CRUMMY VIDEO

MrMavic · Apr 3, 2017

I've been trying to be patient to get some good video from my Mavic, but I'm running out of ideas on what could be wrong. My complaint is that the video looks over saturated and out of focus. My iPhone 6 takes much better video than what I'm getting. It's probably something I'm doing wrong, but I'll be darned if I can figure it out. I was wondering if anyone else here has the same complaints.

Look closely at the right edge how far out of focus it is.

These are my settings:

2.7K / 30
AF / I also tried focusing manually
Polar Pro ND8 Filter
ISO 100 / Always keep my ISO as low as possible
Manual / Cloudy
Style / None
Color / Normal

I shot this today in most cloudy conditions:

CLICK ON THE BLUE DJI_0013 OR THE VIMEO SYMBOL TO FULL SCREEN

Cerberus · Apr 3, 2017

Since you are setting your color to none, try changing your style to -1, -2, -2

If you are going to post edit the videos you are going to take, try D-Cinelike and style at -1, 0, 0

It worked good for me..

MrMavic · Apr 3, 2017

One of my problems is the only editing I can do right now is in iMovie, and I don't really think you can do much there with colors or clarity. I may have to look into some post editing software. I can try your custom settings tomorrow, but I don't think that will change the out of focus problem though? It almost looks like the focus isn't working.
I compared the video to some of my Phantom 3A video and the Phantom is far superior.

Cerberus · Apr 3, 2017

MrMavic said:
One of my problems is the only editing I can do right now is in iMovie, and I don't really think you can do much there with colors or clarity. I may have to look into some post editing software. I can try your custom settings tomorrow, but I don't think that will change the out of focus problem though? It almost looks like the focus isn't working.
I compared the video to some of my Phantom 3A video and the Phantom is far superior.

I can't full screen your vid for some reason but from the small size, I can't tell the out of focus issue you mentioned..

But try this focus trick some kind soul of a member here once told me.. Fly to around 40m, point your camera straight down and focus center , then put your camera back up and video like usual... its great advice that I'm still using till now

MrMavic · Apr 3, 2017

OK
CLICK ON THE BLUE DJI_0013 OR THE VIMEO SYMBOL TO FULL SCREEN

Also, it looks like a still image until you look at the river water.

Bzzz · Apr 3, 2017

If you are limited to an IOS device then you should try Videograde app for color grading your footage. For editing the video and audio you should use Lumafusion. These two apps are must haves when on ios devices. Imho

MrMavic · Apr 4, 2017

Bzzz said:
If you are limited to an IOS device then you should try Videograde app for color grading your footage. For editing the video and audio you should use Lumafusion. These two apps are must haves when on ios devices. Imho

Sorry, I meant iMac OSX

its2loud · Apr 5, 2017

Was that video straight out of the Mavic or did you export from iMovie? What was the original resolution? I've had issues with iMovie downgrading the video quality and making the end result look soft and mushy. Post a video straight from the SD card at its original resolution.

MrMavic · Apr 5, 2017

its2loud said:
Was that video straight out of the Mavic or did you export from iMovie? What was the original resolution? I've had issues with iMovie downgrading the video quality and making the end result look soft and mushy. Post a video straight from the SD card at its original resolution.

I shot that at 2.7K/30 and I exported it from iMovie. How do you post a video straight from the SD Card? I thought I had to be turned into a movie with software like iMovie first. Maybe that's the problem with the poor quality.

AyeYo · Apr 5, 2017

MrMavic said:
I shot that at 2.7K/30 and I exported it from iMovie. How do you post a video straight from the SD Card? I thought I had to be turned into a movie with software like iMovie first. Maybe that's the problem with the poor quality.

It comes right out of the Mavic as a usable .mov or .mp4. If you're going to encode or render it in iMovie, check your export quality settings.

MrMavic · Apr 5, 2017

OK, that might be my problem. I have heard a lot of complaints that YouBoob has been screwing up everyone's videos by cutting down the quality when they upload.

Grey Wolf · Apr 5, 2017

Bzzz said:
If you are limited to an IOS device then you should try Videograde app for color grading your footage. For editing the video and audio you should use Lumafusion. These two apps are must haves when on ios devices. Imho

If you are limited to an IOS device?
What's that supposed to mean?
IOS is by far the superior way to go with anything computer related. Period!

Gerry65 · Apr 5, 2017

MrMavic said:
I shot that at 2.7K/30 and I exported it from iMovie. How do you post a video straight from the SD Card? I thought I had to be turned into a movie with software like iMovie first. Maybe that's the problem with the poor quality.

I haven't tried this yet but I believe you can download the contents of the SD card directly from the Mavic to your computer using the USB connection (I assume the Mavic must be powered up). Correct me here if I'm wrong please.

its2loud · Apr 5, 2017

So a couple of notes.
1. .mov is the only way to go when it come to editing your footage in a desktop video editor.
2. If you're using the DJI GO app to edit your footage, this is using cached video on your device and not the raw files from the SD card. Either remove the SD card from the drone and use a card reader on your computer or just plug the MP via USB into your computer and the SD card will show up as a removable drive.

iMovie is definitely "dumbed" down for most consumer stuff. The "share" feature can be confusing and unless you know what your looking for, it can be difficult to customize your output settings.

Check out Resolve in the App Store. There's a free version up to 1080p workflow and it does editorial and color all in one package.

If your footage looks soft or blurry from the SD card then perhaps there something wrong with your camera focus. Don't forget to tap the screen where you want to focus.

AyeYo · Apr 5, 2017

Youtube murders all videos. Never judge video quality off a Youtube upload.

Kilrah · Apr 5, 2017

Grey Wolf said:
If you are limited to an IOS device?
What's that supposed to mean?
IOS is by far the superior way to go with anything computer related. Period!

iOS = either iPhone or iPad = mobile device instead of computer and limited.
You're confusing with macOS.

MrMavic · Apr 5, 2017

Kilrah said:
iOS = either iPhone or iPad = mobile device instead of computer and limited.
You're confusing with macOS.

AyeYo said:
Youtube murders all videos. Never judge video quality off a Youtube upload.

I signed up at Vimeo. At least they don't ruin your videos and spam the heck out of viewers. Down with Google.

dewster · Apr 5, 2017

I'm still trying to dial in camera settings. The Mavic is amazing, but DJI needs quality control or another manufacturer for their camera.

MrMavic · Apr 5, 2017

dewster said:
I'm still trying to dial in camera settings. The Mavic is amazing, but DJI needs quality control or another manufacturer for their camera.

It seems this camera has it's faults for sure. I hope to get it dialed in also. Seems I have to change the settings constantly while shooting.