Time Lapse Clip Length Calculator

Work out time lapse clip length instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Time Lapse Clip Length Calculator

Clip length is frames divided by playback frame rate, shooting time is frames times the interval, and the ratio of the two is the speed-up factor. A ten second clip at 24 fps needs 240 frames, which at a five second interval takes twenty minutes to capture, so interval choice dominates the shoot plan.

Formulas

Clip length

seconds = frames / playback fps

Speed-up

factor = frames x interval / clip length

Worked example

With the default values below, Time Lapse Clip Length Calculator returns Finished clip length of 25.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Number of framesminimum 1: 600
Playback frame rateminimum 1 fps: 24 fps
Interval between shotsminimum 0.1 s: 5 s

Results

Finished clip length: 25.00 s
Clip length as minutes and seconds: 0:25
Time spent shooting: 50.00 min
Time compression factor: 120.0 x

Step by step

1Values used
2Clip length
3Speed-up
4Finished clip length= 25.00 s
5Clip length as minutes and seconds= 0:25
6Time spent shooting= 50.00 min
7Time compression factor= 120.0 x

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Time Lapse Clip Length figure worked out?

seconds = frames / playback fps. Clip length is frames divided by playback frame rate, shooting time is frames times the interval, and the ratio of the two is the speed-up factor.

Why does this matter?

A ten second clip at 24 fps needs 240 frames, which at a five second interval takes twenty minutes to capture, so interval choice dominates the shoot plan.

What do I need to enter?

Enter number of frames, playback frame rate, interval between shots. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.