There are times where you want to capture moments that happen for an extended period of time. These can be cars passing by, the sun raising/setting, long walks or rides, or just flowers blooming. GoPro Time Lapse vs Time Warp let you do just that.

But, what’s the difference between a GoPro time lapse and time warp?

Let me explain…

GoPro Time Lapse

GoPro Time Lapse is a technique through which still photos, taken by the camera at intervals over a long period of time, are played back at increased speed to create an appealing movie for the viewer. With time lapse, you can easily reduce and convert the length of your long videos of stuff like a day-night shoot, long duration recordings of the horizon, and a lot more into clips of only a few seconds!

In addition to this, there’s another way to create beautiful time lapse videos. You can do it by taking a series of photos at regular intervals and arrange them together in proper sequence to make a video.

GoPro offers 3 Time Lapse modes:

  1. Time Lapse Video,
  2. Time Lapse Photo, and
  3. Night Lapse Photo.

Time Lapse Video

GoPro time lapse video mode is a great option to record footage for a long duration. It creates the output time lapse file in video format. With this mode, you can shoot long videos and create high quality output files without requiring post-production work in most cases. But, you’ll have to give up some of the manual controls if you use this setting because Protune is not available in Time Lapse video mode.

Time Lapse Photo

The GoPro’s time lapse photo mode is a simple way to create amazing time lapses. The camera captures images at a specific interval – for example, once every five seconds – and outputs them as JPEG or RAW formats. Once you download all the photos from your sessions and combine them together in post-production, you’ll have an epic time lapse video that will impress your viewers!

The image below shows how a number of photos captured at a set time interval within the span of a full day create a wonderful time lapse.

GoPro_Time_Lapse

Night Lapse Photo

GoPro Night lapse Photo mode is a technique used to create a time-lapse in low light, night-time conditions. When night-lapse mode is on, GoPro allows for longer exposure time to capture clearer shots when there isn’t much light around you.

Depending on how lit your surroundings are at any given moment, users can choose different shutter speeds. Lower lighting usually needs higher exposures so that more detail is captured from the darkness. Brighter areas like city skylines under streetlights would be easier to capture since they’re lid by artificial sources such as lamps and windows. And, in case you aren’t sure, you can set the shutter speed to ‘Auto’ and let your GoPro decide.

GoPro Time Warp

Time Warp is, basically, HyperSmooth stabilization applied to Time Lapse video. It’s like magic! GoPro Time Warp can make your videos smooth and shake-free, allowing you to move around. You also get the option of increasing the speed up to 30x which lets you turn longer activities like hiking or biking rides into shareable moments with just one click!

Time Warp can turn an otherwise monotonous road trip recap or scenic walk into a much more engaging experience. When you play it back in real-time, the footage would surely seem boring to most. However, if you speed it up by 2x, 5x 10x 15 x 30 and pair it with GoPro’s HyperSmooth video stabilizing features then its possible that this kind of content will be both entertaining and easy on your eyes.

time-warp

When you use TimeWarp, the GoPro first analyzes the scene and applies Timewarp based on your selected Speed Setting (Hyperlapse or Normal). Then, it processes all that data on its own before bringing out an edit ready for sharing – No editing software needed!

Which GoPro cameras have TimeWarp feature?

Listed below are the GoPro cameras which feature TimeWarp:

  • Hero 7 Black
  • Max
  • Hero 8 Black
  • Hero 9 Black

Resolution / Aspect Ratio available with GoPro TimeWarp

While I recommend 4K resolution for achieving highest quality TimeWarp footage with your GoPro, you can select any one of the following resolution / aspect ratio as per your preference:

  • 4K / 16:9
  • 7K / 4:3
  • 1440p / 4:3
  • 1080p / 16:9

TimeWarp Video Speed

As default, the speed of the TimeWarp is set to 10X as this speed setting provides best results in most cases. But, GoPro provides a good amount of customization for the users when it comes to speed selection for timewarp. You can increase the video speeds by 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x or 30x.

The recommended speed that you should set depends upon the activity you’re shooting. Here are the speed recommendations to create quality TimeWarp video for different activities:

  • Driving through a scenic route: 2x-5x
  • Hiking & Exploring: 10x
  • Running or Mountain-Biking: 15-30x

Comparison: GoPro TimeLapse VS TimeWarp

The difference between GoPro TimeWarp and GoPro TimeLapse is simply that TimeWarp is stabilized.

GoPro TimeWarp mode should be used when you want to capture a hyperlapse with your camera while moving. TimeWarp is for longer, moving videos. It is useful for activities like skiing, motorcycling, snowboarding, etc.

GoPro TimeLapse should be used for stationary videos such as those taken on a tripod and while shooting a sunset. Time Lapse, on the other hand, is for longer, stationary videos, such as for shooting sunrise, sunset etc.

The field of vide (FOV) of TimeLapse is a bit wider when compared to TimeWarp. This is because stabilisation crops a bit of the FOV.

GoPro Time Lapse VS Time Warp: Which Mode is for You?

Planning to shoot a long duration footage of things like sunrise/sunset, clouds, horizon or anything similar with your GoPro camera stationary? Go for GoPro Time Lapse.

Want to speed up the long footage of activities or adventures like a simple walk around the city, biking, hiking or anything similar with your GoPro moving? then switch to GoPro Time Warp mode!

I hope that this article helps you clearly know about the various differences between a GoPro time lapse vs time warp.

 

 

Thanks for reading ?

If you found this article useful, please share it on social media with your family and friends ?

Related Articles:

Did you like this post? Please leave a rating 🙏
[Total: 0 Average: 0]