Adding the time-lapse options into Klipper is as easy as copy and pasting. We’ll break it down step by step for you and then get into configuring settings and tips on how to make high-quality time-lapse videos to be proud of!

First, we’ll have to install the component in Klipper and allow for automatic updates. Next, we’ll configure the component by defining the G-code macro and enabling access to time-lapse settings directly in the user interface of Mainsail or Fluidd.

Installing the Component & Enable Automatic Updates

1. Open the installation docs found under the GitHub page for the moonraker-timelapse plug-in.
2. Log in into Putty or your preferred SSH client.
3. Copy the code in the “Installing the component” section of the installation doc and paste each into your SSH client.
4. To enable automatic updates, find your “moonraker.conf” file in your web interface. The configuration files are located in the “MACHINE” section for Mainsail or by clicking on the {..} icon for Fluidd.
5. Copy the code under the “Enable updating with Moonraker update manager” section of the installation doc and paste it into your “moonraker.conf” file.

Configure the Component

1. Navigate to the configuration doc of the GitHub page. Copy the code under the “Define the Gcode Macro” section.
2. Find the “printer.cfg” configuration file of your web interface and paste the copied code into this file.
3. Activate access to time-lapse settings within the Fluidd or Mainsail interface by copying the code under the “Activate the Component” section of the configuration doc of GitHub.
4. Paste this code into your “moonraker.conf” file.
5. Save and restart the interface.

If the installation and configuration were successful, you should be able to access a new “Timelapse” tab within your web interface. We’ll go over the new settings found in that tab shortly, but first, we have a few things to do in the slicer.

Taking a peek in the time-lapse tab of your web interface, you’ll notice two options under the “Mode” setting, “hyperlapse” and “layermacro”.

The first option, hyperlapse, takes an image every n seconds, where n is the value you have set in “Hyperlapse Cycle Time” setting. If this is all you are looking to do, then you don’t need this slicer setup. You can always come back to this mode after you’ve completed the slicer setup if you would like to use a time-lapse to identify the origin of print failures, for example.

If you would like to coordinate snapping an image with events occurring in your sliced file, like at a layer change, then we’ll have to tell the slicer to add a G-code macro into the sliced file at the appropriate instances. This is “layermacro” mode and it generally produces the best results because we can include additional actions like parking the printhead in the same location for every image.

Slicer configuration will look slightly different between the different software, but the general steps stay the same. We’ll be using SuperSlicer as an example. You can always refer to the GitHub page for your specific software choice.

• Go to “Printer Settings > Custom G-code” or the equivalent setting for adding custom G-code.
• Browse instances for inserting G-code commands to locate “Before layer change Gcode”. You can also choose other instances to insert the G-code for snapping an image, but before a layer change is most common.
• Add TIMELAPSE_TAKE_FRAME

That’s it for getting set up! Next, we’ll head back over to your Mainsail or Fluidd interface to explore the various time-lapse settings.

The new “Timelapse” tab of your web interface is where you’ll be able to find previous time-lapse videos, the option to enable or disable time-lapse creation, as well as some rendering settings. Let’s take a look at the most important ones to obtain the best results:

• Output Framerate: The framerate indicates the number of frames per second of the rendered video. The higher the value, the smoother the time-lapse.
• Save Frames: This option saves all of the individual images used for the video.
• Duplicate last frames: This number can be increased to extend the time at the end of your video showing the complete print.
• Constant Rate Factor: This option refers to the balance between quality and file size. The lower the value, the higher the quality, but also the file size. The supported values are between 0 and 51, but the default value of 23 works pretty well in most cases.

Further time-lapse settings relating to actions within the defined macro can be accessed from the “Settings” tab, or equivalent, of your web interface. Here are some of the most important options to familiarize yourself with (note that the order of the settings is slightly different between Mainsail and Fluidd):

• Park Toolhead: This option, which you can toggle, allows you to set a position that your printhead will reach before the shot is taken. Enabling this will produce cleaner results, but it also adds complications to the printing process.
• Park Position: You can choose between some predefined locations to park the printhead or set a custom one. Select a position at the back of the build plate to give the impression of the object magically growing, or choose the center option if you prefer to highlight the machine.
• Park Time: This defines how long the printhead sits at the park position. You can increase this value if you’re having issues with motion blur in your videos.
• Park Travel Speed: This sets the speed at which the printhead will travel to and from the park position. If your printer can handle it, reduce this value to save some time.
• Retract Speed: This setting lets you tweak the retraction speed which is important to prevent stringing during the toolhead parking. The values for a direct extrusion setup will need to be much smaller compared to a Bowden extrusion setup.
• Retract Distance: Similar to the previous option, you set a retraction distance specifically for parking the printhead. We will dive deeper into retraction shortly.
• Unretract Speed & Distance: These should generally be maintained equal to the retraction settings.

With our plug-in installed and our options configured, let’s dive into the art of perfecting the time-lapse!

Obtaining the perfect time-lapse will take some tinkering to find the right options for your printer and setting. However, there are a few things you can keep in mind to help you achieve the best results possible:

• Tweak retraction: If you plan on enabling the “Park Toolhead” option, you should definitely spend some time finding your optimal retraction values. The most common issues encountered while starting with time-lapses are stringing and blobs on the surface. While no two setups will need the same settings, you can use guidance posted on user forums as a starting point.
• Lighting: In photography and videomaking, one of the most important factors to consider is lighting. You should avoid positioning a light source opposite to the camera because this will project shadows in the direction of the lens. Opt for a diffuse light behind the camera.
• Camera Position: Where you place your camera is a huge factor in achieving captivating videos. You should adjust the camera position according to the object you are printing. For example, if you’re going to print a tall model, you should try to position the camera a little further away from your machine to be able to capture the whole object.

Even More Tips

3D Printer Time-Lapse Video: How Best to Capture Prints

Now that we’ve gone over the time-lapse options within Klipper, you may be searching for a bit more in terms of rendering options or video effects. If that’s the case, you might want to consider OctoPrint with the Octolapse plug-in. Let’s briefly compare the Klipper time-lapse to Octolapse to see which option may be best for you!

• Installation process: As we have seen, setting up the Klipper’s time-lapse plug-in isn’t very difficult but it does involve numerous steps to get everything configured. On the other hand, Octolapse is much quicker to install. You only have to search for it in OctoPrint’s Plugin Manager, download it, then you’re ready to roll.
• Similarities: Octolapse procedural settings are similar to the ones of the Klipper plug-in. Both of them allow you to park the printhead where you want before taking a shot and offer both time-based and layer-change modes. You can modify render settings such as the framerate of your video and the resolution. They also have an easily accessible preview of the camera perspective.
• Differences: Octolapse has several more options that you can tweak on the photography side of things. For example, you can modify the output saturation and brightness of the image, as well as the zoom and focus of the camera directly in the OctoPrint interface.

At the end of the day, if creating and tuning the highest-quality time-lapse videos that are worthy of posting to your socials is your main goal, then OctoPrint may be the right choice for you. Otherwise, the Klipper time-lapse plug-in can create perfectly acceptable videos while you enjoy the speed and precision that Klipper is known for.