First demo footage shows off iOS 8’s new time-lapse function

By Felix Esser June 9, 2014

first demo footage shows ios 8s new time lapse function apple ios8 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

At the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Apple showed off the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8. Included in iOS 8 is a brand new Photos app, which contains many improvements for both amateur and advanced photographers. With time-lapse videos becoming more and more of a trend, Apple built a function for creating such videos into iOS 8, making dedicated time-lapse apps (more or less) redundant.

Now, the big question is, how good is Apple’s own time-lapse function, and can it truly replace dedicated apps? While we don’t have a definitive answer yet, at least we have a first demonstration of the new functionality, courtesy of YouTube user iTwe4kz, who recently recorded a time-lapse video on his iPhone 5S running iOS 8. And for a first demonstration, the material looks pretty solid.

Basically, a time-lapse video consists of single photographs that are taken at custom intervals and then played in sequence at the speed of a regular video file, which is anywhere between 24 and 30 frames (i.e., individual images) per second. In the video below, you can observe that the action isn’t played at the same speed all the time, which means that the intervals between the individual images varied during the shooting process. Also, some of the scenes are played in reverse.

What this means is that, yes, iOS 8’s time-lapse function works, and it can do more than just snap images at a fixed interval and then stick them all together. Which is a good thing, because if Apple wants to compete in the world of time-lapse video, the new Photos app will have to have substantial functionality that brings it up to par with dedicated apps. Whether it can offer that remains to be seen – we’ll eventually know when more footage becomes available.

(Via TechRadar)

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Felix is a freelance tech journalist with a strong focus on photography. Based out of central Germany, he contributes to…

Mobile

How to share iPhone photos with Android devices

Photography feature image.

Photo sharing is a universal activity regardless of whether your mobile device follows the Apple or Android persuasion. But it sure doesn't feel that way much of the time. In fact, it can be a challenge to share a simple photo or photoshoot cross-platform -- complex, but not impossible. We show you how it's done in iOS 14.6.
Reconcile photo platforms
While JPEG and H.264 are widely viewed as universal photo and video formats, since iOS 11, Apple's newest operating systems have updated them with even more highly compressed HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File Format) and HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding). The newer Apple formats are not proprietary, but they are less popular, and some Android devices may have trouble translating them. You can rectify that by switching formats on your iPhone so that it records JPEG stills and H.264 video instead of the newer highly compressed formats.

Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. The resulting images will be of equal quality, take up more space on your device, and be compatible with all Android devices. Then, go to Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC and tap Automatic to ensure photos and videos get sent using the JPEG and H.264 formats.
Sharing options
Now that the formats are compatible, you can now decide how to share them -- email, text message, or via apps like WhatsApp, Google Drive, Dropbox, Twitter, or any other app that allows attachments or lets you upload and download files and folders, or access links. Below are a few different ways to accomplish this.

Mobile

The best camera apps for the iPhone

best camera apps for the iPhone

If there’s one truism about iPhones, it’s that they have some of the best cameras in smartphones. However, a great camera becomes even better when paired with an outstanding app, and Apple’s default app can be found lacking in many respects.

To help iPhone users get the most out of the cameras, we’ve compiled a list of the best camera apps to add expanded editing capabilities, filters, and features most people only expect from high-end DSLR cameras.
Camera+ 2 ($4)

Mobile

Apple now lets you easily move iCloud Photos content to Google Photos

Google Photos

Apple has quietly launched a tool that lets you automatically transfer all of the photos and videos stored on your iCloud account to Google Photos.

This will be especially useful if you decide to ditch your Apple-made smartphone for an Android alternative and need to move your media to your new device.