E. [email protected] T. 0333 016 5253
A crane in view with construction underway at Wellington Place for MEPC.

News Professional time-lapse on-the-go

25 January 2019 Kate

The best professional time-lapse and site monitoring systems come equipped with on-the-go capabilities without compromising on quality.

In an age where our economic infrastructure is becoming heavily reliant on media, the need to become connected is more pertinent now than ever before. Smartphones and other handheld devices assist in serving this need.

Time-lapse is now also a mode which can be accessed via such devices. Software made available via an iPhone camera, for instance, provides a basic platform to capture and create short-term time-lapse videos. Of course, this is incredibly liberating as it opens up the playing field of time-lapse to hobbyists and semi-professionals who may not have access to any professional equipment.

Sharing time-lapse images and video is also incredibly simple with smartphones: with a tap of a button you can share your creations with as many social media platforms as you wish to, instantaneously. This built-in software does have its limits, however.

Eyes for quality

Professional providers of time-lapse and site monitoring services opt to adapt market-leading DSLR camera systems to their own specifications. Such bespoke equipment is able to guarantee the highest quality set-up and image; that which smartphones cannot compete with.

More than this, the ‘professional’ label should also mean quality and consistency in all areas of work. Sophisticated set-ups combined with years of knowledge and experience ensures innovative methods to push the boundaries of what time-lapse can do – but with the assurance that capture is in safe hands at all times.

 

 

Remote access to the camera system via sophisticated wireless networks guarantee ‘eyes on’ site at all times; professional time-lapse providers are there to closely manage and monitor the quality of the image at all times.

What about multiple camera systems at once? This is also no stretch for the professionals: multiple cameras, for any duration of time – whether indoors, outdoors, or both – are managed with equal vigilance.

From the point of view of potential clients, the quality of a professional set-up and the results it garners are perfect to showcase work in marketing campaigns.

In the construction and demolition industries, or other work where tight deadlines and strict safety guidelines are fundamental, it is also a major advantage to be able to view and scrutinise live images of site.

But what do we mean by ‘live’ images and how does this assist with time-lapse on-the-go?

Professional site monitoring

Time-lapse photography involves the camera system capturing high quality images at regular intervals.

The rate of capture may vary depending on what is being captured. For vigorous works such as steelwork being erected or internal fit-out works taking place over the course of a few days should be photographed more frequently than more sustained construction or demolition developments.

In professional contexts, the best time-lapse companies provide access to an online viewing portal. As images are taken, they are regularly retrieved via secure networks from the camera system(s) on site, and are then archived chronologically.

Close proximity to site is not needed to view these images: log-in credentials allow access to a specified user interface. This can be done from any device, anywhere in the UK and from the rest of the world.

iRis 4.0

This sophisticated set-up is beneficial to clients of time-lapse providers because they can have their eyes on site from wherever they are. The ability to access high quality images as they populate enables clients to micro-manage one or a number of projects – even if they are not able to ever be seen on site in person.

Access to online archives also enables you to catch up with progress on site after a period of time away.

Our own iRis 4.0 interactive viewer includes zoom and pan functions to allow for a more detailed perspective over particular images, allowing our clients to keep track of specific developments on their site(s). iRis 4.0 also includes a compare image functionality, equipped with both side-by-side and overlay visualisation, allowing clients to easily analyse two different stages of a project at once.

All this enables streamlined site monitoring on-the-go for all invested parties: clients can see the same portal view of site that the professional providers utilise when carefully monitoring and managing their camera systems.

Time-lapse video

With all the practicalities taken care of, clients can easily enjoy the benefits, which, along with up-to-date viewer images, includes timely time-lapse videos.

Whether showing periodic progress of a project, or including everything from beginning to end, a time-lapse sequence may be a culmination of days, weeks, and/ or months of work shown in a time efficient and aesthetically pleasing manner.

Time-lapse videos by professionals are of exceptional quality, so companies can use individual shots to share on social media, or utilise an ultra HD edit as part of marketing material on their website.

As well as a full archive of images, our own online viewing portal provides a platform for all time-lapse videos. Images and videos from any device are easily integrated with major social media platforms; sharing is as easy as viewing – even when on-the-go.

So, ‘on-the-go’ does not necessarily mean a lesser quality version when it comes to professional time-lapse photography and site monitoring providers. Sophisticated set-ups and software are made to deliver consistent user-end functionality and performance, whether on or off-site.

Related Tags

0333 016 5253 [email protected]

Time-Lapse Systems are a part of Hideaway Media Ltd (est. 2007). World leader in the provision of bespoke time-lapse capture and site monitoring solutions. UK and Worldwide.