The Basics

Timelapse photography involves taking photos at set intervals with your Sony Alpha camera. Using the free Sony Imaging Edge Desktop software, the sequence of images can be merged into a video, with each photo being a single video frame. Most timelapse videos involve hundreds, usually thousands, of photographs that, when played back at 25fps, show the passing of time. The final video aims to bring our awareness to things that happen over time that we don't notice second to second or minute to minute.

Whatever your chosen scene, it’s essential your camera remains still, so using a sturdy tripod or solid camera mount is recommended to ensure the camera doesn’t move.

Lenses

Timelapse creation doesn't require dedicated lenses unless you are filming something specialist, like a macro shot of a seed sprouting. But the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens is ideal for time-lapse creation as it offers flexibility for various scenes, while a more affordable option could be a FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens. If you know you will shoot a wide scene, the FE 24mm f/2.8 G Lens may be a perfect choice as it’s lightweight, so good for traveling and setting up quick timelapse shots on the move.

Interval Timer Settings

Every Sony camera makes it easy to shoot timelapse sequences through using the Interval Timer feature, which can be found in the Interval Shoot Func within the Drive Mode in Shooting Menu.

The Shooting Interval is the length of time between images, and its time will depend on your subject. If photographing movements, like people or clouds in the sky, you may want to set this to 1-2 seconds. If photographing a sunrise or sunset, a longer duration of 2-5 seconds would work. Choosing the interval comes down to experience, so experiment and get a feel for what works.

The number of shots is self-explanatory but remember that dividing this number by 25 will give you the duration of your final video. Sony cameras usefully tell you the total shooting time at the bottom of the Interval Timer menu screen so you know how long your Alpha camera will be shooting.

Exposure and Focus

The AE Tracking Sensitivity setting alters how the camera responds to changes in exposure when shooting in automatic mode. It’s best to leave this set to Mid, as it will prevent jumps in exposure and produce a smoother result. Alternatively, if you’re confident the lighting will not change during shooting, set the correct manual exposure.

Focusing will also be locked on the first image in the sequence, so ensure this is exactly where you want it, otherwise the sequence will be out of focus.

Shutter and Image Size

Shooting hundreds or thousands of images uses up a lot of data, takes time to transfer and use on a computer. To save space and speed things up, we suggest changing your Aspect ratio to 16:9 and reduce the file size so that it’s closer to a 4K output. For example, on the Sony Alpha 7 IV, the Medium image setting produces 12MP images.

A good idea is to also use your camera’s Electronic Shutter, which can be found in the Interval Shoot function menu. This will help preserve the life of the mechanical shutter, which can last for hundreds of thousands of photos.

With everything set up, you can press the shutter button to start the Interval Timer shooting.

Compilation

Once you have captured your images, the time has come to create the timelapse video and the easiest way is to use Sony Imaging Edge Desktop software.

To create your timelapse, select Viewer in the opening menu screen and navigate to load your sequence of images into the Viewer screen. Select all the images you want to be included, then Right-Click and select Create Time-Lapse Movie.

The timelapse creation menu is relatively straightforward. It takes your chosen images, processes them, and creates new images that will be used for the timelapse.

If you are working with raw images, the Development panel will appear. This allows you to choose whether to apply each raw file's settings or a universal setting to every file.

The File settings let you choose how and where the newly created image files will be saved. If you have shot your images at a 16:9 ratio, then select the Trimming setting and use the Same Setting as the Shooting Setting. Otherwise, select 16:9 and the Trimming Setting as Trim.

Finally, it’s time to export the video. Select an appropriate name and location to save your video, and then choose the size. In most cases, we suggest 4K while the playback speed should be set to x1, and the Video Format should be Pal.

All that is left to do is hit Continue and view your final timelapse video.

You can download the latest version of Imaging Edge Desktop from your local Sony Creators’ Cloud website.

Summary

• Find an interesting subject where you can reveal something you don’t normally see in ‘real-time.’
• Use a sturdy tripod or strong mount to keep the camera still while shooting.
• A standard zoom lens like the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II is a good flexible option, but a fixed wide-angle lens like the FE 24mm f/2.8 G lens is also a great choice.
• Experiment with the Interval Duration. The duration can vary quite dramatically between different types of scenes.
• Set AE Exposure Tracking to the Mid setting to create smooth transitions if the exposure changes.
• Use a lower image size that is closer to your final output. For many Sony cameras, this will be the Medium setting.
• Set your Aspect Ratio to 16:9 so that you can correctly compose your images in-camera.
• Use the free Sony Imaging Edge Desktop software to create your final Timelapse video.