iPhone App Helps Videograpers with Time Lapse Calculations

You may know that the Apps (applications) in the iTunes store hit the 100,000 mark recently.  That means there are more than 100,000 applications available for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  There is a newer app that has a very specific purpose for folks who produce video, and more specifically Time Lapse Video.

We've all seen segments of Time Lapse film or video -- those great short sequences of a flowering blooming, the baby chicks hatching or the storm clouds speeding across the sky.  This is achieved by taking just a small interval of time (as low as 1/30th or 1/24 of a second) over minutes or hours.  Then when played back in normal speed - the subject/s look like they are moving rapidly.

The man behind this app is Carroll Lam - who is no stranger to high technology.  Carroll earned his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering in 1965 and has been working with film since he was a youngster in Texas.  And Carroll has invested his time deeply in video technologies for the past decade. One of his areas of interest has been in Time Lapse film and more recently time lapse videography. 

"I really enjoyed produced time lapse using the 8mm single frame capability on my Bolex film camera but it was mechanical... I always wanted to do time lapse with video in the early years of camcorders but could not figure out how to carry off.  When Sony digital cameras came out they had an interval mode on them, allowing you to capture a minimum of 6 frames each interval (you would have to then take the footage from the video camera into your video editor and trim each scene (timed interval) down to 1 frame".  

Taking his engineering aptitudes and his passion for video, he constructed a spread sheet years ago to help with the calculations required to produce a time-lapse video segment without having to repeat the calculations each time you wanted to film or videotape a new subject or segment.

When Sony introduced the Sony XD-CAM, it allowed the capability of single-frame interval recording because it recorded to solid-state media, not tape. Carroll had connected with another professional videographer up in Rhode Island who was also using the XD-CAM.  "He learned what I had created and was very interested as well - I sent him my spreadsheet for the time lapse and he thought it valuable enough that he put it on his website as an interactive, online application.  It was great but the limitation was that you had to be online to use it.  And many videographers who found this valuable were needing to access this tool out in the field."

With the advent of the iPhone, Carroll came up with the idea of producing an application that _could_ be used in the field.  Carroll had all the data to make it work and found a software company in Tennessee to work with.  He wrote the specs for the program, provided the impetus for what it would look like - how it would work and let them complete the programming.  When the app called 'TimeLapse Calculator' was completed, the software company offered to upload and prepare the product for launch in the iTunes store but Carroll wanted to learn how to do it himself. 

When asked about the process, Carroll shared "The App process went well for me... I had just one change, a price mention that Apple recommended I remove as the app would be seen and available around the world with different currencies.  The whole process with Apple took about 3 weeks.  This is a relatively simply application without any controversial aspects to it, so really it was largely to make sure my app did not affect the success of their unit (the iPhone or iPod Touch)."

Click the image below to see full-size view of TimeLapse webpage

I asked Carroll how he feels about his sales to date "I am pleased so far... with 100,000 applications in the apps store it is a challenge to be seen by the right customers (the folks who do not only produce video but those who produce TimeLapse video."

I have had the opportunity to play with and use the TimeLapse Calculator app myself and think it is a great  tool!  I love the ease of use - the attractive and functional layout or interface, the very clear help/info within/on the app (and on Carroll's website).  You input the frame rate you are shooting in, the frames per interval, the clip length or the duration (length) of the event itself and ask the app to calculate for you and it does -- and it does it fast!  One of the cool capabilities built into the app is the ability to save calculations and settings you may need again in the future).

If you're an event videographer doing Time Lapse calculations this US $4.99 is a small amount of money well spent.  You will find this App in the Apps section of the iPhone store listed as the TimeLapse Calculator - direct link here (will open iTunes).  You will also find full information on the TimeLapse Calculator on Carroll's website here.

Comments

[Chris Finn]

For "The many behind" read "The man behind"....

[Chet Davis]

Thanks Chris -- corrected that typo. Chet