Free time lapse calculator
This time lapse calculator turns shooting duration, capture interval, and playback frame rate into a planned frame count and final video duration, or suggests an interval for a target length.
Plan with a first frame at t=0 and an inclusive shooting endpoint. See rounding, elapsed capture span, and leftover time before setting up your camera. No files are uploaded.
Use the time lapse calculator
Change inputs to recalculate locally. No files are uploaded and no camera is controlled.
Example presets (check your camera and scene)
The planned window for frame starts, from 0 seconds to 366 days. Zero allows one frame at t=0.
At least 0.001 seconds. This is start-to-start timing, not an extra delay after each exposure.
1–240 fps. Decimal rates such as 23.976 and 29.97 are accepted as entered.
Capture convention: the first frame starts at t=0. Include later frames at interval multiples less than or equal to the shooting duration. A frame exactly on the endpoint is included. Capture span measures first-to-last frame starts and excludes the final exposure time.
Planned final video duration
24.033333 sec
- Complete planned frames
- 721
- Output at 30 fps
- 24.033333 seconds
- Elapsed capture span
- 3,600 seconds
- Unused time after last frame start
- 0 seconds
Frames = floor(shooting duration ÷ interval) + 1. Output seconds = frames ÷ playback fps. Only interval positions inside the shooting window are counted.
How the time lapse calculator counts frames
- Enter the planned shooting duration in seconds, minutes, or hours. This is the window in which frame starts are allowed.
- Enter a start-to-start interval in seconds and the final playback fps. The tool includes t=0 and every later interval position that fits inside the window.
- To work backward, switch to interval mode and enter the target final duration. Review the whole-frame rounding and resulting playback length.
- Copy the summary, then confirm that your camera can use the interval, frame count, exposure time, and playback rate you planned.
Frames = floor(shooting seconds ÷ interval seconds) + 1
Output seconds = frames ÷ playback fps
Suggested interval = shooting seconds ÷ (rounded frames − 1)
For a one-hour shoot at five-second intervals, frame starts run from 0 to 3,600 seconds: 721 frames, giving approximately 24.033 seconds at 30 fps. If the window ends at 11 seconds with a five-second interval, starts occur at 0, 5, and 10 seconds: three frames, a 10-second capture span, and one unused second.
Frame rate is the number of frames played each second, as MDN defines it. Dividing the captured frames by that rate gives the planned playback length. Capture span is different: it is the elapsed time between the first and last frame starts, not the length of the finished video.
Leave room for exposure and camera timing
Nikon's Z6III time-lapse guide advises choosing an interval longer than the slowest expected shutter speed. It also notes that shutter time and card-writing time can prevent shots at the selected interval. Check your own camera's timing, processing, power, and storage before a long capture.
The calculator models frame start times only. It does not add exposure time to the final frame, account for missed shots, or promise that a camera supports a suggested interval. The 0.001-second minimum, 366-day maximum shooting window, and 10,000,000-frame cap are calculator limits, not camera specifications.
Target mode uses the nearest whole frame count, with half frames rounded up and at least one frame. It divides the shooting window across the gaps between those frames. Displayed intervals are rounded; after choosing a camera-supported interval, enter it in duration mode to check the new plan. Camera capture conventions can differ from this tool's inclusive endpoint.
Common questions
Does this calculator control my camera or make a video?
No. It calculates a shooting plan locally in your browser. It does not connect to a camera, upload images, assemble frames, or export a video.
Why does an hour at a five-second interval give 721 frames?
This tool includes a first frame at t=0 and every interval position up to and including the shooting endpoint. There are 720 five-second gaps in an hour, giving 721 frames. Camera modes can use a different convention, so check your camera manual.
Why is the target duration rounded?
A final video contains whole frames. The target seconds multiplied by playback fps is rounded to the nearest integer, with half frames rounded up and a minimum of one frame. The calculator shows the resulting duration and its difference from the requested target.
What happens with one frame or zero shooting time?
A single frame starts at t=0 and has zero first-to-last capture span, but plays for one divided by fps seconds. No interval is needed. A zero-duration shooting window cannot fit more than one frame; the target-interval mode reports an error for that request.
Continue planning your video
- How to make a time lapse video — plan the capture and assembly workflow.
- Video file size calculator — estimate the encoded video size from duration and bitrate.
- Thumbnail extractor — save a frame from an existing recording.
- Variable frame rate guide — understand timing in recorded footage.
For a separate UGC, founder-led, lesson, or testimonial recording, BlitzCut helps edit supplied talking-head footage through the transcript, adjustable silence removal, captions, and a timeline with images and audio. See the UGC editing workflow when that matches your material.