time lapse question

[niftydriftyprod]

i am making a time lapse and it takes place outside my apartment on my patio. i have a tripod out there that never moves and every day i go outside with my camera. i mount it on the tripod and take a photo. then i dismount the camera and go back in. the problem i am having is that the camera does not sit in the exact same spot as the previous photo from the day before on the tripod. i am taking upclose photos so the slightest movements of the camera throws off the framing of the photograph. i can not keep the camera outside because it rains every afternoon. are there any things i can do to prevent this movement?

 

[480sparky]

Align them manually in post.

 

[niftydriftyprod]

Thanks! never even thought about that!! =]

 

[Overread]

I'd keep hunting around - there is software out there which can link together different frames from common elements and do thus function automatically (not a problem doing it manually, but if you've got several dozen or more photos to do its a big job). Sadly the only software I use which uses this tech is focus stacking software, so its of no use for this specific application (and I'm not sure if any of them will output the aligned and auto cropped photos in a series).

 

[niftydriftyprod]

i will be using window movie maker to be putting this all together. so i guess ill be cropping in paint and putting it in movie maker as i dont have any photo editing software. as long as i do the cropping and editing everytime i take a photo it shouldnt be bad. but i will for sure look around for a program because i really enjoy making time lapses. thanks for the input overread!

 

[Overread]

If you've no photo editing software Photoshop elements is a good package for starting with without too much cost; or you can always try GIMP which is a totally free (legally!) editing package; more powerful than elements, though its interface is a little more tricky to get used to (there are of course, guides out there on using it).

 

[niftydriftyprod]

i do have gimp. i do not use it because it keeps freezing. all my editing is done with the picture viewer on windows. i can do basic editing like contrast/ brightness, color, and cropping and thats about it. lol.

 

[Big Mike]

Your camera should have come with software that will allow you to edit/crop etc...and should a better option than Paint.

 

[christian.rudman]

Like the first suggestion, align manually in post.

 

[niftydriftyprod]

Your camera should have come with software that will allow you to edit/crop etc...and should a better option than Paint.

i have a d40x that i bought off a friend. he offered me the cd but i declined. to bad i cant ever get it now as he moved to england.

 

[480sparky]

i have a d40x that i bought off a friend. he offered me the cd but i declined. to bad i cant ever get it now as he moved to england.

You can download it for free from Nikons' web site.