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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Just how good is "smoothcam" software?

Stephen Pruitt

Stephen Pruitt

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Hi all. . .

I'm sitting up here in my living room with our Kessler crane working on getting really smooth jib shots. I've definitely dramatically improved over the past month, but it always seems that I end up with a bobble here or there that bugs the snot out of me. Given that I don't want to have to kill my talent and try it 20 times until it's "probably good enough," I'm wondering how real the smoothcam software (I'm using FCP) really works. I don't trust my eyes, so I'm asking the pros here. When I pop that smoothcam filter on, all of my bobbles just vanish. I mean, this thing looks glass smooth. The question is this: Am I giving up things I don't see now on the small screen of my MacBook Pro? I like the deep shots where I'm on top of things with a lot of space behind them. I can't see on this screen anything that I'm losing, but I know that there are no free lunches here, so I'm curious what I really am losing by using software like this to save my shots.

Thanks much.

Stephen
 
mostly, you're giving up a little bit of the original screen space/resolution. not a big deal if it's teensie bumps. on bigger bumps, you could easily lose 25% of your image. i haven't used that particular software, but the way they work is by tracking the shot and stabilizing, it typically just transforms without warping in order to keep tracked areas moving in smooth lines. you can sometimes get weird effects with motion blur, for example in a bumpy shot you would get some motion blur, then when you remove the bump, well, you've still got the blur.

it's always best not to need stabilization, but you usually do need a little bit. i would still keep practicing, and don't go with the "good enough" mentality unless you absolutely have to. it also helps to know what software is available or what you are using if it's personal and do testing. that will help you know when you've got a good shot so you can move on.
 
I don't claim to be a pro in this respect, but I have used smoothcam a number of times and was pretty impressed with the results. If you can spend some money, mercalli v2 is even better, as far as my own experience goes. I made some terrifyingly shaky footage in Namibia, grossly overestimating the stability of a 4 wheel drive, and not daring to approach a lion on foot; the whole thing was rescued by mercalli v2. Ofcourse you loose resolution, but with the red one that shouldn't be much of a problem
 
I don't see why you have issues with your jib moves. I have owned and operated a whole mess of jibs, and I don't see why you can't make smooth moves. I'm not busting your balls, I'm serious. if your moves are not smooth something is probably wrong. Can you post pics of your set up? I'm guessing the tripod or the head is the issue. Post some pics lets figure it out.

Nick
 
I suggest you do a test. I haven't tried with a crane but sometimes, while the framing remains perfectly smooth, you can still get a very weird and distinct spatial shifting/wobble (it's very specific and once you've seen it you'll know exactly what it is whenever you see it again.) I don't think that'll happen with a crane since it sounds fairly smooth to begin with, but, like I said, I've never tried.
 
if you watch on the big screen (each shot is different of course) but when using smoothcam you will or sometimes CAN see footage go in and out of focus. I find if shooting higher frame rates this gets cut down dramatically, but it all really depends the type of bump..i find quick sudden jolts up/down are the WORST for smooth cam and then you get in/out of focus issues for a brief fraction of a second. Smoothcam (for me) works best on sort of slow lumpy ups/downs....but jittery fast jerking for me never seems to work when using smoothcam software
 
Hey there, Nick. . .

I actually do get quite smooth moves using my jib most of the time, but I'm really at the weight limit of my jib (and can't afford another one) with my O'Connor 1030HDS and my RED on top of that. The real problem, of course, is that the center of gravity is pretty darn high on that set-up, and that puts a lot of mass pretty high up, leading to a bit of wiggle here and there. Couple that with the fact that I shoot a lot in very old buildings with unstable floors that move up and down as I walk working the shot. Am I really good? No. I think I'm acceptable, or at least getting there, so I was just curious what I'd likely lose by trying some software to smooth out my ripples.

Of course, the fact that I'm not an experienced DP has something to do with my foibles, I'm sure, but I can't afford to hire a master. I just sort of have to muddle along. So far, my muddling looks pretty darn good.

Stephen
 
Yup. All those things will contribute to the wiggles. You could probably improve it a bunch by getting a beefier tripod. It doesn't have to be expensive, just beefy. Short of that, I have used smoothcam some to pretty good effect, and a lot of the guys who put cameras on RC helicopters use it. You have to tweak the settings for each shot. That being said, my editor/vfx guys stabilizes shots using AE instead.

Nick
 
Johnny Friday said:
if you watch on the big screen (each shot is different of course) but when using smoothcam you will or sometimes CAN see footage go in and out of focus. I find if shooting higher frame rates this gets cut down dramatically, but it all really depends the type of bump..i find quick sudden jolts up/down are the WORST for smooth cam and then you get in/out of focus issues for a brief fraction of a second. Smoothcam (for me) works best on sort of slow lumpy ups/downs....but jittery fast jerking for me never seems to work when using smoothcam software
Click to expand...

That's not a focus issue, that's motion blur, as was indicated earlier, although if the transformation is extreme, it could be softening the image to the point that it looks soft.

It's best to apply OFlow stabilizing (which is what SmoothCam is) in a comp package. You get more tweakable results, and can get a better quality product by spending more time on it. You can do things like match the softness introduced by the transform throughout the shot, adjust the amount of stabilization, etc.
 
If it's a tripod fluid head on a jib, it's helpful to reduce the pan & tilt drag settings on the jib - ie. lighter drag than you'd use on a tripod. Otherwise the drag actually fights your smoothness on the jib to some extent. Of course, you then have to have a lighter hand on the pan handle.
 
i didn't mention before, and it might be an obvious thing - but to avoid motion blur issues on a fast move or a significantly bumpy one, or if you just know you are going to be stabilizing the footage - it can be a really good idea to go towards a 90 degree shutter (or higher framerates, or both). this will reduce some of the weirdness from bumps or wiggles, and there are a number of options to add motion blur in post, especially when the footage is crisp.
 
Sounds great all around, guys.

Thanks so much! I just love the expertise on REDUser. . . someone always knows just what is, or what is not, possible.

Stephen
 
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