Webcam timelapse recorder for Mac and Windows

Sound familiar?

• ✗Recording hours of webcam video just to speed it up later fills a drive and takes an editor to fix
• ✗Most webcam time-lapse tools are old Windows utilities, or scripts you have to babysit
• ✗A camera app left recording all day stops when the laptop sleeps or the app is closed

How Tau helps

• Captures at an interval, not at full speed

  Tau takes one frame from your webcam every few seconds rather than recording continuous video, so a whole afternoon ends up as a short clip and a small folder of frames.

• Works with the camera you already have

  A built-in laptop webcam, a USB webcam, or a capture device your computer sees as a camera. On a Mac you can use an iPhone as the camera through Continuity Camera.

• Add your screen, a timer, or both

  Record the webcam on its own, or alongside your screen in the same timelapse. A stopwatch or clock overlay shows how long the session really took.

FAQ

How do I make a time lapse with a webcam?

Open Tau, choose Camera as the source, pick your webcam and an interval, and press record. Tau captures one frame at that interval until you stop, then opens the result in its editor so you can trim it and export an MP4, WEBM or GIF.

What interval should I use for a webcam timelapse?

It depends on how fast the scene changes and how long you are recording. A few seconds between frames suits drawing, building or desk work; longer gaps suit slow changes over many hours. The free time lapse calculator on this site works out the interval for a target video length.

Can I record my webcam and my screen at the same time?

Yes. Choose both sources and Tau records them together, then lets you lay them out picture-in-picture, side by side or stacked when you export.

Will the webcam image be mirrored?

Only if you want it to be. There is a flip option in the setup screen, and what you see in the preview is what gets captured.

Does Tau work with an external USB camera?

Yes. Any camera that macOS or Windows lists as a video device can be selected, and Tau offers the resolutions that camera supports.

Relevant features

• record from any sourcerecord your screen, your camera, or both at once. capture coding sessions, design work, creative processes - from any source your system supports.
• smart timer overlaysadd clock, stopwatch, custom font and many other overlays to give your timelapses personality.
• export to multiple formatsone click to mp4, gif, webm ready for twitter/x, youtube, or wherever you share.

Other use cases