SebecTec webcam with time-lapse software
Posted: Sun 09 Mar 2014 12:19 am
SebecTec webcam
Here is software I have written that is useful to weather related websites. I began writing this software in 2008 because the software available for webcams with time-lapse were limited at the time. My original website using an Olympus version of this software is http://www.sebeclake.net So you see that's where the name SebecTec comes from.
Sebectec can capture an image three ways: from an IP camera, an image from a website or an image from a local folder. It will snap pictures and send pictures and time-lapse via FTP to a folder on your web server. It will automatically make a time-lapse at the close of the day and an Intraday time-lapse every N hours during the day. More time-lapse options for longer terms are described below.
Here are the main features of the program:
- It is a stable program running under Windows that can access multiple cameras. Time-lapse output is in .MP4 format for browser and device compatibility. It does not read the video stream from an IP camera but instead uses the http snapshot command commonly available with IP cameras to read the image thus avoiding streaming bandwidth issues.
- Option to capture images at a fast rate over your LAN say every 10 seconds but upload to the website at a reduced frame rate say every 60 seconds. This preserves upload bandwidth while also making a very smooth time-lapse video.
- Auto FTP upload single images and time-lapse
- Overlay weather info onto the image using a NOAA weather site or any personal weather station on wunderground.com or from a local text file.
- Can launch multiple instances of the application to access more cameras or produce time-lapse over different time periods for the same camera.
- Can make a time-lapse for the last 365 (or N) days and always playback in a 3 (or N) minute time lapse. Software will auto subsample and adjust the frame rate to playback at the desired time length.
- Make a time-lapse using one image from each day, say at 12 noon.
- Can set to operate from local sunrise/sunset as it varies through the year using a csv table.
- Multiple watermarks can be added
- Upload images to two different FTP sites. For instance upload to your website and also to wunderground.
- Manages the archive to automatically delete local archive images older than N days so as lot to fill a hard drive.
- Image cropping feature - Crop the images as they are captured or crop only the production time-lapse.
- Access multiple cameras by auto launching a new instances.
- Rotate the image in small increments (0.1 deg) in order to square up the horizon. (It can be annoying to see a camera off rotation by even just a small amount)
- Don't actually need a camera to make time-lapse. Use the program to operate on a sequence of jpeg images.
Example sites using time-lapse features of the program:
Loon Mountain, NH: http://www.mtnclub.com/media-center/live-webcam/
These two are my sites:
Moosehead Lake, ME http://mooseheadlake.us
Portsmouth, NH: http://www.portsmouthwebcam.com
I also use the software for construction cams where multiple length time-lapse are required. This is an example in Ellsworth, Maine: http://firstatlanticwebcam.com/
Here is a camera I have setup to watch construction of a new brewery: http://towlefarm.com/
Software download full-function trial is here: http://www.sebectec.com/ipcam
-Mike
Here is software I have written that is useful to weather related websites. I began writing this software in 2008 because the software available for webcams with time-lapse were limited at the time. My original website using an Olympus version of this software is http://www.sebeclake.net So you see that's where the name SebecTec comes from.
Sebectec can capture an image three ways: from an IP camera, an image from a website or an image from a local folder. It will snap pictures and send pictures and time-lapse via FTP to a folder on your web server. It will automatically make a time-lapse at the close of the day and an Intraday time-lapse every N hours during the day. More time-lapse options for longer terms are described below.
Here are the main features of the program:
- It is a stable program running under Windows that can access multiple cameras. Time-lapse output is in .MP4 format for browser and device compatibility. It does not read the video stream from an IP camera but instead uses the http snapshot command commonly available with IP cameras to read the image thus avoiding streaming bandwidth issues.
- Option to capture images at a fast rate over your LAN say every 10 seconds but upload to the website at a reduced frame rate say every 60 seconds. This preserves upload bandwidth while also making a very smooth time-lapse video.
- Auto FTP upload single images and time-lapse
- Overlay weather info onto the image using a NOAA weather site or any personal weather station on wunderground.com or from a local text file.
- Can launch multiple instances of the application to access more cameras or produce time-lapse over different time periods for the same camera.
- Can make a time-lapse for the last 365 (or N) days and always playback in a 3 (or N) minute time lapse. Software will auto subsample and adjust the frame rate to playback at the desired time length.
- Make a time-lapse using one image from each day, say at 12 noon.
- Can set to operate from local sunrise/sunset as it varies through the year using a csv table.
- Multiple watermarks can be added
- Upload images to two different FTP sites. For instance upload to your website and also to wunderground.
- Manages the archive to automatically delete local archive images older than N days so as lot to fill a hard drive.
- Image cropping feature - Crop the images as they are captured or crop only the production time-lapse.
- Access multiple cameras by auto launching a new instances.
- Rotate the image in small increments (0.1 deg) in order to square up the horizon. (It can be annoying to see a camera off rotation by even just a small amount)
- Don't actually need a camera to make time-lapse. Use the program to operate on a sequence of jpeg images.
Example sites using time-lapse features of the program:
Loon Mountain, NH: http://www.mtnclub.com/media-center/live-webcam/
These two are my sites:
Moosehead Lake, ME http://mooseheadlake.us
Portsmouth, NH: http://www.portsmouthwebcam.com
I also use the software for construction cams where multiple length time-lapse are required. This is an example in Ellsworth, Maine: http://firstatlanticwebcam.com/
Here is a camera I have setup to watch construction of a new brewery: http://towlefarm.com/
Software download full-function trial is here: http://www.sebectec.com/ipcam
-Mike
it looks pretty good, I might have to give it a test run.