What is FPS, Slow Motion, Time lapsed?

Many of us have come across options like 30fps, 60fps, slow motion, fast motion(time-lapsed) in video recording and video playback. Have we ever thought what are these terms?
Let's have a look at each term and its usage.

What is FPS?

FPS stands for Frames Per Second. Frame means one click or one picture. It is the number of images(frames) captured in one second.

30 fps means 30 images are captured in one second. It is used in video recording.

When we display 30 images in one second in the sequence, we see a smooth display.

FPS is also termed as Frame Rate.

What is Slow Motion?

Slow Motion videos are captured when recording takes place at a high frame rate and playback frame rate is low.

If we record a video at 120 fps and display it at 30 fps. It means video will be of 4 seconds(120/30=4). The actual video slows 4 times. However, the resulting video will not be smooth. Slow motion recording can be used to record the movement of sea waves.

What is Fast Motion or Time-lapsed?

Fast Motion videos are captured when recording takes place at a low frame rate and playback frame rate is high. Time-lapsed is used when we capture each image(frame) after some time.

Let's assume that 1 frame is captured in two seconds.

1 frame captured time = 2 seconds

30 frames captured time = 60 seconds ~ 1 minute

If we play this video at 30 fps = All frames will be displayed in just one second. It will result in fast speed video.

Fast motion recording is used to record the movement of clouds, moving cars, the sun rising, the sun falling scenarios, and more.

What is considered a good FPS?

I recommend 30fps for both recording and playback. If you record a video at 30 fps and display it at 30 fps, the video display will be perfect and smooth. In case of slow and fast motion, we change display frame rate.

Record video at 30fps (recommended) because most systems and browsers display video at 30 fps.  60 fps is cool but it is not supported. Internet bandwidth plays a major role. A video that uses 30 frames per second uses only half the bandwidth of a video with 60 fps. So, if an internet connection is slow, it's better to use 30fps. 

Higher frame rates produce a smooth display of video. Keep the frame rate same for both recording and playback.

Conclusion

The above discussion gives a clear concept of various recording options. Hope you get the most out of it. If there is anything I could not clearly explain just let me know pals. I tried to be as honest in sharing this valuable information as I could. I have shared almost everything I have learned so far.

Do let me know how much did this post help you in making your minds clear and in guiding you to the straight and correct track. Peace and blessings buddies. :)