Create Time Lapse with Raspberry Pi Camera: Simple Guide

Use the raspistill command or Python picamera library to capture images at intervals, then combine them into a video with ffmpeg. For example, run raspistill -o img%04d.jpg -tl 10000 -t 60000 to take photos every 10 seconds for 1 minute, then use ffmpeg to create the time lapse video.

Syntax

The basic command to capture images for a time lapse using the Raspberry Pi camera is:

• raspistill -o img%04d.jpg -tl [interval_ms] -t [duration_ms]

Where:

• -o img%04d.jpg saves images with a 4-digit number sequence.
• -tl [interval_ms] sets the time lapse interval in milliseconds between shots.
• -t [duration_ms] sets the total duration to run the capture in milliseconds.

After capturing images, use ffmpeg to combine them into a video:

• ffmpeg -framerate [fps] -i img%04d.jpg -c:v libx264 -r 30 -pix_fmt yuv420p timelapse.mp4

Where [fps] is frames per second for the output video.

bash

raspistill -o img%04d.jpg -tl 10000 -t 60000

ffmpeg -framerate 10 -i img%04d.jpg -c:v libx264 -r 30 -pix_fmt yuv420p timelapse.mp4

Example

This example uses Python with the picamera library to capture images every 5 seconds for 1 minute, then you can combine images into a video using ffmpeg.

python

import time
from picamera import PiCamera

camera = PiCamera()
camera.resolution = (1920, 1080)

interval = 5  # seconds
count = 12    # total images (5s * 12 = 60s)

for i in range(count):
    filename = f'image_{i:04d}.jpg'
    camera.capture(filename)
    print(f'Captured {filename}')
    time.sleep(interval)

camera.close()

Output

Captured image_0000.jpg
Captured image_0001.jpg
Captured image_0002.jpg
Captured image_0003.jpg
Captured image_0004.jpg
Captured image_0005.jpg
Captured image_0006.jpg
Captured image_0007.jpg
Captured image_0008.jpg
Captured image_0009.jpg
Captured image_0010.jpg
Captured image_0011.jpg

Common Pitfalls

• Not setting the correct interval or duration causes too few or too many images.
• Forgetting to zero-pad filenames (%04d) can cause ffmpeg to fail reading images in order.
• Running the capture without sufficient storage space will stop the process.
• Not installing ffmpeg or picamera library will cause errors.
• Using time.sleep() before the first capture delays the start; capture first then sleep.

python

Wrong way:

import time
from picamera import PiCamera

camera = PiCamera()
camera.resolution = (1920, 1080)

interval = 5
count = 12

for i in range(count):
    time.sleep(interval)  # sleep before capture causes delay
    filename = f'image_{i}.jpg'  # no zero padding
    camera.capture(filename)
    print(f'Captured {filename}')

camera.close()

Right way:

import time
from picamera import PiCamera

camera = PiCamera()
camera.resolution = (1920, 1080)

interval = 5
count = 12

for i in range(count):
    filename = f'image_{i:04d}.jpg'  # zero padded
    camera.capture(filename)
    print(f'Captured {filename}')
    time.sleep(interval)

camera.close()

Quick Reference

Summary tips for creating time lapse with Raspberry Pi camera:

• Use raspistill for quick command line capture.
• Use Python picamera for more control and automation.
• Set interval and duration carefully to control total images.
• Use zero-padded filenames for smooth video creation.
• Combine images into video with ffmpeg using proper framerate.

Key Takeaways

Use raspistill or picamera to capture images at fixed intervals for time lapse.

Name images with zero-padded numbers to keep correct order for video creation.

Combine images into a video using ffmpeg with a chosen frame rate.

Test interval and duration settings to get desired time lapse length and smoothness.

Ensure sufficient storage and install required tools before starting.