Prompt rule of thumb: “If you want time to race ahead while space stands still, go Timelapse."
Timelapse condenses a long duration into a short video by capturing frames at set intervals, making slow processes like sunsets, city bustle, or plant growth appear rapid. In AI-generated video, it creates the visual illusion of fast-forwarded life, often without any visible camera motion—just a surreal acceleration of everything that moves.
Well-known scenes:
The urban rush in Baraka (1992)
Nature sequences in Planet Earth
Fast-moving skies and crowds in countless city montages
Subject & Background Behaviour
Subject: Typically moves or changes rapidly (sun, crowd, shadow, plant)
Background: Appears fixed or slowly evolving (unless it's also dynamic, like moving clouds)
Don’t-Confuse-With
Hyperlapse: Similar look but includes a moving camera, not just a moving world.
Montage: May use timelapse segments but is an editing structure, not a single shot effect.
Speed-Ramp: Changes speed dynamically within a single take, not across long duration.
Bullet Time: Stops or slows time while moving around a subject, opposite of timelapse.
| Effect Type | temporal |
|---|---|
| Related Effects | Hyperlapse Fast forward Time Compression Speed Ramp Bullet Time |
| Used in Contexts | dreamlike, montage |
| Effect Styles | stylized, realistic, surreal |
Cinematic text reveals word eclipse
“ECLIPSE” – Lunar Shadow Sequence. Camera & Setting: A timelapse begins from a serene nighttime mountain peak. The camera locks on the moon as an eclipse begins. The stars swirl subtly across the sky. VFX Text Appearance: As the moon darkens, its glowing edges form a halo that flickers and dances....
Timelapse city behind anthro animals
A static shot of a quaint urban street, where three anthropomorphic animal characters sit on a bench in stylish leather jackets. In timelapse, the scene transitions from morning to dusk the lighting softening, as pedestrians quickly move in the background, hinting at the passing day. The vibrant c...