Wired is reporting that later today Instagram will announce an all-new standalone app called Hyperlapse, which allows the creation of stabilised moving timelapse videos. It’s a feature previously only available to those with more advanced photographic gear and know-how.
The app prompts you to record a video, after which it uses an algorithm map the motion in the clip and spits out an ultra-smooth, floating-through-space type effect. You can choose the speed at which your video plays back, ranging from 1x to 12x. The idea is to mimic not only the popular hyperlapse videos created using DSLRs and thousands of still frames, but also the cinematic motion tracking shots that appear in movies like Goodfellas and Kill Bill.
Image stabilisation has been a project of software and hardware makers alike, all trying to solve the problem of incessantly shaky amateur-shot videos. At the pro level, thousands of dollars are routinely spend on equipment and technicians whose sole job it is to create smooth moving video. With software algorithms like that of Hyperlapse, the allure of cinematic motion in the palm of everyday smartphone users is being brought to life.
Wired says that Hyperlapse will drop later today. (Update: It’s available now in the App Store). It will initially be available for iOS only, with an Android version forthcoming. [Wired]