Stabilizer Plugin for Vegas?

Yi Fong Yu · March 7th, 2006, 06:42 PM

DSE,

it's well and good if i could travel back in time and do a better job. the fact is, what's done is done. yesh, it's a lesson well learned and the future will bring new corrections.

but someone (other than me in the future) will also need the power to save their footage via software image stabillizer. i'm just surprised that such a thing doesn't exist already in vegas as it does premiere pro. perhaps i should give it an install.

anyway, if not, i might go with b-fx.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · March 7th, 2006, 06:58 PM

Quote:

i'm just surprised that such a thing doesn't exist already in vegas as it does premiere pro.

There ARE image stabilizers that work with Vegas. Maybe I'm missing your point? Boris RED works within Vegas. If you think Steadymove is slow, wait'll you try RED. And, RED has a learning curve and is expensive. Using WAX, it's a freebie to frameserve. And the stabilizer that comes with PPro is worth exactly what you pay for it. Which is why RED is one of the preferred choices.
My bigger point is, there isn't a free lunch. Speed, cost, and quality are the three items on the menu, but this isn't a case where you get to pick two. All three are slow, so all three are expensive at some level, and all stabilizing softwares have a negative impact on the quality, some more than others. And all are slow. The dual pass types are the best ones, as they make one pass creating vectors and the second pass to stabilize based on the first pass information.

But to come back to point....there are indeed, stabilizers that work in Vegas. They might not be the ones you want, but they do indeed, exist.

Richard Iredale · March 8th, 2009, 09:38 PM

This is an old thread but I wanted to mention that there is now a near-perfect solution to the question of video stabilization. The product is DeShaker, a freeware highly-sophisticated stabilizing program the runs on VirtualDub. In the past, you had to render out the shaky clip, import it into VirtualDub, run Deshaker Pass 1, run Pass 2, then export to Vegas and put it back on the timeline in place of the original clip. Big pain in the neck, and it took a long time.

This has all been automated by a Vegas script written by John Meyer. In my latest project I used the script and it performed brilliantly, making the steadying process completely automatic. The steadied clip shows up on the original timeline as an overlaid take, so you can switch back and forth with the original clip by hitting the "T" key.

DeShaker has, in my opinion, by far the best way of masking black frame edges, which are a necessary by-product of the steadying process. It looks ahead and back by a certain number of frames, and finds edges that best match the frame in question. Sounds bizarre, but in reality it does a remarkably good job of filling in the black edges. What little artifact is left I cover with a 3% or 4% cookie-cutter frame on the finished product.

On my last project virtually every single clip was shot hand-held. I steadied most of the project with the Meyer script, and it turned out beautifully. Looks like I hired a Steadicam operator.

Sam Houchins II · March 9th, 2009, 06:12 AM

so where to get DeShaker and the script?
Thanks...

Mike Kujbida · March 9th, 2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Houchins II

so where to get DeShaker and the script?
Thanks...

Everything you need is right here.

Sam Houchins II · March 9th, 2009, 07:22 AM

Thanks for the ease...

Lee Roberts · March 9th, 2009, 09:11 AM

Ever thought about dropping it in After Effects and knocking out the 'shake' there? It may be a little time consuming, but it gets the job done well.

that .02 will buy you exactly nothing :)

Yi Fong Yu · March 17th, 2009, 09:13 AM

oh my gosh that's freakin' incredible because it's free! lol.

it worx with vegas8 and i presume upcoming 9?

if we install the 64-bit versions of 8 or 9, will deshaker still work? just curious =P. i won't have time to test this until i get my computer back up and running but it sounds promising! i've got hours of shaky footage that need stabilizing =P.

PS will deshaker work with HD?

Nicholas de Kock · March 17th, 2009, 10:38 AM

I gave DeShaker a try and very impressed with it, simply works with the press of one button, fully automated. I'm not sure how it compares to Mercalli as I only had a demo version however DeShaker does an awesome job at stabilizing. Process didn't take long either, works great on HDV aswell.

I've upload a short clip to demonstrate the effectiveness of DeShaker.
Sony Vegas DeShaker on Vimeo

Steve Renouf · March 17th, 2009, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

I gave DeShaker a try and very impressed with it, simply works with the press of one button, fully automated. I'm not sure how it compares to Mercalli as I only had a demo version however DeShaker does an awesome job at stabilizing. Process didn't take long either, works great on HDV aswell.

I've upload a short clip to demonstrate the effectiveness of DeShaker.
Sony Vegas DeShaker on Vimeo

I haven't tried it myself yet but that's a pretty impressive result.

Anthony Auci · March 17th, 2009, 09:58 PM

im running vegas 8 on xp pro and cant get it to work in vegas for the life of me. I either get
I highlighted a clip and ran deshaker. It starts rendering when it gets to the end of the clip for the first pass. Im assuming that because 50 percent of the time is still there. It goes black and I get
error the system cannot find the path specified
or I select a area and it says no video events selected
what am i doing wrong

Graham Bernard · March 18th, 2009, 12:28 AM

Nice sample footage Nico! That HAS to be be near the Kalahari or Bots. . . . ???

You've got the edge in-fill pretty much beaten, 'cept for some in-fill near the car's side mirrors? I did spot some there. The results are quite amazing. I have used DeShaker, SteadyHand and latterly Mercalli. For quick and dirty (and NOT so dirty) steadying DeShaker is superb. But, top of the list is pure Camera Craft and Camera Skills. I don;t understand when some people HAVE a tripod but don;t use it. Have a piece of string and don't use it. Have a perfectly good wall and don't lean against it. Not every physical steady application needs big bucks. Using the tools in a modest way with items to hand makes a craftsman real.

Grazie

ps, I tried to read the "long" signpost at the beginning to get a location? I spent 5 years around SA. Great time and even greater people! I owe them a lot.

Ian Stark · March 18th, 2009, 02:14 AM

Yes, that clip from Nicholas is very impressive - and a good ad for DeShaker, especially as it's free.

I have Mercalli and I've used it to good effect to remove/reduce sudden jarring, dolly/track vibration and a bit of camera motion from the rare occasions when I shoot handheld (I'm with ya Grazie!). I'll certainly have to give DeShaker a whirl, based on that clip.

From the research I've done (not recent, I confess) I have a feeling that each product has it's own merits and failings and an awful lot depends on the original footage and the tweaking abilities of the user.

But there's no getting away from it, those DeShaker results look good.

Dale Guthormsen · March 18th, 2009, 08:13 PM

Good evening,

I have used virtual dubs deshake and I never really had as good of success as I had hoped for, perhaps it was my inabilities that were the problem.

I not to long ago got Mercalli and I have had very good success with it in general.

Defintely try deshake as it is free.

As others have said, good tecnique and avoiding the problem to start is best.

I often shoot at a 3200 mm end of a lens and it is good for taking vibrations you get even off a great tripod!!

Rick Diaz · March 19th, 2009, 09:19 PM

Sorry for my ignorance, but could anyone point me to a link or other step-by-step info on using Deshaker and Virtualdub for this process? I am unfamiliar with scripts in Vegas 8 Pro and I'm unsure of how exactly to get this working. TIA.

March 7th, 2006, 06:42 PM	#16
Yi Fong Yu Trustee Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vulcan Posts: 1,564	DSE, it's well and good if i could travel back in time and do a better job. the fact is, what's done is done. yesh, it's a lesson well learned and the future will bring new corrections. but someone (other than me in the future) will also need the power to save their footage via software image stabillizer. i'm just surprised that such a thing doesn't exist already in vegas as it does premiere pro. perhaps i should give it an install. anyway, if not, i might go with b-fx. __________________ bow wow wow

March 8th, 2009, 09:38 PM	#18
Richard Iredale Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 67	Revisited three years later This is an old thread but I wanted to mention that there is now a near-perfect solution to the question of video stabilization. The product is DeShaker, a freeware highly-sophisticated stabilizing program the runs on VirtualDub. In the past, you had to render out the shaky clip, import it into VirtualDub, run Deshaker Pass 1, run Pass 2, then export to Vegas and put it back on the timeline in place of the original clip. Big pain in the neck, and it took a long time. This has all been automated by a Vegas script written by John Meyer. In my latest project I used the script and it performed brilliantly, making the steadying process completely automatic. The steadied clip shows up on the original timeline as an overlaid take, so you can switch back and forth with the original clip by hitting the "T" key. DeShaker has, in my opinion, by far the best way of masking black frame edges, which are a necessary by-product of the steadying process. It looks ahead and back by a certain number of frames, and finds edges that best match the frame in question. Sounds bizarre, but in reality it does a remarkably good job of filling in the black edges. What little artifact is left I cover with a 3% or 4% cookie-cutter frame on the finished product. On my last project virtually every single clip was shot hand-held. I steadied most of the project with the Meyer script, and it turned out beautifully. Looks like I hired a Steadicam operator.

March 17th, 2009, 09:13 AM	#23
Yi Fong Yu Trustee Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vulcan Posts: 1,564	oh my gosh that's freakin' incredible because it's free! lol. it worx with vegas8 and i presume upcoming 9? if we install the 64-bit versions of 8 or 9, will deshaker still work? just curious =P. i won't have time to test this until i get my computer back up and running but it sounds promising! i've got hours of shaky footage that need stabilizing =P. PS will deshaker work with HD? __________________ bow wow wow

March 18th, 2009, 12:28 AM	#27
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Nice sample footage Nico! That HAS to be be near the Kalahari or Bots. . . . ??? You've got the edge in-fill pretty much beaten, 'cept for some in-fill near the car's side mirrors? I did spot some there. The results are quite amazing. I have used DeShaker, SteadyHand and latterly Mercalli. For quick and dirty (and NOT so dirty) steadying DeShaker is superb. But, top of the list is pure Camera Craft and Camera Skills. I don;t understand when some people HAVE a tripod but don;t use it. Have a piece of string and don't use it. Have a perfectly good wall and don't lean against it. Not every physical steady application needs big bucks. Using the tools in a modest way with items to hand makes a craftsman real. Grazie ps, I tried to read the "long" signpost at the beginning to get a location? I spent 5 years around SA. Great time and even greater people! I owe them a lot. Last edited by Graham Bernard; March 18th, 2009 at 12:59 AM.

March 18th, 2009, 02:14 AM	#28
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Yes, that clip from Nicholas is very impressive - and a good ad for DeShaker, especially as it's free. I have Mercalli and I've used it to good effect to remove/reduce sudden jarring, dolly/track vibration and a bit of camera motion from the rare occasions when I shoot handheld (I'm with ya Grazie!). I'll certainly have to give DeShaker a whirl, based on that clip. From the research I've done (not recent, I confess) I have a feeling that each product has it's own merits and failings and an awful lot depends on the original footage and the tweaking abilities of the user. But there's no getting away from it, those DeShaker results look good. __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

March 9th, 2009, 06:12 AM	#19
Sam Houchins II Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 282	so where to get DeShaker and the script? Thanks...

March 9th, 2009, 07:22 AM	#21
Sam Houchins II Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 282	Thanks for the ease...

March 9th, 2009, 09:11 AM	#22
Lee Roberts Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Memphis Area, SoCal, Jax, and Princeton Posts: 63	Ever thought about dropping it in After Effects and knocking out the 'shake' there? It may be a little time consuming, but it gets the job done well. that .02 will buy you exactly nothing :)

March 17th, 2009, 10:38 AM	#24
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	I gave DeShaker a try and very impressed with it, simply works with the press of one button, fully automated. I'm not sure how it compares to Mercalli as I only had a demo version however DeShaker does an awesome job at stabilizing. Process didn't take long either, works great on HDV aswell. I've upload a short clip to demonstrate the effectiveness of DeShaker. Sony Vegas DeShaker on Vimeo

March 17th, 2009, 09:58 PM	#26
Anthony Auci New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York, New York Posts: 23	im running vegas 8 on xp pro and cant get it to work in vegas for the life of me. I either get I highlighted a clip and ran deshaker. It starts rendering when it gets to the end of the clip for the first pass. Im assuming that because 50 percent of the time is still there. It goes black and I get error the system cannot find the path specified or I select a area and it says no video events selected what am i doing wrong

March 18th, 2009, 08:13 PM	#29
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Good evening, I have used virtual dubs deshake and I never really had as good of success as I had hoped for, perhaps it was my inabilities that were the problem. I not to long ago got Mercalli and I have had very good success with it in general. Defintely try deshake as it is free. As others have said, good tecnique and avoiding the problem to start is best. I often shoot at a 3200 mm end of a lens and it is good for taking vibrations you get even off a great tripod!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

March 19th, 2009, 09:19 PM	#30
Rick Diaz Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 146	Sorry for my ignorance, but could anyone point me to a link or other step-by-step info on using Deshaker and Virtualdub for this process? I am unfamiliar with scripts in Vegas 8 Pro and I'm unsure of how exactly to get this working. TIA.