What interval should I use for time-lapse?

Clouds: 3–5s. Sunset/sunrise: 5–10s. Stars: 20–30s. Traffic: 1–3s. Construction: 5–30min. Flowers blooming: 1–5min. The interval determines how smooth the motion appears and how much the scene is compressed — shorter intervals give smoother, slower motion but need more frames and storage.

How long should I shoot for a 10-second clip?

Frames needed = 10s × 24fps = 240 frames. At 5-second intervals: 240 × 5 = 1,200s = 20 minutes of shooting. At 10-second intervals: 240 × 10 = 2,400s = 40 minutes. Longer intervals need longer shoot times for the same clip length.

Should I shoot RAW or JPEG for time-lapse?

RAW gives more flexibility for exposure correction and colour grading, especially for sunrise/sunset where light changes dramatically. JPEG saves storage but limits post-processing. For holy grail (day-to-night) time-lapses, RAW is essential for smooth exposure transitions.

How do I avoid flicker in time-lapse?

Shoot in full manual exposure so ISO, shutter and aperture stay fixed between frames. Aperture flicker comes from the lens blades not closing to exactly the same size each shot, so lock the aperture: use a lens with a manual aperture ring, or apply the lens-twist trick to keep an electronic lens stopped down at a fixed setting. For changing light (sunrise/sunset) use bulb ramping, then clean up any residual flicker with deflicker software in post.

PhotoCalcs

Time-Lapse Calculator — Intervals & Duration

Plan time-lapse intervals, shooting duration and final clip length.

Interval

Seconds between shots — clouds 3–5s, sunset 5–10s, stars 20–30s, traffic 1–3s

Shoot Duration

How long the camera will keep shooting, in minutes

Playback Frame Rate

Final video frame rate — 24 (cinema), 25 (PAL), 30 (NTSC) or 60 fps

How We Calculate This

Total Frames

Frames = shoot duration (seconds) ÷ interval (seconds)

Frames are rounded down to a whole number — you cannot capture a partial shot.

Clip Duration

Clip (seconds) = total frames ÷ playback fps

Speed-Up Factor

Speed-up = interval (seconds) × playback fps

This equals real elapsed time ÷ clip duration: one second of real time is compressed into 1/(interval × fps) of a second on screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates based on standard optical and photographic formulas. Results may vary with specific equipment.