By Richa Syal
Last Tuesday, Instagram — the youth-dominating photo hub for selfies and Starbucks alike — released Hyperlapse: an app that creates a time-lapse video experience for users.
Time lapse is a technique that shoots videos at a lower frame-rate than normal. Footage is then accelerated back to a standard frame rate of at least 14 frames per second. The app has built-in stabilization technology to correct any unsteady motions or blurriness, allowing the user to create high-quality looking videos.
Instagram fixed a common problem in smartphone videography, and in price. According to Wired, the app can create the same quality of video that users could expect to get from using a Steadicam or a $15, 000 tracking rig. But this app is free and it fits in the palm of your hand.
“I checked out the app and it seems pretty cool,” said second-year film student Justin Mowat. “I don’t know how we can really use it for the curriculum, but it’s definitely a good way to flex our creative muscles on a small scale when we’re not working on big, lengthy projects.”
To operate the app, users simply tap once to start recording, and again to stop. After choosing a playback speed and confirming it by pressing a green checkmark, the video automatically saves in your camera roll. But Hyperlapse is currently only available for iOS. Users of the iPhone 5 and 5S can film up to 45 minutes of video, while iPhone 4 and 4S users are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes.
“I don’t think we are going to use it for any school projects or anything like that. But we students have other things we do on the side like YouTube channels, so maybe for purposes like that,” said Sharzhad Ansari, a second-year radio and television arts student. “As RTA students, we have access to the Equipment Distribution Centre and can rent out a proper camera that is actually used in the field, and that is what will be useful for us in the future.”
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