Photography / Time-lapse
Time-lapse Calculator (Interval, Clip Length, and Photos)
Plan a time-lapse: how long a clip you get from an interval and shooting time, or how long to shoot for the clip you want, with the number of photos and the card space they need.
Time-lapse Calculator (Interval, Clip Length, and Photos): Each photo becomes one frame, so the number of photos is the shooting time divided by the interval, and the clip lasts that many frames divided by the frame rate. One photo every 5 seconds for 2 hours makes 1,440 photos, which play for 60 seconds at 24 frames a second. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Everyday tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Every second of the clip takes 24 photos, which is 2 min 0 s of shooting.
Keep the shutter time shorter than the interval, and leave the camera time to save each photo. Sunsets and clouds suit intervals of 2 to 5 seconds; stars, 20 to 30 seconds; plants and building work, minutes.
A worked example
For a 30-second clip of a sunset at 25 fps you need 750 photos. At one every 4 seconds, that is 3,000 seconds, or 50 minutes of shooting, so start well before the sun touches the horizon.
For exposures longer than the light allows, see the ND filter calculator; to work out the file size of the finished video, the video bitrate calculator.
Avoiding flicker
Set the exposure, white balance, and focus by hand, so the camera does not change them from frame to frame, which shows as flicker. When the light changes a lot, as at sunset, use aperture priority with a fixed ISO and smooth the result afterwards.
Check the battery and card before a long shoot: the card space shown here assumes every photo is the size you entered.
How to use it
- Choose whether to work out the clip length or the shooting time.
- Enter the interval between photos, the shooting time or clip length, and the frame rate.
- Read the number of photos, the result, and the card space.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is calculated in your browser.
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Frequently asked questions
What interval should I use?
2 to 5 seconds for moving clouds and sunsets, 20 to 30 seconds for stars, and minutes for slow changes such as plants growing or building work.
Which frame rate is best?
24 or 25 fps for a film look, 30 fps for most online video; a higher rate makes the clip shorter for the same photos.
Can the shutter time be longer than the interval?
No: the camera must finish each exposure and save it before the next one, so leave a second or more spare.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required