Time lapse is commissioned for a number of reasons; remote site monitoring, project management, stakeholder engagement, imagery and films for PR and marketing, documenting/archiving, or even collaboration, visualisation and BIM Level compliance using our unique BIM integration.
It's important to note however, that not all time lapse viewers are created equal. At their most basic, the majority of professional monitored time lapse viewing platforms will allow the user to log in and view all the images captured of their project. However, we’ve spent years developing our time lapse viewing platform Lobster Vision, so that it delivers so much more! We asked clients what challenges they faced in their roles, so we could create functionality within Lobster Vision to help make their roles that little bit easier - and we're developing new tools all the time.
In this blog post, we’ll take you through the current features of Lobster Vision, to see why hundreds of clients see it as an indispensable monitoring and content creation tool.
LOBSTER VISION DEMO CAMERA
To try out the tools and features mentioned in this article, visit our Lobster Vision demo link here (follow this link to test if you are viewing on a mobile) or try Lobster Vision directly within this blog post, using the embedded demo camera below. The only features that aren't available within the demo camera are the image and video download functions.
COMPARE TOOL
The comparison tool built into Lobster Vision lets you dive right in and see how the project looked minutes ago, months ago or years ago - side by side.
Select any date on the right hand calendar, then click the grey 'compare images' button below the first calendar to bring up the second calendar. Select a new date on this too, to compare the two images.
Choose horizontal or vertical wipe using the buttons in the bottom right corner - below is an example of a vertical wipe.
This powerful tool will let you compare progress in fine detail - in space as well as time. We can also embed your BIM model for comparison of the model with the photographic as-built record, to review progress against plan. To try this out for yourself on the demo link, simply select 'BIM Model' instead of 'camera' at the top of the second calendar.
See the BIM integration and compare tool in action:
DIFFERENCE TOOL
A tool which truly sets Lobster Vision apart - or 'differentiates' us - from other time lapse viewers is our 'difference' tool. When selected, this highlights only the differences between the two Lobster Vision images. Everything that remains unchanged between the two images remains dark, so you can see with great precision what changes, over minutes or months.
Ideal for identifying progress on finer details such as facades, which can be difficult to swiftly identify by eye.
WIPE, ZOOM, REPEAT
With the ability to 'wipe' horizontally and vertically and still zoom around the high-definition shot, it's easy to compare progress on any site. If you select a different picture, the zoom position is held, so you won't lose your place. Zoom in and out of the selected images using the '+' and '-' buttons situated at the bottom right of the image.
Useful for inspecting small details on a build, to ensure what is happening on site is what you are expecting, when you're expecting it.
AUTOMATED WEEKLY VIDEO
Lobster Vision will automatically generate a two-minute video edit of your project each week, compressing your entire time lapse footage to-date, for instant download and sharing.
This can prove a useful function if you need a time lapse video of your project quickly - for marketing, PR or stakeholder engagement. If you need something more specific, do get in touch - we can create interim edits, social edits, dayshoots, animated graphics and more. And don't forget, a broadcast quality final film at the end of your project is already included in the price of our services!
UNLIMITED HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGE DOWNLOADS
Download ultra-high resolution images of your project at the click of a button, for sharing across social platforms and adding to blog posts, newsletters, presentations and more. From stunning sunsets to big construction milestones, images are typically captured every 15 minutes and saved to Lobster Vision, so you will have a huge amount of images to choose from, no matter what your content requirement. If you require a different shooting interval however, or changes to the shooting schedule throughout the project - that's no problem at all.
OVERLAYS
This tool overlays two selected images, with editable opacity - making for fantastic, visually arresting images of progress, for marketing and PR purposes.
WEATHER INFORMATION
Simply hide the ‘compare’ tool by clicking the small 'X' symbol in the corner of the second, lower calendar. This will display the weather information - wind speed, temperature and weather conditions - for the day selected.
FEATURES LIST
Check out our entire Lobster Vision time lapse viewer features list - a handy checklist when comparing time lapse providers.
Want to see what it’s all about?
Would you like us to talk you through Lobster Vision and our service over the phone, at a time convenient to you? Just drop us a message here. We look forward to getting Lobster Vision implemented on your next project!