Use the free Time-Lapse Interval Calculator below. Everything runs in your browser, with no sign-up and no upload.
A sunset compressed into ten seconds. A building rising in thirty. The magic of time-lapse is choosing the gap between frames, and getting that gap wrong gives you either a clip that rushes past or one that drags.
What is Time-Lapse Interval Calculator?
The shooting interval is the pause between one frame and the next. It depends on three things: how long the real event lasts, how long you want the finished clip to be, and the frame rate you will play it at. A one-hour sunset turned into a ten-second clip at 24 frames per second needs 240 frames, so the interval is 3,600 seconds divided by 240, which is 15 seconds between shots.
How it works
The calculator multiplies clip length by frame rate to get the frame count, then divides the event duration by that count. It also compares the interval with your exposure time per frame: if the exposure is longer than the interval, the camera physically cannot keep up, and the tool warns you. That check catches the most common beginner error, which is asking for a five-second interval with a ten-second exposure.
How to use it
- Decide the real event duration and the finished clip length you want.
- Pick a frame rate, usually 24, 25 or 30 frames per second.
- Enter your exposure time per frame for the feasibility check.
- Set the interval on your intervalometer and make sure the battery and card can last the whole shoot.
Worked example
Clouds crossing the sky for two hours, a twenty-second clip at 30 frames per second: that needs 600 frames, so the interval is 7,200 seconds divided by 600, which is 12 seconds. For fast traffic, a shorter interval of two or three seconds looks better, because each frame changes less. For a construction project lasting months, the interval might be ten minutes or more, and the camera will live on a mains adapter rather than a battery.
Tips and limits
Match the interval to the speed of the subject: fast clouds and traffic want short intervals, slow sunsets and shadows want longer ones. Leave a margin: if the interval only just exceeds the exposure time, the camera may still miss frames while writing to a slow card. And remember that the figures assume the camera can sustain the interval; buffer and card limits may intervene, especially with large raw files. Always carry a spare battery and a bigger card than the maths says you need. It is also wise to run a short test sequence of ten or twenty frames before committing to a long shoot, so you can confirm the interval, the exposure and the framing while there is still time to fix them.
Please note: photography exposure tools are educational calculators. Sunny 16 and Zone System figures are starting-point rules of thumb, and a meter reading governs in real shooting. Time-lapse figures assume the camera can sustain the interval, and buffer or card limits may intervene.
Frequently asked questions
What interval should I use for a sunset?
Start around 10 to 20 seconds for a sunset lasting an hour, and adjust to taste. Faster-changing light suits shorter intervals.
What happens if the interval is too short?
The camera may skip frames, overheat or fill the card early. Worse, the clip may look jittery if the subject barely moves between frames.
Should I shoot raw or JPEG for time-lapse?
JPEG keeps files small and the camera fast, which matters for long shoots. Raw gives more grading room but fills cards and buffers much faster.
Try the calculator above with your own numbers, and use the result as a planned starting point for your next shoot. A few minutes of planning before you press the shutter usually saves a whole session of corrections afterwards.