The 8 Best Time-Lapse Camera Apps for iPhone
Time-lapse photography is a clever technique to make an otherwise dull shot more interesting. A time-lapse video is a series of still images taken at different intervals but played back at the same speed. These shots can be used to convey how beautifully and quickly time passes.
You can create the same effect at home by using your smartphone. There’s no need for expensive gear or expertise in video editing, either. You can use one or more of the photo-editing iPhone apps listed below to shoot incredible time-lapse photos like a pro.
8. iMotion
iMotion features a somewhat old-school interface but is surprisingly powerful for creating time lapses. First, the app allows you to shoot video in 4K, while other apps lock this feature behind a paywall. Even the native Camera app on the iPhone only shoots time-lapse videos in 1080p.
You can use another iPhone on the same Wi-Fi as a remote to capture still shots. This is an excellent feature since image stabilization won’t be affected. Apart from that, you can delete individual frames, set time intervals, shoot manually, and change the playback frame rate of the final video.
The free version is impressive, and the pro version gives you different manual settings for exposure, focus, white balance, and more.
Download:iMotion(Free, premium version available)
The built-in Camera app in iOS is the easiest way to shoot a quick time-lapse video on your iPhone. It shoots time lapses at 1-2fps, depending on the length of the video. If you shoot for less than 10 minutes, your iPhone will capture two frames every second.
The app, by default, discards half of your frames if you shoot for more than 10 minutes. This means the longer you shoot, the faster the time-lapse video will be.
Time-lapse playback on the iPhone is 1080p at 30fps. So, the still shots will speed up at 15x. it’s possible to trim the time lapse in the Photos app, but that’s about it.
So, while the native iPhone Camera app is excellent overall, the time-lapse section does not give you many controls, and you’ll want to use other apps to do so. But if you somehow removed the default Camera app from your iPhone, you can easily reinstall it from the App Store.
Download:Camera(Free)
6. Lapse It Pro
Lapse It Pro is an impressively technical and complex app for shooting time lapses. It features the usual tools, such as setting automatic intervals, stopping at a certain frame limit, adjusting the lighting and focus, etc.
The Pro version of the app is where it gets serious. You can manually tune exposure, ISO, and shutter speed. Furthermore, you can create time lapses in 4K, shoot in RAW, adjust the depth of field, and much more.
Lapse It Pro also lets you import/export clips and save presets for your favorite settings. This app has a lot to explore, and it’s great forcreative time-lapse projects.
Download:Lapse It Pro(Free, premium version available)
OSnap! has many features similar to Lapse It but with a more user-friendly interface. you may shoot time lapses manually or with a timer, but an interesting feature is that you can also use the mic. If you put your phone in a stable position and clap your hands, the microphone will pick that up and take the shot.
This works quite well if you’re creating a stop-motion video. You can add or delete individual frames, loop the playback, and import/export frames from one project into another.
The only caveat is that the free version has a watermark at the end of the video. Buying the paid version removes that, of course. So, it’s worth considering especially if you enjoy using the app.
Download:OSnap!(Free, premium version available)
Splice is a powerful video editor that is much more than a simple time-lapse tool. It provides an easy way to add text to videos and AI-powered speech-to-text for captions. In addition, Splice lets you merge orcombine multiple videoswith slick transitions, making it one of the best time-lapse apps out there.
While you can simply speed up or slow down videos to adjust the time-lapse effect, you can also add speed ramps to make the effect smoother. This is also known as the time remapping technique.
Apart from that, you can adjust lighting, and overall volume, add custom music, and more. However, you’ll need to subscribe to a premium version to get the most out of it.
Download:Splice(Free, subscription available)
3. FilmoraGo
Much like Splice, FilmoraGo is more of an all-in-one video editor. You can trim clips, merge them, or cut them out from longer videos. It also features built-in sound effects, layers similar to Premiere Pro, and a large library of royalty-free music.
While the app does not have a built-in camera, you can import clips to add a time-lapse effect to them. Use the dozens of transition effects to make the time-lapse clip feel natural and more stabilized.
FilmoraGo is great if you want to add a time-lapse clip to a longer video. The app lets you seamlessly merge multiple clips, making it great for creating stunning time lapses.
Download:FilmoraGo(Free, subscription available)
2. Life Lapse
Life Lapse stands out from the crowd because it’s one of the few apps that teaches you time-lapse and stop-motion photography. The app features built-in video tutorials that walk you through the features and teach you how to edit better videos.
Furthermore, the app also feels more intuitive than the rest. For example, you can shoot a bunch of still shots, and it will stitch them together automatically to create a time-lapse video. With the premium version, you can also use the timer.
Apart from that, you can lock the exposure and tweak the white balance before you shoot, and even capture short videos and let the app stitch them all together to create an interesting time-lapse video.
Download:Life Lapse(Free, subscription available)
1. Skyflow
Skyflow is designed for professionals. Its shooting interface is not far from a professional camera’s display. You’ll find auto-exposure, autofocus, white balance, and other settings all on one screen. The app also indicates your remaining battery and tells you what codec and resolution you are shooting at.
Other advanced features include noise reduction, an aggressive low-light boost, and the ability toshoot with prolonged exposure. The long exposure feature makes creating light trails easy and adds a motion blur effect to your time lapses.
The only catch is that you’ll need the pro version to export videos at higher resolutions.
Download:Skyflow(Free, premium version available)
Create Incredible Time-Lapse Projects With These Apps
These apps show how well smartphone photography has evolved over the years. It is also interesting how each app differs from the other, from the interface to the features. This indicates that photography apps are evolving just as quickly as the cameras on our phones.
There’s a lot more you can do with your iPhone. In fact, you might not need dozens of apps. Even the native Camera app has a great selection of features, such as Photographic Styles and built-in camera filters that are readily available at your disposal.
Apple gives you plenty of options to make your photos pop in the form of Photographic Styles and camera filters. Learn when to use them.
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