7 Simple Tips for Better Timelapses
In this 3-minute video and article, I want to share 7 tips on how to create better timelapse footage. Those tips are mostly related to your camera and settings.
1. Use manual camera settings for focus, white balance, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to get a constant image look.
2. Aperture Priority mode can be used to make day-to-night (also known as holy grail) time-lapses. This is especially useful when you try to record day-to-night for the first few times as this makes it easier.
3. Flickering can be reduced by using wide apertures and slower shutter speeds. This will cause problems during the day because images will get overexposed, so use ND filters. They are your best friends as a time-lapse photographer.
4. Learn to play with different shutter speeds and which look you will get with different shutter speeds. This will not only help add motion blur and other cool effects but also helps to get rid of for example birds flying through the picture.
5. The same goes for the interval. Intervals with longer breaks in-between will make the footage fast. Keep in mind you can record your footage at shorter intervals and always speed it up later in post.
6. Another great thing about using a wide aperture is that there will be fewer visible sensor spots on your image (when you have a dirty sensor).
7. If you’re using a motion system like a motorized slider, don’t overdo the motion. Use it minimally to make the impact more powerful.
About the author: Christian Mögnum Möhrle is a landscape photographer and YouTuber who’s making free educational photography videos for everyone. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of Möhrle’s work on his Facebook and Instagram.
