Stabilization

Imagine that the video sequence you just have loaded is slightly shaking. It's a common situation when you're using cameras fixed to a mobile support, for examples hand-held video footages, video sequences shot on a boat, etc.

Source Image Slight shakes

It is possible to avoid these undesired shakes by adjusting each images as the sequence goes along. If you proceed image after image it can be quickly tiresome. Fortunately, the Stabilization 1 point and 2 points effects will take it in charge.

Stabilization 1 Point

To use this effect, you will have to define an Origin point and a Destination point on your image. The effect will then automatically pan the image by to bringing the Origin point onto the Destination point. This operation will stabilize the image.

Here is an example below: the cameraman has shaken a little bit while shooting the sequence. We can define one of the yellow points below as the Origin point, and estimate that this it should be at the position of the Destination point (at the extremity of the yellow arrow) if the camera had not shaken. As soon as these points are defined, the Stabilization effect will do a panning that will bring the Origin point onto the Destination point. The footage will not shake anymore.

Origin point Horizontal and Vertical camera movements Destination point

You can argue that each positions of the Origin and of the Destination points are different for each image, which make the process tiresome. That's why, at this stage, using a path for the Origin and/or Destination points can speed up the process, especially paths created with the Pixel Tracker (which will be reviewed in the following pages of this manual).

Stabilization 2 Points

This effect works just like the Stabilization 1 Point one but requires two Origin and two Destination points.

The Stabilization 1 Point effects is especially useful to adjust horizontal and vertical camera shakes. Using the Stabilization 2 Points tends to also fix the slight rotation or Z-axis zoom movements (this effect takes the distance and the angle between the Origin points into account, which improves the final result).

In the example below, the cameraman has rotated a little bit the camera while shooting the sequence. If you define two origin and two destination points in the effect and check the Rotation box, the effect will then calculate the x° rotation angle of the image and makes the Source and Destination points coincide. (see below at the extremity of the arrows)

2 Origin points Rotation moves of the camera 2 Destination points

If the camera has zoomed a little bit while the sequence was recorded, you will have to use the same process and check the Scale button. Check the Fill button to remove the borders by tiling the image.