Timelapse

A QGIS plugin for creating timelapse animations from satellite and aerial imagery using Google Earth Engine. Supports NAIP, Landsat, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-1, MODIS NDVI, and GOES weather satellite imagery.

• Repository: https://github.com/opengeos/qgis-timelapse-plugin

• License: MIT

• Requires: QGIS 3.28+, Google Earth Engine account

Features¶

• Multiple Imagery Sources:

  • NAIP: US National Agriculture Imagery Program (2003-present)

  • Landsat: Long-term satellite archive (1984-present)

  • Sentinel-2: ESA multispectral satellite imagery (2015-present)

  • Sentinel-1: ESA SAR satellite imagery (2014-present)

  • MODIS NDVI: Vegetation phenology animations

  • GOES: Weather satellite animations

• Flexible Area of Interest Selection:

  • Draw a bounding box directly on the map

  • Use the current map extent

  • Use the extent of a loaded vector layer

• Customizable Output:

  • GIF animations with adjustable dimensions and frame rate

  • Optional MP4 video export (requires ffmpeg)

  • Date text overlay with customizable font and color

  • Progress bar visualization

  • Configurable loop settings

• Advanced Options:

  • Cloud masking for Sentinel-2 and Landsat

  • Orbit selection for Sentinel-1 (ascending/descending)

  • Multiple band combinations

  • Adjustable temporal range and step size

• Plugin Management:

  • Built-in update checker with automatic installation

  • About dialog with version info and links

Video Tutorial¶

Installation¶

Prerequisites¶

1. QGIS 3.28 or higher.

2. A Google Earth Engine account (sign up at earthengine.google.com).

Install QGIS and Google Earth Engine with Pixi¶

1. Install Pixi¶

Linux/macOS (bash/zsh):

curl -fsSL https://pixi.sh/install.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm -useb https://pixi.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

Close and re-open your terminal, then confirm with pixi --version.

2. Create a Pixi Project¶

pixi init geo
cd geo

3. Install the Environment¶

pixi add qgis geemap earthengine-api pillow ffmpeg

4. Authenticate Earth Engine¶

pixi run earthengine authenticate

Installing the Plugin¶

Method 1: From QGIS Plugin Manager (Recommended)¶

1. Open QGIS using pixi run qgis.

2. Go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins....

3. Go to the Settings tab.

4. Click Add... under “Plugin Repositories”.

5. Give a name for the repository, e.g. “OpenGeos”.

6. Enter the URL of the repository: https://qgis.gishub.org/plugins.xml.

7. Click OK.

8. Go to the All tab.

9. Search for “Timelapse”.

10. Select the plugin and click Install Plugin.

Method 2: From ZIP File¶

1. Download the latest release ZIP from https://qgis.gishub.org.

2. In QGIS, go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.

3. Click Install from ZIP and select the downloaded file.

4. Enable the plugin in the Installed tab.

Method 3: Manual Installation¶

Copy the timelapse folder to your QGIS plugins directory:

• Linux: ~/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/python/plugins/

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/python/plugins/

• Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\QGIS\QGIS3\profiles\default\python\plugins\

Restart QGIS and enable the plugin.

Usage¶

Quick Start¶

1. Click the Timelapse button in the toolbar or go to the Timelapse menu > Create Timelapse.

2. Define Area of Interest (AOI tab):

   • Choose a method (draw on map, use map extent, or use vector layer).

   • For drawing, click the “Draw Bounding Box” button, then click and drag on the map.

3. Configure Imagery Settings (Imagery tab):

   • Select imagery type (NAIP, Landsat, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-1, MODIS NDVI, or GOES).

   • Set the date range (start year to end year).

   • Adjust imagery-specific options (bands, cloud filtering, etc.).

4. Set Output Options (Output tab):

   • Choose an output file path.

   • Set animation dimensions and frame rate.

   • Enable MP4 conversion if needed.

5. Customize Visualization (Style tab):

   • Configure text overlay, progress bar, title, and vector overlay.

6. Click Create Timelapse and wait for processing to complete.

Area of Interest Tab¶

Imagery Settings Tab¶

Output Settings Tab¶

Visualization Tab¶

Examples¶

NAIP Timelapse (US Only)¶

Imagery Type: NAIP
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2023
Year Step: 2

NAIP provides high-resolution (1 m) aerial imagery for the United States, typically captured during the agricultural growing season.

Landsat Long-term Timelapse¶

Imagery Type: Landsat
Start Year: 1990
End Year: 2024
Start Date: 06-01
End Date: 09-30
Bands: NIR, Red, Green (False Color)
Apply Cloud Masking: Yes

Creates a 34-year timelapse combining Landsat 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 data.

Sentinel-2 False Color Timelapse¶

Imagery Type: Sentinel-2
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2024
Start Date: 06-01
End Date: 09-30
Bands: NIR, Red, Green (False Color)
Max Cloud: 20%
Apply Cloud Masking: Yes

Creates a summer timelapse with vegetation highlighted in red.

Sentinel-1 SAR Timelapse¶

Imagery Type: Sentinel-1
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2024
Polarization: VV
Orbit: Both Ascending and Descending

SAR imagery is useful for monitoring changes regardless of cloud cover or lighting conditions.

MODIS NDVI Vegetation Timelapse¶

Imagery Type: MODIS NDVI
Satellite: Terra
Index: NDVI
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2023

Creates an animation showing vegetation phenology over time.

GOES Weather Satellite Timelapse¶

Imagery Type: GOES
Satellite: GOES-19
Scan: full_disk
Band combo: True Color
Start Date: 2021-10-24
End Date: 2021-10-25

Available GOES band combos:

• True Color (CMI_C02, CMI_GREEN, CMI_C01)

• Volcanic Ash (12.3-10.3 µm, 10.3-8.5 µm, 10.3 µm)

• Volcanic Gases (12.3-10.3 µm, 10.3-3.9 µm, 10.3 µm)

• Custom RGB (choose any three GOES bands using R/G/B dropdowns)

Great for visualizing weather patterns, storms, and volcanic activity.

Updating the Plugin¶

The plugin includes a built-in update checker:

1. Go to Timelapse > Check for Updates....

2. Click “Check for Updates” to see if a new version is available.

3. If an update is found, click “Download and Install Update”.

4. Restart QGIS to apply the update.

Troubleshooting¶

“Failed to initialize Google Earth Engine”¶

• Ensure you have an active Earth Engine account.

• Log in at https://code.earthengine.google.com to get your Project ID.

• In the QGIS Python Console (Plugins > Python Console), run (replace your-ee-project with your Project ID):

import ee
ee.Authenticate()
ee.Initialize(project="your-ee-project")

“No images found”¶

• Verify the area of interest is within the imagery coverage.

• NAIP only covers the United States.

• For Sentinel, expand the date range.

• Check that coordinates are in WGS84 format.

“Module not found” errors¶

• Ensure required dependencies are installed (see the Installation section).

• Ensure you’re using QGIS’s Python environment.

MP4 not created¶

• Ensure ffmpeg is installed. If you used the Pixi setup, ffmpeg should already be available. Otherwise install it system-wide (e.g. sudo apt install ffmpeg on Linux or from ffmpeg.org on Windows).

Performance Tips¶

• Start with smaller areas for testing.

• Use lower dimensions (512-768 px) for faster processing.

• Limit the date range initially.

• Higher cloud percentage thresholds reduce processing time.

Citation¶

If you use this plugin in your research, please cite:

@software{qgis_timelapse_plugin,
  author = {Qiusheng Wu},
  title = {QGIS Timelapse Animation Creator},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://github.com/opengeos/qgis-timelapse-plugin}
}

Support¶

• Issues: https://github.com/opengeos/qgis-timelapse-plugin/issues

• Discussions: https://github.com/opengeos/qgis-timelapse-plugin/discussions

Acknowledgments¶

• Based on the geemap timelapse module by Qiusheng Wu.

• Uses Google Earth Engine for satellite imagery processing.

• Built with QGIS and PyQt.