Building a Raspberry Pi Timelapse Camera

Capture frames at intervals and assemble into video. Great for construction, plant growth, 3D print monitoring, or weather.

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi (Zero 2W for compact builds)
• Pi Camera Module v2 or HQ Camera
• Case with camera mount
• Power supply or battery pack

Test Camera

libcamera-still -o test.jpg

If not detected: sudo raspi-config > Interface Options > Camera > Enable

Capture Script

import subprocess, time, os
from datetime import datetime

OUTPUT_DIR = "/home/pi/timelapse"
INTERVAL = 60  # seconds between frames

os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
frame = 0

while True:
    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
    filename = f"{OUTPUT_DIR}/frame_{frame:05d}_{timestamp}.jpg"
    subprocess.run([
        "libcamera-still", "-o", filename,
        "--width", "1920", "--height", "1080",
        "-t", "1000", "--nopreview"
    ])
    frame += 1
    time.sleep(INTERVAL)

Assemble into Video

sudo apt install ffmpeg -y
ffmpeg -framerate 30 -pattern_type glob -i 'timelapse/frame_*.jpg' \
    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

Remote Deployment Tips

• 20,000mAh+ power bank for outdoor use
• 64GB+ SD card at 1 frame/min for long projects
• Waterproof enclosure with clear window