How to Make and Slow Down a Time-Lapse Video on iPhone

Summary: This article shows you various ways to make time lapse video on the iPhone, and also shows you how to slow down time lapse video with great ease as well as the practical tips to shoot stunning time lapse footage.

Enjoy capturing videos on your iPhone? Then you'll want to make better use of its time-lapse features to make spectacular time-lapse videos or try to get more creative ways to capture time lapse videos on your iPhone.

Or you've got a time lapse video already, but it plays too fast, then you might want to slow it down to get a satisfying effect. Then how to slow down a time lapse on the iPhone?

May you also want to get some ready-made time lapse clips to create your own time lapse video online? FlexClip must be your best option to go with its extensive media and powerful features, you can directly click one of the buttons below now.

Depict video: Time Lapse Clip from FlexClip

Read on to learn how to create time lapse video on iPhone and control your iPhone time lapse settings to slow down or speed up your time lapse video.

Part 1 How to Create Time Lapse Video on iPhone

Take a time lapse video on the iPhone is just as easy as recording a video with the built-in time lapse model.

Here are the simple five steps to make a time lapse video on your iPhone:

Step 1 Open up your iPhone's camera app, and select the time-lapse shooting mode by swiping right until time lapse is selected.

Image Board: iPhone Time Lapse

Step 2 Tap on the screen to set the focus and exposure point for the part of the scene that you want to record.

Step 3 When you're ready to start recording your time lapse video, just press the red record button to start your filming. (A rotating signal appears around the shutter button when your iPhone is recording.)

Step 4 Tap on the red record button to finish the recording, then your time lapse video that you took before will save to the built-in Photos app on your iPhone.

How to Slow Down Time Lapse Videos

Wondering how to slow down time lapse on the iPhone? Unluckily, the iPhone Camera is only able to record the default 15x time-lapse. There is no stock option to slow down or speed up the video in the Settings or Photos app.

Thankfully we have third-party tools that can do the job. Below we'll share three ways to you for slowing down a lime lapse video.

2.1 Slow Down Time Lapse Video on iPhone via Hyperlapse

A time-lapse-specific App, like Hyperlapse from Instagram, makes it easy to shoot a time lapse video and adjust the speed to slow down the time lapse directly in this App on your iPhone.

Step 1 Open the Hyperlapse app to shoot a time lapse by tap the white shutter button. Here you can also tap the screen to set focus and exposure first before start recording.

Image Board: Hyperlapse: Record Time Lapse Video

Step 2 When you shoot enough footage for your time lapse video, just tap the shutter button again to stop recording.

Step 3 Then, the time lapse video will start playing, and the time lapse speed slider will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Image Board: Hyperlapse: Change Speed

Step 4 By default, the speed is set to 6x, and you can drag the slider left to slow down the time lapse speed.

Image Board: Hyperlapse: Slow Down Your Video

Step 5 Once you're happy with the speed of your time lapse, click the green checkmark at the top of the screen to save the video to your iPhone's built-in Photos app.

2.2 Slow Down the Time Lapse Video on iPhone Using iMovie

Besides changing the iPhone time lapse setting, most video editing apps can allow you to slow down a recording time lapse video saved on your iPhone.

iMovie, the build-in App on all iOS devices, makes slow down a video on iPhone a breeze. Check the simple steps below:

Step 1 Open iMovie and tap the Plus Sign to start a new video.

Image Board: iMovie: Import Your Video

Step 2 Select "Movie" on the pop-up page and choose the video you want to slow down.

Step 3 Tap on the Create Movie button at the bottom of the screen to access the editing interface.

Step 4 Tap the video in the timeline, then the toolbar will be revealed; just turn to the speed button, which looks like a speedometer.

Image Board: iMovie: Slow Down Video

Step 5 Tap on the speed button, the speed slider to the left side to slow down the video.

2.3 Slow Down the Time Lapse Video Online with FlexClip

May you also try to slow down a time lapse video on your computer, an online video editor must be your best choice. Whether you are working with a Mac or a Windows PC, you can slow down your time lapse video directly on your browser without download any software in a few clicks.

Undoubtedly, slowing down a time lapse video on a computer with a free online editor like FlexClip is a great option to go. Even to people with no editing experience, you will use Flexclip at great ease.

How to slow down time lapse with FlexClip? Follow the simple steps below:

Step 1 Visit FlexClip Homapage and click to Make a Free Video button to access the template page, here you can choose to start with a template or from scratch. Or you can also click one of the buttons below to get started directly.

Step 2 Go to the storyboard to upload your time lapse video from your computer with the + icon > Add Local Media.

Image Board: Upload Your Time Lapse Video

Step 3 Once you've added your time lapse video into the storyboard, you can quickly slow them down with the Speed feature on the top of the screen.

Image Board: Slow Down Your Time-lapse

Part 3 Pro Tips For Capturing Incredible Time Lapse On iPhone

Here we also share some practical tips to help you capture amazing time lapse video.

Keep Your iPhone Still

For getting the best results, you should rest the phone somewhere or use a tripod instead of holding it in your hand, which may cause wobble when you are recording.

Lock Your Exposure and Focus

If you leave on the auto-exposure and focus when you are recording, the brightness and focus will change with each frame. So, locking the exposure and focus can prevent your iPhone from wasting time on trying to auto-focus and auto-expose for every single frame.

Give it Time to Capture Enough Footage

Try to record your time-lapse for a minimum of 30 minutes. Anything less, and you won't get enough footage to work with.

Pay Attention to Composition Principles

When you're taking your time lapse videos, the composition principles of photography are still crucial for you to get the best rule.

Capture Contrast When Recording

Most people record their time lapse videos with things that change slowly or those busy scenes. Of course, the two classic time lapse videos show us amazing visual effects. But if you can capture the contrast between them, you'll be amazed at how well it works.

Final Words

That's all for iPhone time lapse videography and slow down tutorial. With the detailed steps and killer tips for making or slowing down a time lapse video, you can easily make your own stunning time lapse videos.

Sandy /

Has 4-year of professional photographing experience. Very much into recording every detail of life. She is passionate about all things related to video production, and loves to exploring tips and tricks about it.