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Jittery Footage

Luuuuuuke

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I'm a newbie to both drones and video editing. I've tried googling this and can't find any answers, probably in part because I don't know any of the technical terms for it.

Watch this short clip, which demonstrates the problem I'm having in almost all of my footage:


Notice that when panning and turning the video looks very choppy and 'ghosty'. It's shot with a Mavic 2 Zoom, 4K @ 30FPS. All settings on Auto. It happens whether it's sunny or cloudy. Edited in Premiere Pro, although the footage looks like that straight out of the card no matter what player I use. I know in this particular clip my camerawork isn't exactly the smoothest, but it happens almost no matter how slowly I move, unless it's really, really slow!

Questions:

  1. Why? I've read that it's all about the shutter speed, but that solution seems to be for a slightly different problem, i.e. footage that looks too crisp.
  2. Suppose it is the shutter speed (I haven't tried yet, but have just taken delivery of some ND filters), how does the drone then adjust exposure as light conditions change in a shot? That is, if I set and fix the shutter speed manually to 2 X FPS, what happens when it keeps going from cloudy to sunny? If the ISO is as low as it can go on 100, will it just adjust the aperture to suit? If so, won't that mean the depth of field constantly changes throughout the shot? And what if the aperture can't go small enough for how bright it is; won't that mean overexposed footage?
  3. Is there a way to fix this chopping effect in Premiere Pro? I've tried a few things but none seem to work.
  4. Is this even normal, or do I maybe have some faulty equipment?

Thanks Guys.
 
Couldn't really tell the problem in that short clip.

I am pretty new myself & had problems with choppy video,.
The advice given was first make sure your SD card is up to the job, must be 4k compatible V30 for example San Disk Extreme with speeds up to 100mb/s.
Next set the shutter speed to double the frame rate so at 100iso with a frame rate of 25 set the shutter to 50.
The ND filters block light so changing them to suit the conditions / brightness of the day lets you get the shutter speed you desire.
Try to keep the iso at 100.

Hope that makes sense to you, someone else will probably explain better.
 
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Not seeing what the problem is. It's not choppy here, but I do see one skipped frame. I had a gimbal that was shaking very badly, but I don't see that here. The video itself just looks like you may have been moving too quickly - perhaps set to sport mode? Set your parameters to slow down the camera/gimbal movements. You can google that real easy and then, what Cyborg said, make sure you have a fast card. Keep your framerate at least at 60fps if you are wanting 4k/30 otherwise you will see a sudden slight jerk every second or so. The other problem might be your computer or Premiere.
 
I'm a newbie to both drones and video editing. I've tried googling this and can't find any answers, probably in part because I don't know any of the technical terms for it.

Watch this short clip, which demonstrates the problem I'm having in almost all of my footage:


Notice that when panning and turning the video looks very choppy and 'ghosty'. It's shot with a Mavic 2 Zoom, 4K @ 30FPS. All settings on Auto. It happens whether it's sunny or cloudy. Edited in Premiere Pro, although the footage looks like that straight out of the card no matter what player I use. I know in this particular clip my camerawork isn't exactly the smoothest, but it happens almost no matter how slowly I move, unless it's really, really slow!

Questions:

  1. Why? I've read that it's all about the shutter speed, but that solution seems to be for a slightly different problem, i.e. footage that looks too crisp.
  2. Suppose it is the shutter speed (I haven't tried yet, but have just taken delivery of some ND filters), how does the drone then adjust exposure as light conditions change in a shot? That is, if I set and fix the shutter speed manually to 2 X FPS, what happens when it keeps going from cloudy to sunny? If the ISO is as low as it can go on 100, will it just adjust the aperture to suit? If so, won't that mean the depth of field constantly changes throughout the shot? And what if the aperture can't go small enough for how bright it is; won't that mean overexposed footage?
  3. Is there a way to fix this chopping effect in Premiere Pro? I've tried a few things but none seem to work.
  4. Is this even normal, or do I maybe have some faulty equipment?
Thanks Guys.
What are you using for an SD card?
 
Basically slow down those pans, all video cameras will suffer to some extent when recording rapid sideways movement.
When editing your videos consider cutting out any parts where you wanted to turn quickly.
 
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Basically slow down those pans, all video cameras will suffer to some extent when recording rapid sideways movement.
When editing your videos consider cutting out any parts where you wanted to turn quickly.
But it seems to happen on every turn/pan that's anything faster than Brexit.
 
I'm viewing it on a 28" 4K monitor. It's difficult to see the problem if you're watching it on a phone screen.
 
What your seeing is called the Moire effect and is very common in small sensor video cameras. It's tough to eliminate this completely. I would start by doing your best to eliminate this type of movement in your videos first off and recognizes that this will happen when filming things like the leafless tress and straight lines that are close together such as a shingled roof for example. The other thing to try would be using ND filters and keeping your shutter speed at twice frame rate. So if your shooting at 30fps, lock your shutter at 1/60 using the correct ND filter for the correct exposure of the shot.
 
What your seeing is called the Moire effect and is very common in small sensor video cameras. It's tough to eliminate this completely. I would start by doing your best to eliminate this type of movement in your videos first off and recognizes that this will happen when filming things like the leafless tress and straight lines that are close together such as a shingled roof for example. The other thing to try would be using ND filters and keeping your shutter speed at twice frame rate. So if your shooting at 30fps, lock your shutter at 1/60 using the correct ND filter for the correct exposure of the shot.
Doesn't the camera rely on the shutter speed to adjust exposure in changing conditions? I.e. sunny/cloudy.

If the shutter speed is fixed, how then does it achieve correct exposure? Does it then use the aperture? I'm guessing I choose the correct ND filter for the brightest conditions which will make the aperture smallest, then if conditions darken it can simply open it up?
 
Doesn't the camera rely on the shutter speed to adjust exposure in changing conditions? I.e. sunny/cloudy.

If the shutter speed is fixed, how then does it achieve correct exposure? Does it then use the aperture? I'm guessing I choose the correct ND filter for the brightest conditions which will make the aperture smallest, then if conditions darken it can simply open it up?
Typically you set the aperture for your desired depth of field effect and then use ISO and shutter speed to adjust exposure. But if you are trying to keep shutter speed at 2x frame rate, you must use the aperture to help expose, but changing the aperture may have other undesired results. So, in this case, without an ND filter, you can set the shutter speed at 2x frame rate, set ISO at 100, then adjust aperture to help with the exposure. If you have an ND filter, you are then able to set the aperture to exactly what you desire along with shutter speed and ISO, then use the correct ND filter to achieve the exposure. The primary goal is the set the shutter speed to the correct speed while still having the scene exposed properly. Your always able to expose properly without an ND filter for video, but you'll typically always have to fast a shutter speed during most daylight hours. Again, to be clear, your only using an ND filter to achieve proper shutter speed to create the desired motion blur that our eyes are accustom to.
 
What your seeing is called the Moire effect and is very common in small sensor video cameras. It's tough to eliminate this completely. I would start by doing your best to eliminate this type of movement in your videos first off and recognizes that this will happen when filming things like the leafless tress and straight lines that are close together such as a shingled roof for example. The other thing to try would be using ND filters and keeping your shutter speed at twice frame rate. So if your shooting at 30fps, lock your shutter at 1/60 using the correct ND filter for the correct exposure of the shot.
That is what I saw, too. The "sparkly" effect as it pans. I've had it with fences and fog/center line painting on roadways.
 
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Doesn't the camera rely on the shutter speed to adjust exposure in changing conditions? I.e. sunny/cloudy.

If the shutter speed is fixed, how then does it achieve correct exposure? Does it then use the aperture? I'm guessing I choose the correct ND filter for the brightest conditions which will make the aperture smallest, then if conditions darken it can simply open it up?
I can't properly comment on any auto aperture of the Mavic 2. I own the Air which has a fixed aperture. If you can lock all settings and then set aperture priority, then yes, you can allow the Mavic 2 to auto correct the exposure with aperture, but I cannot say for sure that the Mavic 2 has the ability. If it does, great, if it doesn't, you must set your video up with the desired exposure triangle locked, then use the correct ND filter based on your brightest flying direction. If it gets darker while flying, the video may be under exposed or vise versa if it gets brighter.
 
luuuuke: Moire is an issue for all of us to keep in mind when filming and as kj said, watch out for "straight lines" that are close together be they wrought iron fences, shingles, or thin, leafless branches.

Any lateral movement will increase the possibility of moire as will excessive sharpening in camera.

However, don't think of the drone's lens as a ground-based camera when considering depth of field. You can essentially forget that due to the distances typically associated with airborne cameras.

It has been shown that the M2P lens is sharpest at f4 and remains nearly as sharp at f5.6. But above this, the image (still or video,) will be softer due to defraction in the lens. So, most folks with M2P's use Manual mode to set their aperture at f4 and then use the necessary ND filter that allows for a 0ev exposure with a shutter speed that is twice the denominator of the frame rate.

Give it a try and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
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The only issue I see is from the shutter speed. I would get a good filter and make certain to get that shutter speed down to 2x the FPS. The jitter is also a function of the shutter speed and the rate you pan. At 24 fps your pans really need to be deliberate. Slow and smooth. To get a good Idea on just how slow they should be swap your bird to tripod mode and pan. So the problems I see are Moire, shutter, pan speed. Solutions you can use to mitigate the problems - get a good set of ND filters or film when when there is less available light next really slow down the pans. If you need to move faster for action videos use a higher framerate.
 
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