Free · Photo and video calculators 📷

Time-Lapse Frames, Interval & Storage Plan

Plan frame count, capture interval and photo storage from final clip duration, playback frame rate and recording time.

  • Formula & worked example
  • Private in your browser
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Calculator inputs

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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
  2. Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
  3. Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

Private by default

Inputs and results stay in this browser tab. Bookify does not upload or store the values you enter.

Formula and method

A 10-second clip at 24 fps needs 240 photos. Spreading them over 20 minutes gives a modeled 5-second interval; 5 MB per photo needs 1.2 GB.

Photos = clip seconds × fps; interval = recording seconds / photos; storage = photos × image size

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Clip length
10 sec
Planned recording duration
20 min
Playback frames per second
24 fps
Stored size per photo
5 MB
Modeled start-to-start interval
5 sec
Modeled photo count
240
Total photo data
1.2 GB

Assumptions and limitations

  • The interval divides the recording window into one interval per photo. A schedule placing both first and last photos exactly at the endpoints uses N − 1 gaps and a different interval.
  • Exposure and write time must fit within the interval. The calculation does not reserve camera-processing time, account for dropped frames or set a shutter speed.
  • A physical capture needs a whole photo count. If the modeled count is fractional, adjust duration or playback frame rate to a whole-frame plan.
  • Supply a representative stored image size. The result covers photo files only; add room for variation, previews and the exported video. Decimal MB and GB are used by default.

Common questions

Does the interval include exposure time?

It is modeled as the time from one capture start to the next. Your camera settings and exposure must fit within that period.

Does this estimate the exported video file?

No. It multiplies the supplied per-photo size by the planned number of photos. A compressed video export depends on codec and bitrate.

References

The calculation equations, inverse formulas, units, and input rules were imported from this source. Bookify provides the interface and equation solver.

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