Make Time Lapse Videos on the iPhone with Motion Pics
I’ve always been a huge fan of time lapse photography. I recently came across a phenomenal time lapse video called Asylum by District 7 Media and got inspired to experiment with time lapse on my own. I am researching options for a good remote for my DSLR with the timed interval function (if you recommend one, please leave a comment) but in the meantime I was looking for a time lapse app for my iPhone and iPad to make quick videos and decided to go with Motion Pics by Cosmonaut Software.
Motion Pics is very easy to use since it automatically calculates the settings based on the set number of frames, frame interval and playback frame rate, but a little knowledge on the fundamentals of time lapse photography is very helpful. Once the settings have been made, just hit record and Motion Pics will take the photos in the intervals specified. When it’s done the video will be automatically exported to the Camera Roll.
For an initial experiment with Motion Pics, I made 2 ice cubes from water I dyed red and blue with food coloring and placed them in a glass full of cooking oil. For some reason I was obsessed with the effects of mixing oil and water when I was a kid and memory popped in my head when I was trying to think of something to record.
I take my son on bike rides around the neighborhood almost every day and using my iPhone tripod mount, I can attach my iPhone to the handlebar of my bike to make time lapse videos of our rides. It’s really cool to see our entire hour to hour and a half ride condensed down to a couple of minutes (Warning: if you’re prone to motion sickness, I recommend that you skip this video).
Finally, I wanted to get some smooth panning shots and I saw that modifying kitchen timers was what the cool kids who dabble in time lapse were doing. I picked up a cheap kitchen timer and some hardware and made a very ugly but functional 360 degree panning mount for my iPhone. This was the test video I made using the kitchen timer mount.
Eventually, I came across the Camalapse from camarush.com which is essentially the same thing except much more ascetically pleasing.
I have several more time lapse videos that I’ll be sharing soon. If you have any time lapse videos that you made with Motion Pics, or any other iPhone app, or any time lapse videos at all, leave a comment with the link, I’d love to check them out.
My Son The Storm Watcher
My son had his first experience with thunder yesterday evening, which was very entertaining. It was funny to see him both frightened and very curious at the same time. Every time the thunder hit he ran over to cling to me then looked outside to see where the noise was coming from. The storm lasted about half an hour and I was able to get some great pictures and video of him watching the rain.
I made this cinemagraph from one the videos I took. Making cinemagraphs from videos of my son is difficult due do his inability to be still for more than 2 seconds but I got lucky this time.
iLoGo: Finally, An iPhone Magic Trick That’s Not An App!
Source: magicgeek.com
I really like using my iPhone to perform magic because I always have my phone with me, which is good for a quick, impromptu performance. The Apple App Store has a good selection of magic tricks, most of which can be performed without any additional props (coins, cards, etc.). I’ve performed several of these iPhone tricks and the problem with most of them is that the spectators are quick to assume that the secrets lie in the technology within the iPhone (and in most cases they’re right). For card trick apps, most spectators I’ve performed for actually believe that the iPhone can “hear” which card was chosen when it is said aloud. The tricks are fun and entertaining but they leave a lot of heat on the the technology which seems to take away from the mystery.
iLoGo, on the other hand, is a magic trick for the iPhone 4 and 4S that uses the actual iPhone for the illusion. With iLoGo, you borrow a spectator’s iPhone and actually move the Apple logo from it’s location on the top-center of the phone towards the bottom, or remove it from the phone completely (returning the spectator’s iPhone in it’s original condition, of course). Watch the video from MagicGeek.com for a quick performance.
iLogo is priced a bit high at $45 but it looks like a strong effect and with the millions of iPhone 4 and 4S users out there, I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding spectators.
My Pictures Featured on the Springfield5 Station
Well, it finally happened. I became a television star. I’m recognized on the streets and I have a loyal fan base (consisting solely of my wife, parents and grandparents). I think “star” might be an exaggeration. Perhaps “some random guy on public access” is a better term. How ever it’s defined, it was my first time on television and it was actually pretty cool.
The producer of the Springfield5 station saw the pictures I made for the Springfield, Ohio: A Glimpse of the Past collection and asked me to present them. It was a lot of fun sharing some of the history I learned about Springfield, Ohio. I’ve received a lot of great feedback from people, especially from those who remember when downtown Springfield was bustling. It was also fun seeing myself on tv though it was painfully obvious why I never perused a career in front of the camera.
In case you don’t happen to catch it on Springfield5, they posted it on their YouTube channel
I have a lot more pictures in that collection with several projects I haven’t even started yet so hopefully I get a chance to do it again in the near future.
Turn An Old Photo Into A Cinemagraph With A Film Grain Effect
For my Springfield, Ohio: A Glimpse of the Past projects, I’ve come across some amazing historic pictures of my hometown. I found a picture of Springfield South High, the school I graduated from and thought it would look pretty cool with an old film effect applied to it. This is a great way to show off old photographs in a gallery (I prefer Picasa since it displays animated GIF’s when viewing the album). If you have any photographs that you would like to apply this effect to, I laid out the steps below. Continue reading
Stephen Mertens is an IT professional and web design enthusiast. He lives in Springfield, Ohio where he spends most of his time daydreaming that he lives near the ocean.
- The shutterbug
http://t.co/Th4PuLUD - Thank you to everyone who with donated to the 2013 Polar Bear Plunge. We had a great time!
http://t.co/cQytxUVw - Learn about job openings at Feb. 6 fair (30 IT Help Desk, and more)
http://t.co/XIfayN6eby LinkedIn - These are awesome
http://t.co/cFDqE2zf - I want this in poster form.
http://t.co/fS7wQ526
