Plant Growth Timelapse from Your Own Photos

To make a plant growth timelapse, photograph the same plant from the same camera position at regular intervals, then play the photos in date order as a video. Progress Photo: Before After can help you line up each shot and turn the series into a clip; you still take the photos yourself.

Choose what you want to see change

Decide whether to show the whole plant, a climbing stem, or one developing leaf. For an overall growth record, include the pot and leave space above and beside the foliage. A tight frame may cut off the next stage. Keep close-ups as a separate series so the main sequence keeps its scale. Take a test photo and check that the stem and leaf edges stand out from the background.

Mark the camera position and the pot's direction

Use a stable phone support, then mark its position and the pot's location with removable tape. Record the camera height and keep the same phone orientation and lens. Mark one side of the pot to recognize a rotation. New York Botanical Garden notes that many plants grow toward sunlight and recommends rotating pots for even growth. Keep any rotation your plant needs, but record it to explain a changed silhouette. If you move the plant permanently, take a final photo in the old setup and begin a new sequence.

Pick an interval for this particular series

Use the table as a starting plan, then adjust after checking consecutive photos. These are suggested schedules, not promises about a species' growth rate. If adjacent shots look identical, try a wider interval; if they skip a stage, photograph more often. Aim for a similar time of day. Keep the plant in suitable conditions: University of Minnesota Extension explains that inadequate light can produce long, thin stems, while excessive light can scorch leaves.

Create a Plant project in Progress

Choose the Plant category and name the project for this pot. A project started from the Plant shortcut begins with a weekly photo frequency; change it to suit your plan. Available frequencies run from daily to monthly, including every two or three days. Set the start date before your first shot. If you enable reminders and allow notifications, choose the reminder time in Settings. A reminder prompts you to return; it does not operate the camera.

Line up the pot, then let the leaves change

Take your first photo with the rear camera. On later visits, Progress can show your last or first photo as a translucent ghost over the live camera view. Adjust its opacity and line up the pot rim, pot base, and a fixed background feature. Avoid moving the phone to make a new leaf overlap an old one: the changing foliage is what you came to record. Use the first photo to check the original framing, then check your saved shot before leaving.

Bring in existing plant photos and check their dates

Use Import photos to add an existing series. Progress reads a capture date from supported JPEG metadata when available; otherwise, it uses the file's modification date or the current date. Open the photo and use Date if the displayed day is wrong. Check the earliest and latest images before making a video. Importing cannot undo a changed viewpoint, so choose photos whose pot size, camera angle, and orientation already match reasonably well.

Compare two dates before judging the whole sequence

With at least two photos, open Before / After and select your dates. Use a side-by-side view to check a new shoot or leaf against the earlier frame. Look at the pot first: if its apparent size or angle changed, some difference may come from camera placement. Then look for a leaf opening or a stem extending. A taller-looking plant alone does not establish healthier growth. For an actual height record, measure separately rather than estimating from the picture.

Make a clip that keeps the plant in frame

Open Timelapse after adding at least two photos. Choose a speed, transition, and format in Timelapse Studio, then preview. Start with Cut to spot jumps in the pot or background. Vertical 9:16, Square 1:1, and Wide 16:9 are available; changing format can crop photos, so inspect the tallest and widest stages. Keep day labels visible if elapsed time matters. Photos receive equal playback time at the selected speed, even when capture dates are unevenly spaced. Choose Create video when ready.

Check which photos the video will include

The free timelapse uses up to ten photos. For longer projects, it takes the first five and last five, omitting the middle from the video. That gap can make a developing plant appear to jump between stages. Free video output is 720p with a watermark; Premium includes every photo at 1080p without a watermark. Video export uses MP4 where supported, with WebM as a fallback.

Keep the series usable after the final shot

Save a ZIP backup from Settings and keep a separate copy before deleting a project or changing phones. Open restored photos to confirm they are readable: a restore success count alone does not guarantee every image opens. A project deletion error also does not guarantee its photos remain. Archive a finished series if you want to retain it in the app. Keep detailed care records separately because long project notes can be shortened after reopening. If the project's large header appears gray, check the timeline thumbnails and open the photos before assuming they are missing.