How to shoot car videos inside & out

How to shoot car videos inside & out at PVC shares resources on inexpensive cameras, mounts, and post. Smaller setups often won't invite unnecessary concern.

Extreme slo-mo with Tom Guilmette

After seeing comments today about the 99 fps limit in After Effects, it was fun to see a No Film School post on Tom Guilmette's experience with the Vision Research Phantom Flex camera. He used the camera to shoot a Ping Pong tourney 2,564 frames per second, and put together this movie while Locked in a Las Vegas Hotel Room:

Locked in a Vegas Hotel Room with a Phantom Flex from Tom Guilmette on Vimeo.

I was working a gig in Vegas with a brand new Phantom Flex high speed digital cinema camera. I had to try it out. In fact, I never did go to bed that night. I opened up a wormhole shooting at 2,564 frames per second.

Please visit my website for Phantom Flex 1080p ProRes file downloads: http://www.tomguilmette.com/archives/1986

Note: see a few other examples of Guilmette's shares in Shooting broadcast sports + HDV camera review and his look at the poor man's Phantom, the Casio EX FC150 point & shoot doing 120fps 480p.

Unsecured IP security cameras

Mark Coleran noted Peep show: inside the world of unsecured IP security cameras by Tom Conno at Ars Technica (photo from William Lamson).

Live cams are almost as old as the Internet, so there's an active microculture and even live screensavers(eg, SurveillanceSaver for Mac OS and iPhone). It's not quite this era's found footage because of poor quality, but more hi-res frames could be tweened with After Effects. For related tutorials see Motion estimated morphing time-remapping on stills and More slow motion from pictures using Pixel Motion.

Here's an excerpt from Ars Technica's Peep Show and a video from digitalfxcube:

"Using the same basic technology that your computer uses, IP cameras take their own IP addresses and stream video directly onto a network without connecting to a DVR or control platform. Larger systems can integrate multiple IP cameras together using an NVR (network video recorder) that connects to and records multiple cameras at the same time. This capability can cut installation cost by literally thousands of dollars on sites where analog cameras would require long or complex cable runs.

Additionally, IP cameras frequently offer the additional benefits of higher resolution (with some models capable of 10 megapixels or more) and a more familiar platform for users to work with, meaning that they are also frequent favorites for smaller installations, too. Many forward-looking government, commercial, and even residential users are already standardizing their security on an entirely IP-based system, and most surveillance industry insiders feel this trend will continue into the foreseeable future."

"The Shot You Can Make" simulations

Stu Maschwitz is introducing a new Prolost "feature" designed to help you determine The Shot You Can Make, something needed because of the burgeoning options in new cameras. "It’s called the Shot You Can Make (SYCM) Simulator, and it’s sort of a 3D 'Marcie' for focal length and depth of field."

The simulator's "engine" seems to be the After Effects camera (controls and resources for it can be found in AE Help), souped up with some extras:

"Using a lens blur plug-in rigged with expressions, each 3D layer gets the correct amount of defocus for its distance from camera. The result is a simulation of the shot with accurate angle of view and depth of field."

PVC: Canon hacks + video is changing

Chris Meyer notes a few news items with 4 Ways Video Is Fundamentally Changing (from the head of Google’s “video monetization initiatives”) and a partial (6 second) breakthrough or hoax in 2k-4k @ 24fps on a Canon HDSLR? (with video from Philip Bloom).

The last bit has nothing to do with the Magic Lantern firmware hacks, though they should co-exist OK. Magic Lantern enables additional features on Canon cameras like onscreen audio meters, zebra stripes, crop marks, manual audio level controls, lower noise than stock firmware, etc. For the most recent release on those see Magic Lantern now on T2i/ 550D and 60D coming…no sign of 7D yet and the video below, also from Philip Bloom.

Magic Lantern 550d Update, December 12th from Renny Hayes on Vimeo.

Which Video DSLR?

On the AE-List, Jim Feeley recommended Philip Bloom's post Which… “Video DSLR” to buy?

Chris Meyer noted that digital video guru Adam Wilt recently ran tests on the Nikon D90, Canon 5D mkII & 7D, and Pansonic DMC-GH1, and "dropped a LOT of wisdom about using HDSLRs for real video work" in Overview: Several First-Generation Versacams.

See also last month's HDSLR Shopping? for some other round-ups.

HDSLR Shopping? Check out Prolost + Philip Bloom

Update: see more in Which Video DSLR?

Stu Maschwitz posted HDSLR Shopping? What You Want is a Canon 60D at Prolost. Stu compares DSLR cameras for HD video, and as always both the blog post and the comments are worth reading:

"Using a DSLR for video a compromise. In addition to the technical limitations we’ve discussed here at length, the time-honored form factor of the SLR just wasn’t made for movies. The 60D takes a big step toward fixing this. To me, this matters a lot. The 5D Mark II shot you blew because you couldn’t see the LCD well enough to focus is worth nothing compared to the 60D shot you wrangled from an angle.

If you’re already a Canon shooter, remember that while the 60D shares batteries with the 5D Mark II and the 7D, it uses SDHC cards instead of CF. I’ve put together a 60D Cine page on the ProLost store to help you get your kit going."

Update: Different opinions in a Mograph thread, and Cinema 5D noted this video on Three Canon HDSLR’s Compared 550D, 60D and 7D,

Plenoptic rendering: After Effects too?

Via @aescripts are reports of experiments in Plenoptic lens rendering by Adobe, which lets you change depth of field focus in post. It would be great in After Effects and video too, of course (go wish), though now there's only 1 shipping camera system, the Raytrix 4D lightfield camera.

John Nack posted on this tech in 2005, Plenoptic Cameras: [whistle type=low & appreciative], and there's more background in a CNET article from 2008, Stanford camera chip can see in 3D. Laptop mag seems to have done the lead reporting on this item from a recent nVidia conference (video below); they note that there's much more on focus and other aspects of this technology at Adobe researcher Teodor Georgiev’s web site.

Camera 4.0: point & shoot futures

Camera technology seems to be advancing faster than computers, maybe as a part of a general shift toward the development of portable devices. Here's a few recent examples...

Gizmag looked at the Canon Wonder Camera Concept displayed at Expo 2010; here's their video report:




And showing at SIGGRAPH 2010 was the "Frankencamera" project from Stanford (more at Technology Review via @Coleran). Here's an excerpt from the project page (which also includes a video), The Frankencamera: An Experimental Platform for Computational Photography,

"Although there has been much interest in computational photography within the research and photography communities, progress has been hampered by the lack of a portable, programmable camera with sufficient image quality and computing power. To address this problem, we have designed and implemented an open architecture and API for such cameras: the Frankencamera. It consists of a base hardware specification, a software stack based on Linux, and an API for C++.

Our architecture permits control and synchronization of the sensor and image processing pipeline at the microsecond time scale, as well as the ability to incorporate and synchronize external hardware like lenses and flashes. This paper specifies our architecture and API, and it describes two reference implementations we have built. Using these implementations we demonstrate six computational photography applications: HDR viewfinding and capture, low-light viewfinding and capture, automated acquisition of extended dynamic range panoramas, foveal imaging, IMU-based hand shake detection, and rephotography."



The Frankencamera is now available as a free download for Nokia N900 "mobile computers."

iPhone 4 & Canon 7D movies + mobile video out

Here's an iPhone 4 film (via CNET) and an article and video Comparing Video Quality Between iPhone 4 and Canon 7D -- and a music video.

"Apple of My Eye" - an iPhone 4 film from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

iPhone 4 versus Canon 7D from Take Zero Productions on Vimeo.

Update: see also Mobile Video Out Everywhere: iPhone 4, HTC Evo, and Droid X.

Also, Andy Beach notes What Video Codec does iPhone's FaceTime use? and Details on iPhone 4 video.

Update 2: here's the Apple iPhone 4 and HTC EVO 4G: side by side,

Lens Correction in Camera Raw, Lightroom, + Photoshop CS5

Lightroom Journal, a blog from the Lightroom team, has new information from Tom Hogarty in Preview of Lens Correction Solution for Camera Raw 6 and Lightroom 3:

"Below is a preview of lens correction technology that will be included in Lightroom 3 and the Camera Raw 6 plug-in that's part of Photoshop CS5. This is an exciting development for our non-destructive editing technology and is designed to address lens correction via two methods: Lens Profiles and Manual Correction. The easiest application of lens correction is to apply the lens profile technology that encompasses geometric distortion(barrel and pincushion distortion), chromatic aberration and lens vignetting characteristics."

Read more... at the Lightroom blog. By the way, Photoshop CS5 will need to be updated after install for Camera Raw 6.1.

For more info, CS5 Help is live. Here's the preview of CR and LR lens correction along with a look at the Lens Correction tool in Photoshop CS5:

Making DSLR movies [updated]

PrepShootPost has a few practical tips in Making Two-Camera 5D Movies. For more on DSLR video see also Prolost, Philip Bloom, and Vincent Laforet. Also check out the article/video The whole DSLR thing on MacVideo.

Update: Oliver Peters has a big well-illustrated post Easy Canon 5D post – Round II, his second summarizing a number of opinions and workflow tips from several 5D projects.

Update 2: Prolost adds Color Correcting Canon 7D Footage, with some tips (similar to those found in greater detail in The DV Rebel’s Guide) -- Shoot flat, Chose white balance wisely, Expose to the right, Do denoise, Work at high bit-depths, Sharpen last.

Update 3: see also Flatting the flat look at Eugenia’s Rants and Thoughts.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II in the real world

If you're interested in the idea of a shooting video with a DSLR camera but follow the developments sporadically, Oliver Peters has a meaty illustrated overview of one camera in Canon EOS 5D Mark II in the real world.

His other recent posts have provided good coverage of FCP plug-ins and more.

Bloom on Magic Bullet, cameras, FCP

Director Philip Bloom is everywhere this week:

• Color Grading in Final Cut Pro with Magic Bullet Looks on the Red Giant podcast
• A Prolost post, Philip Bloom's GH1 First Impressions
• A MacVideo interview, Philip Bloom on NAB 2009, Camera Technology and Final Cut Pro

Update: Here's one of his reports from NAB:

Cisco & Flip: video editing on the cloud

Cisco recently bought the San Francisco company that produces the Flip camera for $590 million.. Ok. But Lost Remote notes Flip’s surprising share of camcorder market -- 20 percent!

At Capria.TV, Frank Capria was quick to see Where Cisco wants to take video, perhaps because he works for Avid, which own Pinnacle and its line of consumer video products. He pointed out that Flip has easy editing and sharing software to match it's easy-to-use hardware:

"As GigaOm noted, it can eliminate the computer. Shoot, push to the cloud, and edit on the cloud. No Macs. No PCs. What Polaroid did for photography 50-some years ago, Cisco can do for videography. It can make it instant, inexpensive, and fun.

Cameras preloaded with editing software will be a minor disruption to business as usual. Editing on the cloud is where this is all going, and the industry will be turned on its head."

Perhaps, but online video editors like Adobe Remix and others faded since the excitement of a few years ago.

In any case, the Flip Video camcorder records or "captures" video in MPEG-4 advanced simple profile format, saved as an AVI file. Flip includes the 3IVX codec to work with the AVI files in QuickTime. The Flip Video program uses a starter version of muvee AutoProducer for its automatic stylizing "movie mixing," and this feature so far is not on the Mac.

Of course, Cisco/Flip will have competition from smart phones and still cameras that do video. GigaOm and TechCrunch have background; here's GigaOm's take on on Cisco's buy:

"If Cisco can integrate or transfer the dead-simple Flip software and camcorder into its Scientific Atlanta boxes, and tie the Flip camcorder to its Linksys router, it can offer PC-free telepresence to consumers. This combines Cisco’s hope of wresting control of the digital home from the PC and putting it in the network with its love of video conferencing.

Telepresence, even more than the 2 million Flip cameras out there shooting short videos, would drive the amount of video content on networks sky high. Cisco estimates that a good HD telepresence experience requires speeds of 24 Mbps and requires quality of service guarantees — both of which Cisco equipment could help ensure. Cisco has already indicated its plans to add $20 billion to its bottom line with a focus on video, and it has launched products around the what it calls the “medianet,” to deliver video from the content provider to the consumer. Driving content in the other direction — from the user back up to a content provider — also makes sense, and the Flip cameras offer Cisco control of the consumer video-producing endpoint."

Update: Part of the cloud is metadata, which should help with editing and search results, as noted by Contentinople in Gotuit Enables Video Mashups With Metadata.

Update 2: In case you wonder what online video editors like Adobe Remix were still around, Lonnie discusses a few in Where to Edit Video Online for FREE.

How-to video on Canon 5D, plus cameras compared

Not quite extremely current, but background info can be had via the links:

pro•active•ly showed How To Use Video Mode on the Canon 5D MK II by Tyler Ginter, while Adam Wilt likes Zacuto’s Great Camera Shootout ‘08 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA.

Canon 5D .mov files crushed +fix

Prolost has been looking at Canon 5D QuickTime .mov h.264 files in the last few posts and has some Crushing News: the crushed blacks associated with the 5D movies is a failure of the AVC decoders in NLEs.

The fix using Apple Color to access the full dynamic range was discussed elsewhere, including by Cineform, which has codecs of many flavors. Other sometimes expensive solutions have surfaced and include codec alternatives to the one in QT: Rhozet Carbon Coder and CoreAVC, although they may pose other problems. Supposedly, utilities like MPEGStreamClip and SUPER can be used but you'd still have to trick the app into not using QT to decode. Movie samples can be found in previous posts like DSLR HD movie samples.

This sort of news seems important because we'll be getting these files to work with and because photographers will now be doing video. That's fine as long as they use Photoshop for video as Russell Brown instructs them to, but more challenging in competition once they clue into After Effects and NLEs.

Update: Prolost reports Quicktime 7.6 Fixes 5D Movies, though the gamma shift and other problems may be lurking; see Prolost post comments as usual. Planet5d is following 5D news...

Transform your Canon point-and-shoot into a super camera

Among the hacks in Lifehacker's roundup Battle of the Hardware-Boosting Hacks is Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera:

"If you're using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you've got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, [longer exposure times and faster shutter speeds,] motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera.

...CHDK can run small scripts that will allow your camera to perform a set of actions based on the conditions of the script. Tons of scripts are available, and they provide functionality like motion-sensing photography (which reportedly works for lightning strikes) and unlimited interval time-lapse photography."

Update: Prolost (6-22-09) notes the Magic Lantern firmware hack for the Canon 5D Mark II that enables: Onscreen audio meters, Zebra stripes, Crop marks, Manual audio level controls, Lower noise than stock firmware, etc.

Sony CineAlta event @ Apple

The Digital Cinema Society Northern California Chapter will partner with MacFilmmakers to present a joint meeting covering the Sony CineAlta Camera Line, 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm on Wednesday December 17th, 2008.

The meeting will be held at Apple, on the main campus on Infinite Loop. Register here.

Presenters include Adam Wilt and Art Adams, who with the help of Leigh Blicher from San Francisco rental house VideoFax, will show off the new F35 CineAlta and cover such subjects as Sony S-Log and Hypergammas. They will also present footage, including a spec spot they recently shot with VideoFax's F35.

Representatives from Sony including Shahpour Nosrati-Fard will also give a presentation on the EX3 CineAlta and Bob Lofland will demo Sony Display products including the BVM L230 LCD HD Master Series Monitor which will be used to show off the F35 imagery. Representatives from VMI will also be present to answer questions. And of course there's a raffle.

RED & prosumer end of the spectrum

Mark Christiansen, author of After Effects Studio Techniques (review), clarifies in 10 (+1) Reasons Revisited: is Scarlet Still Even a Prosumer Product?

More RED and DSLR updates are available from Prolost, Camera Log by Adam Wilt ("Right now, a RED ONE in the hand is worth two Epics/Scarlets rendered in a remote mountain stronghold"), and other resources through PVC and CrispyFeeds.