How to convert huge number of pictures to a short, 30 fps video? (combine frames)

Question

I'm trying to make a timelapse video. I do have all the shots (6500) and would like to make a short 30 FPS video (max 30 seconds). 6500 shots at 30 FPS makes a 200 seconds video more or less.

If I use fewer pictures I end up with frames containing people that appear only on single frames.

What I would like to do is to use all images and sort of blend them together, so that the person is visible on more frames.

For instance, let's say a set of 10 images. Dude1 is present on pictures 1-5 and dude 2 is present on pictures 3-10. My desire is that both guys are present in the same frame.

Also something like a "persisting frame" effect would be interesting, so that each frame is overlaid on the next frames for a fraction of a second.

Is there any software that can do this?

I'm on a PC.

Rafael · Answer

This is a video question, let's see what is the future of it.

Backup your photos.
Resample them to a manageable size. I would batch resample them with a bit of sharpening using IrfanView. https://www.irfanview.com/ I would use 1920 px on the base. You can also crop it to a FullHD aspect ratio.
Make a video. I would use Virtual Dub, http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/ probably using Xvid Codec or something similar https://www.xvid.com/. It takes the first numbered image and loads the rest as an image sequence. Set the framerate and save this as V0.

Some math

6500photos / 30fps = 216seconds

216seconds / 30seconds = you need to reduce it by 7

Then we have to do some decisions.

As you have plenty of images I would make a 60FPS video which would look nicer on youtube for example. But the trick is similar.

On the framerate of virtual dub you can decimate the video by 2, 3 or x number. Let's say you choose to use a 60fps frame rate. You need to decimate the video by 3. Save this version as V1.
Open V0 and drop the very first frame of it. Decimate by 3 again and save as V2.
Repeat: open, drop 2 initial frames and save as V3.

Take a video editor that can use layered videos. One free is Davinci Resolve and another one is HitFilmExpress.

Stack the V1, V2, and V3 with a transparency of let's say 33.3%
Done. You have 3 images stacked on each other on a time-lapse video.

It would be interesting to play with different transparency to somehow simulate different "persistent images" More opacity to V2 and a small one on V1 and V3 or something like that.

How to convert huge number of pictures to a short, 30 fps video? (combine frames)

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