Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens, we're out here on location photographing
clouds because we want to test how interval controls speed when you're doing time-lapse
and also to compare interval versus sped up footage. Let's get started and see what we can do.
MUSIC
Before you watch this tutorial, sign up for our business coaching class. Take advantage
of my almost 30 years of business experience. Let me help you grow your business. Sign up
today. Now, get back to the lesson.
MUSIC
First, I want to show how interval is going to control the speed of the clouds. I've got
three cameras set up: one at 2 second interval, one at 4 second interval, and one at 8 second
interval. We're using all of our Syrp equipment today. We've got two Genie Minis and a Genie
out there doing our time lapse for us.
Here are those examples side by side, played back at 24 frames a second, and not sped up.
The clouds move at a slow pace, so at a 2 second interval, they're not moving very far
in between exposures. When you go to a 4 second interval, they're moving further between exposures.
When you go to an 8 second interval, they're moving a lot more between the exposures, so
now the clouds speed up. They go faster, but they also move further in between each exposure.
The longer the interval, the faster the clouds are going to move.
If I need 240 frames so I can get 10 seconds of time-lapse, that only takes me about 8
minutes to do a 2 second interval, but it's gonna take me 16 minutes to do a 4 second
interval. It's going to take me 32 minutes to get an 8 second interval. The reality is
the first eight minutes, I'm seeing the same clouds in our test, but the second eight minutes
I'm only seeing it on two cameras, and the last eight minutes, I'm only seeing it on
the 8 second interval camera. You need more clouds. It just keeps rolling over, but it
does speed them up. To get 240 frames, or 10 seconds of time-lapse, it's going to take
us a lot longer with that 8 second interval versus a 4 second interval. That's just the
way it is.
When it came time to edit and put these time-lapses on a timeline, we looked at them side by side.
You know what? The 4 second interval compared to a 2 second interval sped up 100% looked
really similar. Pretty hard to tell them apart, so I could've gone either way with these.
When we looked at the 8 second interval compared to the 2 second interval sped up 200%, I think
the 8 second interval looked just a little smoother. The 2 second interval sped up 200%
was a little more choppy, so I'd probably go with the eight second interval - that's
just my personal choice - but looking at the two of them together, it's pretty hard to
tell. I mean they're pretty similar. In reality clouds move pretty quick, so you're going
to need a fairly short interval to get the information you need.
If you're shooting mushrooms, or something growing, obviously you're going to need a
very long interval. I like a shorter interval because it gives me a lot of data to be able
to work with. For one, if I shoot two second intervals, even if I love the four second
interval better, I can throw all the odd numbers out on a timeline, renumber them in bridge, and
I've got now a four second interval. I can throw all the odd numbers out again, renumber
them and bridge, and I now have an eight second interval. More data gives me more options.
I can speed it up. I can throw them out and create new timelines, but I have all the information.
For me, I love a two second interval. I use that most of the time. If the clouds are just
super fast, like they're rolling in fast, then I may go to a one second interval. Or,
if the data's really slow, and I'm looking at those clouds going, "They are so far away,
and they're moving so slow," then I'm going to definitely go to an eight second interval
before I'm going to get anything out. There's no reason for me to get all that data because
I'm never going to use it.
It becomes the art of time-lapse. It really does. You have to make some decisions about
interval. You've got to make decisions about shutter speed. Shutter speed's not going to
affect your clouds, not like interval does. They don't move fast enough for that.
Let's see some of your time-lapse. Join our Facebook group. Get some time-lapse on there.
I love to see what other people are doing, the things that they're creating. It's a lot
of fun. Join our Facebook group, and keep those cameras rolling. Keep on clicking.
Need some gaff tape? How about a lighting kit? Well, you're in luck. We teamed up with
Rosco and Photoflex for the June giveaway, and there are four lucky winners. Sign up
for our giveaways over at theslantedlens.com, and you could walk away with a case of GaffTac
from Rosco or a StarLite OctoDome lighting kit from Photoflex.
MUSIC
This is the moment where we time-lapse your finger going over to hit the subscribe button
to The Slanted Lens. Your grandma already hit her subscribe button because she's really
fast. How come you're not as fast as your grandma? She hit the button faster than you
did. Subscribe to The Slanted Lens. Don't miss out on what we're doing.