Tree Shadows turn blue

[thoneter]

Shot some video at a state park and the shadows turned blue and get worse when color adjustments are done. Anyone know what causes this anomoly? I've done no adjustments and this is a screen shot of the video.

 

[AeroJ]

OK, the CGO3+ camera is a bit infamous for putting blue in the shadows in some white balance modes and lighting conditions, and usually the single definitive answer to that is to use Sunset Mode, the main function of which is to keep shadows black, then to lock that in for the duration of the flight. But your footage doesn't look like that is the problem - that is WAY blue - far more than WB mode should ever be doing - this isn't a subtle bluish cast, this looks like full on-colour replacement, and only on some shadows, which might suggest it's something more serious. What was your white balance mode, was it locked, and what was your exposure doing ? Also has it ever done this before ?

 

[thoneter]

First time I've had this issue. The WB on both of my 480's seems to never lock even if I do lock. The WB was all over the place on the video. Flying into the sun the video was quite dark and then it would lighten up depending how many trees/shadows were in the shot. I thought it was the result of me color correcting and exposure correcting but I went back and looked into the original video.

 

[AeroJ]

Ok, well that tells us...something. If WB was all over the place, is there any possibility you reset it by mistake, like by pushing on the d-pad controls for example, which resets WB and removes the lock the first time you do it ?

 

[thoneter]

Doubtful but I'm pretty focused on where I'm flying versus the controller. My issue is usually switching from video to dual layer images. The WB usually goes wonky when I do this so I've stopped doing WB before I take off. Sounds like you've got a lot more experience with the WB on video than I do. I've never had the WB vacillate this much during a video. Thanks for the input.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Are you using auto exposure, or manual? Constantly changing lighting will result in a wide change in exposure in auto which will also affect color. Use manual exposure settings, if at all possible.

 

[PatR]

Also, avoid using auto corrections for WB and contrast in your processing programs.

Might you post the original photo file here for others to work with it?

 

[thoneter]

I've been doing full frame Nikon shooting for some time. I'm pretty frustrated with the cgo3+ settings. I used to do a real WB using a white card or grey card before lift off. I'd lock the settings and then when I switched from video to dual layer panos or visa versa the lock would come off and it happens with both of my 480's. I shoot more panos than video but this is the first time I've ran across this anomaly and it's pretty overt. I did do a pano before the video so I'm assuming this is where the trouble originated.

If you guys ever get out and do panos try and do a video first with the settings locked and see what happens for you guys. I haven't done a single picture in years. I doubt I got 2 H's with the same issues but who knows. When doing the pano the WB really does go wacky when you hit the sun and then go to the ground. Many times I have to stop the pano after doing 1 or 2 images to get the wb back to acceptable. Going back to vid after a pano has never presented an issue in the past. Hopefully it's the last.

 

[thoneter]

Also, avoid using auto corrections for WB and contrast in your processing programs.

Might you post the original photo file here for others to work with it?

I don't do auto WB in Lightroom, Premiere or PS. The blue in the shadows is a screen capture of an unedited video.

It's a screen grab of a video but I'll post again if you'd like or I can post the clip.

 

[thoneter]

Here's a clip of the clip.

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To big for the media section to upload there.

 

[rdonson]

I've looked at the 4K video a few times and a couple of things come to my mind.

- lens flare from shooting into the sun
- auto WB or auto exposure caused the blue
- artifacts from processing the video though you say the clip is straight out of the camera
- artifacts from YouTube though you say though that you see it on your computer
- aliens have invaded your CGO3+ (my admission that I've run out of ideas)

Question: have you increased the sharpening in the CGO3+ camera?

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

- aliens have invaded your CGO3+ (my admission that I've run out of ideas)

Naw... if it was that, he would be sunburned on the left side only...

 

[rdonson]

Good point EEV!

That brings up my final idea for the mysterious blue shadows.

@thoneter were you using any ND filters in that shot???

 

[thoneter]

Yes to the filter no to the aliens. No editing was done except to clip the video to make it shorter. The way it looks on youtube is the way it looks on my PC. I've done a fair share of videos with the filter on and shooting into the sun. This is the first to show this anomaly. WB has always been a thorn in my side on the cgo3+.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

If I had to venture a hypothesis, I might put it on the lighting conditions, angle of the sun and unfortunately, the CGO3+ POS dynamic range...

 

[PatR]

Good point EEV!

That brings up my final idea for the mysterious blue shadows.

@thoneter were you using any ND filters in that shot???

Funny you mention filters. That blue cast was precisely why I stopped using a new set of Freewell filters in the early days of my first H. Much of what was in the shade of an early morning tree lined water shoot was shaded lightly blue and purple. It wasn’t there with the filter removed.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

The often used standard UV filter will decrease blue in the shadows, however you have to get higher end ND filters that also incorporate UV or IR filtering. Nothing that would fit the H, but standard 39 and 40.5 MM sizes are available for the H Plus.

Tiffen 40.5mm Solid Neutral Density Infrared (IR) 1.2 W405IRND12

Formatt Hitech 40.5mm Hot Mirror/Neutral Density BF 405HMHDMD124

 

[thoneter]

So it looks like the culprit is the Freewell filters. Makes sense. Must be the angle of the sun hitting the filter and the height of the H. First time I had this.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Among ND filters for the H, the PolarPro set is the way to go

Yuneec Typhoon 4K Filter 3-Pack

 

[thoneter]

I think I have the polar but old age fails me. Bought them from best buy