How to Make Your First Time Lapse With Your Mobile (Easy, Easy)

I had always found those videos in which you see a sunrise in fast motion, or how a flower blooms, etc. to be super interesting. The truth is that it seemed to me something very complicated until he gave me to try it and I discovered that make a time lapse with the mobile it was really easy. Well, okay, you don’t have the quality or the creativity that a time lapse made photo by photo with a reflex camera or similar, edited one by one and then joined in post-production, as Iaio told you here.

But it is much simpler, more accessible and has the same functionality. If it is not for something professional and you follow certain tips, your time lapse can remain of cinema.

So that you can check it for yourself, I will tell you step by step. And if you want to delve deeper into mobile photography, you can’t miss the mega guide that we have prepared with all the tips and tricks or this other one with the best mobile photography applications.

What is a time lapse

Although it has this name so… English ;), it is actually a video to fast camera. It is a technique used to show very quickly something that happens at very slow speeds and even imperceptible to the human eye. It consists of taking certain photos in a time interval and joining them in a video.

And since the limits of creativity are infinite, you can use this technique for multiple reasons. For example, it is now widely used for those video recipes shared on social media. In two minutes, for example, you can see how a dish is prepared that takes about two hours.

What do you need to make a time lapse with your mobile

Doing a time lapse with a mobile phone does not require as much equipment as if it were with an SLR. As I said at the beginning, it is very simple. You will see that the first three are essential, the rest depends:

  1. You mobilesure you have one. Well with the native camera that has the option of time lapse or with some application installed to make them. Below I tell you some.
  2. a tripod for mobile. I have this and it is wonderful. Because it works for the camera, the phone and if you have a GoPro, too. It has a remote trigger and you can place it wherever you want because its legs are flexible. If you are interested, leave a comment and I will dedicate a more in-depth article to it. A trick: If you don’t have a tripod, while you get it or not, you can try a mobile support. But it is very important that the phone does not move at all while recording. And this is not a second where you can stay in statue mode with a prize pulse. Here it can be hours.

  3. A reason. Yes, something to photograph. Your reason. I have chosen the sunrise to give you an example, but you can photograph a road from a bridge, people walking somewhere interesting, clouds, a sunset, etc. Anything that moves in a fixed environment will help you achieve a time-lapse. I find the play of light very interesting, which is why I chose this motif. Now, I admit that my phone in low light works so-so. Other tests I’ve done (just for fun) with more light have resulted in better image quality. I’m telling you in case it’s something that worries you especially, if you don’t care, forget all this last roll 😉
  4. Extreme battery. It is not essential, but if you are going to do a time lapse very long you will probably need it. Imagine that you want to record the opening of a flower, or a city from sunrise to sunset… your smartphone’s battery may last a long time (or not), but it sure won’t work miracles ;). Here’s an example.
  5. Some entertainment to spend the time. Depending on how long you are going to be recording, you will need to pull something that entertains you. If you have company to chat with, great, if not, you can take one of our books on your iPad or one of our other recommendations. To give an example. If reading is not your thing, surely you will find some other hobby ;).
  6. Others. Water and food if you are going to be for many hours. If it’s summer and you’ll be in the sun, you’d better take an umbrella or parasol, a good hat and a thermos with cold water. If it is the middle of winter, warm clothing and dry socks can prevent you from getting a bad cold.

How can you make a time lapse with your mobile?

There are two ways to make a time lapse, as I have already mentioned.

  • Take many photos and join them with a video editing program.
  • The easy version, directly if the native camera of your smartphone offers the option of time-lapse, which is what I used in this case. Or, if it doesn’t have it, as I told you at the beginning, use an application. For example:
    • lapse it (Android /iOS). The best thing about this app is that you can modify certain parameters. For example, deciding the time interval in which you want the photos, something really very useful. Although to modify some of them it asks for the Pro version (Android /iOS).
    • hyper lapse (iOS). Record a video and then you can process it with the speed you want (1x, 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x, 12x). It is also valid to record a normal video and stabilize it if you do not have a tripod. You leave it at 1x speed and although it does not look as fluid as a normal video, it is much more stabilized.
    • frame-lapse (Android /iOS) There is also the pro version (Android /iOS). With the free application you can, once the time lapse, edit it. More or less brightness or contrast and apply some of its filters. This has not convinced me much in its free version, but the best thing is to try and see which one works best for you, maybe you get the point and you like it better. In the end, everyone has their favorite tools ;).

Plan your time lapse with mobile

In the planning there is a high percentage of the success that you can obtain with your time-lapse. Especially when it has to do with the sun, light, clouds, etc. Take into account the meteorology, or the place where the sun is going to rise, or when is the ideal moment to capture it just where you want it to appear. The Photopill apps or The Photographer´s Ephemeris They can help you in this regard.

a matter of time

It is also important that you take into account the time. Depending on how long you want your time lapse you will have to record more or less time. Likewise, depending on the reason, the interval must be greater or less. Let’s look at this in more detail. Aspects to consider.

frames per second

In the US, 30 photos per second (fps) are used, which offers more fluid results than in Europe, which is 25 fps.

Motive speed

The faster the subject moves, the shorter the interval should be. For example:

  • Cars or people moving: between 2 and 5 seconds.
  • Clouds: about 10 seconds.
  • Flowers blooming: between 20 minutes and an hour.
  • Sunset or sunrise: about 10 seconds
  • High sun movement: between 20 and 30 seconds.

You must bear in mind that there are no exact rules, that it is best to try and play. Depending on the reason and the result you want, you will have to calculate the interval, the recording time, etc. For this you can use the Photopills calculator:

You will have to try because depending on what you are looking for, the recording time or the interval, etc., will prevail. In the end, the important thing is that you try and experiment, both the tools at your disposal and the times. No one knows better than you what you want to achieve ;).

Errors to avoid when recording time lapse with mobile

I leave you with some mistakes that you should avoid to achieve a better result. Some from my own experience ;):

  1. If you take the horizon, make sure it’s right. In a photo it is very easy to fix it in post production. But if you record a video, things get complicated. Maybe not, it may be very easy for a video expert but for those of us who only move in the field of photos… I’m afraid it’s better to do it from the beginning. I thought it was straight, now I see that it wasn’t quite ;). For my defense I will go to my brain half asleep because of the early morning ;P
  2. make sure you have enough space on your phone to record the time lapse. I was overwhelmed for a long time because I realized halfway through that I hadn’t emptied my phone’s memory of photos. If I hadn’t been suffering from this detail It would have been a longer video.
  3. Batteries. Luckily I didn’t sin here (sigh of relief). But just in case, I remind you. Put your phone to charge before making your time-lapse. And if you plan to last a long time, an external battery can be your salvation.
  4. Lack of light. The biggest problem with smartphones when taking photos is that their smaller sensor makes it difficult to capture light. That is why the difference between photos with a lot of light and with low light is very significant. Make sure you have enough light to illuminate your time apse.
  5. Do not record vertically. We love vertical frames, however, in video and on mobile they are not recommended at all.
  6. A bad composition. It is not a photo, but it is a set of photos. Perhaps you think that with the subject moving the thing works. It is not like this. It can be used as an example, to practice, to test and play. But if you want a time lapse that you like, take care of the composition, beyond capturing the straight horizon. Make sure you catch the viewer’s eye, that they are drawn to the big picture, even if the elements are moving.

The result

Here you have my humble contribution with my humble smartphone. With my successes and my failures. So that my experience can serve as a learning experience for you.

Ideas to spark your creativity

I have recorded a sunrise for you. You, with your mobile phone, can record this or any other reason you can think of. Here are some ideas to wake up your bug:

  • a cake in the oven
  • visitors to your photography exhibition
  • a ship at sea
  • cars from a bridge
  • people leaving a cinema
  • a soccer game (basketball, tennis or whatever you like)
  • the waves of the sea on the shore
  • flowers blooming
  • how sunlight interacts on a building
  • the manufacture of a product
  • a dance
  • a change of look (hairstyle, makeup, costume…)

Your turn

I hope that getting up at six in the morning to record it was worth it and made you want to record your first time-lapse. This time there are no excuses that you don’t have an SLR or anything like that ;). If you feel like it, you can. Then, if you feel like it, you can tell us about your experience in the comments. Or add an idea as a reason to capture.

And if you liked it or found it useful, don’t forget to share it on your favorite social network and hit “Like”, so I’ll know if the content we prepare for you is to your liking ;). Thanks and see you soon!