Instagram Hyperlapse review

I love timelapses. Always have. If you take any video and fix it on a subject for a long period of time and speed up the playback you have a timelapse. You can accomplish it with a bunch of still images as well. Sunsets and sunrises are great, traffic, things growing…you name it, timelapses allow creativity to pour out of photographers and videographers. But now anyone can join the action without being a pro. Yesterday, Instagram released Hyperlapse, a new app that allows you to shoot any video in motion and speed it up 1-12x. I took it for a very quick test drive today and offer up this Instagram Hyperlapse review.

What is Hyperlapse?

Hyperlapse is not just a cool word, it’s actually a ‘thing’. Per it’s definition:

Hyperlapse is an exposure technique in time-lapse photography, in which the position of the camera is being changed between each exposure in order to create a tracking shot in timelapse sequences.

Instagram’s Hyperlapse just takes all the techniques used and stuffs it into a neat, free app. Gotta love technology.

Instagram Hyperlapse: Ease of Use

Man, it couldn’t be easier. I downloaded the app from the App Store for my iPhone 5S running iOS7. (Sorry, Android users. It’s only available for iOS for now). The app was free. I actually downloaded it while I was out  for a run. The opening video is very cool when you launch the app for the first time showing several sequences the company shot of traffic, trains and other timelapses.

But to use the app all you do is click the record to start, click it to stop and slide the slider to the speed you want. Then you save the video and share it. There is no registration, no additional options. Just point, shoot, speed up and share.

I lied. There actually is one feature that’s quite handy, the focus. All you do is tap on the screen anywhere you want the camera to focus and a round circle will show and the camera will focus in on your subject. You can imagine that with so much movement, focus is crucial.

I stopped to take a shot of passing traffic and sped it up 10x (no sound). The second video is the product video from Instagram.

Where it misses

This app is extremely new, but it’s from one of the most successful companies on the planet so it should be good. You can imagine since the app doesn’t have much functionality, it doesn’t have many misses. But it always has room to improve and we know it will over time.

Crash Message

I did get an error that repeatedly came up asking to send the company feedback. This is common with new apps where companies want to know about bugs and when crashes occur. I used the app about 3-4 times and got this message just about each time (I’m assuming it’s when you shake the phone too much or something actually goes wrong). A bit annoying, but understandable as they just launched.

Import Video

This app will really rock when they introduce the ability to import video from your camera roll. I can see all the GoPro users just waiting for this. Currently, the app is so basic that you just have the option to shoot from the app and speed up that footage. Once they allow for import, we’ll see an influx of crazy videos of sunsets, X-Games-esque video and much more. You watch.

Summary

Again, I love timelapses and this app just makes them that much more easy to create. Hop on over to the app store and download it for yourself. Share your links in our comments and we’d love to see what you’re creating. Happy Hyperlapsing!