Celebrity APEX arriving in Cork , Ireland
- Thread starter Mazdaman323lx
- Start date
DiscoverSpain
Well-Known Member
Spectacular images but they are not smooth, they are jumpy, stuttering. Assuming you haven't done anything wrong in editing, you can fix it, either with an ND filter and adjusting the shutter on the drone camera: https://kevinlisota.photography/2020/04/understanding-video-frame-rate-and-shutter-speed/
Or try to improve it, with the "Retime & scaling" options of your video editor.
On the other hand:
- The whites are overexposed, burnt.
- The white balance, for my taste, is too cold.
- There are too many artifacts, noise in the video. I guess you rendered with a low bitrate, not too high quality. You can improve it by raising the bitrate of the render, or adding noise reduction in the edit, although there is little point in trying to fix a problem you cause in the render.
I hope this helps.
Or try to improve it, with the "Retime & scaling" options of your video editor.
On the other hand:
- The whites are overexposed, burnt.
- The white balance, for my taste, is too cold.
- There are too many artifacts, noise in the video. I guess you rendered with a low bitrate, not too high quality. You can improve it by raising the bitrate of the render, or adding noise reduction in the edit, although there is little point in trying to fix a problem you cause in the render.
I hope this helps.
I have ND filters but they are a mystery to me . When I attach them the image I see on screen will be darkened yes , so what do I adjust to bring the Image on the controller screen back to the original brightness . Can you give me a simple - for dummies explanation of how I should be using them . I am not a photographer so find all this ISO / shutter and frame rate ,Aperture jargon most confusing , and just generally shoot in auto , with no color grading in post , although I know the end video suffers because of this . I'd like to be able to understand the finer points of this side of filming but just seems like so much hard work . Lastly , a bright sunny day like the ship video is a rareity in this country . Should I use ND filters on cloudy days ? and what happens if shooting on a sunny/cloudy day where you going in and out of bright sunlight. Any simple pointers you can give would be appreciated
DiscoverSpain
Well-Known Member
Giving you simple pointers will depend on the type of camera your drone has and I'm afraid, yes or yes, it's going to be quite long to explain:
- On any drone camera, you can adjust the shutter speed (1/x values in seconds, which is the time the lens is open allowing light to reach the sensor).
- It could be that your drone has a camera where you can also adjust the lens aperture (f-values, which adjust the amount of light the lens lets through to the sensor).
For your footage not to stutter, you only have to follow one rule: set the camera aperture speed between 1/(fps you are recording) and 1/2x(frames per second you are recording), i.e. if for example you are recording at 1080p 60fps, set the shutter speed between 1/60 and 1/120.
Why does your footage stutter? Suppose for example you are recording at 1080p 60fps and the shutter speed you use is 1/1000, i.e. every second your camera captures 1000 images, but you are recording at 60 frames per second, so the camera must discard 940 images per second (there are missing images for smooth motion because they have been discarded).
How to fix it?
In general, with a drone like a Mini2 or Mini3, you're not going to notice stuttering, regardless of the shutter speed you use, unless you're shooting close up (like the boat in your video).
- If you can only adjust the shutter speed on your drone camera, you have no choice but to use a strong enough ND filter to reduce the amount of light reaching the lens, so that you can use those shutter speeds (in the example above recording at 1080 60fps, between 1/60 and 1/120) without the footage being burnt, or under exposed.
- If you can also adjust the camera aperture (f-value) you can play with another variable to reduce/increase the amount of light and be able to record at lower/higher shutter speeds, but be careful because lenses give worse quality at higher f-values. Also, if you can adjust the aperture, the camera surely has modes A (automatic = the camera chooses aperture and shutter for you), P (aperture priority = you set the f value, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter), S mode (shutter priority = you set the shutter speed (in the example, between 1/60 and 1/120) and the camera chooses the aperture f value). With an ND filter and the camera's S mode (if you have it) things are much easier.
What is ISO?
- In the old days, with film cameras, it was very easy to explain/understand: the sensitivity of the film to light (a very sensitive film needed little light to expose correctly; a less sensitive film needed much more light than the previous one).
- In digital cameras, when light hits the camera sensor, it generates voltage. The ISO is to increase/decrease this voltage, which generally generates noise in the image,
Rule of thumb: whenever you can, shoot at ISO 100, if you can't, with a normal drone camera, up to ISO 400, noise is usually acceptable / fixable.
Do I have to use ND filter on a cloudy day?
Whenever you can't slow down the shutter speed enough to follow the rule (because too much light is reaching the sensor and you are burning the footage) you need an ND filter.
It depends on how cloudy it is. On days that are a bit grey, you'll need it. On dark days, you won't need it. If you start using ND filters and the shutter rule, you'll eventually learn to know when you need it and when you don't.
What happens if the light changes when I am shooting with an ND filter?
If you can adjust the aperture of the lens, you try to correct the light with the aperture and /or the shutter range you have (in the example, between 1/60 and 1/120).
If no matter how much you try to adjust you still have too much light, or too little light, you just have to land the drone and change the ND filter.
If you've read this far, I hope what I've written will help you but I'm afraid that until you "play" with ND filters and your camera settings, it won't be of much help.
Cheers and good luck!
- On any drone camera, you can adjust the shutter speed (1/x values in seconds, which is the time the lens is open allowing light to reach the sensor).
- It could be that your drone has a camera where you can also adjust the lens aperture (f-values, which adjust the amount of light the lens lets through to the sensor).
For your footage not to stutter, you only have to follow one rule: set the camera aperture speed between 1/(fps you are recording) and 1/2x(frames per second you are recording), i.e. if for example you are recording at 1080p 60fps, set the shutter speed between 1/60 and 1/120.
Why does your footage stutter? Suppose for example you are recording at 1080p 60fps and the shutter speed you use is 1/1000, i.e. every second your camera captures 1000 images, but you are recording at 60 frames per second, so the camera must discard 940 images per second (there are missing images for smooth motion because they have been discarded).
How to fix it?
In general, with a drone like a Mini2 or Mini3, you're not going to notice stuttering, regardless of the shutter speed you use, unless you're shooting close up (like the boat in your video).
- If you can only adjust the shutter speed on your drone camera, you have no choice but to use a strong enough ND filter to reduce the amount of light reaching the lens, so that you can use those shutter speeds (in the example above recording at 1080 60fps, between 1/60 and 1/120) without the footage being burnt, or under exposed.
- If you can also adjust the camera aperture (f-value) you can play with another variable to reduce/increase the amount of light and be able to record at lower/higher shutter speeds, but be careful because lenses give worse quality at higher f-values. Also, if you can adjust the aperture, the camera surely has modes A (automatic = the camera chooses aperture and shutter for you), P (aperture priority = you set the f value, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter), S mode (shutter priority = you set the shutter speed (in the example, between 1/60 and 1/120) and the camera chooses the aperture f value). With an ND filter and the camera's S mode (if you have it) things are much easier.
What is ISO?
- In the old days, with film cameras, it was very easy to explain/understand: the sensitivity of the film to light (a very sensitive film needed little light to expose correctly; a less sensitive film needed much more light than the previous one).
- In digital cameras, when light hits the camera sensor, it generates voltage. The ISO is to increase/decrease this voltage, which generally generates noise in the image,
Rule of thumb: whenever you can, shoot at ISO 100, if you can't, with a normal drone camera, up to ISO 400, noise is usually acceptable / fixable.
Do I have to use ND filter on a cloudy day?
Whenever you can't slow down the shutter speed enough to follow the rule (because too much light is reaching the sensor and you are burning the footage) you need an ND filter.
It depends on how cloudy it is. On days that are a bit grey, you'll need it. On dark days, you won't need it. If you start using ND filters and the shutter rule, you'll eventually learn to know when you need it and when you don't.
What happens if the light changes when I am shooting with an ND filter?
If you can adjust the aperture of the lens, you try to correct the light with the aperture and /or the shutter range you have (in the example, between 1/60 and 1/120).
If no matter how much you try to adjust you still have too much light, or too little light, you just have to land the drone and change the ND filter.
If you've read this far, I hope what I've written will help you but I'm afraid that until you "play" with ND filters and your camera settings, it won't be of much help.
Cheers and good luck!
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