https://github.com/tolwi/hassio-camlapse
Home Assistant custom component designed to automatically generate timelapse videos from your camera entities
https://github.com/tolwi/hassio-camlapse
homeassistant timelapse
Last synced: 2 months ago
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Home Assistant custom component designed to automatically generate timelapse videos from your camera entities
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/tolwi/hassio-camlapse
- Owner: tolwi
- License: apache-2.0
- Created: 2025-12-29T13:23:35.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-12-29T13:51:49.000Z (6 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-01-01T14:06:55.924Z (6 months ago)
- Topics: homeassistant, timelapse
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 17.6 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Hassio CamLapse
**Hassio CamLapse** is a Home Assistant custom component designed to automatically generate timelapse videos from your camera entities. Ideally suited for long-term monitoring, it captures snapshots at regular intervals, compiles them into hourly videos, and optionally merges them into daily summaries.
## Features
- **Automated Snapshots**: Captures images from any `camera` entity at a configurable interval (default: 60s).
- **Hourly Timelapses**: Automatically compiles snapshots into an MP4 video at the end of every hour.
- **Daily Merging**: Optionally merges hourly videos into a single daily timelapse file to reduce clutter.
- **Gap Filling**: Checks for and generates missing hourly videos from looking back at existing snapshots (e.g., after a restart).
- **Retention Management**: Configurable retention periods for raw snapshots and video files.
- **High Efficiency**: Supports **H.264 (AVC)** and **H.265 (HEVC)** codecs for optimized file sizes.
- **Customizable**: Adjustable frame rates (FPS) and output paths.
## Installation
### Option 1: HACS (Recommended)
1. Open HACS in Home Assistant.
2. Go to **Integrations** > **Triple dots** (top right) > **Custom repositories**.
3. Paste the repository URL: `https://github.com/tolwi/hassio-camlapse` into the **Repository** field.
4. Select **Integration** as the **Category**.
5. Click **Add**.
6. Close the custom repositories dialog.
7. Search for **Hassio CamLapse** and click **Download**.
8. Restart Home Assistant.
### Option 2: Manual Installation
1. Download the `custom_components/hassio_camlapse` folder from this repository.
2. Copy the folder into your Home Assistant's `config/custom_components/` directory.
3. Restart Home Assistant.
## Configuration
**Hassio CamLapse** is configured entirely via the Home Assistant UI.
1. Go to **Settings** > **Devices & Services**.
2. Click **Add Integration**.
3. Search for **Hassio CamLapse**.
4. Follow the setup wizard.
### Configuration Options
| Option | Description | Default |
| :--------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------- |
| **Camera Entity** | The camera entity id to capture snapshots from. | Required |
| **Interval** | Time in seconds between snapshots. | `60` |
| **Snapshot Path** | Base path. Files saved in `//snapshots`. | `/media/timelapse` |
| **Video Path** | Base path. Files saved in `//videos`. | `/media/timelapse` |
| **Output FPS** | Frames per second for the output video. | `10` |
| **Codec** | Video codec to use (`libx264` or `libx265`). | `H.264 (AVC)` |
| **Snapshot Retention** | Number of days to keep raw images. | `7` |
| **Video Retention** | Number of days to keep video files. | `30` |
| **Videos Per Day** | Set to `1` to merge hourly videos into a daily file. | `1` |
## How It Works
1. **Snapshotting**: The integration triggers `camera.snapshot` for your selected entity at the defined interval. Files are saved in `Snapshot Path/{camera_name}/snapshots/YYYY-MM-DD/HH/`.
2. **Hourly Generation**: At the start of a new hour, it checks the previous hour's folder. If snapshots exist, it uses `ffmpeg` to compile them into `timelapse_YYYY-MM-DD_HH.mp4`.
3. **Backlog Check**: Periodically checks for past hours that have snapshots but missing videos and generates them.
4. **Merging**: If "Videos Per Day" is set to 1, hourly videos are appended to a daily `timelapse_YYYY-MM-DD.mp4` file and the hourly file is deleted.
5. **Cleanup**: Old snapshots and videos exceeding the retention period are automatically deleted.
## Troubleshooting
- **Videos not generating**: Ensure `ffmpeg` is installed and accessible in your Home Assistant environment (standard in HAOS/Supervised).
- **Permissions**: Ensure the `Snapshot Path` and `Video Path` are writable by Home Assistant.
- **Logs**: Check **Settings** > **System** > **Logs** for entries involved with `hassio_camlapse` for error details.