Graduated ND filters?

[Citizen Flier]

Has anyone used graduated ND filters to balance sky/terrain? I see Polarpro makes what looks like a good set.

Setting the angle doesn't seem to be a problem -unless you're in the Antarctic & the sky is upside down.

Suggestions? Thanks

 

[THE CYBORG]

I have used graduated filters in my 35mm days but would imagine they would be difficult to use to good effect on a drone, good on a camera with a tripod when you can adjust the filter accurately but on a moving platform ?

 

[dirkclod]

Isn’t that what those Freewell are Cy?

 

[masic]

Isn’t that what those Freewell are Cy?

The Freewells are variable, the entire surface of the filter has the same light attenuation. Graduated ND filters are darker at the top and lighter at the bottom, they attenuate the light from the sky and let the light from the ground in with no attenuation. The intent is to balance the exposure so the sky is not blown out while the ground is properly exposed.

 

[dirkclod]

You right me slow in the head this evening.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Isn’t that what those Freewell are Cy?

The Freewell are variable.

Example of how / why to use graduated filters.
If you don't want to watch it all jump to 4.20 to get the general idea.

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[CanadaDrone]

It's really annoying to keep the transition line on the horizon at all times unless you're just shooting stills, then it's not as bad. For video they are a nightmare most of the time.

 

[Citizen Flier]

It's really annoying to keep the transition line on the horizon at all times unless you're just shooting stills, then it's not as bad. For video they are a nightmare most of the time.

Agreed. But I made a panorama video and the sky was completely blown out. Since I was just panning while hovering, soft grad filter might have worked. Similarly, if cruising at a steady altitude, the horizon should remain constant. Photography is all about compromises. I just pick the most likely option & try to make it work.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Agreed. But I made a panorama video and the sky was completely blown out. Since I was just panning while hovering, soft grad filter might have worked. Similarly, if cruising at a steady altitude, the horizon should remain constant. Photography is all about compromises. I just pick the most likely option & try to make it work.

Well like I said, if you plan on keeping the horizon in the EXACT same place for the entire shot, you're fine. That is just very difficult to do with video footage. Much easier with photos. Not many people fly strictly in a straight line without moving at all in any other direction, and then return home, but you certainly could do that if you wanted. Even if you rotate on the aircraft's axis, if there is a hill or mountain or anything of the sort, the horizon will still change even if you haven't change camera's position or the drone's altitude. It's difficult to get good video with a grad ND, too much planning and control involved.

 

[RickinWaST]

Having used GND filters for landscape photography I can't imagine they would ever work well with a drone.

 

[OnTheRopes]

No point imo, just take multiple exposures and blend in post if you have the software

 

[BluecornNM]

I'll be the dissenting vote. I'm a landscape guy at heart. Split ND is my go to filter; stays on almost all the time. Keep in mind I shoot primarily still, not video.

 

[Citizen Flier]

So what is the preferred solution for capturing VIDEO with bright sky & dark terrain? As a pro retoucher, I can usually rescue a still image imbalance -IF there is sky detail. And I have added curves to improve shadow detail in video. Everyone seems to use manual exposure. And watching rapid exposure fluctuations from the "auto" setting looks bad. I try to correct with the external exposure control knob. But I have a hard time correcting exposure that way. What do you more experienced video pilots do in varying light situations?
Thanks

 

[OnTheRopes]

Manual exposure for sure, as for the solution, well is just a balance, if the contrast is so bad that you either clip the shadows or the highlights then you need to decide which is more important. I would use zebra stripes and then decide how much to allow the sky to clip. However there is usually enough dynamic range to get the detail unless you are shooting into the sun, maybe look the other way, or come back early or late when the sun is low and the dynamic range is a lot less.

 

[CanadaDrone]

So what is the preferred solution for capturing VIDEO with bright sky & dark terrain? As a pro retoucher, I can usually rescue a still image imbalance -IF there is sky detail. And I have added curves to improve shadow detail in video. Everyone seems to use manual exposure. And watching rapid exposure fluctuations from the "auto" setting looks bad. I try to correct with the external exposure control knob. But I have a hard time correcting exposure that way. What do you more experienced video pilots do in varying light situations?
Thanks

You put more effort into picking the light you fly in (overcast, golden hour, etc.), or you shoot in HLG to help alleviate the issue, but in that case most people will not be able to properly play it back anyway. If you have a really high contrast scenario and you want to move around during the video, you have to pick what you want exposed properly because you aren't going to get it all. Shooting drone video with a grad ND is a nightmare and it looks bad the instant the horizon line changes.

 

[Citizen Flier]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. As a pro retoucher I know how to expose for HL's then open the shadows in stills. Obviously, video adds another dimension. This location has a cliff with a golden hour sunrise behind in the distance. To expose for the sunrise, the cliff would appear solid black -probably too dark to correct in post. I did a long horizontal pan of the area, which would've benefitted from a ND grad as the horizon line remained constant. And of course that would not work if there were other jagged peaks at the horizon. I know there's no free lunch getting proper exposure. But as a still image professional, I still look to the video experts for workarounds & magic tricks!

If I were to slowly fly upwards revealing the distant sunrise, I still think that a slow exposure adjustment could work in a scenario like this. Will try that soon & report back. Thanks again.

 

[djsteen]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. As a pro retoucher I know how to expose for HL's then open the shadows in stills. Obviously, video adds another dimension. This location has a cliff with a golden hour sunrise behind in the distance. To expose for the sunrise, the cliff would appear solid black -probably too dark to correct in post. I did a long horizontal pan of the area, which would've benefitted from a ND grad as the horizon line remained constant. And of course that would not work if there were other jagged peaks at the horizon. I know there's no free lunch getting proper exposure. But as a still image professional, I still look to the video experts for workarounds & magic tricks!

If I were to slowly fly upwards revealing the distant sunrise, I still think that a slow exposure adjustment could work in a scenario like this. Will try that soon & report back. Thanks again.

I read through this thread and understand a grad ND wouldn't be ideal for video on a drone, but I shoot 2-3 sunrise/sunset timelapses every week with my Mavic Air 2. I'm in a similar situation to @Citizen Flier: The sun sets behind a ridge and the foreground is almost black if I expose for the sky. I'd really love some kind of graduated ND for these situations.

Here's an example of what that looks like (granted, I know this clip has the horizon in the upper third of the frame):

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[KLJ5]

It's really annoying to keep the transition line on the horizon at all times unless you're just shooting stills, then it's not as bad. For video they are a nightmare most of the time.

You make a good point. I was out shooting seascapes yesterday. The clouds over the mountains were spectacular. The terrain was well exposed, but the water and sky blown out. I could have used a split ND filter to tone the sky down. I guess altering the gimble settings would allow at least some placement relative to the horizon,.