Tutorial: How to Set Up a Motion Star Time-lapse Using the Syrp Genie - Mark Gee

WIN Mark Gee's Timelapse Kit here!
Mark Gee is an award-winning photographer, time-lapse filmmaker & digital visual effects supervisor based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has worked on many high profile and Oscar award-winning feature films. His love of the New Zealand landscape is a big part of the inspiration for his photography.
Visit his website at www.theartofnight.com
In this Star Timelapse tutorial, you'll learn how to set up a motion control time-lapse using the Syrp Genie and Magic Carpet. This guide to Astro Timelapse covers everything from location scouting to camera setup and includes a detailed section on post-production using Adobe Lightroom and LR Timelapse.
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Gear Used:
Canon 6D - bit.ly/canon_6d
Canon 14mm Lens L Series - www.canon.co.n...
Manfrotto Magic Carpet Slider - bit.ly/magic_c...
Manfrotto Genie - bit.ly/genie_one
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Did we miss something or have any filmmaking questions? Comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to our channel. bit.ly/syrp-you...
Check out Syrp Lab:
syrplab.com/gl...
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/ syrplab
/ syrplab
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In the field:
0:49 - Location Scouting - Mobile Apps | Composition
3:03 - Camera setup - Image Quality | Shutter | Aperture | ISO | Focus
4:33 - How to avoid star trailing
5:27 - Setup the Genie - Rec Time | Interval | Play Time
6:29 - How the interval works
7:43 - Setup the movement - Movement length | Ease in / out
Post Production:
8:20 - Introduction and workflow setup
10:32 - Color adjustments and neutralising the image
11:32 - Lens Correction
12:20 - Set black and white points
13:20 - Color adjustment - Clarity | Tone Curve
16:30 - Local Sky Adjustments - Graduated Ramp
19:37 - Technical Clean-up - Noise Reduction | Artifact clean up
22:47 - Sync colour adjustments to all images
24:22 - Export all images to LR Timelapse
26:08 - Export out a movie from LR Timelapse - Codec | Output size
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Learn Film Making with Syrp Lab:
"How Do You Shoot Cocktails? | Food Lighting Tips "
• How We Shot These 5 Co...
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[@441greenleaf]

OH MY GOD!! @8:13 that timelapse, stars shining on the hood of the car... i had an eyegasm.. i directly clicked on "subscribe" button

[@F1NATIK]

Same LOL

[@andresvimos3040]

Totally!

[@pitmangiles]

Me too

[@ryanjozz]

E A y

[@mikedavies9857]

eyegasm :)

[@XavierPeypoch]

Mark: this is an extremely generous tutorial. ¡Thank you for all the deep insight!

[@kimanmie329]

Xavier Peypoch l

[@VideoNOLA]

Adobe should buy out LRTimeLapse and incorporate its features into Lightroom!

[@simonleonp]

I thought the same thing a couple of days ago... I mean they work great but the jumping from app to app is kind of annoying

[@RobFall]

Thanks so much for this video, I must have watched it 50 times now :D

[@alwil1563]

Damn, It took me nearly three years to learn all you summed up in 20+ minutes, wish I had seen this back then!

[@SirRoundsoundRecords]

A great video with a calm and helpful instructions. A big help.. thanks for sharing :) And hope to see more from you, Mark!! Love your work

[@DeuceSickle]

What a beautiful clip. I recently started taking photography and videography more serious and I went out to shoot astrophotography for the first time a couple of weeks ago and fell in love. Now I'm currently awaiting the means to purchases an iMac to produce high quality images and videos. Can't wait. Thanks for the video I really enjoyed it.

[@MrBooojangles]

You're the first person I've seen, doing a tutorial on Photoshop that has put the sliders up to 100 to show how bad it looks if you go too extreme. I wish more people would show that. It kind of shows that you need to find the sweet spot somewhere in the middle of the extremes.

[@frednorman1]

The best tutorial I've seen, thanks Mark.

[@diegofotuche]

I love the way you use to teach us how to use canon cameras! that style to show how to set up the camera and that amazing background with bokeh, is so inspiring! mega like! and mega subscribed!

[@DeltadronesBr]

Awesome Tutorial! Thanks a lot!

[@hkitm]

Good tutorial, but the background music is annoying.

[@alfredoarriaga9407]

acabo de abrir la caja de este equipo y a pesar que ya tiene tiempo creo que le puedo sacar provecho si aprendo a usarlo, gracias por el tiempo que dedicaste para enseñar algo de lo mucho que sabes

[@SyrpLab]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cant wait to see what you make with the new kit!

[@Apamittemot]

Don't have time to watch this now, will do that tomorrow. But what I can say at first glance - it seems amazing! :--D

[@EdPal]

I just started learning videography. thank you. just uploaded a timelapse video of my sjcam in my youtube, too. you might wanna check it. thanks! more power!

[@TheoDoulke]

I am begginer at photography and i had make some timelapse videos with my smartphone and i had sell it so i need to buy a dslr now . You have to suggest me a good cheap dlsr camera about 100-250$ for begginer? I would like to learn more about timelapse and if it's possible we can talk with email to teach me some things?

[@seawildearth]

Great video guys, comprehensive and complete.

[@AnGeR4Dead]

And then there's me, without money to do this T_T

[@jr1martinez2]

Thanks for uploading this video. Very helpful.

[@DjFrankybe]

HI , Mark this video start with amazing good soundtrack, can i ask from who is the music 0:00 to 14 seconds , thanks for help

[@byjingo4640]

I'm using Syrup Genie Mini doing a lot of time-lapse work. Would it be possible to have your animated Syrp logo footage to put in my production?

[@michalpacia2068]

Great tutarial, thanks for sharing. How did you pull out timelapse at 1:19? Is there additional motion controller attached? Can Syrp Genie do a linear and panning at the same time? Thanks!

[@SyrpLab]

+Michal Pacia That shot had a Genie Mini attached to the Genie for 2-axis control - www.syrp.co.nz/products/genie-mini

[@SyrpLab]

Hey *****, it was shot on a Sony FS7, picture style used was S-Log3 and it was graded in DaVinci Resolve. Thanks!

[@EdwinNew]

Just watched this.... It's incredibly helpful. Just one little thing... Vignetting is pronounced vin-yetting.

[@Looserkid13]

They say on the webpage that the genie supports bracketing but the camera will only take one photo at a time... ultimately, leaving me with 3 different videos 1/3 time at different exposures. Do you have any tips or workarounds?

[@emanueldolo]

Just one question: what is the difference between Tone Curve's Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows and all this options under Tone?

[@thomasgerlach1808]

Great video, thank you. I did find the musical background very distracting to the point I had to quit viewing halfway through. I hope this comment has been useful.

[@oakleavez1901]

This is a fantastic tutorial and has given me a much better understanding of photography, and Mark Gee is very inventive and deserves all the rewards he gets.

[@daintellekt]

Excellent tutorial !

[@timelapse1831]

I'm doing my timelapses on iPhone SE ok camera shoots in 1080p 60fps A timelapse in the making

[@ashmotionpictures9806]

I really admire the work you've put in this video also the information you've given is priceless. Thank you for being of such benefit to others man

[@vasbyollu]

Looks so damn beautiful, thank you for sharing your techniques!

[@wolfgangb8500]

beautiful , I love your vidéo, I have a TIMELAPSE chanel you can look 😉

[@derekhackert4585]

damn, those raws are clllleeeeaaannnn. everyone else on youtube doing night photography editing tutorials has such grainy ass raws... lol.

[@dustbusterz]

you really need to learn to speak up when making videos, cause I have the volume set at full and with only a small amount of other noises around me, it becomes nearly impossible to hear what your saying.

[@Manu_D1978]

which lens should I use for that kind of time lapse? (I'm using a 6d mk2).

[@vitrio4816]

Thanks Mark. Really appreciate this video. Helped me alot. Cheers.

[@OlivierLegerArt]

thank you so much for all the information, invaluable for me :)

[@onkeld6686]

Super Cool Work, Mark !!!

[@anddreas2lair]

+Mark Gee Solid workflow! I am still working out though how you transition from day to night or night to day in a time-lapse. I can change my shutter speed but that will result in a flickering sky and its not smooth. How do you do it man? Cheers

[@xirfan]

+max fox rider LR Timelapse the software used to export the video has an anti flicker option.

[@Duuueewd]

Sorry didn't watch all of it so maybe you already said it, but what did the night sky look like with your own eyes?

[@mon4621]

it should be more or less close to the image when he firstly opens it in Lightroom.

[@pitmangiles]

any one know the programme used to film his screen on the mac?? immediate answers if possible

[@JerryAdam]

Awesome tutorial. Thank you for sharing!

[@wasdalemanexploringoutdoor5137]

Thanks Mark This is something I have had to location opportunity to try but never the information, I am looking forward to trying it out the next time I am up a mountain for the night. Great video and very helpful. (Sub) Regards James

[@Khajakkodian]

Superb Mark. Thanks and all the best. Please keep those type of tutorials always flowing 😄😄😄

[@MarkGee]

+Jack Kodjian Cheers thanks, glad you like this one!

[@jonshoreman3086]

Very good tutorial. I'm curious why you don't use the full LRTimelapse workflow and just use it for video export?

[@Minhchupchoet]

Nice video. Just want to tell you that there seems to be a very loud noise like the fan of your mac at around 23 minute mark. Overall a very helpful tutorial.

[@scotchflyer4238]

how easy is it to do time laps with a go pro hero 5? do you do any stuff for setting it up?

[@Ukat09]

Hi there ... using the 500 rule (500/focal length of lens) .. you said this is for FULL FRAME sensor cameras - does the same rule apply to crop sensor cameras - or do you apply the crop sensor ratio, then apply 500 rule rule? Hope that makes sense. cheers and your video and work is wicked as bro.

[@SyrpLab]

Hey there, you need to use this equation instead. 500 / (Crop factor * focal length)

[@maciejzalewski1222]

I am new user of Genie Mini 2 and have some problems with setting up multiply keyframes in following sequence: "rotate 60o for 5sec - stop for 3sec - continue rotation of 60o for 5sec". Then start the same keyframes in opposite direction. Is it possible to do it with 1 Genie Mini 2 only? Can someone help me with it how to set it up?

[@alexberaru625]

Hello Maciej, my name is Alex (Syrp Customer Support), could you please send me an email with this inquiry at [e-mail] and I will get back to you with some solutions. Cheers, Alex

[@philbuglass4857]

Great video! In the LR processing, however, your cursor does not appear in the video. Each time - and this is a *lot* - you say "do this *here*..." there is no way for the viewer to know just which part of the screen you are working on. We can see the buttons you press, providing we are looking at the right place when you do it, but as far as the actual image is concerned, we cannot tell. This is a bit curious, since most videos show the cursor movements; I don't know if it is something to do with the video software you are using.

[@mon4621]

it might be the recording software problem

[@HelderP1337]

Absolutely fantastic share, thank you so much!

[@bendijk3483]

What a great movie, I regret that I live in an area with a lot of light pollution.

[@jamesloveridgephotography]

Do you wait until it is completely dark so that the 30 second exposure is fine all the way through or do you gradually increase the shutter speed up to 30 seconds as it gets darker?

[@SyrpLab]

The settings in Mark's video are for his particular set up and the conditions he was shooting in - you'll need to change these depending on where you are and what gear you're using. If you want to shoot once the sun has completely set, then a consistent shutter speed throughout is fine. If you're hoping to do a holy grail time-lapse then you'll need to adjust your settings while the light's changing. Ultimately it's totally up to you and the type of look you're going for. It may take some trial and error, but it's worth it!

[@marcdenton6925]

I spent some time under a very dark sky in South Vietnam a long time ago. Absolutely no light pollution whatsoever. I remember being totally awed by the Milky Way. What can I say other than it was a mind blowing experience. Machinery can capture some of that experience, but one must really be there. Thank you for the video and the time you invested in producing it. It will certainly help me.

[@justezra7445]

Thank you, this was awesome and I learned loads! SUBSCRIBED! :D

[@MisterVonnels]

Are there any basic versions of the genie? I don't want to be spending that much on something like this, even one of those very basic panoramic gopro timers would be fine but they can't hold the weight of a DSLR

[@SyrpLab]

Hey Vincent, the Genie Mini will probably be right up your alley! It's got most of the feature of the Genie but designed for Panning movement. You can see more here - syrp.co.nz/products/genie-mini

[@TrevRich]

Awesome.... Subscribed.... Thanks Mark

[@smoniotte]

Great tutorial. The best I have seen so far!

[@teaomads]

Yo!!!! This tutorial is king. Mean app & programme recommendations too appreciate your insights Mark

[@protomaxos1]

very useful tutorial for us!!!thanks for sharing it!!! i notice at 11:50 at the left corner of the frame the amp glow. is this a big issue of the canon 6d? i thought only the entry level dslr have this issue. of course with the NR ON there is no problem. is there a way to get rid of this at the post-processing or you just crop the frame?

[@SeanMoxxham]

I think that's lens flare from the fire :)

[@GuardiansCreed]

this video Contains no Star Time Lapse

[@ubassman]

Great video. Thanks for the info!

[@Zoetti7]

How is it possible that you have the foreground and the stars in focus? with an aperture of 2.8 you actually shouldn't be able to do so?! or am i missing something?

[@SyrpLab]

Hey Matthias - The image ends up with a relatively large depth of field due to the short hyperfocal distance that you get with a 14mm lens when focused close to infinity. You can read more on how Mark focuses in this post he wrote on his website under 'Focusing' in the 'Photographing in Low Level Light' section - theartofnight.com/2014/06/the-art-of-astrophotography-tutorial/

[@AZD2169]

Just a great video, you're a heck of a teacher, I can't wait to try it out tonight. thanks for the Apps.

[@AlekseyRashin]

Охренеть сколько работы.Это шедевр!!!

[@twilderness]

Great tutorial Mark, very informative, would love to see more on hyperlapses. I am proud to be a new sub, keep up the good work!

[@biscuitsalive]

Fantastic tutorial!

[@fatsamcastle]

Did you use a graduated filter to block out the fire?

[@josemanoel9223]

Fantastic tutorial. Rio de Janeiro - Brasil.

[@victorpopukh5451]

Hi, great tutorial.I just have one question what is the exact interval in between shots? Is it 5 sec? 30 sec shutter and 5 sec interval?

[@SyrpLab]

Interval encompasses your exposure time, time taken for your camera to move and save the file to the card. So the interval is 35 sec. If you go to 7.25 you can see the exact settings mark uses.

[@ShannonDizmang]

this is some good shit. actually watched the entire thing and sure I will watch again.

[@KyleCouture]

I love Mark's work. He has always amazed me and have been so helpful when even I've asked him questions.

[@tvmystery261]

thank you!

[@JonesAroundTheWorld]

this is unreal man. thank you so much. learned quite a bit.

[@441greenleaf]

@1:15 .. well, when there is full moon, i cant capture milky way because of the moons light.. how did you managed that shot?... and 2 days ago, i tried 500 rule, i have 24-70mm lens at 2.8f.. so i even pushed to 1600 iso, but still photo was under exposed :(.. if i go more than 20 seconds" of exposure, starts become blurry.. i have nikon d610 full frame :( what am i missing?

[@Looserkid13]

blurry? or do you get motion blurr (star trails)?

[@441greenleaf]

yea back then i thought it was star trails ) but appereantly it was because of a bad tripod ) and i left VR on , so it kinda effects every single photo )

[@rik1639]

hey syrp, is it smart to use other settings regarding the play time, interval, record time and exposure?

[@SpiritoftheWoods863]

Excellent Tutorial! Is there an Android version of PhotoPills?

[@onenarrowdoor]

They are hoping for an Android release by the end of this year.

[@CallumMcKain]

That was great, will need to get a genie.

[@jaysun070476]

What would cause a camera to not take the specified amount of pics for long exposure star timlapse for instance i set 800 pics and it only took 144. 20 second exposures 3 seconds apart with a 14mm 2.8 manual focus. It has done this several times throughout the night it never finished the specified amount of pics i set it too. Any help whould be awsome thank you. Iam using a panasonic g7 m4/3

[@SyrpLab]

This could be a couple things. 1 - Make sure your interval is long enough for your camera to write the image to the card. 2- The app does not show how many images are going to be captured so to get this number you must be calculating the number yourself. Multiply your play time by your frame rate i.e 10sec record time x 25fps = 250 frames. Make sure that the frame rate set in the app is the same as what you are using for your calculation. 2- When the Syrp device takes a picture a little red light flashes on the unit. If this flashes but your camera does not fire the issue is with the camera.

[@jaysun070476]

@@SyrpLab awsome thank you

[@quintz01]

very informative! liked it very much

[@fishsticks6969]

this video is so good.. thank you !!

[@str8uptv]

Thank you!!! I am sure I will watch again when I need a refresher.

[@willieleniek8447]

Probably one of the best tutorials Ive seen in years. Clear and rich in content! Thank you so much for this!!

[@bourdon845]

Jolies images

[@MrBrennanMatt]

How do you do a time lapse this long if you need to change batteries

[@Looserkid13]

a fully charged genuine battery should last this long. you can also use a grip battery (twice as long) or connect it directly to a AC current for longer timelapses (you can leave it for days).

[@mexicotravel]

Ni cerca tutora, very utility!

[@10jmsoccer]

I'm going to assume that all of this has to be done with a dslr camera, and can't be achieved with say an iPhone 6s and a camera app that gives you more control over shutter speed and ISO etc... ?

[@isaacholden9889]

Correct

[@EweZuLin]

10jmsoccer actually you can if your app have intervalometer function like camera fv5 on Android. The result just won't be as good as dslr.

[@arturovecchione]

does the genie programm for a 6 months timelapse? than you

[@SyrpLab]

HI Artuar, yes you can do, obviously you will need to keep it powered though probably by plugging it into a power source.

[@thedankatheist3466]

Luminos is a better night sky app

[@RimvydasG]

Great tutorial, One thing catched my eye, +Mark Gee (The Art of Night), what kind of User Interface modification are you using? Cannot find anything similar. It can be seen 4:10

[@MarkGee]

+Rimvydas Gudeliauskas You can get that on the Canons by clicking on the info button on the camera.

[@methylnick]

Awesome video Mark, well done.

[@amazingnature7037]

Awesome time lapse and info! I subbed.

[@davyscales7732]

what a superb video tutorial

[@StaffViet2009]

Tutorial for the rich!

[@GoaPrince]

paying money for apps ?

[@L3oRar3D3f3nd3r]

does the stars in milky way timelapses are always real or just some kind of editing?

[@SyrpLab]

Hey there - in the video above and most other astro time-lapses the stars are real, although it can sometimes be pretty hard to believe when they look so incredible!

[@L3oRar3D3f3nd3r]

if we look with our bare eyes will it look the same as in the video or is it more incredible and realistic through the camera? sorry if it's sounds silly :)

[@SyrpLab]

That's totally fine! It depends on where you are. Close to cities and light pollution would make it difficult for both your eyes and camera to see the stars, however in a place that has a small amount of light pollution (where it's very dark) both your eyes and camera will be able to see the stars clearly. That being said, you can often pick up more definition and stars through the lens of a camera because you can increase the exposure time. This takes in more light than your eyes can and will show the stars more clearly.

[@L3oRar3D3f3nd3r]

thank you so much for explaining and answering my questions ^^ . I hope I can see those beautiful stars one day!

[@wanderingsailor5503]

They're probably enhanced in some form which is common practice among filmmakers. It's as easy as compiling the shots together and then applying some color masks to boost some of the brightness levels, saturation, etc. I know when I've done these, it can be difficult to achieve the ideal image because you have camera compensations due to the lowlight. I sometimes would use different blend modes to make the image more crisp.

[@ProAntics]

What kind of colour grade did you use in this video? Looks awesome!

[@SyrpLab]

Hey ProAntics - this is a custom grade in DaVinci Resolve. Thanks!

[@MC50000]

Syrp genie mini

[@MicahBBurke]

Excellent! I'm gonna try it!

[@kenburns2639]

well done Mark

[@MarkGee]

+Ken Burns Cheers thanks Ken!

[@lukjasin]

Thanks for this tutorial.