How do they shoot Timelapse in motion? Learn how to shoot the time line correctly

The first photographic prints appeared only at the beginning of the XIX century, and, of course, they were static. "Movable" same images, called cinematography, emerged only at the end of the XIX century, and developed into a variety of branches only in the twentieth. And among all the variety there was a very unusual area of cinema, called the original time-lapse (delayed) shooting, and years later she borrowed from the English name "time-lapse".

Basic Provisions

There is not much difference between how the Timelapse is shot, and how the slow-motion shooting was done during the use of still film machines. The basic principle is a reduced frame rate compared to the actual time of the event. That is, what lasts many hours can be displayed in a few minutes. For example, the opening of a flower, the appearance of a butterfly from a cocoon, sunset or sunrise.

And now a few words about how to shoot Timelapse. Technologically, the process is as follows. A huge number of frames are taken from the same point with the same time interval. For example, the difference between pictures is one second. For many long processes, the gap is much longer. Next, the frames are mounted in a general video sequence, showing an event.

Shooting options

How to take a time-out? There are two ways. One of them is time-lapse, still the same time-lapse, during which, during breaks, the equipment simply shuts down and waits for the team to resume work. After a certain period of time, it turns on and takes another picture. The second way of how to shoot Timelapse is the usual video shooting, which is subsequently broadcast on the accelerated mode. It gives good results only in the case when you have initially high-quality equipment, and on the set there is good lighting. Usually apply both options, but professionals believe that the second is better and more reliable.

Hardware and software, which can not be dispensed with

Before you remove the time-out, you will have to acquire the necessary devices and take care of the necessary programs. In addition to a high-quality camera (preferably - a SLR camera, even better - a professional SLR), a tripod for the camera is mandatory. Otherwise, you will not provide a permanent view for the lens. We'll have to buy a blend (who does not know whether it's an accessory attached to the lens or a special camera attachment that provides protection from glare and light in difficult or insufficient lighting). Spare batteries (batteries) power supply are needed for continuous continuous operation - there is unlikely to be a nearby outlet. And for installation - laptop. If it's not there, the remote will work, but if you still have to buy something from them, take a better laptop, it's more functional. To finalize the video, Adobe After Effect is needed; If there are several fragments - download Adobe Premiere; It is very useful Adobe Camera RAW (it is part of the program Photoshop).

Selecting a Shooting Method

Before you remove the time-out, you need to evaluate the conditions in which the process will occur, and decide how to properly implement it. A sunny day and in the absence of a dense shadow from the surrounding skyscrapers, removing, for example, the flight of clouds over the sky or the movement of shadows from the same houses, you can make a video. It would be nice if the camera function included the ability to shoot HD movies. But if the shooting is in the evening or in the dark, it's better to do it in a frame-by-frame mode - the video version will obviously be "zaporot". In this case, it is necessary to calculate the time interval accurately. We proceed from the fact that two hours of "real" need to be packed in 30 seconds. Then the photo should be photographed every 9.6 seconds. However, professionals always make samples before they shoot Timelapse. Maybe it will take a longer period, maybe a shorter one, so you'll have to spend about half an hour on a trial run.

If there is a possibility of video shooting, you need to use it, but at the same time remember that in most of the equipment it takes only half an hour for the video, so do not forget to resume recording.

Required settings

Before removing the time-lapse, the lens is put on the lens, if, of course, it is not built-in. Glare only spoil the overall picture. The tripod is placed as stably as possible: the slightest "sagging" will make the video unreliable. All extraneous "gadgets" should be cut down. The camera switches to Manual Mode. The "white" balance is set manually and does not get touched until the end of the shooting. With ISO it is necessary to experiment: depending on surrounding conditions it fluctuates between values 100 and 1280, but never goes beyond these values. If you do not expect a significant change in illumination, the exposure will be reset, if you wait for dawn, it is set to minus 1. It's mandatory (mandatory) in RAW. In the future, this will help in working with exposure, fighting noise and in many other ways.

Secrets and secrets

If you took test shots, viewed them and were satisfied with the result, turn off the personnel scan in your device - you will save a lot of energy. Exposed installations are better to check - and not once, sometimes mistakes are made purely mechanically. The main "jambs": battery power or forgotten spare batteries (depending on what camera is available); No free space in the camera's memory or on the card; Not created a separate folder for shooting - many then spend hours looking for the necessary files just because they all fall into a common heap and do not know the names of the files.

How to assemble everything into one

When you have already photographed everything that was going to, only the editing was left. Make sure that all parts of your movie are numbered sequentially. For those who do not know this: the numbering of the type "1, 2, 3 ..." will not work, since the file with the number 11 will follow immediately after the one numbered, so the very first must have a number of at least 01 (and maybe, 001 or 0001) - so it will be easier for you then to figure out what to mount. Remember that in addition to After Effect, which you and "merge" the individual components in the desired ultimate perfection, you absolutely need Photoshop. Rather, not himself, but his applications, which will be addressed to him. On the other hand, you can use any other editing program, they are now unimaginable, so you can pick the one that you like.

Facilitating the process

Progress, as you know, does not stand still. And all his new achievements are aimed at facilitating our efforts, attached to obtaining a certain result. Including - and to easy, affordable creation of quality memos. With regard to photo and film history, amateurs recently came to the aid of GoPro. So much to facilitate the work of photographers and cameramen still no one could.

Sometimes it becomes insulting: people sometimes spend years trying to become cameramen, while even a child can shoot a time-frame on GoPro. And this camera does not need to be protected from the rain, it does not require special musculature for carrying (for easy) and professional skills and knowledge for use, since it is easy to manage. True, there is a lot of equipment of this class - from 11 and a half thousand (thank God, in rubles) the simplest version to almost 17 thousand in the "advanced" version. With additional bells and whistles, the price will be, perhaps, thousands to 30 - and in budget execution. But if you want to get a quality time-out, this is not an obstacle?