How to shoot a timelapse on Android
A timelapse turns a slow afternoon into a few seconds of moving clouds, streaming traffic or a sunset. Here's which speed to choose, how long to record, and the small things that make the difference.
What the speed number means
A timelapse speeds up time. The speed tells you by how much: at 30x, every second of the finished clip shows 30 seconds of real time. At 150x, one second of clip covers two and a half minutes.
Slow subjects need high speeds to show any movement. Fast subjects need lower speeds, or the clip becomes a blur of flicker.
Which speed for which subject
| Subject | Speed to start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds, people walking | 5x to 15x | Faster speeds turn people into flickering ghosts. |
| City traffic | 15x to 30x | Cars become smooth streams. |
| Clouds moving | 30x to 60x | Clouds drift too slowly to see at lower speeds. |
| Sunset or sunrise | 60x to 150x | The light changes over half an hour or more. |
| Shadows across a building, a long afternoon | 150x | Hours of movement fit into seconds. |
How long to record
Work backwards from the clip you want: clip length × speed = time to record.
| For a 10-second clip at | Record for |
|---|---|
| 5x | 50 seconds |
| 15x | 2.5 minutes |
| 30x | 5 minutes |
| 60x | 10 minutes |
| 150x | 25 minutes |
Most social clips work at 5 to 15 seconds, so plan on a few minutes for traffic and clouds, and closer to half an hour for a sunset.
Keep the phone still
Any movement during a timelapse is sped up too, so a gentle sway becomes a violent shake. Use a small tripod or clamp, or wedge the phone against something solid. Tap the shutter, then take your hands off. Clean the lens first: a smudge you don't notice in one frame becomes a haze across the whole clip.
Light that changes during the shot
- Steady light (midday clouds, traffic): fixing the exposure and white balance avoids brightness and colour pumping from frame to frame.
- Changing light (sunset, sunrise): if exposure is fixed, the scene darkens as the light goes, which can look natural. If it follows the light, the clip stays bright but may flicker slightly. Try both and see which you prefer.
- Avoid the sun in frame for long, and watch for flare from a dirty lens.
Battery, storage and heat
Long recordings use battery and can warm the phone. Start with a good charge, or plug into a power bank. Turn on Do Not Disturb so a call doesn't interrupt the take, and keep the phone out of direct sun. Timelapse clips are short, so storage is rarely the problem: the finished video is only seconds long.
Timelapse in One Camera
One Camera has a Timelapse mode that turns a whole afternoon into a few seconds. Choose 5x, 15x, 30x, 60x or 150x, and the timer counts the clip you're making, not the time you're standing there, so you know when you have enough. Timelapse comes with One Camera Pro, a single one-time purchase; one short ad also unlocks every Pro feature for 24 hours. For other video settings, see best video settings for Android.
Questions
How do I take a timelapse on Android?
Use your camera app's timelapse mode, choose a speed (for example 30x for clouds), put the phone on a tripod or something solid, and record for clip length times speed. At 30x, a 10-second clip takes 5 minutes.
What timelapse speed should I use?
Around 5x to 15x for people, 15x to 30x for traffic, 30x to 60x for clouds, and 60x to 150x for sunsets and long afternoons.
How long should I record a timelapse?
Multiply the clip length you want by the speed. A 10-second clip at 60x needs 10 minutes of recording; at 150x it needs 25 minutes.
Why is my timelapse shaky?
Every small movement is sped up along with everything else. Use a tripod or clamp, or wedge the phone against something solid, and don't touch it while it records.