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Jerky movies

Reuter

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Dec 26, 2018
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I'm VERY new at this but I'm having a lot of trouble recording a movie that does not jerk when played back. In fact, I have not made one yet. I've tried changing the format and I believe I am using the correct micro SD card (with a number 3 in the U on the card) but it will NOT make a movie that does not jerk. I'm using a MacBook Pro and it defaults to QuickTime player and I am using the latest version upgrade. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening - or what I might be doing wrong? Any suggestions on how to overcome this?
 
Are the movies jerky when you upload and play them at YouTube.com? If not, something on your computer is making them play back like that.
 
Your shutter rate may be too fast (what was it?). Were you using a ND filter to slow it down?
 
Are the movies jerky when you upload and play them at YouTube.com? If not, something on your computer is making them play back like that.

I uploaded a six second video that I had made to YouTube and it did play much better - just a little tiny distortion but no jerky stuff - or seemingly missing segments. Don't know what that means or why a DJI drone movie is not compatible with QuickTime. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Your shutter rate may be too fast (what was it?). Were you using a ND filter to slow it down?
Don't know my shutter rate without firing up the drone - which I plan to do later today but I was not using any ND filter. In your experience, what's the shutter rate you have found to be the best?
 
There are many threads on the Forum regarding this subject so I suggest using Search and doing some reading. You could also just search the Web on "shutter speed for video" and you will get plenty more to read.
 
Most likely your PC is not powerful enough to play the video without skipping frames. Mine did that even with my P3 1080p recordings until I upgraded my graphics card. Even then I sometimes get jumps, but if I play back the same spot, it is OK.
 
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Don't know my shutter rate without firing up the drone - which I plan to do later today but I was not using any ND filter. In your experience, what's the shutter rate you have found to be the best?
There is no single "best" shutter speed. It is dependent on the frame rate you are using. You basically want your shutter speed twice the frame rate (ie: 1/60 at 30fps). Use the Histogram to judge whether you have enough light for the shot.

I don't know what you are flying, but you must use a ND filter to get smooth video from the Mavic Pro if there is much motion. Jerky or jittery video is especially noticeable when you pan the camera. General rule of thumb: ND4 for sunup/down or cloudy, ND8 for partly cloudy, ND16 for sunny, ND32 and up for bright sun (beach, snow, etc).
 
Actually, high shutter speed on video shouldnt cause jerkiness, quite the opposite. It will cause jello effect though, particularly when ambient light angle is low and the props chop the light.
 
I'm VERY new at this but I'm having a lot of trouble recording a movie that does not jerk when played back. In fact, I have not made one yet. I've tried changing the format and I believe I am using the correct micro SD card (with a number 3 in the U on the card) but it will NOT make a movie that does not jerk. I'm using a MacBook Pro and it defaults to QuickTime player and I am using the latest version upgrade. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening - or what I might be doing wrong? Any suggestions on how to overcome this?
You should be more specific. Do you mean jerky like dropping frames when you view on your computer? Or a jittery look when you fly near objects. Or when you move the gimbal or pan during flight?

I’ll assume it is the playback on the computer you’re referring to. Are you recording in .MOV format (mac) rather than .MP4 (PC)? Many of us are still newbies to one degree or another, but some of the things you should research on YouTube are controller and gimbal settings for smooth flight and recording, manual camera mode and settings, ND filters and shutter speeds. Also, when you’re new, be sure to fly in very open and safe areas where you can retrieve your bird if need be. Don’t start out flying far and wide over trees, water and mountains. There are a lot of new threads daily about lost drones, even from more experienced pilots.
 
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