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How do I Remove Time-Lapse FLICKER "100%" - ??

George D.

George D.

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I have been incorporating time-lapse sequences in with our Red-One footage for a production we are working on.

The time-lapse is shot with a Nikon D7000.

In Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 in our Windows7 PC, I also incorporate the GBDeFlicker add-on to remove the flicker problem so common with DSLR time-lapse shots. But, it still does NOT remove all of the flicker, which looks unpleasant in the final result.

Do any of you know of a better program or an add-on that will eliminate the flicker 100% ?

Thanks for your time.

I wish you all a very merry and happy Xmas filled with love and family.

.

Judging by the answers I've been getting, my question was probably not complete enough.

This time-lapse is taking place under controlled conditions, with AC power running to the camera. The lens is the old style and is not automatic. Everything on the camera is set to manual. The light sources are studio strobes.

The flicker problem could be due to two reasons: Automatic iris and strobes. I can overcome the auto iris with Live View, but the strobes I can do nothing about. We MUST have them as our light source for reasons I cannot divulge here.

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George D. said:
I have been incorporating time-lapse sequences in with our Red-One footage for a production we are working on.

The time-lapse is shot with a Nikon D7000.

In Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 in our Windows7 PC, I also incorporate the GBDeFlicker add-on to remove the flicker problem so common with DSLR time-lapse shots. But, it still does NOT remove all of the flicker, which looks unpleasant in the final result.

Do any of you know of a better program or an add-on that will eliminate the flicker 100% ?

Thanks for your time.

I wish you all a very merry and happy Xmas filled with love and family.

.
Click to expand...

I've never had a flicker problem when doing timelapse with my Nikon D700. Are you sure you have turned off all the AUTO functions on the camera? Auto WB, auto Exposure...etc...can cause the flicker you are seeing.
 
danbrazda said:
I've never had a flicker problem when doing timelapse with my Nikon D700. Are you sure you have turned off all the AUTO functions on the camera? Auto WB, auto Exposure...etc...can cause the flicker you are seeing.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have done all those things, and the flicker persists. It is not an uncommon problem. I find it hard to believe you do not get any flicker at all.

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have you established whats causing the flicker? is it fluctuations in ambient light of is it variations in the capture in the lens? the lens aperture part can be solved by using old manual lenses and keeping them stopped down or by shooting live view(while the aperture is open continuously) so the camera doesn't have to open and close each time it shoots. but this way the batteries run out faster.

also, do you use the auto exposure when shooting these, or manual- i get a better result with manual, but there is alway the tweaks of light as the light changes past clouds.

theres a load of info on the web with time-lapse at the moment, do an internet search.

paul
 
Its your lenses. If shooting timelapse with nikon or canon it's super important to use manual lenses or make sure the camera is not in control of the lens iris. As the camera open and close the iris fro each frame and is not so accurate you get flicker. Old manual nikon or canon lenses on the other hand do not have the prolem. This "iris flicker" will not possebly get removed all the way. Deflicker programs might help out a bit but as the iris also affect the dof you will have trouble with that aswell. And yes it's a common mistake, if you google SLR timelapse or stop motion flicker you will get quite a few hits.
 
The flicker you get is probably because you have used a lens witout a good old maual f-stop ring. The dslrs work in such a way that they open (Canon) or close (Nikon) the iris to the desired f-stop for every exposure. This may not (usually never) be 100% accurate. To avoid flicker you need to use a fully manual lens with.
 
If there is no automatic software means of fixing your vision available, you might try layer stacking five copies of the timelapse clip. Each goes on its own video track, the upper four, each of 20% transparency, the lowermost can remain at 100%. Each clip is slipped one frame delayed behind the other so that the fifth clip is five frames behind the first. It does not matter if you start the slide of your clip copies from the top or bottom track, so long as the "slope" of the stack of clips is even. You will have to trim five frames from both ends so it doesn't matter. Export the sequence.

You may have to adjust the levels, contrast or whatever you are doing with grading as the contrast may change a little. Any objects which move rapidly in the clip like pedestrians or vehicles on a streetscape will become faint like ghosts and there will be a motion trail. So if detailed motion is an objective, this technique will not work well. For clouds, sunsets and shadow shifts, you may save your clip so long as the reproduced motion is not too fast. Flicker will remain but it may not be as apparent.

This is an old method of reducing sensor noise somewhat. It also yields an interesting creative effect if you accurately pan-follow an object like a motor vehicle passing behind light roadside vegetation. The object remains defined and the vegetation disappears a little and with motion blur becomes indistinct. It is a better effect done at night. This was also done optically with film to confer a delerious or semi-conscious point of view effect, as in Mad Max 2.

The only other option I guess is to export your individual frames as a sequences of still images and do the tiresome task of grading them individually to match.
 
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Bjorn is correct. We actually use Nikon AI or AIS lenses on 5D bodies. Don't bother with the dandilion chip it can cause issues with the camera and not needed.

There is some software from http://www.granitebaysoftware.com that might help. usually you can fix with dark areas or highlights but struggles with both. You may also get flicker from passing clouts or changes in sunlight if your out doors. If you have changable weather you could try to see if a priest could help.
 
i have used deflicker in virtualdub fro removing some horrendous flicker from fans under lights.....

worth a try...but probably not going to do it 100% for you
 
paul ross jones said:
have you established whats causing the flicker? is it fluctuations in ambient light of is it variations in the capture in the lens? the lens aperture part can be solved by using old manual lenses and keeping them stopped down or by shooting live view(while the aperture is open continuously) so the camera doesn't have to open and close each time it shoots. but this way the batteries run out faster.

also, do you use the auto exposure when shooting these, or manual- i get a better result with manual, but there is alway the tweaks of light as the light changes past clouds.

theres a load of info on the web with time-lapse at the moment, do an internet search.

paul
Click to expand...

Absolutely EXCELLENT idea. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

I "do" use old manual lenses, but the aperture is "still" opened and closed each time. DSLRs are designed that way. But using Live View should conquer that.

Thanks.

.
 
Auto Exposure is what creates the flicker. I've never seen a flicker on properly shot time lapses. As far as fixing it in already shot material, the Boris de-flicker is pretty good.
 
And, if you don't have manual iris lenses, after setting desired exposure just keep pushed the dof button while releasing the lens. You just need to turn slightly the lens till there's no more electronic communication and iris will keep his aperture fixed.
 
Michael Romano said:
Auto Exposure is what creates the flicker. I've never seen a flicker on properly shot time lapses. As far as fixing it in already shot material, the Boris de-flicker is pretty good.
Click to expand...

Sorry Michael, but you're wrong. It was NOT automatically exposing. Manual everything.

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Given your update on using strobe lights, what was your shutter speed? I assume they are camera-triggered.
 
Robert Hart said:
Given your update on using strobe lights, what was your shutter speed? I assume they are camera-triggered.
Click to expand...

Shutter speed was 1/45sec to comply with our Red-One footage shot at 30fps & 1/45sec.

Yes, the strobes were camera triggered.

The strobes are modern, and each have self-contained capacitors and are plugged into normal AC current, so I doubt that too much flicker is created by them. But, that is a concern.

Thanks.

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