"Frame Removal" to Create Time-Lapse Effect
by Jeremy Bird
on
Oct 1, 2008 at 5:53:09 am
I'm working on a project that requires a time-lapse effect. So far, speeding up footage in FCP just makes it look like a tape in fast-forward (even without 'frame blending'). The client suggested "frame removal" to create the effect.
Has anyone heard of this? How do I do it? I don't have any third-party plug-ins, only FCP.
Re: "Frame Removal" to Create Time-Lapse Effect by Michael Sacci on Oct 1, 2008 at 8:58:13 am
Normally footage is shoot at 1 frame every minute or so. Then you capture that and normally still speed it up. So if you recorded over 9 hours you would have 18 minutes of footage (540 frames) So if you wanted to have it play in 90 seconds you would speed it up 1200%.
So if you have real time footage you would want to leave just one frame every minute or two, simply cut out 29 frames, close gap, frame ahead one, remove 29 frames, close gap and so on. Export this as a self contained movie, bring it back in and speed it up to desired duration and you have a perfect time lapse, no frame blending is ever needed.
Re: "Frame Removal" to Create Time-Lapse Effect by Alex Elkins on Oct 1, 2008 at 11:26:04 am
[Michael Sacci]"simply cut out 29 frames, close gap, frame ahead one, remove 29 frames, close gap and so on."
Isn't that essentially what FCP is doing when you speed up a clip anyway? Is there a difference between the two methods, apart from having more control over which precise frames you're keeping?
Re: "Frame Removal" to Create Time-Lapse Effect by Arnie Schlissel on Oct 1, 2008 at 8:32:20 pm
If you have Shake, you could do this with a timeX node. One of the options there is to plug in a simple formula that would only use every N'th frame. Say every 30th or 120th frame, if you so choose.
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
http://www.arniepix.com/
