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How to stabilize Glidecam footage…
So I’ve been shooting some stuff with a 5DMkIII and a Glidecam HD2000. I like the footage ok, still getting the hang of it, but I’m wondering what is the best way to further smooth the footage in post. I’m using CS5.5.
The problem is I’ve still got a bit of swaying that I’d like to remove so it’s super smooth and awesome. It’s a little like being on a cruse ship at the moment.
I tried the warp stabilizer, that didn’t even recognize the motion. Then I tried tracking set to stabilize and that was a bit better. I also tried manually rotating the shot with vertical elements compared to a square shape layer I layered on top. That worked pretty good too but was more time consuming.
What would you guys do? Well, I know you’d get good at shooting on a Glidecam, but what else would you do?
Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com -
11 Replies
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in after effects, if you take a video, precomp it and timestretch that precomp 50% and add timewarp 50% to it, you’ll smooth out any motion by creating new frames by averaging betweem motion areas. I’ve tried it on handheld footage and it seems to work fairly decently.
furthing basic tweaking in timewarp:
vector detail 100
smoothing iterations 28
filtering extreme -
https://library.creativecow.net/harrington_richard/CS6_Warp-Stabilizer/1
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
So, timestretch 200%, right?
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try ae’s subwarp or perspective warp a little before giving up on it. It’s a lot faster than timewarp.
and nope it wouldn’t be 200%. The 2 numbers, have to match, the timestretch and timewarp. For example. timestrech makes the video 2x faster and 50% timewarp slows it down. They cancel out leaving new frames created but the same speed.
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So this footage isn’t shaky, it’s more like a very slow rocking. It takes about 4-6 seconds to go from one side to the other. And it’s only like 2-4 degrees. It’s very smooth, it just feels like you’re on a cruise ship.
I think the problem was that I just didn’t have the unit balanced quite right, or possibly I was moving too fast.
Is there a good suggestion for how to straighten that out?
Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com -
Final Cut does a really good job of smoothing shaky footage with the “Smooth Cam” plugin.
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut StudioHP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite -
Yeah, but it’s not shaky. It’s very smooth with a very slow rocking. I probably won’t even use a clip long enough in the final cut to see a whole swing from one side to the other. I’m just wondering what is the best way to keep vertical lines vertical.
Would it be to use some of the tracking functions? Or maybe it really is to use the warp stabilizer but not at the settings that I’m using currently (default).
I’m using Production Premium CS5.5.
Just now I was trying it with the grid over my footage and just rotating the footage to counteract the swinging. It works ok, but getting the rate of rotation is nearly impossible as it’s not a steady side to side pendulum swing.
Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com -
In that case have you tried key framing the “rotation” in Premiere Pro. If only tilts one way during the shot you should only need a key frame at the beginning and end. If the shot starts to rock the other way in the middle of the shot you’ll need another frame there too. You’ll need to zoom the shot slightly too.
There’s a lot of technique involved in balancing and operating a steadicam. Most of the world’s best started out or early on in their career took a workshop. https://www.thesteadicamworkshops.com/
Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/ -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaPNf2Rk4qQ
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Good. That’s what I was doing already actually. The trickiest part of steadying the footage is getting the deceleration at the furthest point of the slow rock. But the default easy ease is pretty darn close.
I fully respect the skill in handling a steady cam. I just wanted to give it a shot. There’s a big difference between my first shots and last shots though. I’d love to get a little more practice with these things.
I actually shot a few vignettes today handheld with the 5DMkIII and after stabilizing in AE it actually looks smoother than the glidecam. I’m going to need some practice. I think next time we’re in production I’ll plan a day for all the steady cam shots and hire a cameraman.
Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com
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