Timecode calculator
Frames to timecode, timecode to frames, addition and subtraction. Drop-frame follows the SMPTE rule instead of guessing: 29.97 skips 2 frame numbers per minute, 59.94 skips 4.
Frames ⇄ timecode
Add or subtract two timecodes
A semicolon (00:01:00;02) marks drop-frame, a colon marks non-drop. You can paste either separator, both are parsed.
Drop-frame, in plain terms
A "29.97" video doesn't magically play 29.97 frames per second: it plays 30000/1001 frames per second, a hair under 30. Count 30 frames per timecode second and the clock runs ahead of the video by roughly 3.6 seconds every hour. Drop-frame fixes that by skipping numbers: at the start of each minute, frame numbers 0 and 1 don't exist, except on minutes that are multiples of 10. No picture is lost, only labels. At 59.94 the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3 are skipped — a classic bug is to skip only two, which drifts after ten minutes.
That's why 00:01:00;02 is the timecode of the 1,801st frame at 29.97 drop-frame, and why 00:01:00;00 doesn't exist. In non-drop, the same frame is called 00:01:00:00 but the video is already 0.06 second further along.
When you actually need this
To quote an exact delivery duration (a 30-second spot must be 30 seconds of clock, not 30 seconds of non-drop timecode), to find a shot from a client note given in frames, to check a sequence fits a broadcast slot, or to add up chapter durations. The gap between timecode and real clock is shown under every result.
Frequently asked questions
Drop-frame or non-drop, which one?
Whatever your sequence uses. On a 29.97 Premiere timeline, look at the program monitor timecode: semicolons mean drop-frame. US broadcast is drop-frame by rule; on the web nobody checks, but the durations you announce still have to match the clock.
Exactly how many frames does drop-frame skip?
Two frame numbers at the start of each minute at 29.97, four at 59.94, except on minutes 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. Over an hour that's 108 skipped numbers at 29.97, which brings timecode back in line with the clock to within 3.6 seconds.
What is the "inclusive duration"?
A shot from 00:00:10:00 to 00:00:12:00 spans 2 seconds, but contains one more frame if you count both ends. Some delivery sheets and playout logs ask for that number, so it's shown next to the result.
Aren't 23.976 and 24 the same thing?
No. 24 is exact, 23.976 is 24000/1001. Timecode is numbered the same way (there is no drop-frame at 23.976), but one hour of timecode lasts 3.6 seconds longer in real time. That's what the "real duration" line shows.
Are my calculations sent to a server?
No, everything runs in the page's JavaScript. Cut your connection and the tool keeps working.
Can I paste a timecode copied from Premiere?
Yes, with colons or a semicolon, with or without leading zeros. If the frame number is impossible at the chosen frame rate, the tool says so instead of returning a wrong answer.