Blur in scenic shots at DVinfo.net

Luke Tingle · November 6th, 2007, 09:02 AM

Hi all, I have been lurking around this forum for a while and gathering alot of usefull information. I recently got the XH-A1 and I have been shooting landscapes, waterfalls etc. for stock footage.

Anyways, sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum. I'm not sure if I have a Camera problem or an HDV aquisition problem.

Problem:
When I play composite out of my camera to a monitor my footage looks great, its sharp and vivid.
When I capture it to FCP and play it back it is sharp until I hit play. As soon as its playing it blurs (like "I need to get my eyes checked" kinda blur). When I stop it looks ok again.

My HDV Aquistion : I have tried every workflow I can find info on and the only one that I can get to work is -

1. Capture over firewire using the DVHS app from the Apple Firewire SDK
2. Use Mpeg Streamclip to export to an HDV resolution Apple Intermediate Codec (1080i 60)
3. Import into FCP

Is it me, the camera or my workflow......or all of the above ; )

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

BTW: These are all locked shots with focus at infinity.

Eric Weiss · November 6th, 2007, 10:16 AM

It could be a few things but I don’t believe it’s from the camera.

It could be your display or preview settings. The actual file might be just as sharp but your monitor or editing app may be giving you a low res display.

It could be your capture settings, bringing in the footage at a lower resolution.

It could be the Intermediate Codec.

If the source footage from the camera looks tight, you can rule out the camera.

Luke Tingle · November 6th, 2007, 10:38 AM

thanks! I'll try different monitoring for sure.

Jonathan Schwartz · November 6th, 2007, 10:41 AM

I find this same problem whenever there is a filter or motion setting applied to the clip. Basically FCP can not show you the full quality at playback, but when you stop it looks great. You probably have a light or dark green line above your clip in the timeline. Try rendering your timeline and see if that makes a difference.

Jon Schwartz
CA Video Productions

Jae Staats · November 6th, 2007, 08:08 PM

Yes, the above post is right, also try setting your timeline to "unlimited" preview if you have the processor speed.

Luke Tingle · November 9th, 2007, 11:17 AM

That was it, exported a QT movie of the sequence and it looks great, thanks for the help.

Greg Boston · November 9th, 2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luke Tingle

That was it, exported a QT movie of the sequence and it looks great, thanks for the help.

Yes Luke, that's the dynamic real time preview reducing resolution to maintain frame rate. As you discovered, your rendered material looks fine.

-gb-

November 6th, 2007, 09:02 AM	#1
Luke Tingle Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 88	Blur in scenic shots Hi all, I have been lurking around this forum for a while and gathering alot of usefull information. I recently got the XH-A1 and I have been shooting landscapes, waterfalls etc. for stock footage. Anyways, sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum. I'm not sure if I have a Camera problem or an HDV aquisition problem. Problem: When I play composite out of my camera to a monitor my footage looks great, its sharp and vivid. When I capture it to FCP and play it back it is sharp until I hit play. As soon as its playing it blurs (like "I need to get my eyes checked" kinda blur). When I stop it looks ok again. My HDV Aquistion : I have tried every workflow I can find info on and the only one that I can get to work is - 1. Capture over firewire using the DVHS app from the Apple Firewire SDK 2. Use Mpeg Streamclip to export to an HDV resolution Apple Intermediate Codec (1080i 60) 3. Import into FCP Is it me, the camera or my workflow......or all of the above ; ) Any help would be greatly appreciated. BTW: These are all locked shots with focus at infinity. Last edited by Luke Tingle; November 6th, 2007 at 09:03 AM. Reason: Doh!

November 6th, 2007, 10:41 AM	#4
Jonathan Schwartz Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ocean Springs, MS Posts: 211	Blur in Image I find this same problem whenever there is a filter or motion setting applied to the clip. Basically FCP can not show you the full quality at playback, but when you stop it looks great. You probably have a light or dark green line above your clip in the timeline. Try rendering your timeline and see if that makes a difference. Jon Schwartz CA Video Productions

November 9th, 2007, 11:17 AM	#6
Luke Tingle Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 88	Yep! That was it, exported a QT movie of the sequence and it looks great, thanks for the help.

November 6th, 2007, 10:16 AM	#2
Eric Weiss Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philly,PA Posts: 360	It could be a few things but I don’t believe it’s from the camera. It could be your display or preview settings. The actual file might be just as sharp but your monitor or editing app may be giving you a low res display. It could be your capture settings, bringing in the footage at a lower resolution. It could be the Intermediate Codec. If the source footage from the camera looks tight, you can rule out the camera.

November 6th, 2007, 10:38 AM	#3
Luke Tingle Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 88	thanks! I'll try different monitoring for sure.

November 6th, 2007, 08:08 PM	#5
Jae Staats Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: United States Posts: 51	Yes, the above post is right, also try setting your timeline to "unlimited" preview if you have the processor speed.