"Both Sides Now" Redux

Once again I collaborated with my good friend Luis Acosta to look at clouds from both sides.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow ...

Source Credit: Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell.

Looking Up

My Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ300 superzoom bridge camera was facing east-southeast from the 6th floor of a seven-story parking garage. A time series of 250 JPG photos was shot from 1:24 pm to 1:36 pm using a three (3) second interval. 12.5 minutes of actual recording time resulted in approximately eight seconds of time lapse video, given the recording settings I used.

A short time lapse video segment was created in-camera using the FZ300. The in-camera video creation process features an option to change the duration of the output -- I selected the option to double the duration of the video segment from eight (8) seconds to 17 seconds. The output was edited using Apple "Photos."

20 March 2026. Facing east. (0:17 s)

The next time lapse video was created using Apple "QuickTime" to render the same 250 JPG photos. The output was edited using Apple "Photos."

20 March 2026. Facing east. (0:08 s)

Both videos show high level cirroform clouds moving across the sky from west-northwest to east-southeast.

Panorama Photos

The following panoramic composite images were taken from the top of the same parking garage using the "Camera" app on my Apple iPad mini 6, set for "Pano" mode. The camera panned nearly 360° from west-northwest to south-southeast.

2:12 pm. Wider panoramic view. (15394 x 3678 pixels.)

2:17 pm. Wider panoramic view. (15905 x 3640 pixels.)

Wind (mph), Weather and Sky Condition

"Wind (mph)," "Weather" and "Sky Cond." are highlighted by red rectangles in the following excerpt from a table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 20 March 2026 nearest the times when I recorded the photos used to create the time lapse videos shown above.

Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service.

"Sky Condition" was reported as FEW, SCT, and BKN -- all clouds at 25,000 feet. The sky was filled with a mix of high level cirroform clouds, as I mentioned previously in this blog post.

Looking Down

The following images were captured from Meteor M2-4 -- one of two Russian polar orbiting weather satellites -- during the afternoon on 20 March 2026 by Luis Acosta, my good friend and amateur radio guru.

Luis's ground station is located in New Jersey (USA) but as you can see the view shown in the satellite images includes my location in Northern Virginia (USA). Although the time of the satellite pass (4:22 p.m. EDT) isn't perfectly synchronous with the times of my time lapse video and panoramas it's close enough.

Meteor M2-4. Image used with permission from Luis Acosta.

Meteor M2-4. Image used with permission from Luis Acosta.

Zoom in on the mid-Atlantic region (USA). Notice Luis's weather satellite images (above) show the same mix of cirroform clouds as is shown in my time lapse videos and panoramic images.

The following video was created by Luis Acosta. Video used with permission from Luis.

Tech Tips

Luis's weather satellite receiving ground station includes the following hardware and software: Raspberry Pi 4 running the RaspiNOAA V2 image; RTL-SDR V4; generic wideband low noise amplifier (LNA); and DIY Quadrifilar Helix (QFH) antenna.

The "zoom in" video (shown above) was created by Luis using the "ActionDirector" Android app running on his Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra smartphone.

Related Resources

• Both Sides Now - a blog post by Walter Sanford
• Halo - another blog post by Walter Sanford [Note: See the section entitled "Tech Tips" for information about how to capture very wide panoramic views of the sky.]

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

"Road Lapse" along Richmond Highway

The following time lapse video shows two "Road Lapses" along Richmond Highway, U.S. Route 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia USA on 20 March 2026. [Source Credit: Thanks to my good friend Luis Acosta for suggesting the name "Road Lapse."]

My Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ300 superzoom bridge camera was facing east-southeast from the 6th floor of a seven-story parking garage. Notice the trees look "nervous" due to a wind speed of 10-12 mph reported at KDCA. High level cirroform clouds appear to be moving across the sky from west-northwest to east-southeast.

20 March 2026. Facing east-southeast.

Camera Settings

The camera was set for manual exposure and manual focus. ISO was set for 100. White Balance was set for "Daylight." The focal length was 4.5mm (25mm, 35mm equivalent). Aspect Ratio was set for 16:9 (4000 x 2248 pixels). [Picture] Quality was set for Fine JPEG.

I recorded two sets of 200 photos per set using an interval of one (1) second. The first video segment was created using an aperture of f/7.1 and a shutter speed of 1/200 second. The last video segment was created using an aperture of f/7.1; the shutter speed was increased to 1/500 second in order to slightly underexpose the clouds in the sky.

Tech Tips

Two short time lapse video segments, created in-camera using my Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ300 superzoom bridge camera, were edited using Apple "Photos" and combined using Apple "iMovie."

The in-camera video creation process features an option to increase the duration of the output -- I selected the option to double the duration of both video segments. Based upon a limited sample size, I think in-camera creation of time lapse videos works well.

Wind (mph), Weather and Sky Condition

"Wind (mph)," "Weather" and "Sky Cond." are highlighted by red rectangles in the following excerpt from a table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 20 March 2026 nearest the times when I recorded the photos used to create the time lapse videos shown above.

Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service.

Related Resource: Time lapse field test using Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150 - a blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Time lapse field test using Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150

The following time lapse videos show the sky over Fairfax County, Virginia USA during the afternoon on 11 March 2026.

My Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera was set to record Standard JPG plus RAW (RW2) files using an interval of two (2) seconds. [Note: I should have set the camera to record Fine JPG plus RAW. Oops!] 215 photos of each file type were recorded. Each photo is 4000 x 3000 pixels. Approximately 11 minutes of actual recording time resulted in 7 seconds of time lapse video, given the recording settings I used.

Apple "QuickTime" was used to quickly convert the JPG files into a .mov file.

1. launch "QuickTime"
2. select File / Open Image Sequence...
3. set Resolution: Actual Size
4. set Frame Rate: 30 frames per second
5. Encode For: Greater Compatibility (H.264)
6. click "Open" button
7. select File / Save...

Apple "Photos" was used to post-process the resulting .mov file.

11 March 2026. Facing north-northwest.

Here's the same video clip showing the output from Apple "QuickTime" before it was edited using Apple "Photos."

11 March 2026. Facing north-northwest.

Camera Settings

The photos were intentionally slightly underexposed in order to preserve/recover highlights in the clouds. My camera was set for manual exposure (aperture f/7.1, shutter speed 1/800 s) and manual focus [~2 feet to infinity (∞) was acceptably in focus using the hyperfocal distance for f/7.1]. ISO was set for 100. White Balance was set for "Daylight." The focal length was 4.5mm (25mm, 35mm equivalent).

I tried to shoot another time lapse, but there was a write error after only 16 photos were recorded to the memory card. I speculate the recording settings I used were too demanding for my older camera/memory card. For more information about the type of memory card I used, see the section entitled Tech Tips (below).

Decisions, decisions.

I own two Panasonic LUMIX superzoom cameras: an older DMC-FZ150; and a newer DMC-FZ300. The FZ150 can be used to shoot time lapses using an external intervalometer; the resulting time-series of photos must be post-processed to convert the photos to video. The FZ300 features both a built-in intervalometer and in-camera processing of time lapse videos.

So you might be wondering why I decided to use my older superzoom camera for the first time lapse field test. In my strong opinion, the FZ150 features a much better implementation of manual focus than the FZ300. Newer isn't always better! Hey Panasonic – are you listening? Please bring back the old way of setting manual focus using a colored bar that represents the range of distances that are in focus, as shown in the following photo.

Yellow manual focus bar indicates range of distances (feet) in focus.

Intervalometer

A JJC TM-Series Multi-Function Timer Remote Control was connected to the camera. You don't need to set everything on the intervalometer. I used the following settings.

• DE (Delay/Countdown): 5 s
• BU (Bulb): 0 s
• INT (Interval): 2 s ← 3-5 s might have been better for my older camera/memory card.]
• N (Number): set for "--" (two dashes) ← This setting means the camera will continue shooting photos until the START/STOP button on the intervalometer is pressed.
• Speaker (sound): On

Tech Tips

Everything You Need to Know About SD Cards by B&H eXplora provides a clear and concise explanation of the numbers and symbols that appear on SD memory cards.

Memory card used with my Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ150.

Weather and Sky Condition (shown in my videos)

"Weather" and "Sky Cond." are highlighted by a red rectangle in the following excerpt from a table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 11 March 2026 nearest the times when I recorded the photos used to create the time lapse video shown above (2:11 - 2:22 pm). At 13:52 (1:52 pm) the Sky Condition was reported as "FEW" at 8,500 feet, "SCT" at 11,000 feet, and "BKN" at 16,000 feet. At 14:52 (2:52 pm) the Sky Condition was essentially the same as an hour earlier: "FEW" at 8,000 feet; "FEW" at 11,000 feet; and "BKN" at 14,000 feet. At both times, there was a mix of middle- and high level clouds in the sky.

Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service.

Remember FEW = Few = 1/8 to 2/8 of sky coverage, SCT - Scattered = 3/8 to 4/8 of sky coverage, and BKN = Broken = 5/8 to 7/8 of sky coverage. See my blog post entitled "Cloud identification" for more information about how to use "levels" to make cloud identification a little easier.

What's next?

First, I need experiment with using RAW (RW2) photo files to create time lapse video. Whenever possible, I like to use free applications like Apple "QuickTime" and Apple "iMovie" to create relatively high quality time lapse video content. That being said, working with RAW photo files almost certainly means I will need to use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop – applications that are available only by subscription. I have both Adobe applications; there are many ways they can be used to create time lapse videos and I need to experiment to see which process works best for me.

Next, I need to do a time lapse field test using my Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ300. "I bought a SUPERZOOM timelapse camera - Lumix FZ82" (12:22) – a YouTube video by time lapse expert Matthew Vandeputte – inspired me to try using my FZ150 and FZ300 superzoom cameras for creating time lapse video. As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, the FZ300 features both a built-in intervalometer and in-camera processing of time lapse videos so I should use the FZ300 for my next field test.

Related Resources

• Creating time lapse video with the Panasonic FZ300;330;1000;2000;2500 (11:03) - a YouTube video by Graham Houghton
• How to make a timelapse with iMovie (7:17) - a YouTube video by Matthew Vandeputte [Note: Matthew demonstrates how to use Apple "QuickTime" to make a time lapse video, beginning at the ~4:50 s mark.]
• JJC TM-Series Instruction Manual - Multi-function timer remote control
• JJC TM wired remote control review (3:54) - a YouTube video by by Camerahoarders
• "Road Lapse" along Richmond Highway - a blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

"Skyflow" - a brief field test

The following brief time lapse video segments were captured and created using "Skyflow," an Apple iOS app running on my Apple iPad mini 6. My goal was simple: Capture a time lapse using the "RAW+JPEG" photo setting that could be used for testing purposes. In particular, I wanted to experiment with in-app editing of RAW files.

Here's the JPEG version of the time lapse video exported "as is" from "Skyflow."

27 February 2026. Video created using JPEG files.

Here's the JPEG version of the time lapse video exported from "Skyflow" and edited using Apple "Photos."

27 February 2026. Video created using JPEG files, edited using Apple "Photos."

And here's the version created using RAW files (negatives/DNGs) post-processed using the "Skyflow" in-app editor. My objective was to make the RAW version look as good or better than the JPEG version edited using Apple "Photos."

27 February 2026. Video created using RAW files.

Looking at the JPEG and RAW versions of the same video side-by-side, I think the JPEG version looks slightly better, and the JPEG version edited with "Photos" looks the best of all three. That tells me my "recipe" for in-app editing of RAW files probably needs to be tweaked for better results.

The following photo shows the first frame of the RAW files before it was edited. Notice the RAW image looks "flat" and washed out. The RAW files have much more dynamic range than the JPEGs shot at the same time, so it should be possible to edit them to look better than the JPEGs.

HEIC image saved from RAW video before editing.

Finally, here's the "recipe" I used to edit the RAW files using the in-app editor.

• Brightness = +/-0
• Contrast = +14
• Gamma = +/-0
• Shadows = +14
• Highlights = -14
• Black Point = +/-0
• Saturation = +26
• Vibrancy = +14
• Noise Reduction + 0
• Sharpness = 8
• Vignette = 0

Please comment on this blog post if you have suggestions for improving my "recipe." Thanks!

Tech Tips

The Apple "Camera" app on iPad mini 6 IS NOT CAPABLE of shooting RAW files (negatives/DNGs). Yet "Skyflow" can, and it uses the iPad camera. What's wrong with this picture? Hey Apple -- are you listening? This problem needs to be fixed STAT!

Among many nice features in "Skyflow," lots of useful information is available by tapping on a recording to open in "project view" (my name for the screen) and tapping the "i" button shown in the upper-left corner. In this case, I am reminded the app was set for Focus = Locked, Exposure = Auto, and White Balance = Locked.

"Skyflow" (i)nfo.

Nothing But Blue Skies ... well, almost

In my last blog post, I described how to interpret the "Sky Cond." shown in a table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 27 February 2026 nearest the time when I recorded the time lapse video (shown above). The low level clouds shown in the video are fair weather cumulus (Cu).

Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service.

Related Resources 

• GoPro "Orbit" - a blog post by Walter Sanford
• [Blog] posts with label "Skyflow"

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

GoPro "Orbit"

The following panoramic time lapse video shows the sky over Fairfax County, Virginia USA during the afternoon of 27 February 2026. The sky is most mostly clear except for a few low level cumuliform clouds.

The video was recorded using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera mounted on an inexpensive "Orbit" two-hour mechanical hose watering timer. The camera was set for "Video" mode / "Time Lapse Video" submode at a resolution of 4K and an interval of two (2) seconds. Approximately 26 minutes of actual recording time resulted in 26 seconds of "raw" time lapse video, given the recording settings I used.

27 February 2026.

"Sky Condition" - cloud amount and height

The following graphic shows an excerpt from the table of three-day weather observations for KDCA on 27 February 2026 nearest the time when I recorded the time lapse video (shown above). The columns labeled "Weather" and "Sky Cond." are highlighted by a red rectangle.

Source Credit: KDCA | National Weather Service.

On 27 February, the "Sky Condition" was reported as "FEW030" and "FEW040" for the two times shown in the table of observations for KDCA, meaning the cloud amount was "FEW" (1/8 to 2/8 of sky coverage) and the cloud height was "3,000" to "4,000" feet. These low level clouds are fair weather cumulus (Cu).

A well defined aircraft condensation trail (contrail) is also visible beginning at the 18 s mark and continuing until near the end of the video. The contrail is much higher than the cumulus clouds.

Average air pressure at sea level is 1013.25 millibars (hPa), or 29.92 inches of mercury (inHg). Cloud formation was suppressed by the relatively high air pressures of 1019.0 and 1018.4 millibars observed at KDCA on 27 February 2026. Hence the mostly clear skies at the time I recorded my video.

Tech Tips

Notice the "lens flare" that appears from the 26 second mark to the end of video. This was caused as the camera rotated counterclockwise toward the Sun in the sky. Please comment on this blog post if you can suggest how to avoid lens flare.

The Backstory

You might be wondering why I went to the roof to capture a SkyLapse© on a nearly cloudless day. Well, I was so eager to field test a new configuration of my "Orbit" panoramic rig that I decided to go despite a less than interesting cloudscape. When I got outside I realized the field test would be a waste of time so I reconfigured the rig slightly and shot a simpler panoramic time lapse than the one I had planned. What was I planning? That will be the subject of a future blog post, to be published whenever the sky cooperates. Please stay tuned.

Related Resources 

• Cloud identification - a blog post by Walter Sanford
• Clockwise "Orbit" - another blog post by Walter Sanford
• Post update: Minor modifications of "Orbit" panoramic time lapse rig - yet another blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

More "Skyflow" testing

Three time lapse video segments were captured and created using "Skyflow," an Apple iOS app running on my Apple iPad mini 6. The first video clip was created from 427 frames (~14 s), the second clip from 151 frames (~5 s), and the third clip from 433 frames (~14 s). Each video clip was edited individually using Apple "Photos" and all three video clips were combined using Apple "iMovie."

Each video segment shows mostly high level cirroform clouds moving across the sky over Fairfax County, Virginia USA during the afternoon of 17 February 2026.

17 February 2026.

I feel like the lack of complete documentation for the app is preventing me from getting the best results possible. I've figured out how to use many of the major features, although I'm still not sure how to use the controls for focus and exposure most effectively. A few questions follow. Please comment on this blog post if you can answer any of my questions.

1. When shooting a "SkyLapse ©" from a fixed position, should I expose for the highlights (e.g., bright, white clouds) and lock exposure? [Drag circle (the custom exposure point) over clouds and tap AE-L?]
2. When shooting a panoramic "SkyLapse ©" should I use continuous auto focus (AF), auto exposure (AE), and auto white balance (AW)?
3. Using the in-app editor, trimming video is a destructive edit [personal communication with developer]. Is cropping a destructive or non-destructive edit? And what about speed ramping (either up or down)?
4. What is the recommended workflow for in-app editing of RAW files (negatives/DNGs)?
5. Can "Skyflow" be used with external storage devices such as a USB memory stick or SSD? Backup, of course, but what about about deleting projects (to save disc space on my iOS device) and restoring them later for more editing?

Camera (iOS app) > "Pano" mode

Before working with "Skyflow," the following panoramic composite image was taken using the "Camera" app on my Apple iPad mini 6, set for "Pano" mode. The camera panned ~270° from west-northwest to south-southeast.

17 February 2026. Wider panoramic view. (14913 x 3694 pixels)

Have I mentioned how much I like the look and feel of the panoramic composite images created using the "Camera" app? I do. Easy to use. Excellent output. Good job by you, Apple!

Related Resources

• "Skyflow" app (first field test) - a blog post by Walter Sanford
• Skyflow - Apple iOS app for creating time lapse videos, by Andrei Kovalev
• Best iPhone TIMELAPSE app (3:59) - a YouTube video by Matthew Vandeputte
• Skyflow (Time Lapse App) Walk-Through Tutorial for Beginners (6:49) - a YouTube video by "Cloudage"

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Clockwise "Orbit"

The following panoramic time lapse video shows the sky over Fairfax County, Virginia USA during the afternoon of 17 February 2026. A variety of mostly high level cirroform clouds can be seen moving across the sky.

The video was recorded using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera mounted on an inexpensive "Orbit" two-hour mechanical hose watering timer. The camera was set for "Video" mode / "Time Lapse Video" submode at a resolution of 4K and an interval of two (2) seconds. Approximately 46 minutes of actual recording time resulted in 46 seconds of "raw" time lapse video, given the recording settings I used.

17 February 2026. Panoramic view from north to south.

The rig was turned upside-down so the action camera would rotate clockwise (rather than counterclockwise), as shown in the following photo.

Clockwise "Orbit" rig.

Notice the homemade safety strap used to tether the action camera to the tripod. Better safe than sorry, right? There is enough slack in the strap so the camera can rotate freely. For more information about my safety strap, see the "Tech Tips" section in one of my earlier blog posts entitled "Atmospheric Motion."

Tech Tips

Set your GoPro action camera so the image is automatically right-side-up even when the camera is upside-down. Go to Settings/Camera Preferences/Setup. Set the camera for "Auto Rotation." [There are three options: Up; Down; and Auto.]

GoPro Quik | Camera Preferences for GoPro HERO4 Black.

I don't worry about setting the "Orbit" timer for a specific amount of time. I just turn the dial clockwise until it's set for two hours. Then I compose the shot and start recording for as long as I need/want.

Related Resources

• Panoramic time lapse rig using "Orbit" two-hour mechanical hose watering timer - a blog post by Walter Sanford
• First field test: "Orbit" panoramic time lapse timer - another blog post by Walter Sanford
• Post update: Minor modifications of "Orbit" panoramic time lapse rig - another blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2026 by Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.