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How many frames the camera captures each second.
The project or screen frame rate.
How frame rate and slow motion work
Video is a stack of still frames. Two numbers matter: how many frames the camera records each second, and how many the screen shows each second. When they differ, time on screen speeds up or slows down.
Recording frame rate
The number of frames captured per second. More frames means motion is sampled more finely, and each frame has a shorter exposure, so movement looks crisper.
Playback frame rate
The rate at which frames are shown. Cinema is 24 fps; much of TV and the web is 25, 30 or 60 fps.
Natural slow motion
Record faster than you play back and every frame is shown once, stretching time. 120 fps played at 24 fps is 5× slower, and stays perfectly smooth.
Slowing in the edit
Slow down footage that wasn't recorded faster and there aren't enough frames, so each one is repeated. The result stutters. Software can invent in-between frames, but they often show warping.
The 24 fps look
24 fps with a 180° shutter gives the slight blur and cadence people associate with film. 60 fps looks smoother and more like live video or sport.
Undercranking
Recording slower than playback speeds action up. Silent films and fast chase scenes have used it for a frantic, comic or kinetic feel.
Temporal aliasing
Fast repeating motion, like wings, wheels or propellers, can look frozen, slowed or even reversed if the frame rate is close to the rate of the motion itself.
| Recorded | Played at 24 fps | One real second lasts | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | Real time | 1 s | Cinema |
| 48 fps | 2× slower | 2 s | Gentle, dreamy slow motion |
| 60 fps | 2.5× slower | 2.5 s | Sport, action |
| 120 fps | 5× slower | 5 s | Dramatic slow motion |
| 240 fps | 10× slower | 10 s | Splashes, wings, hair |
| 1000 fps | about 42× slower | about 42 s | Science, impacts, liquids |