VirtualDub is free video editing software with very basic features. While it may not be able to serve as a powerful Adobe Premier alternative, it can surely be used to accomplish some tasks that you might think only a more robust application can do.

There is a step-by-step process below for installing and using this software to create incredible time-lapses using a sequence of images or video clips.

Let’s get started!

1. Best Virtualdub Alternative to Create Time-Lapses
2. How to Create Time-lapses with a Sequence of Still Images in Virtualdub

Best VirtualDub Alternative to Create Time-Lapses

There are two unfortunate criteria for using VirtualDub. The first is that you must use it on a Windows platform and the second is that it can only work with AVI files. Those with a Mac platform or other file formats can use the alternative, Movavi Video Editor.

In terms of ease-of-use and assembling time-lapse sequences, Movavi Video Editor is the best alternative to VirtualDub and is available for both Mac and Windows platforms.

The wide range of features and effects makes this video editing tool powerful, enabling you to create enhanced time-lapse videos. This software caters to your strengths and weaknesses, with wizards for beginners and manual options for the more advanced users.

Learn how to create your own time-lapse video following the video tutorial below:

---

How to Create Time-lapses with a Sequence of Still Images in VirtualDub

Step1. Download and Install VirtualDub

Click on the download link: Virtualdub download page to begin, and then choose to download either a 32bit version or 64bit version of Virtualdub according to your computer system.

Once the package is downloaded, install the .exe file. Once it’s installed, open the program, this is how the interface looks like:

As you can see, the interface is simple and not flashy. It is however, highly functional and once you can get past the plain user interface, you can create great time-lapse videos for free.

Step2. Install Video Compressor Tool with VirtualDub (Optional, You Can Skip This Step If You Don’t Want It)

Only uncompressed AVI files can be exported to VirtualDub which is perfect for short video clips.

However you will need some compression if you don’t want files that are dozens of gigabytes in size. For this purpose you can use a free compression tool called Xvid Video Compressor. You can get this tool to install with Virtualdub.

Click on the link above and install the Mirror 2 version of the application as seen below:

This version is an installer so you would need to run it once you have completed the download. You can choose to have it installed in the default folder or in another preferred location.

Xvid can also be used with other applications. To configure it to work with VitualDub, open the VirtualDub .exe application file and click on the Video tab and then Compression from the drop-down list:

From there, select the for Xvid MPEG-4 Codecoption from the pop-up window and click OK if you do not want to further configure the compression level.

To configure the compression level to your liking, click on the Configure button on the same window with the Xvid MPEG-4 Codecoption. There are different levels but you can choose MPEGA SP @ L4a under the Profile @ Level and slide the maximum quality slider to 1. You can change your selection based on the file size and quality of your preference. Click OK, to close the configure options and then OK to close the Video Compression window.

Note: VirtualDub will not consider it as a default video compression option, every time you need to compress videos for a video project, you should repeat the steps above.

Step3. Make Sure All Photos Are Numbered Sequentially

All images that would be used for creating your time-lapse should be of the same size and in one folder. To ensure that images are placed in the order you need it for your time lapse, each image should be numbered sequentially and continuously.

Renaming each photo is very time consuming but it can be done quickly if you follow the steps below:

1. Open the folder with your time-lapse images and ensure they are in the layout that you want them to be placed in your time-lapse video
2. Click only on the first image to highlight it and then hit on Ctrl+A on your keyboard to highlight all the other images.
3. Hit F2 on the keyboard or right-click and select Rename from the drop-down list. You can rename your image to anything you like and hit Enter on your keyboard. You would notice that each image has a number in parentheses and in sequential order.

Step4. Import Images to VirtualDub

Go to VirtualDub and select Open video file from drop-down list of the File tab. Search for the folder that has all the images you wish to include on your time-lapse:

To import all the images from the folder, click on the first image and then check the box next to Automatically load linked segments. This will tell VirtualDub to import all the images from the folder according to its number sequence.

Note:

The images will load but would be zoomed in the preview. Since most likely, the images are larger than the screen it would be displayed on, you would only see part of the image. Right-click on the image and select your preferred zoom size, that is, make the image smaller.

Step5. Adjust Basic Settings for Time-lapse Video

Adjust the settings for your time-lapse video to optimize its quality or directly export the video. Some adjustments are highlighted below:

#1. Frame Rate:

From the Video tab, select Frame Rate from the drop-down list:

This would let you change the setting for the video length. For instance, if you have 200 photos and you want your video to be 10 seconds long, set the frame rate to 20 under Change frame rate to 9FPS) and then hit Enter on the keyboard or select OK:

#2. Resolution& Aspect Ratio

Go to the Video tab and select Filters from the drop-down list. Click on Add and go through the list to select resize and then OK:

Standard HD size is 1920 x 1080 so type 1920 in the first box of the Absolute (pixels) under Size options which would give you a slightly larger height. Under Framing options, select the Crop to aspect ratio and type in 16 in the first box and 9 in the second, to set the video to standard size HD then hit OK:

Step6. Preview and Export the Final Video

By now, your video would be ready for rendering but you can also watch a preview before saving.

On the bottom of the screen, you would see the stop button and play buttons with “I” for input and “O” for output. You can clock on the “O” play button to initiate the rendering in the output window. To save, click in File then Save as AVI from the drop-down list and VirtualDub would convert it. Your video can now be uploaded directly to websites such as YouTube or you can export it to another application software for further editing.