Timecode Calculator
Adding, subtracting and converting timecode without getting drop-frame wrong. The calculator above takes timecode a, timecode b, frame rate and operation and returns result timecode, total frames and duration — computed in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing leaving your device.
Timecode Calculator
- Entries
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- Sum (timecode)
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- Total frames
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- Seconds
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- Feet+frames (35 mm)
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Runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up, nothing transmitted.
What the number actually depends on
29.97 drop-frame skips two frame numbers every minute except every tenth — that is 18 skipped numbers per 10 minutes.
Drop-frame drops numbers, never frames. The picture is complete; only the labels jump.
The gap between a number that goes into a quote and one that holds on the day is rarely the formula — it is whether the constraints were entered honestly. That is why the inputs are spelled out below.
Common mistakes
The places where the arithmetic is right and the day still falls over:
- Mixing drop-frame and non-drop in one project
- Treating 24 and 23.976 as interchangeable in delivery specs
In day-to-day production
Over one hour, non-drop 29.97 timecode drifts 3.6 seconds from wall clock.
The number belongs in post and review — the point where a decision is still free to change. Working it out on the shoot day is no longer calculating; it is finding out.
In TillyGen this is not a separate step: the result sits inside the plan itself, alongside the shot list, schedule and call sheet. Change a constraint and the dependent values move with it — the affected parts of the plan are flagged rather than quietly left behind.
Frequently asked
How accurate is the Timecode Calculator?
The maths is exact; the inputs rarely are. Treat the result as a solid floor and add your buffer deliberately rather than smuggling it into the inputs — a flattered input hides the buffer from everyone who plans with it later.
Is the calculator free?
No. It runs entirely in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing transmitted. There is no usage limit and no account.
Where does this fit in production planning?
In post and review. There it is a basis for deciding; later it is only a finding.
Can I export the result?
The calculator itself only displays the value. In TillyGen it lands directly in the shot list, schedule and call sheet, and goes out as PDF, CSV or through the API to everyone working from it.
What does the calculator return?
Result timecode, total frames and duration. The first value is the one you carry into the plan; the rest show how sensitively it reacts to the inputs.
What should I watch for in the result?
Mainly this: mixing drop-frame and non-drop in one project. That is the mistake that most often turns a correctly calculated number into one that does not hold.