Editing Time Lapses using Photos at DVinfo.net

Jerry Neal · September 10th, 2012, 08:58 PM

Hello,

I'm attempting to edit my first time lapse composed of JPEGs I shot with my DSLR. When I import these "stills" into Vegas, do I need to adjust the size (length) of each photo for the best results? If so, is there a way to do this without doing each one separately? Also, is there a way to insert the velocity band across the entire track? Just curious how to pull this off...

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Matt Bigwood · September 11th, 2012, 07:50 AM

Go to 'Options' and 'Preferences'. You should see a number of tabs on the box that has opened - click on 'Editing' and there's and options about half way down for 'New Still Image Length'. If you change from the default five seconds to 0.02 seconds each still image will be one frame duration, or any other length you specify.

Once you've applied the changes I seem to remember you have to re-import the files to Vegas or they will remain as the default duration.

Hope that helps.

Mike Kujbida · September 11th, 2012, 09:27 AM

Jerry, if you want each image to only be one frame long, the easiest way to do this is to import them as a still image sequence.
Make sure all of them are in the same folder and are sequentially numbered.
File - Import - Media, browse to the folder where the images are, click on the first one in the sequence, click Open still image sequence (see attached screenshot) at the bottom of this window, click Open, make any necessary adjustments in the tab that comes up and click OK.
The sequence will now be sitting in your Project Media waiting to be added to the timeline.

Since these are coming from your DSLR, they're probably pretty large in size (i.e. pixels).
You may want to re-size them closer to project size so that you don't put much of a strain on your CPU during rendering.
IrfanView (it's free) has an an excellent and fast batch re-sizing option.
IrfanView

To answer your other question, a velocity envelope can only be applied to individual events, not the entire track :(

Roberto Diaz · September 11th, 2012, 08:24 PM

i've done this effectively by setting the duration of each image in the properties as mentioned earlier. however, if the other techniques don't work or if you want to tweak it, you can use the following technique to quickly change the playback rate of the images already on the timeline: first, select all the images in the sequence; then, create a group with those images (just press "G"); finally, press CTRL while dragging the edge of the group to compress the playback rate. you'll see squiggly/sawtooth line indicating the time is compressed. note that the CTRL-drag only works on a single object so you have to create a group with the images so that they are a single object. you can ungroup them when you're done. note that you can only compress the object to 1/4 or so of the original time.

i did this to create a time lapse of a huge snowstorm in chicago in 2011...

good luck!
bobD

September 10th, 2012, 08:58 PM	#1
Jerry Neal Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 121	Editing Time Lapses using Photos Hello, I'm attempting to edit my first time lapse composed of JPEGs I shot with my DSLR. When I import these "stills" into Vegas, do I need to adjust the size (length) of each photo for the best results? If so, is there a way to do this without doing each one separately? Also, is there a way to insert the velocity band across the entire track? Just curious how to pull this off... Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

September 11th, 2012, 07:50 AM	#2
Matt Bigwood Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gloucester UK Posts: 223	Re: Editing Time Lapses using Photos Go to 'Options' and 'Preferences'. You should see a number of tabs on the box that has opened - click on 'Editing' and there's and options about half way down for 'New Still Image Length'. If you change from the default five seconds to 0.02 seconds each still image will be one frame duration, or any other length you specify. Once you've applied the changes I seem to remember you have to re-import the files to Vegas or they will remain as the default duration. Hope that helps.

September 11th, 2012, 09:27 AM	#3
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Re: Editing Time Lapses using Photos Jerry, if you want each image to only be one frame long, the easiest way to do this is to import them as a still image sequence. Make sure all of them are in the same folder and are sequentially numbered. File - Import - Media, browse to the folder where the images are, click on the first one in the sequence, click Open still image sequence (see attached screenshot) at the bottom of this window, click Open, make any necessary adjustments in the tab that comes up and click OK. The sequence will now be sitting in your Project Media waiting to be added to the timeline. Since these are coming from your DSLR, they're probably pretty large in size (i.e. pixels). You may want to re-size them closer to project size so that you don't put much of a strain on your CPU during rendering. IrfanView (it's free) has an an excellent and fast batch re-sizing option. IrfanView To answer your other question, a velocity envelope can only be applied to individual events, not the entire track :( Attached Thumbnails

September 11th, 2012, 08:24 PM	#4
Roberto Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Northwest Chicago, IL Posts: 61	Re: Editing Time Lapses using Photos i've done this effectively by setting the duration of each image in the properties as mentioned earlier. however, if the other techniques don't work or if you want to tweak it, you can use the following technique to quickly change the playback rate of the images already on the timeline: first, select all the images in the sequence; then, create a group with those images (just press "G"); finally, press CTRL while dragging the edge of the group to compress the playback rate. you'll see squiggly/sawtooth line indicating the time is compressed. note that the CTRL-drag only works on a single object so you have to create a group with the images so that they are a single object. you can ungroup them when you're done. note that you can only compress the object to 1/4 or so of the original time. i did this to create a time lapse of a huge snowstorm in chicago in 2011... Chicago snowstorm 2011 in 2 minutes (time lapse) - YouTube good luck! bobD