The selfie remains popular but Instagram may just make the traditional means of taking one now obsolete with an update for the Hyperlapse.
The recently rolled-out update comes with what is called a "selfielapse" mode. To activate this, Hyperlapse users just have to push a small button by the shutter, toggling between the front and rear cameras. To take a selfielapse, the front-facing camera will be used. To go back to taking Hyperlapses, simply press the button again to activate the rear camera. While recording a video, however, it will not be possible to switch between selfielapse and Hyperlapse modes.
While the usual time lapse video uses the rear camera, the process will essentially be the same for a selfielapse. Once the app starts recording, it will show two timers. One will track how long the video being recorded is, while the other will say how long the final video will be after it is compressed to a specified playback speed. By default though, playback speed is set at 6x.
Once a video is taken, it can be shared directly on Facebook or Instagram. Users can also choose to save it on their camera rolls for later access.
Of course, selfielapses will also take advantage of the app's stabilization feature to ensure that even the shakiest hands will be able to capture shots smoothly. This is what gives Hyperlapse a trump card over Apple's own time lapse feature on the iOS 8.
Aside from the selfielapse mode, the Hyperlapse update also comes with design tweaks for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, reliability improvements and some bug fixes. What it still lacks, though, is the ability to use saved videos on a phone. At the moment, only videos taken with the app can be turned into time lapse videos.
Shooting a selfilapse is simple and easy but it may be tempting for users to shift their eyes back and forth to look at the front camera and back to the screen just to see if they are appearing in their videos as they want to. Bad framing can indeed ruin a shot, after all.
Hyperlapse came out in August and Instagram says it's been used by a wide number of artists, but even the White House has taken the time to create time lapse videos with Hyperlapse. "So far, the most liked Hyperlapse shared to Instagram is this video by photographer David Guttenfelder for National Geographic," shared Instagram.
