Thanks in advance.
Friday 5 March 2010
Tracking using 5D
Hi Guys another question here, I know the other side of the class had some major probs tracking 5D shots so here goes... A friend of mine is going to purchase a 5D and wanted to ask if I could track some night time footage he is going to shoot. The 5D has had a firmware update so it can shoot 25 fps now. Anyone have any ideas?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Man , I was able to track night footage shot with my crappy Canon Powershot using PFTrack !! Not bragging or anything , just stressing the fact that you can easily do it for sure if you plan things correctly .
ReplyDeleteJust make sure he shoots a grid with the same focal length of the shoot , doesn't change focal length while shooting ( no autofocusing either ) , & put some proper contrasting tracking markers ( I remember Lee mentioning fluorescent trackers if possible ). All I did was throw some leaves ( those that have white backs ) on the floor , that's it ( I don't know if you've seen it , but its the car crash one I did ) . Automated track almost did all the work for me .
Of course depending on the shot , you might have to deal with rolling shutter ( causing straight lines to bend if the camera goes sudden movements ) , which if not corrected , will surely screw up your track . That is the main problem we had with our footage . There is a plugin by the foundry that Tu referred to somewhere here that fixes it ( found it : http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/pkg_overview.aspx?ui=47C4AB50-4636-4326-87D1-FB380B2119EF ) , so make sure to get your hands on it , you will definitely need it .
Also , if you happen to be there with him , make sure to plan everything correctly . For example , not to have too many people moving in the foreground if you can help it for example ( will save you a TON of work trying to mask them ) ... etc etc .
A few tips for ya :
* If you feel that the shot is too dark , or there aren't enough details , you can always take it into After Effects for example & process it . For example , increase the contrast with curves or levels .
* You can try to remove the noise in AE ( this is a double edges sword though , as with more noise removed , you get less detail in the footage ) .
* night shots always cause noise , especially in the blue channel . So you can try to track just the red & green channels & switch off the blue .
Good luck buddy ;)
thats awesome thanks buddy! one question, how do you mean shoot a grid?
ReplyDeleteWell , for my project , I simply shot one of those grid papers you get in math books , you know ? Just try to center it correctly . & remember , do NOT change the focus after you've shot the grid ;) .
ReplyDelete