Below you will find links to timelapse editing software as well as other resources.
Some of these links are affiliate links, if you purchase anything through them I might make a small fee at no extra cost to you. This is one of many ways how I fund this website, find out more about the other ways in my new e-book Passive Income For Creatives.
With timelapse photography, we are transforming a series of RAW photographs into video files. First, you need to colour grade the photos, then you need to turn them into a video file. Depending on the type of shot (static lighting or changing lighting) you need different editing software.
- For beginner timelapse editing, where you just want to turn a series of JPEG photos into a video file I recommend an easy to use app like TimeLapseDeflicker.
- For basic timelapse editing (with static lighting like a normal daytime shot) I recommend getting Lightroom and LRTimelapse. You can download Lightroom as part of a discounted photography bundle along with Photoshop.
- For the most advanced editing (with changing lighting like a sunrise or sunset) I recommend Lightroom, LRTimelapse and After Effects. This is what I use for all of my work.
Have a look at the video below to see how my workflow is set up. Further links are down below.
- Adobe Lightroom to organize and color grade your sequences.
- Adobe Photoshop for basic video export functionality and advanced photo editing.
- Adobe Photography bundle (Lightroom and Photoshop together at a cheaper price).
- Adobe After Effects for advanced effects editing and export functionalities.
- Adobe Premiere Elements for basic video editing functionalities.
- Adobe Premiere Pro for advanced video editing functionalities.
- All Adobe Creative Cloud apps in a bundle.
- LRTimelapse for editing and rendering basic and advanced / holy grail sequences.
- Post Haste for a consistent folder structure (works with my supplied timelapse template).
- I use Epidemic Sound to find beautiful and energetic music to edit to (Sign up for free).
- Check out this list of all the gear I use.
I highly recommend the free trial versions of all the Adobe software, you can get up to 30 days of free usage without any limitations.
LRTimelapse has a free version which allows you to process photo sequences up to 400 frames in length.
Videos and articles about timelapse software:
- How to shoot a sunrise or sunset: Complete Holy grail shooting and editing tutorial.
- What is LRTimelapse and how I use it: LRTimelapse software explained.
- Editing holy grail shots into time slices: How to make a time slice video with After Effects.
- A video about different kinds of timelapse remotes: Cheap vs expensive timelapse remotes.
If you'd like to learn how to plan, shoot and process timelapses like a pro then check out my e-book The Ultimate Timelapse Guide. It's a 33 page guide that teaches you everything you need to know.
Click here to check out all of my e-books.
