One second every day...in one second

April 11, 2018 6:34 AM

I want to do a 1 second every day style video for soon-to-be Child Rattery's first year of life but I only want to record 1 second at a time, instead of paring down a longer video into a shorter clip. Am I over- or under-thinking my available options?

I've tried a couple "free" apps that allow you to stitch together 1 second videos, but they all seem to require me to select 1 second of video from a longer video. I don't have time for video editing or selection, and I also sort of want this to be as unvarnished as possible. I just want to collect raw, one second clips at a time with as little mental input from me as possible.

I haven't tried the "official" 1 Second Everyday app because I don't want to pay $7 to discover the same limitation, but if you have experience with that app can you tell me if it does what I need it to?

Otherwise, is there an app that will limit my filming to one second at a time? Or is there some other workaround that is simple and unfussy? Thanks!

posted by Mrs. Rattery to Technology (7 answers total)

Best answer: The app 1 Second Every Day will let you do exactly that! https://1se.co
posted by Jellybean_Slybun at 6:48 AM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Oh, oops, I failed to read your second paragraph. Anyway, I love that app. If you film for more than 1 second, it automatically edits to the final second of the clip.
posted by Jellybean_Slybun at 6:56 AM on April 11, 2018

Best answer: You can press & hold the record button in 1SE to record and add exactly 1 second. If the record button kind of pulses blue, you’re in that mode.
posted by rachelv at 7:00 AM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

I suppose this may have changed in the last year but I am pretty sure 1SE is free? Where have you seen $7?
posted by brook horse at 7:06 AM on April 11, 2018

I use the 1SE app and it does have you record a video and then select 1 second from it, but it's super easy to do and I think it will even do it automatically if you mess with the settings. I usually record a 2-3 second video and then just tap randomly to select my 1 second fragment from it. It does back up the longer videos to your phone (you might be able to turn this off, I haven't messed with it) but you can just delete them because the app itself, with all the clips, is backed up to Google drive.

I have found it very easy and seamless and it was worth the app price to me (is it really $7? I don't remember what I paid...)
posted by cpatterson at 7:06 AM on April 11, 2018

Response by poster: AH! This seems to be excellent news about the 1 second timer. And yes -- the current price in the app store is $6.99. :( But if it really does what I need it to, I suppose I can make such a flamboyant investment. ;)
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 7:09 AM on April 11, 2018

We used 1SE to do a similar project (although we did record longer snippets and used 1SE to choose and trim them down).

It was annoying and a lot of work, there were times when I just wished we didn't have to take a stupid video.... times when I wasn't with the kid or my husband wasn't with the kid so the other parent had to take a video and air-drop them to the parent collating the video ...

Looking back? I would pay $7 to do it all over again. The video turned out so wonderfully. I wish we had kept it going (although that way lies madness) for more than her first year. If others are saying that 1SE lets you take one second at a time - go for it!
posted by kellygrape at 11:33 AM on April 11, 2018