Calcometry

Shutter Angle Calculator

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Convert between cinema shutter angle and shutter speed at your chosen frame rate.

Frame rate & shutter

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Shutter angle

179.7°

1/48s at 24 fps

Shutter speed
1/48s

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Shutter angle for video

Cinema cameras traditionally describe exposure time as a shutter angle (borrowed from rotating-disc film shutters) rather than a fraction of a second. The relationship is: shutter angle = shutter speed (seconds) × frame rate × 360°. A 180° shutter angle — the most common cinematic look — means the shutter is open for exactly half of each frame's duration.

The 180-degree rule is a starting point: at 24fps, a 180° angle means a shutter speed of 1/48s; at 25fps, it's 1/50s. Narrower angles (like 90°) create crisper, more stroboscopic motion (common in action sequences); wider angles (like 270°) add more motion blur for a dreamier look.

Example: at 24fps with a 180° shutter angle, shutter speed = 180 / (24 × 360) ≈ 0.0208s, or about 1/48s. Switching to a 90° angle at the same frame rate halves that to about 1/96s.

Common questions

Why use shutter angle instead of shutter speed for video?

Shutter angle stays meaningful across different frame rates — a 180° angle always means "half of each frame's exposure time," while the equivalent shutter speed in seconds changes with frame rate.

What shutter angle should I use for a natural motion-blur look?

180° is the traditional standard for natural-looking motion in film and video. Lower angles reduce blur for a sharper, more clinical look; higher angles add more blur.