Creating a Timelapse/Stopmotion video

Creating a Timelapse/Stopmotion video 

Dear Reader, 

This is ShutterScience's first video tutorial. The creation of the video does not require video capabilities on your camera, however you will need to either have a interval function, an intervalmeter, or manually take a frame as often as necessary (more on that later). We hope you enjoy the tutorial and it opens new possibilities for you when out in the field.

What you will need:

• A Camera (DSLR)
• A Tripod
• Windows Live Essentials
• Photoshop
• Intervalmeter (Optional: only needed if taking frames manually isn't desired and your camera does not have a interval function)

How To!

Preprocessing

Step 1: 

Choose your scene/focus of the end video and setup your camera on your tripod and frame the shoot.

Step 2: 

Either set the intervalmeter/interval function on your camera to take a frame about every 5-10 seconds. How often and how many frames you capture will dictate the fluidity of the video and its length.

Step 3: (Only if you are trying to create a stop motion video, skip to 4 for solely timelapse)

Move your actors, objects or scene elements a small bit each frame and then capture that small movement with a still. Keep taking stills until you have completed your wanted animation.

Step 4:

Now that you have captured your scene, go home and upload those photos to your computer.

Having done this brings us to the next stage! Processing!

Processing

Now that you have all these files on your computer and before we can create a video you must make any visual changes to the stills you feel necessary. So open Photoshop and Open all of those photos in camera raw. Make sure to select all the photos and click synchronize so that your changes to the one are applied to all of them.

Step 1:

Now that you have your folder of images ready and have downloaded/installed Windows Live Essentials if you didn't have it already. Open Windows Live Movie Maker.

Step 2: 

Click on "Add Videos and Photos"

Step 3: Now Navigate to your folder in the "Open" dialog box and select all your photos. (make sure they are arranged by name to save you the trouble of sorting them into the correct order)

Step 4: 

Select all your photos. (Click on one and then on your keyboard press "CTRL" + "A"

Step 5:

Click the Edit tab at the top, and change the duration of your photos (make sure they are still all selected!). The shorter you make the interval for each photo the quicker the video will go. We found that for our example video .09 seconds was best. Play around with it and see what your prefer.

Step 6: 

If you want to add a Title to your video click on the "Home" tab and then click "Title" right next to the snapshot button. This will bring you back to the text tools tab where you will be able to specify settings for your video's title.

Step 7:

Next we will be adding music to our video. This is an optional step we added so you have the option to do so or not. Go back to the Home tab and now click "Add Music" a small option box will open asking you to click one of two options. We selected "Add Music at the current point".

Once the "Open" dialog box opens, navigate to your audio/music file and select it. Then click "Open"

              

Step 8: 

Now that you have added in your music you will notice it is above all of your slides. This is good and means you have followed the steps correctly.

Step 9: 

Now that you have laid out the groundwork to create your video; lets create it! 

Click "File" (the blue box above paste, beside the Home Tab) at the top and go to "Save Movie"

A new dialog window will open asking where to save it. Specify the location and hit "Save".

A progress bar will appear as Movie Maker makes your video!

When it is completed, you will be presented with a window saying "Play Movie" or "Open Folder". Click whichever you prefer, however if you click "Open Folder" it will open a new Window to your video's location.

Step 10:

Your done! Congratulations on creating your first Timelapse or Stopmotion video!

You can find the example video "Setting up a Tent: a Timelapse" on the ShutterScience YouTube Channel through this link:

http://youtu.be/ArXLzktS3fE

Or just Click Play!