How to Create Overhead Time Lapse Videos Like Tasty

Have you ever wanted to make  videos which show how to do stuff from above with a little time lapse thrown in – like those cool ‘Tasty Videos’ that keep popping up in my Facebook feed. I was recently asked how to make exactly that, and this is how I explained the process.

You can use the same process to create whiteboard style videos similar to this:

Generally speaking the process comes down to finding a way to mount the camera directly over the top of your work surface, adding a large soft light source, choosing the right camera settings, and then adjusting the playback speed in your editing software.

Camera Mounting

There are lots of ways to rig up the camera, but if you plan to do this kind of work regularly, then you should consider creating a setup like this:

There are a few benefits to this setup. First, it’s easy to position the camera and hold it securely in place. Second, you have a fairly large work area. Third, there are large openings at the side and back to allow for your lights.

Lighting

You can use softboxes or large LED light panels with diffusion to light from the sides and possibly the back. The idea of the soft box is to spread the energy of your light source over a wide area so that the light hitting your subject is radiating from the entire surface of your diffusion panel. This creates a wide transition area between light and shadow and creates large highlights in reflective objects. Basically it makes almost everything look good!

You don’t need fancy expensive lights to get the look. A few clip-on reflector lamps and some butcher paper will work. You basically need to replicate the light box/tent trick that product photographers have been using for ages. Here’s a DIY example to give you the idea:

Camera Settings

When it comes time to shoot, you will want to make sure your camera is on it’s full manual settings – the exposure, white balance, and focus should not shift at all during your shot. Subtle shifts can go by unnoticed at regular speed, but turn into nasty flickering when sped up.

You may also need to adjust your shutter speed. Some light sources (primarily fluorescents and LCDs) can flicker and cause some frames of the video to have different light intensity than others. When you start throwing out frames to speed up the footage, this can turn into a flicker.

I highly recommend creating a short test shoot for your entire workflow before shooting your primary footage. Fixing problems early is always easier than waiting until the end.

Speeding Things Up in the Editing Room

Speeding up the footage is actually the easiest part of the process. First, decide how long you want each shot to last. If you are using music or voiceover in the audio track, create a full project timeline in your editing software using temp footage or stills to work out the overall timing. Then, bring in your footage, trim the beginning and end of the clip, and adjust the duration to match your target clip length. The software will do the rest of the work.

Here is a tutorial showing how to change the clip duration in Premiere:

Planning and preparation are the keys to success for these types of shoots. Always make time for testing your workflow to make sure you are getting the look you want. Keep notes about all of your settings and equipment placement so you can consistently replicate everything over the duration of production.