How I made the Shard Hyperlapse Loop

I finally ticked off a bucket list shot: a complete hyperlapse revolution around the tallest building in London.

In this article, I will explain how I planned, captured, and edited this Shard hyperlapse.

I've also turned this project into a brand new module for The Ultimate Timelapse Course.

If you would like access to 10 new in-depth tutorial videos as well as the photos I shot to edit yourself go here.

I've also updated the look and pricing of the course!

To make the course more accessible and to celebrate the new look you can use coupon code “LETSGO50” to get USD $50 off.

If you'd like to watch the shorter video that I posted on YouTube click play below, otherwise keep reading for the written tutorial.

Preparing the Shard hyperlapse loop

I used Google Maps and Streetview to roughly find a circular path around the Shard.

I knew I needed at least 20 photos for a successful loop, and I knew I'd shoot more than that.

Camera gear wise I only brought my Lumix S5IIX with a 24-105 lens.

Find out more about my favorite camera gear here.

Shooting the Shard hyperlapse loop

I went to location number one and set up a grid view in my viewfinder.

I made sure to keep the camera level on each photo.

I lined up the tip of the shard with the grid view in my viewfinder for each photo.

I then went through all 20 locations on my planned route.

In the end I captured about 65 photos, of which about half made the final cut.

Editing the Shard hyperlapse loop

For most hyperlapse sequences you can get away with a stabiliser effect in After Effects or Premiere Pro called the Warp Stabiliser.

For a sequence like this though I knew that wouldn't work, as the surroundings are just too different in each frame.

For that reason, I went step-by-step to change the position, rotation, and scale of each photo manually.

This is done most easily in After Effects.

After I manually stabilised the sequence I added a motion blur effect to emphasize the movement around the Shard.

Check out which software I use most often here.

“That's all there is to it” is something I could say, but the truth is that there are a lot of extra tips and tricks I've left out.

I've put all of these in my new module which is part of The Ultimate Timelapse Course.

If you'd like to learn more about how to become one of my students and get access to over 95 exclusive lessons go here.

Get all the best tools and techniques to become a great timelapse photographer.

• Master the art of timelapse in no time with The Ultimate Timelapse Course.
• Or get the e-book version The Ultimate Timelapse Guide.
• Create captivating hyperlapses with The Ultimate Hyperlapse Guide.
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