If you’re having a staycation this summer – or just got back from your holidays – we have pulled together some fun things to do at home as a family using your HUE camera and HUE Animation software.

HUE Animation Studio contains everything you need. If you already have a HUE HD Pro camera you can add the HUE Animation software at minimal cost and really make the most of your camera! Check out our shop here.

Make a time-lapse video

The time-lapse option in the HUE Animation software allows you to film fun footage with minimal set up. Your HUE HD camera can be set up to take pictures at regular intervals and once you’re done, you can record your voice, add music and text, speed up or slow down your final movie and upload it to YouTube to share with family and friends.

Good examples of time-lapse photography are watching chicks hatching, flowers opening their petals, light changing from dawn to dusk and the night sky; if you’re lucky enough you might see a comet or even the space station.

Set your HUE Animation software to take photos of a room in your family home at regular intervals during the day and watch the time-lapse to see just how much movement takes place! It could be you tidying your bedroom, cooking in the kitchen or having a barbecue in the garden.

You can also reverse the frames and create a fun video like the Un-melting Ice Cream.

Wondering how long the interval should be for different subjects and how long the resulting time-lapse video would be? Have a look at this STEM Mayhem article which explains how to make a great plant time-lapse.

This online calculator can also help you set up the best interval recording time for your movie.

Here are some rough guidelines from our HUE animator:

Slugs eating lettuce
1 picture every three seconds over 1 hour, played back at 25fps

Night sky
1 picture every six seconds over 2 hours, played back at 25fps

Time-lapse of a family at home
1 picture every 20 seconds over 12 hours, played back at 25fps

Take one photo each day to see changes over time

You can easily make videos like these examples to visualize how something or someone is changing over time, simply by taking a selfie per day. Watch flowers, puppies, babies or beards grow!

What’s important in these videos is to make sure that the subject of your observation doesn’t move too much in the final compilation. To achieve this, keep the layout and framing as uniform as possible.

Make a stop motion animation movie

Try making a fun animated movie about your holiday or day trip adventures. You can use photos, souvenirs that you brought from your trip, drawings and cut-outs, your imagination has no limits! You can draw some fantastic inspiration from this lovely video all about a family holiday in Unst. (Credit to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary)

For those rainy days at home your favorite toys can come to the rescue. LEGO is a popular choice but any toy can be used or you can make your own characters using clay or pipe cleaner puppets. If you prefer working in 2D, you can draw anything you like! Don’t forget you can download and print backdrops from your HUE account or get even more creative and make your own.

Cooking is another great subject for animation. These Spanish students have created their own animation in French for making French crêpes, recipe included!

Whatever you do this summer, relax and have a great one!

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