Time Lapses are a great way to capture long static footage whether you’re interested in the weather or the landscape. Not only do they help provide an artistic touch, they also help save space on your device by only capturing a fraction of the usually needed frames.
However, if you’ve tried to capture a time-lapse on your iPhone then you might have realized that there’s no visible way to control the speed of your time-lapse.
This can be quite a hindrance in a creative workflow and if you’re in the same boat then here’s how you can slow down your time lapses on an iPhone.
Can you control the speed of a time-lapse video?
No, there is currently no native feature on an iPhone by default that allows you to control the speed of your Time Lapse videos. However, if you’ve recently bought a new device then chances are that iMovie is pre-installed on your device.
iMovie is Apple’s free comprehensive video editor that has the ability to alter the time of your captured time lapses.
If preferred you can also use a third-party app to slow down your time lapses instead. Follow the next section to help you along with the process.
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How to slow down time lapses on iPhone
We recommend you start by using iMovie to alter the speed of your time lapses. Third-party apps can sometimes face issues slowing down time lapses that haven’t been captured through the app.
If iMovie can not get you the desired final result, you can try using one of the third-party apps mentioned below instead.
Method 1: Using iMovie
Download iMovie on your device using the link above if it is not pre-installed. Once installed, open the same and tap Movie.
Tap and select your Time Lapse from the previews on your screen. Time Lapse videos will have a small icon for the same in the bottom left corner of the thumbnail.
Tap Create Movie at the bottom.
The video will now be added to your timeline. Tap and drag the play head to the beginning of your video.
Tap on your video to select it. It should be highlighted in yellow once selected.
Tap the Speed icon at the bottom.
Tap and drag the slider to adjust your speed. Drag it to the left to slow down your time-lapse.
You will be shown the new length of your video in your timeline as you adjust your speed.
Once you’re happy with the changes, tap Done in the top left corner.
Tap the Share icon at the bottom.
Tap and select Save Video.
And that’s it! The slowed-down time-lapse will now be saved to your Photos app.
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while iMovie is a native app you get with your iPhone, you can also use a third-party app to slow down time lapses on an iPhone. Use either of the apps below depending on your preferences.
Method 2: Using Skyflow
Skyflow is a time-lapse app that allows you to capture and edit your time-lapses as needed. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Download and install Skyflow on your device using the link above. Once installed, open the app and tap the Camera icon at the top.
Now frame your shot and tap the Interval icon and adjust how frequently you wish to capture frames.
Similarly, tap the Duration icon and adjust the duration of your Time Lapse.
Now adjust your other camera settings as needed and tap Start to start recording your video.
Tap Stop once you’re done recording.
The video will be now be saved to your gallery. Now tap the Back icon.
Your captured videos will now be available in the Skyflow gallery. Tap and open the recently captured video.
Tap the Rabbit to adjust and slow down your time-lapse.
Drag the slider to your left to slow down your time-lapse.
Now adjust other settings for your time-lapse if needed and tap the Share icon.
Tap and choose your export settings as needed. You can adjust the following options for your time-lapse.
- Format
- Resolution
- Frame Rate
- Quality
- Rotation
Tap Export once you’ve made your choices.
The video will now be exported and saved to the Photos app by default. You can use the options on your screen to either save it to the Files app or share it to your preferred social media or cloud storage platform.
And that’s how you can use Skyflow to capture and adjust the speed of a time-lapse.
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Method 3: Using InShot
InShot is another video editor that you can use to slow down time lapses on your iPhone. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Open InShot on your device and tap Video.
Grant permission to access your photos based on your preferences and you should now have access to thumbnails for your photos and videos. Tap and select your Time Lapse from the previews on your screen.
Once selected, tap the checkmark in the bottom right corner.
The video will now be added to your timeline. Tap and select Speed from the tools offered at the top.
Drag the slider to adjust the speed of your video. Move the slider to the left to slow down your time-lapse.
Tap and switch to Curve if you wish to selectively slow down or speed up your video.
Tap the checkmark once you’re happy with the speed of your video.
Now tap the Share icon in the top right corner.
Adjust your export settings as needed. You can alter and change the following aspects of your final video.
- Resolution
- Frame Rate
- Format
Tap Save once you’re done.
The video will now be saved to your Photos app. If you wish to save the video to your Files app, tap Other and select Save to Files.
And that’s how you can adjust the speed of your Time Lapse using InShot.
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Other Third-party app alternatives
Here are a few other video editing apps that can help you adjust the speed of your Time Lapse on an iPhone.
We hope this post helped you easily slow down Time Lapses on an iPhone. If you have any more questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below.
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