We are living in a time when the video is the most consumed type of content worldwide, but also the one that provides the best benefits to companies and freelancers.
In fact, if we look at the numbers, it doesn’t leave any room for doubt.
As shown by the Wyzowl platform in its 2020 report
- 89% of marketers get a good ROI.
- 83% of them generate potential clients.
- 87% have increased their website traffic.
- 80% have increased their sales.
- 95% will increase their video investment in 2021.
To achieve these results, the type of video to offer cannot leave your customers indifferent.
It must be a powerful type of video that captures their attention and awakens their emotions.
Or at least, your video should add small videos that have these properties.
The truth is that, in recent years, it has become trendy to use videos created with a technique that surprises everyone who sees it: Time Lapse.
Throughout the article you will discover:
- What is this technique.
- Why you should add these videos to your commercial productions.
- The advantages of buying Time Lapse videos instead of creating them yourself.
- The benefits of using paid stock videos over free ones.
- The best platforms to get quality Time Lapse videos.
What is time lapse?
If we look at its literal definition, Time Lapse means “lapse of time”.
But if we refer to the photographic or video aspect, Time Lapse would be a sequence of photographs taken with a time lapse between one and the other.
Thus, when we put them together through a computer program, a visual effect is created as if we were watching a video recorded in fast motion.
Below you can see an example of several Time Lapse videos of the city of Madrid, compiled into one video.
Why creating your own time lapse videos is not your best option for getting professional results
Maybe after watching this video you will also want to create your own Time Lapse videos.
And you probably could, because most smartphones on the market already have the option to create this type of content.
However, if you are looking for a professional video that achieves good results, this is not the best option.
You should note that to create a good time-lapse video like the one you’ve just seen, it takes much more than a good smartphone.
Keep reading and discover the most important reasons why you should not create your own time-lapse videos.
1. You will need a wide professional equipment
The creators of time lapse videos have a whole set of professional components, among which are:
- Camera with timer
- First quality stable tripod
- Different types of objectives
- Various batteries
- Memory cards with high capacity and speed
As you can see, it is not just one item, but several. And all of them must have the best standards in the market to obtain a 100% professional result.
2. You will have to learn photographic techniques
Knowing how to shoot photos with your smartphone won’t help you much when it comes to getting the best time lapse videos.
Besides having to buy all the equipment, you should also know how to set it up and use it correctly.
But not only that, but you will also need to learn the basic and advanced techniques of photography, as well as post-production and editing.
3. You will have to spend a lot of time and money
This third point could well be the summary of the previous two.
The fact is that having to acquire all the equipment and learn from scratch all the techniques and configurations are nothing more than time and money.
Taking professional time-lapse photos and videos requires:
- A huge economic investment to obtain the best possible equipment
- A significant investment in time to learn everything you need, gain experience by putting it into practice and master it to create first-class time-lapse videos.
If you really believe that your passion is to create this type of video, do not hesitate and invest time and money to become a reference in the industry.
However, if you are a freelancer or an agency that simply wants quality time lapse videos for their commercial productions, this is not your best option.
Having clarified the above, we will propose to you what we consider the best alternative to create your own time lapse videos: the stock videos.
Stock footage, your best choice for using time lapse videos
Stock videos, also called stock footage, are videos created by professionals that are added to online platforms.
Their main goal is to provide users with top quality videos that they can legally download and use in their own personal or professional productions.
Choosing to use these types of videos has great advantages over creating them yourself.
Previously, you have seen the 3 big disadvantages of creating time-lapse videos.
Now you will see the 4 main advantages of using stock videos in your productions.
1. Economic savings
It is good to remember that to be a video professional, you have to spend a lot of money, both to buy or rent all the necessary equipment and to take courses and workshops.
By using stock videos you will not only save these substantial costs, but you will also be able to benefit from the equipment and expertise of professional content creators.
2. Time efficiency
Apart from having to invest a great deal of money in equipment and training, a video creator needs to spend a lot of time learning and acquiring that experience, as well as editing his or her productions.
In addition, time lapse video creators have to spend even more time than other video makers because they have to be by their equipment all the time while taking pictures.
On the other hand, when using stock videos, you will only have to spend a few minutes to find within your preferred platform the time-lapse videos you want to use in your production.
3. Great variety
When one creates this type of video by oneself, usually one specializes in a theme, whether it is nature, landscapes, constructions, or anything else where the passage of time is attractive.
By using the stock videos you will have in your hand the possibility of downloading thousands of time lapse videos of any subject you can think of.
4. Copyright
When a creator records a time-lapse piece to be sold, he must carry out a series of procedures for its legal registration. In order to prevent anyone from illegally using his video without him receiving money or a mention.
By using stock videos from professional online platforms, you guarantee that you can legally use the videos you download, so you get extra security and peace of mind against legal problems.
Now that you know the most important advantages of using stock videos for your productions, let’s look at the best online services where you can download them.
The 3 best platforms to download your time lapse videos
On the Internet, there are many platforms where you can find stock material (including videos). However, not all websites are the same, nor do they offer the same variety or quantity of videos.
At Legis Video we have tried the vast majority of them and therefore we know first hand which ones are the best.
Below you can discover in depth each of these platforms, with all the features that make them stand out from the rest.
Envato Elements
Envato Elements is 
possibly the largest provider of stock videos and other creative solutions on the Internet.
Since its creation in 2006, it has managed to become a reference in the sector and consolidate itself as such.
Within the platform, you will find, among other things
- Video Templates
- Background music
- Photographs
- Sound effects
- Presentation Templates
- Stock Footage
Regarding the videos, you will have at your disposal more than a million pieces, which you will be able to filter according to:
- Categories
- Minimum resolution
- Frames Per Second (FPS)
- Duration
- Properties
To find time-lapse videos, we recommend using their search engine and typing “time lapse”. However, more than 7500 results are waiting for you.
So if you want to have more precision in your search, add also the relevant words to the type of time-lapse video you need.
As you can see, Envato Elements is one of the best and most complete tools a content creator can have.
And you can check it out without having to pay anything because you can have a look at the videos and other stock material for free.
However, if you want to have all the benefits of the platform, it will only cost you just $15 per month (in case you subscribe to its services for a year).
Although if you want to try it for a month to know if it is the solution you need, you can do it for only $29 / month.
And remember: you can make unlimited downloads and use them without any restrictions in your commercial videos.
Artgrid
Artgrid is the most innovative platform of the last years in terms of stock videos.
Since its creation in 2019, it has not stopped growing, both in quantity and quality of content and also in users.
You can see that it has earned the trust of its customers, either by its intuitive menus, its variety of plans, the range of downloadable content, or all together.
When you enter its platform, you will find a great search engine, along with several search options, among which are
- Video Themes, to find a certain theme of the video.
- Shot Type, where you can choose the type of shot (format, location, speed, etc.)
- People, to choose factors such as race, age, or gender of the people in the video.
- Collections, where to choose video collections with a specific theme.
- Filmmakers, to find the creators of the videos uploaded to the platform.
- Artlist, your platform to find stock music.
Among all these filters, the one that will interest you most to find time-lapse videos will be Video Themes, since it has a ‘Time Lapse’ option where it will filter all the videos with this feature.
In addition, you can add more filters from any category to further limit your search.
For example, if you would like a time-lapse video to appear during the day, dealing with world travel, specifically from a city and being an aerial shot, you should check the following filters:
- Video Themes: Time Lapse, Aerial, Travel & World, and Urban & City.
- Shot Type: Day.
Once you take a look at Artgrid you understand why it has captivated so many customers in such a short time.
And another reason for attracting and keeping your customers is that you have the perfect plan for each one of them. Specifically, they have three plans available:
| Subscription name | ARTGRID JUNIOR HD | ARTGRID CREATOR 4K | ARTGRID PRO RAW/LOG |
| Price | $24.92 per month ($299 billed annually) | $39.92 per month ($479 billed annually) | $49.92 per month ($599 billed annually) |
| Features | |||
| HD Clips | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| H.264 format | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Graded material | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Artgrid Universal License | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Unlimited downloads | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 1-year subscription plan | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 4K Clips | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| ProRes / DNxHR | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| RAW / LOG Clips | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| 8K Clips | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Depending on the type of format and quality of the time-lapse videos you need you will have to choose one plan or another.
However, as a new customer, Artgrid offers you two months free when you purchase any of its plans.
The only thing you have to do is to subscribe to their plan through this link or by clicking on the following button.
VideoHive
VideoHive is another platform that belongs to Envato Market (together with Envato Elements).
Like Envato Elements, this platform has a lot of creative solutions beyond the stock videos.
Although if we look only at the videos that you will have at your disposal, there are more than 1,780,000 between video effects and footage.
Along with the difference in number (more than half a million pieces more than Envato Elements), it also differs in the format of purchase.
Because VideoHive prefers to offer a pay-per-file system instead of the monthly subscription to Elements.
Depending on your needs, this can be an advantage or a disadvantage.
If you are looking for a huge catalog from which you can download unlimited time-lapse videos, Envato Elements will be your best option.
But if you want to pay only for the videos you download without being subject to a monthly subscription, then VideoHive is for you.
However, keep in mind that prices per video range from $4 (the cheapest) to over $200.
The best thing is to take a look at the platform at zero cost and check if the time lapse videos available on the platform are what you’re looking for.
Free time lapse videos: what you need to know
After reading about the best platforms for getting stock time-lapse videos you may have noticed the following: all of them are paying services.
Why are there no free platforms to download stock videos? Can’t I get free time lapse videos for my productions?
The truth is that there are platforms with free stock footage, and in this link, you will find a list of the best websites with free stock videos.
However, before doing so, we recommend you to continue reading this article.
In this way, you will understand why using free stock videos is not the best idea for your professional productions.
Difference between licensed and royalty-free stock videos
It may seem that when we refer to stock videos, we mean videos that we can use without any limitation in our productions.
But this is not true.
You can’t just download any video from the Internet and use it in your productions.
There is such a thing called ” copyright”.
These rights are one of the forms of intellectual property that give the author of a video the exclusive right to his or her piece.
Therefore, it is necessary to make a differentiation between:
- Licensed stock videos
- Royalty-free stock videos
The videos you will find in the above mentioned platforms are royalty free stock videos.
That is videos that you can use as many times as you want, in the way you want and with the minimum restrictions.
A type of content that is considered yours once you buy it or download it, so you will not have to pay for the copyright to its original creator.
On the other hand, the vast majority of stock videos that you will find for free will be under Creative Commons licenses.
This means that depending on the Creative Commons license the video is under:
- You will not be able to use this type of video in your commercial productions (productions for which you will receive money directly or indirectly).
- In some limited cases, you will be able to use them in commercial productions but you will need to mention in your project the author of the video you have used.
Nevertheless, can you imagine the negative impact that quoting a stock video in one of your commercial projects can have on your personal brand?
Your reputation as a professional can be greatly affected, and all because you want to save the small investment involved in subscribing to one of the above platforms.
This is the real reason why using free stock videos is not the best option to achieve the best results.
Conclusion
Stock time lapse videos are one of the best ways to capture the attention of your viewers.
This type of video manages, like few others, to impress anyone who watches it, and adds a differential factor that will make your productions stand out from those of your competition.
Here is an example of this.
Now, you know what it will cost you to create them on your own, both financially and in terms of time.
You also know the risks of opting for free timelapse stock videos, with which you will save some money in exchange for damaging your prestige as a professional.
For this reason, our recommendation cannot be other than to use royalty-free stock videos like the ones you will find in:
Not only because you will find the greatest variety and quantity of non-copyrighted stock videos, but also because you will have at your disposal the best timelapse videos you can imagine and with the highest quality.
However, you know that each of the platforms has different features among themselves.
Therefore, you should choose the one you think is best suited to your needs. Or take a look at them before choosing any of them.