Problem with TIME LAPSE using stills.

[spudgun]

Would be grateful if anyone has any experience or advice regarding making a timelapse video with Videostudio 11+, using STILLS.

I have captured around a thousand or so still images, at time intervals of 4 seconds, on 1/50th shutter speed.

I want to view them as a 'speeded up' sequence, and need to know if it is possible to apply a fixed 'duration' for each still image.

Under 'Preferences', the shortest period I can express is 1 second, but I need the image to be only on screen for MUCH less than this. Any ideas?, or should I look towards a different NLE for this type of thing? Or am I going about this the wrong way?

As always,
Much regards and thanks to all.

[Ken Berry]

The only way I can think of actually VS would be to make your slideshow, using the default minimum duration of 1 second for each image. No transitions, of course. Then render it into a DVD-compatible mpeg-2, if this is what you are after. Personally, I would probably first render it to DV/AVI as this is a lossless format. Then I would start a new project and insert the new video of your slideshow. Then I would select Playback Speed over at the bottom right of the preview screen. This will allow you to speed up the slideshow up to 10 times. And if this still wasn't quite fast enough, you could do it over again...

But the most professional way would be to use a dedicated program like Ulead Gif Animator.

[spudgun]

As always, many thanks Ken.

I'm looking into the option of other software that will allow me to treat the individual images as an image sequence, which is what I believe I need to do. I could, of course, modify EACH individual image to appear in the timeline for around 1-2 frames per second, but given that therwe are around 1500 of them, I will probably need a new computer before I get through them all!!
Take care Mate,
Spud

[John Moran_2]

As always, many thanks Ken.

I'm looking into the option of other software that will allow me to treat the individual images as an image sequence, which is what I believe I need to do. I could, of course, modify EACH individual image to appear in the timeline for around 1-2 frames per second, but given that therwe are around 1500 of them, I will probably need a new computer before I get through them all!!
Take care Mate,
Spud

I clicked around on my Vista laptop, first to Corel MediaOne, and then to another app (by the makers of Vista) looking for short duration (sub-second) slide show capability. Found it, but don't think you are going to like it. FWIW.
JM_2

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi spudgun

Select the images in the timeline using Shift + Click (or Ctrl +A)

Go to Clip-Change Image Colour Duration

Reduce the images duration to minimum (one frame)

[Trevor Andrew]

note

You may find that the order of imported images gets mixed up. Sometimes the first and last image will reverse order.
There are ways to overcome but depends on how you are importing and from where.

Copy and paste from timeline to library
Drag and drop from the hard drive to library or timeline .(Drag the first image)

[WestbrookNH]

Hi spudgun

Select the images in the timeline using Shift + Click (or Ctrl +A)

Go to Clip-Change Image Colour Duration

Reduce the images duration to minimum (one frame)

I've been doing what Trevor outlines above for years.

It works just fine, and the resolution is one frame.

I usually use more than that. There are 30 frames per second, so six frames is about a fifth of a second (200 milliseconds). Gives my still sequences a "Monty Python" feel, only better.

[spudgun]

Wow, gentlemen. You are brilliant. Many thanks for that. I was aware of the capacity to change the duation length, I just couldn't figure a way to convert them all, en masse, so to speak.

Eternal thanks.
Spud

[szc]

Original Post 3/31/11: This is the only topic/post I can find on this forum regarding timelapse video editing using still images.
(Remainder of post deleted by me)

Edited 4/1/11: I appologize for my original version of this post - I see now that there was much more to this thread than what I saw in the search window after searching for "timelapse". Many thanks to everyone for their kind and patient responses to my rant! This is my first post to this forum, I'll be more careful in the future to be sure and read the entire thread of replies.

Based on the original responses to this thread, and the new replies today, I see that it is possible to do all that I wanted to do regarding timelapse with VS.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

[Ron P.]

1. VS can create video files from still images, whether they be a sequence or just random. You just need to do as stated above, to set the duration less than 1 sec. Along the lines of sequence files VS has always been able to create and use UIS files, which are Ulead Image Sequences. It's actual intended purpose is to create UIS files from video clips. Just look for it in the drop-down menus, Save as type, or File of type in the Insert video file commands.

I cannot believe there is nobody out there using VS for editing timelapse videos from stills!

Just because there are not posts here, does no way indicate no one is doing this. The majority of the posts here, are because people are having problems and need help. There may be hundreds of people doing this, and not having any problems, so coming to a Help forum and posting about it, is about the last thing they would consider doing.

Most good video editing programs have the ability to import still images in a sequence and convert to video,

Yes VS can, and always has been able to. You simply insert your images, in chronological order, then render them to a video file, using only hard cuts, ie; no transitions.

will VS import the file in .MOV format?

Yes, it can. Some have problems with having the most current version of QT Player.

Final question : I'd really like to be able to import the images at full resolution, which is about twice as high as 1080 HD. Then during editing, that higher resolution gives you the ability to pan and zoom within the image and still have high resolution available for the final video. I know this can be done with Adobe Premier and After Effects, can it be done with VS. (I'm using X3).

VS is capable of creating HD video from source video or still images. You can apply Pan/Zoom to the images, you can apply the Video Pan/Zoom filter, with VS X3 and X4, you can use New Blue FX's PiP filter to do some nice things with your images.

Finally I will add that comparisons of VS to Premier or After Effects is about as equal and fair as comparing Window Movie Maker to it. Those are developed for Professionals, are more complex, and most importantly about 10x more expensive. So yes they are going to do things that VS can not begin to do, and for the money they darn well better!!!

Oh, and

I would really appreciate a response from someone who has done timelapse with VS from still images

yes I have..

[BrianCee]

. The single response from Ken Barry back in 2008 was very discouraging. I cannot believe there is nobody out there using VS for editing timelapse videos from stills!

I cannot understand that statement - I see 7 more posts back in 2008 after Ken Berry's which show other people using it - and one post from the original poster expressing gratitude that he had succesfully completed his project using VideoStudio so of course it is possible to use stills to make a timelapse video in VideoStudio.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi
and welcome to the forums

Just to add, its three years since that post, I am aware of several new releases of video studio improving editing techniques, well most of us think so.

Still image duration can be as small as 1 frame, and that’s as small as it gets.
However when inserting to the timeline 1 second is the minimum, but you can then re-size to 1 frame duration within the timeline.

Pan and Zoom
There was an issue with quality, but de-selecting the “Apply Anti Flickering Filter” seemed to cure this, I do not know if recent updates to VS have addressed this issue.

By the way the original reply was from a gentleman called Ken Berry.

Good luck

[skyml]

...... I cannot believe there is nobody out there using VS for editing timelapse videos from stills! Timelapse video can be produced in high quality using a standard DSLR to shoot a sequence of still images then import...

Actually, I've been using VS for time lapse using my DSLR's since version 12 and now with ver X4. Time Lapse is my current passion and I find VS to be much easier with more built-in options than my copy of Vegas Pro 9.

I can't say I see any real benefit to the way X4 handles time lapse other then making it more obvious for importing and setting up your files but I will say that VS is more than capable for creating time lapse to inlcude panning within an image after it is created. The comments in this thread show how it's done and prove that many are doing it.

Here is a link to some samples I have made doing Time Lapse on VS using Canon DSLR's and a variety of lenses (actually, I have also used a GoPro HD and a Sony CX-150 video camera on a few shots).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLa-DnQBpdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J4zOusgeYg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMZkpyxhShc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nenmhAEj ... re=related

[szc]

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. I deleted most of my original post and edited it to explain.
I'm bad for being so grouchy, I've been through a lot with Corel trying to recover my lost accounts with them, both registrations of products and my forum registration from years ago were lost and Corel was unable to help. I was getting really frustrated with them and it came out in my post here. I appologize for that! Thanks for taking it easy on me and providing helpful info in your responses.

[MauleDriver]

I am going to piggy back on this thread, if you don't mind.

I captured 720p images at 2 second intervals and am trying to produce a time lapse that "smooths out" the 2 second interval so the playback looks smooth.

Am I jousting at windmills here or simply missing something in the instructions. Got the images loaded, played with number of frames from 1-29, but want to keep all the frames and not drop any.

I am in the process of deciding which program I am going to purchase for movie making and am very new at this. Corel looks to have a very friendly interface and lots of power but this one simple task is making me a little nuts.

TD