Microsoft Research releases Hyperlapse Pro for time-lapse videos

Video and photos are universal these days. Most of us walk around with a camera in our pocket. Everyone benefits. Consider the meteor over Russia or almost instant access to breaking news of all sorts.

However, sometimes photos aren't good enough for the events in your life. Video is better -- like for a kid's birthday party or graduation, or family vacation. There's better, and there's better. Microsoft just released Hyperlapse to help you turn these videos into neat little time-lapses to make them a bit cool and easier to share.

"Microsoft Hyperlapse is a new technology that creates smooth and stabilized time lapses from first-person videos. Want to show your friends what you saw on that 12-mile hike you took last weekend or let them experience how it felt to fly down the mountain on your recent ski trip? With Microsoft Hyperlapse, you can time lapse those experiences, distilling them into easily consumable, enjoyable experiences", announces Microsoft's Research team.

"To make the video both speedy and smooth, the researchers came up with an algorithm that first creates an approximate 3D model of the landscape being filmed, and then identifies the dominant path that the camera took through that landscape. It then stitches together bits and pieces of different frames to create a smooth, stable Hyperlapse that showcases the essence of the original video", says Allison Linn of Microsoft.

For now, the app is only available for Windows Phone and a preview version can be installed on Android. You can find out more, as well as see examples, by visiting here.