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How many photos is a smooth time-lapse?
Set how long you will shoot for and how often, and see the video you end up with. Or flip it around and work backwards from the video length you want.
8 to 15 fps reads best for progress. Below 6 feels like a slideshow.
- Video length
- 7.0 s
- Photos needed
- 84
- Shooting period
- 12 weeks
- Each photo on screen
- 0.083 s
- Real time per second of video
- 12 weeks
Rules of thumb
Thirty frames is where a sequence starts to move.
Below about 30 photos the eye reads a slideshow, however smoothly you play it. Above 30 it starts to read as one continuous change, and that is the whole reason to keep shooting through the boring middle.
A sequence stops feeling like a slideshow at around 30 frames. At 12 fps, that means your first 2.5 seconds of genuinely smooth motion needs 30 photos.
Read our step-by-step walkthrough on how to make a selfie time-lapse or learn how to take daily photos in the exact same spot.
| Cadence | 30 frames | 120 frames |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | 1 month | 4 months |
| Every other day | 2 months | 8 months |
| Twice a week | 15 weeks | 14 months |
| Weekly | 7 months | 2.3 years |
| Monthly | 2.5 years | 10 years |
Questions
Time-lapse maths.
How many photos do you need for a time-lapse?
Multiply the video length you want by the frame rate. A 10 second video at 12 frames per second needs 120 photos. At 24 frames per second the same 10 seconds needs 240, which is why progress time-lapses usually run at 8 to 15 frames per second rather than full video frame rates.
What frame rate should a progress time-lapse use?
Between 8 and 15 frames per second for most subjects. Lower feels like a slideshow, higher burns through your photos in a couple of seconds. Twelve is a good default: it is smooth enough to read as motion and slow enough that each photo registers.
How long before a progress time-lapse is worth watching?
Roughly 30 frames is the point where a sequence stops reading as a slideshow. Daily photos reach that in a month, weekly photos in seven months. If you are shooting weekly, expect the first genuinely satisfying export at around six months.
Should I shoot more often to get a longer video?
Only if the subject actually changes that fast. Photographing a body daily produces 30 frames of water weight and lighting noise. It is better to match the cadence to the subject and accept a shorter video, or run the export at a lower frame rate.
The maths is easy. The consistency is the work.
SameShot handles the part the calculator cannot: making sure all those frames were taken from the same place.