouthinthesouthernhemisphereandavoidaiming dueeastorwest.Inthenorth, thestarswillrotatearoundpolaris,thenorthstar. Finally,setyourintervalometerandthengoreadoneofourFotobug guidesorlistento ourpodcastwhileyouwaitforthesequencetofinish! Advancedtechniques Thereissomethingmagicalabouttimelapseimages,butaddingcameramovementtothe capturecanmakethesequenceintosomethingbreathtakinglybeautiful.Adding movementtothecameraisnteasyandrequiressomespecialhardwareandsoftwareto accomplish.AlthoughyoucanusethepanandscantechniquethatIwroteabout earlier,actuallymovingthecameraisabettertechniqueandhasamuchbetterlookand feel. 12

IfyoudoanInternetsearchforcamerasliders,youwillfindmanyversionssuchasthe Igus(www.igus.com alsoavailableonAmazon.com)andGlidetrack (www.glidetrack.com).However,youneedmorethanjustatrack youneedsome methodtomovethecameraonthetrackduringorbeforeeachframe. Ifyouareinterestedinmovingthecamera,thenIhighlyrecommendyoucheckoutthe opensourceprojectfrom DynamicPerception(www.dynamicperception.com).They haveatracksystemavailableforabout$900$1000,butifyoudontmindalittleeffort, youcansavesomemoneybydoingityourself. TheheartoftheDynamicPerceptionsystemistheMX2 motioncontroller.Youcan buythispremadefor$225,oryoucanbuyakitfor$55andbuildityourself(youwill alsoneedan Arduinomicrocontrollerboardforabout$20).The MX2featuresfree opensourcesoftware,whichwillallowyoutocontroluptotwomotors(suchasonefor thesliderandoneforamotorizedpanhead!)andalsoactsasafullfeatured intervalometer!

MX2Motioncontroller

Ifyouwanttosaveyourselfevenmoremoney,thenyouwillwanttocheckoutmy cameraslider,whichusestheRigWheelssystem(www.rigwheels.com).Iwillbe postingtheinformationonmyblogandontheFotobugFacebookpageaswellasour podcastpageatwww.thefotobug.com. Theproblemwithmostslidersystemsisthebulkoftheslider.Theyaredifficultand expensivetoshiparoundtovariouslocations.Thebeautyofmy RigWheelssystemis thatyouonlyneedtopackuptheMX2,thecameraplatform,beltandmotor(whichcan fitinyoursuitcase)alongwithyourcameraand2tripods.Onceyouarriveatyour destination,justbuyacouple1PVCpipesorwoodenpoles(flagpoles,gardenpoles, etc.)andsetthemupontwotripodsandawayyougo!Onceyouaredone,youjustpack upeverythingbutthepolesandheadtoyournextdestination!Thepolesshouldonlycost about$15 20anda10footlengthof1PVCislessthan$5. 13

Inadditiontomovingthecameraalongaverticalorhorizontalstructure,somesystems alsoallowyoutoaddpanandortiltoptionstothecamera.Allofthesemovescan really enhanceyourfinishedvideo,ifdonecorrectlyandwithapurpose,butitalsocomplicates thesetupandcapture. IvealsoreadsomearticlesontheInternetabouttimelapsephotographerswhohave usedmotorizedMeadeTelescopeheadsmodifiedtoacceptacamera.Theseheadsallow youtopanandortiltthecameraandcouldcreatereallyinterestingmovesifcombined withacameraslider. TimelapseHDR HDRstillphotographycanproducesomeamazingimages.ImaginetakingtheHDR techniqueandapplyittoatimelapsevideosequence.Well,manyoftheintervalometers willallowyoutocapturemultipleframesforHDRcapture.Naturally,thiscomplicates yoursetup.Firstofall,youwanttocaptureascenethatsuitsHDR(highcontrast scenes).Youalsoneedtoconsidertheextrastorageforthemultipleframesaswellasthe postprocessingwork.Finally,therewillbeadditionaltimerequiredtocaptureallthree framesandthattimeneedstobetakenintoaccount,especiallyifyouaredoinglowlight photography. ForpostprocessingtheHDRcaptures,youwillneedsoftwarethatcanbatchprocess yourHDRframes.Imagineindividuallyprocessinghundredsofimagesmanually!Most HDRsoftwarepackagesallowyoutoadjustthefirstsetofcapturedimages,andthen applythosesameadjustmentstotherestofthesequencethroughbatchprocessing.You thenconvertthefinalcompletedframesintoyourvideosequence. TheHolyGrailsunrisesandsunsets Sunrisesandsunsetscreateadifficulttimelapsesituationsincetheavailablelight changessodramaticallyasthesunrisesorsets.Duetothedifficultyofcapturingthese eventsandadjustingtothediminishingorincreasinglightlevels,thiscaptureisknownas theHolyGrailof timelapse! Onemethodtohandlethechanginglightlevelsisknownasbulbramping.Thismethod graduallyincreases(ordecreases)theshutterexposuretimeinordertoadjustforthe changingexposure.TherewasanArduinobasedelectronicboardsoldforawhilecalled theLittleBramper (http://www.thewhippersnapper.com)butatthemomentthe inventorhasstoppedbuildingandsellingtheunit.However,thereareother intervalometerssoldthatofferbulbrampingcapability. Anothermethodistochangetheexposureduringthesequencebyincreasing(or decreasingforsunrises)theISObetweentwoframeswhentheimagesaretoofar underexposed(oroverexposed!).Thiswillcreateasuddenchangein exposurelevels, butthereisasoftwareprogramcalledLRTimeLapse(www.lrtimelapse.com)thatworks withAdobesLightroom thatwillhelpsmoothoutthechanges.Thisprogramwillalso smoothoutanyflickerthatmayoccurinyoursequenceandIwilldiscussitmoreunder thesectiononpostproduction. 14

Thesoftwareprogram GBTimeLapse(http://www.granitebaysoftware.com/)onlyruns onWindowssystemsbutwill alsoallowyoutoprograminrampingtoincreaseor decreaseexposureduringthesequencecapture. GBTimeLapsehasalotofother capabilitiesaswell,butdoesrequireyoutotakeyourlaptopintothefieldwithyou! Atechnique,whichIhaventtriedyet,butshouldwork,istosetyourcameratotake bracketedexposures,justlikeHDR.However,insteadoftakinganunderexposed image,correctexposureandoverexposedimage,setthebrackettotakeanimageone stopover(ormore),andanothertwostopsover(ormoreforsunsetsdotheoppositefor sunrises).Whenyougotoprocessyourimages,selectthefirstrangeofframesuntilthe exposureonthelastframeistoounderexposed,thenselectthenextsequenceanddothe sameforthethirdsequence.YouwillneedaprogramsuchasLRTimeLapsetosmooth outtheexposures,butthiswouldallowyoutorecordupto4stopsdifferenceandeven moreifyourcameraallowsmorethanthreebracketedexposures(suchasmanyNikons andhighendCanons). Startrails StartrailsdonthavetobevideosequencesoftheMilkyWayrotatinginthesky,butcan alsobeastillimagewiththemovementofthestarscreatingastreakandcirclingaround theNorthStar. AsIalreadyindicated,avoidaimingthecameratowardtheeastorwestandinthe northernhemisphereitisbesttoaiminanortherlydirectionandinasoutherlydirection inthesouthernhemisphere.Thereasonforavoidingeast/westdirectionsisthefactthe starswillstreakormovenearlystraightupanddown.Themovementorstreakslook muchbetterwhentheyrotateinanarcinyoursequenceorimage. Lightpollutionisoneofthebiggestproblemsforstartrailsornightskyphotography. Youwillwanttobefarfromcitylightsandchooseanightofanewmoon,oratleast whenthemoonwillbebelowthehorizon.Youwillalsowanttofindaspotwithan interestingforegroundeventhoughthatforegroundmayonlyappearasasilhouetteand youwillneedaclearnightwithfew,ifanycloudsaswellassmokeorfog. Recordingstartrailspresentsanumberofotherchallenges.Youwillbeattemptingto recordfaintpointsoflightfromarotatingsphere(theearth!)whileavoidinghighnoise levelsinyourfinalimage.Longexposuretimesareagivenandyouwilllikelyneedto crankupyourISOlevels.Afastlensisalsohighlyrecommended! Thereisanotherfactortokeepinmind.Sincetheearthisturning,longexposurescan resultinthestarsappearsasstreaksandnotpointsoflight.Actuallyasmallamountof streaking(motionblur)willresultinsmootherplaybackmotionandifyoudesireafinal stillimagewiththecircularstarstreaks,thenthisisnotaproblem.Thereisaruleof thumbcalledtheruleof600thatwill calculatetheamountofstreaking.Justdivide600 bytheeffective35mmfocallengthofyourlensandthatisthemaximumexposuretime toavoidstreaks.

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So,ifyouhaveanAPSCcroppedsensor(1.6x)anda10mmlensthe35mmequivalent focallengthis10mmx1.6or16mm.Divide600by16andyouwillget37.5.So,37.5 secondsshouldbethemaximumshutterexposuretoavoidblurringthestars. However,Iwouldntbetooconcernedaboutstreaksforavideosequenceandifyouwant astartrailstillimagethenyouwantthestreaksanyway!Fortheaboveexample,I wouldnthesitatetousea1minuteexposure,orperhapsevenabitlonger. YoumaybewonderingwhyImdiscussingastartrailstillphotointhissectionwhenthis guideisabouttimelapsesequences.Gladyouasked!Ifyouwantalongstarstreak,that wouldrequireleavingthecamerashutteropenfor30to40minutes,minimum,toseveral hours!Thiscausesafewproblems.Oneisthefactthebattery(s)mustbecapableof providingenoughpowertokeeptheshutteropen.Theotherproblemisnoise.The longertheshutterremainsopen,themoreheatthesensorgeneratesandthemorenoise thatisproduced.So,abettermethodwouldbetoshootanumberofstillimagesof shorterdurationforthesame40minutestoseveralhourcapturetime.Thisistimelapse photography! ThereisaninterestingsoftwareprogramcalledStartrailsavailableat http://www.startrails.dethatwilltakethoseseriesofstillimagesandwillconvertthem intoasingleimagewithstartrails!Itcanevenuseoneoftheimagesinthesequenceasa foreground,inthatcaseyoumaywanttousealongerexposurefortheforegroundfor thatframe,oruselightpaintingtechniquestolightuptheforeground.Also,youcan recordoneimagewiththelenscaponwhichwillrecordthenaturalnoiselevelfromthe sensorandStartrailswillsubtractthatnoisefromthefinalimage. Ifthatisntenough,Startrailscanevenoutputavideowherethestarswillstartasa pointandgrowintothestreaksaveryinterestingeffect! Startrailsisdonationwareandunfortunately,onlyrunsontheWindowsplatform. IunderstandthatHeliconFocus(www.heliconsoft.com )isalsocapableofputting togetherindividualimagestocreateastartrailandisavailableforboththeMacandPC platforms. HeliconFocuswasoriginallycreatedtodofocusstackingformacroimages. Star trailsandcelestialskytimelapsesequencesreallycomealivewhenthecamera movesinrelationtosilhouettedobjectsthatappearagainstthestarrysky.Infact, sequencesofthestarsintheskyrotatingbehindagiantwesterncactus,whichis silhouettedintheforegroundwhilethecamerarotatesaroundithasbecomealmosta timelapseclich!

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Startrailsapplication

Postproduction Afteryouhavegatheredallthoseindividualframes,youstillhavemoreworktodoin ordertocreateanicevideosequence.Whenyoutransferyourcapturedimagestoyour computer,makesurethemethodyouusedoesntchangethefilenameofeachframe. Youneedthesequencenumberinordertoconverttheindividualframesintoavideo sequence. Camerasdohaveanupperlimitforthesequencenumber,thenitstartsbackagainatzero. Itispossiblethatyoucouldhitthislimit(anditwillhappensoonerorlater),whichwill meanthatpartofthesequencewillhavelowernumbersthanearliercapturedframes. Youcouldprocessthetwopartsindividually,andthenassemblethemlater.However, GraniteBay(www.granitebaysoftware.com)hasafreeprogramforWindowscalled GBResquence thatwillallowyoutorenumberallorselectedcapturedimagesina folder. Onceallyourframeshavebeencopiedandnumbered,youcanimportthemusingyour favoritevideoeditingsoftware.Mosteditingprogramsallowyoutoimportstillsand haveanoptiontoimporttheimagesasasequence.Onceyouhavecompletedthis, dependinguponyourcomputerhardwareandsoftwarecapabilities,youmayhavea sequencethatyoucanviewdirectly,oratleastexportoutasavideofile. Youdontnecessarilyneedexpensivevideoeditingsoftwaretocreateyourvideo sequence. Virtualdubforwindows(http://virtualdub.org/index.html)isafreeprogram thatyoucanuse,andQuicktimeProonlycostsabout$30andisavailableforMacsand PCsandwillconvertindividualframesintoavideosequence. 17

AnotherinterestingoptionisLRTimeLapse(www.lrtimelapse.com).LRTimeLapse workswith Lightroomfrom Adobeandnotonlyallowsyoutoexportyourstillframes asavideosequence,butalsohassomeinterestingtechniquesthatwillallowyouto reduce,oreliminateanyflickerthatmayoccur,andcanbeusedtorampexposures graduallyfortheHolyGrailofsunrisesandsunsets! Lightworks(www.lwks.com)isanotherprogramavailableformultipleplatformsandis aprofessionalbasededitingsoftwarethathasafreeversionaswellasaninexpensive paidversion. Lightworkshasbeenusedtoeditsomewellknown Hollywoodmotion picturesandisworthcheckingout! IfyouareattemptinganHDRtimelapsesequence,youwillhavetobatchprocessall yourHDRframeswithyourfavoriteHDRsoftwarebeforeyoucanimportthemintoyour videosoftwareandcreateavideosequence.IfyourHDRsoftwarechangesthenameof thefinaloutputfile,youcanalwaysuseGBResequencetorenamethem! Onceyourindividualframeshavebeenconvertedtoavideosequence,youcanedititand treatitexactlylikeyouwouldanyothervideosequence.Sinceyourstillframeswillnot beinthesame16:9formatforhighdefinitionor4:3formatforstandarddefinition,you canalsoaddpanandscanmovementtothefinalsequencewithlittle,ifanylossof quality.Theframesthatyoucapturedaremorethanlikelymuchlargerthaneventhe 1920x1080pixelframesizeofhighdefinitionvideo.Therefore,youcaneasilycropand evenaddmovementacrossorup/downtheframetoaddadditionalmovementtoyour sequence.Thismovementmaynotbeasgoodasthemovementcapturedusingacamera slider/dolly/panhead,butperhapscanbeusedtoimproveyourfinalsequence. Warning! Ijustwanttomakeyouawarethatallshuttershavealifespan.Thenumberofactuations willbedifferentfordifferentmodelsandmakes.Thenumbercouldrangefrom100,000 to300,000,with150,000beingtheaverage.Thismeansthatatsometime,theshutter willbewornoutandwillhavetobereplaced.Sincetimelapsetakessomanyframes, recordingalotoftimelapseimageswillweartheshutteroutfaster! Repaircostsfortheshutterwillalsobedifferentdependinguponthemodelandmake, butmylastshutterrepairforaCanon1DMKIINcost$250afewyearsback.Imonly includingthisfigureandwarningsothatyouareawareoftheissue! However,youdontneedtouseyourexpensiveDSLRfortimelapse!Infact,many digitalcompactcamerashavetimelapsecapabilitiesbuiltinandaslongastheycan acceptanexternalshutterrelease,youcanaddanintervalometer.Eventhelittlesports camera,theGoProHero,hasbuiltintimelapsecapability.Therearealsoappsfor iPhoneandAndroidcameraphones. Justkeepinmindthatthesameissuesapplytocompactdigitalcamerasasthey dofor DSLRcameras.Youstillwanttousemanualmode,aperturewideopenandcharged batteries!

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Recap Hereisasummarylistofthestepsrequiredtocaptureatimelapsesequence: 1. Determineyourtimebase,thatistheframeratethatyouwillbeplayingback yourfinalsequence(usually24or30fps). 2. Determinethelengthoftimeofthesequenceyouwanttocapture.Thisis optional,butyouwilllikelywantatleasta10secondsequence.Byusingyour timebase,youcancalculatehowlongitwill taketocapturethenecessaryframes forthesequencelength. 3. Decideontheratethatyouwanttocapture.Thatis,1frameevery3seconds,1 frameevery30seconds,etc. 4. FigureouttheISO,shutterspeedandapertureforthelightingconditions. Rememberthatyoumaywishtodragyourshutterabitinordertointroducesome blurintotheframes. 5. PuteverythingonyourcameraandlensonmanualandsetyourISOand exposure.Setyourwhitebalance. 6. DecideifyouaregoingtocaptureJPGorRAWimagesandsetyourcamera accordingly. 7. Frameupyourscenekeepinginmindgoodcompositionalrules. 8. Programyouintervalometerwiththecapturerate,numberofcaptureframes (optional),shutterexposure(ifyouareusingbulbonyourcamera),etc.Make sureyouhaveenoughbatterylifeforyourcameraandintervalometeranddont forgettouseamemorycardwithenoughstoragespace. 9. Starteverythingup,sitbackandlistentoa Fotobugpodcastwhileyouwaitfor yoursequencetobecaptured! 10. Transfertheframestoyourcomputer,applyanypostproductionadjustmentsand outputyourfinalvideosequence. 11. PostyourvideoontheInternetandearnfameandaccolades!

Mostofallhavefunandbecreative.Sure,sunrises,sunsets,andstarmovementare awesomeandfuntowatch,butwhynotusethesameefforttocapturesomethingnew andinteresting?Considertheinflowandoutflowofoceantides,insectcolonies, decayingfruitorvegetables,rushhourpatterns,andcitynightscapesuseyour imagination!Sure,youaregoingtocaptureclouds,sunrisesandsunsets,sotrytofind uniqueinterestinganglesandviewpointsandforadvancedusers,andaddsome interestingcameramovement. Finally,putyourtimelapsecapturedfootageintoameaningfulandinterestingfinalfilm, addsomeoriginalmusicandasoundtrackandbesuretoshareyourvisionwiththe Fotobugcommunity!CheckoutsomeoftheexamplesIvelistedbelowforinspiration andsearchYouTubeandVimeoformoreinterestingexamples.

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Formulas Numberofframesrequired: Totalvideolength(seconds)xframerate(fps)=numberofframesrequired. Example:12secondsoffinishedvideox24fps=288frames Totalshootingtime: Totalnumberofframesx(intervalbetweenframes+exposuretimeinseconds)=Total shootingtimerequired.(Note:exposuretimecanbeignoredifitisrelativelyshort!). Divideby60togetnumberofminutes. Example:300framesx5seconds=1500second.1500seconds/60=25minutes Idealshutterspeed(formotionblur): Justunder50%oftheframeinterval.So,ifyouarecapturingaframeeverythree seconds,youwilllikelyhavethebestresultswithanexposurethatisaround1to1.5 secondslongtoproducetherelativeamountofblurthatmatchesnormal24fpsmotion pictureblur.Thisbreaksdownforverylonggapsbetweenframesandyoulikelywantto usenomorethana30secondexposurerate.Considertheamountofmotionintheframe. Forrapidmotion,youcanuseafastershutterspeed,thanyoushouldforslower movement. Ruleof600: 600dividedbythe35mmequivalentofthefocallengthofthelens=themaximum shutterexposureinsecondstopreventnoticeablestarstreaks(thisincludesthemoon!). Example:600/50mm=12seconds Recommendedframeintervals(betweenframes): 1secondMovingtraffic,fastmovingclouds,throughthewindshielddrivesequences 1to3secondssunrisesandsunsets,slowmovingclouds,pedestrians,andtelephoto timelapsesequences. 15secondsandlongermovinglandscapeshadows,clearskydaylightsunmovement, startrails,plantgrowth,buildingconstruction(thesemayrequireupto15minutesor morebetweenframes!). Thesearejustguidelines,feelfreetoexperiment!

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Resources Hardware Amazon www.amazon.com intervalometers,NDfilters,books,etc. LinkDelightwww.linkdelight.com intervalometers,NDfilters,etc PromoteControl www.promotesystems.com highendintervalometer Timelapse+www.timelapseplus.com universalintervaolometer TimeMachinewww.bmumford.com highendintervalometer TriggerTrapwww.triggertrap.com kitandprebuiltintervalometerandmobile version IOShutter www.enlightphotopro.com Mobileintervalometer DSLRRemotewww.ononesoftware.com intervalometer DollyShieldwww.dynamicperception.com intervalometerandmotorcontroller Iguswww.igus.com cameraslidertrack Glidetrackwww.glidetrack.com cameraslidertrack RigWheelswww.rigwheels.com Rigwheelcamerasliderhardware Software LRTimeLapsewww.lrtimelapse.com PCsoftwareassemblesimages GBTimeLapsewww.granitebaysoftware.com PCsoftwaremultiplecapabilities Startrailswww.startrails.dePCsoftwareassemblesimages HeliconFocuswww.heliconsoft.com PC&Macassemblesimages GBReSequencewww.granitebaysoftware.com PCsoftware renumbersimages VirtualDub http://virtualdub.org/ PCsoftwareeditor QuicktimeProwww.quicktime.com PCandMaclimitedvideoediting Lightworks www.lwks.com multipleplatformseditingsoftware,freeandpaid FFMPEGhttp://ffmpeg.org/ freemultipleplatformprogramtoassembleimages Misc CHDK http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK hackedfirmwareforCanoncameras allowstimelapse,andisfree,usewith http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/UBASIC/Scripts:_OMNI_Intervalometer Publications TimeLapseShootingandProcessingGuntherWegner www.timelapse.com/shop/ebook TimelapsePhotography RyanChylinksi www.learntimelapse.com/timelapsephotographybook/ Timelapsevideos BalticSkieshttp://vimeo.com/25664076 AlpineSkieshttp://vimeo.com/29678004 CanarySkieshttp://vimeo.com/35475716 TimelapseTheCityLimitshttp://vimeo.com/23237102 LandscapesVol2http://vimeo.com/29950141(HDRtimelapse) 21

Wehopeyouenjoyedthisfreeguideandhopefullyitwillhelpyougetstartedcreating yourowntimelapsevideos.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,donthesitatetocontactusand pleasecontinuetotuneintoourbiweeklypodcastsatwww.thefotobug.com orbetter yet,viaoneofthemajorpodcastfeedssuchasiTunes,Zune,orMiro!Youcanalso returnthefavortousbyleavingussomefeedbackoniTunes,(orMiro,orevenatour website,www.thefotobug.com).WearealsoonFacebookandwouldloveforyouto Likeus! Youmayalsowanttocheckoutourotherphotoguides.Therearemoretocome!

2012 Jim Caldwell

AuthoredbyJimCaldwell www.thefotobug.com jim.fotobug@verizon.net

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