This is the third in a series of stories about useful online tools for journalists. Check back weekly for the next April Tools installments!

Time-lapse videos can give a unique perspective and add dramatic effect to seemingly mundane events, and several mobile apps are making them easier than ever for journalists to create.

Hyperlapse for Apple devices and Framelapse, Hyper Timelapse and Lapse It for Android devices are just a few options.

By capturing a sequence of photos with an interval of time between each one, these apps create videos giving the appearance that time and objects are moving faster than normal. This gives journalists an opportunity to speed up and more effectively show events unfolding over an extended period.

One advantage of Hyperlapse is that it offers built-in image stabilization for when the camera is moving. This creates a more seamless product. With other apps, a shaky camera will produce poorer quality videos.

Some apps give users control of camera settings, such as frame interval, white balance, video duration, zoom and autofocus. Videos can often be uploaded directly to social media, as well.

For useful resources and tutorials on shooting mobile video, be sure to check out MobileVideoDIY and SchoolJournalism.org.

For creative ideas on how to utilize time-lapse videos, click on these examples:

Photographic Journey: Life at Blair (Tolu Omokehinde, Montgomery Blair High School)

Basketball time lapse (Panther’s Tale, Derby High School)

Carmel High School 2013 Dance Marathon Time-lapse (HiLite, Carmel High School)

Baylor celebrates McLane Stadium with time-lapse video (CBS Sports)

The best city time lapse videos of 2011 (The Atlantic)

Tweet @YouthJournalism with examples of how your student media organization has used time-lapse video apps!