Timelapse Mode¶
The Timelapse mode screen allows you to create time-lapses using a set interval to capture images automatically, with manual camera controls, an optional frame limit, delay, and other features.
Create beautiful time-lapses of subjects like clouds, sunrises, sunsets, city life, studying, art processes, and more. Watch the changes of the world around you over time, condensed into a few seconds through time-lapse photography.
Top Bar¶
In Timelapse mode, at the bottom of the screen (or at the left side of the screen when in landscape orientation) is the top bar. From left to right (or bottom to top in landscape mode):
Time Delay Before Start¶
Delay up to 1 minute before actually starting the capture after the capture button is tapped.
Hint
This is useful for avoiding shakes and bumps of the phone when turning off the screen, etc. immediately after starting the capture.
Display Options¶
Switch between 4 different camera grid styles, or turn the grid off.
Toggle showing capture info onscreen even when the capture settings are not shown.
Capture Resolution¶
Change the resolution of the captured photos from preset options. If the selected resolution preset is not available on the device, it will automatically drop down to the next highest supported resolution. Max available resolution looks for the highest supported resolution available to third-party devices.
Bottom Bar¶
In Timelapse mode, at the bottom of the screen (or at the right side of the screen when in landscape orientation) is the bottom bar.
From left to right (or bottom to top in landscape mode):
Capture Settings¶
The Timelapse capture settings control the length and timing of the capture, and the speed and length of the final time-lapse.
Interval¶
Interval sets how often an image is captured. It controls how fast and how smooth your final time-lapse will be. The proper Interval to set is highly dependent on the subject and the creative effect you are trying to achieve. Experimentation is key. :)
Velocity¶
Velocity changes the speed of the final time-lapse. This is another way of setting the Interval, which is useful if you have a certain target speed in mind. For example, set Velocity to 30 and a time-lapse interval corresponding to 30 times the speed of normal video with be automatically set.
Frames¶
Frames set the limit (total number) of images that will be captured before automatically stopping the capture. If set to infinity, the capture will continue until the stop capture button is tapped.
Duration¶
Duration sets the capture time, the amount of time to capture before automatically stopping the capture. If set to infinity, the capture will continue until the stop capture button is tapped. This is another way of setting Frames, which is useful if you have a specific amount of time you want the capture to last.
Schedule¶
Enabling Schedule will schedule the time-lapse capture for a period of time from Start time to Stop time. This is useful for setting a future time to automatically start and end the capture.
Camera Settings¶
Flip Camera Direction¶
Flip the direction of the camera from back to front or vice-versa. The available lenses (see below) will be updated to reflect the current camera direction.
Available Lenses¶
The available lenses for the current camera direction are displayed. Tapping on a lens will switch the current camera preview to that lens.
Note
If only one lens is displayed, your device may not support other lenses or the device does not give access to other lenses to third-party apps through the standard camera API.
Flashlight¶
Turn on the camera flashlight. If Flashlight Auto Mode is enabled in settings, the flashlight will automatically turn on and off for intervals longer than 2 seconds to save battery.
Zoom¶
Control the current camera zoom.
Focus¶
Set the camera focus distance manually. A lower focus distance value will focus on close objects (the foreground) and blur the background. Setting a higher focus distance value will focus on objects far away and blur any objects close to the lens.
White Balance¶
Set the camera white balance to auto, to a specific Kelvin scale value manually via a slider, or by selecting one of the white balance presets.
Shutter Speed¶
Set how long the camera lens stays open to gather light into the lens. Please note that shutter speed and ISO must be set together when in manual mode.
Note
The shutter speed and ISO ranges are dependent on what your device allows third-party apps to access. This can be very different than what the device native stock camera can access, unfortunately. You can double-check what shutter speed range a particular device allows third-party apps to access by looking at this device camera database.
Important
The camera preview is limited to 1/5 of a second of shutter speed to avoid queuing. This means that when setting shutter speeds longer than 1/5 of a second, it is not WYSIWYG in the preview. The preview may not look right, but the captured photos will look how they should. This is standard behavior for camera apps.
ISO¶
Set the camera ISO, which controls the brightness of the image at the cost of more noise. Please note that shutter speed and ISO must be set together when in manual mode.
Exposure Lock¶
When exposure lock is enabled (the lock icon is locked), the exposure will be locked during the capture. This option is only available when in the ISO, SS, or EV tabs.
Focus Lock¶
When focus lock is enabled (the lock icon is locked), the focus will be locked during the capture. This option is only available when in the AF (auto focus) tab.
Exposure Value¶
The EV (exposure value) slider adjusts the camera auto exposure, making the image brighter or darker. Setting this will set the camera back to auto exposure.