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Video is very grainy

Joined
Jul 19, 2018
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Rancho Cucamonga, CA
I can't seem to get the video playback to be high def; it is very grainy. If I play the raw video, it is choppy, i.e. does not play back smoothly but in starts and stops. After I process it through Camtasia, it is very grainy. That does not occur with other videos I process with Camtasia. I wonder what I might be doing wrong?

Any thoughts on how you "process" your videos will be welcome. Thanks

Btw, Is there a playback feature on the ST-16?
 
So you are talking about a Typhoon H right ? Only you don't actually say which camera you are using ! Do you mean the CGO3+ ? :)

If so, what were your video record settings ? (Exposure, ISO, Video Mode, resolution). And what were lighting conditions like where you filmed ? Best thing to do is upload a short example of what you are getting to youtube or similar, then link it here so we can see what problems you are experiencing...

Also wondering why you are using Camtasia to edit, that is primarily screen capture software isn't it ?! You want DaVinci Resolve 15 Public Beta for editing and grading footage ideally, which is nice and free, and better than almost anything else...

Lastly, yes there is a playback feature available from the main flight screen on the ST-16 if you have latest firmware. However, note this plays back only the low quality stream that was recorded by the controller itself, separately to what was recorded on the camera. If you want to play back that footage on the ST-16 that is also possible if you move the card from the CGO3+ into the SD slot on the ST-16 and then use the android file manager to play it back. Note, however that if you have filmed at anything above 30 FPS the tablet will struggle to play that back smoothly wherever the video is coming from...
 
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Hello AeroJ, thank you for the reply. Sorry about the assumptions, lol. I'm very new to this and don't even realize all the "other possibilities". Yes, it is the CG03 on the Typhoon H.

I haven't figured out yet how to set the video parameters, so I'm filming at whatever the default setup was/is. As you mention, it could be the FPS is too high and it doesn't convert very well. I use Camtasia because it gives me the best all-around editing and processing results (generally :) ). Incidentally, when I load up the video to edit it, the image is very sharp and clear in still mode. I suspect then it must be a frame rate issue.
 
Ah Ok, as I remember the TH defaults to auto white balance, Gorgeous Mode, Auto exposure, 4K @30FPS.

None of those settings are great :)

4K video requires quite a hefty computer to play back at full frame rate - the files are so huge, and the data rate very large, so lesser machines will struggle.
The answer to that is to record in 1080P at either 30 or preferably 60 FPS (this allows you slow footage down in a 30FPS project file with no loss of frame resolution). 1080P still looks good on youtube, and can be played back without framerate issues on most modern computers.

Now, the Auto settings, and why we don't use them...

If you keep WB on Auto, and don't lock it, you will find that every time your camera is pointing at the sun, the whole image will colour shift more towards yellow, and back again when you turn away, pretty much ruining most video you take in that mode ! You may also notice short white flashes, which are also only present in this mode.

Exposure settings are also important, and again manual wins the day every time - by clearly exposing for the sky OR the ground, not some hazy average of both you can get clear professional-looking footage from that camera.

There are videos that go into the practical setup of all that...here's a good one...

I should mention that before you setup any of the camera controls, bump a D-pad (once up, once down), which resets WB/Exposure the first time you do it after system power on, THEN setup your camera before launch. Do White Balance on the ground, and set manual exposure and rough exposure setting that is mostly right, then when in the air, point the camera at what you are exposing for first (normally the ground) and change the exposure setting until it is correct, then begin the flight. When you want to include the sky in shots, point the craft at a bit of sky 90 degrees round from where the sun is, stop and hover, adjust exposure way down so the sky isn't whiting-out and flaring. then resume the flight, stopping again to set it as often as required based on when you change the gimbal tilt. That approach will give you the maximum amount of usable shots for your time in the air.

As for why stuff might be grainy - this happens when light levels are low, or ISO is set too high. The CGO3+ doesn't like low light conditions, and does least well in them, however with all-manual settings can give decent results even then...

Hope that helps...
 
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Also as I found out, early to mid morning with ND filter causes graininess.
So I set a max at; ISO at 100, shutter speed 125 with NDF, again early morning.
Of course it depends what you are capturing and sky conditions. For me its all been trial and errors.:rolleyes:
 
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