Brightening Dark Video Clips

[johnrr6]

I have a new Casio EX-FH20 that takes superb slow motion video that I use to anayze my HS baseball team hitters.

It records at 210 FPS in a motion jpeg format that gets saved as a .avi file which is easily dumped via USB to a computer and played by just about anything.

The video is quite crisp and with the frame rate, I get zero motion blur and a bat that doesn't look like three bats because of the speed.....

But there is one issue. I have to have EXCELLENT light.

I filmed 40 of my Varsity and JV hitters in our Gym on Sunday which has pretty darn good Tungsten lighting.....

But boy----the videos were still dark. I can still use them----but it would sure be nice if I could fix the overall brightness of these slow motion clips.

I know VS X2 has some "filters"

What do you guys recommend I try to brighten up these hitting clips??

[mitchell65]

Try the "Brightness and Contrast" filter!

[sjj1805]

Please view:
Using the Auto Color & Tone video filters.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Johnrr6

I would try the ¡¥Auto Exposure¡¦ and/or ¡¥Auto Levels¡¦

Or a combination of both.

Not being able to see the actual video makes it difficult to choose the right option.

Its really a trial and error on your part.

Be careful when using some filters as the levels change as the clip plays.
Customization is required for some of the filters.

[Ken Veal]

or,
click color correction then use the brightness slider
or
click auto tone adjustment and choose an option via the drop down arrow ...............Ken

[johnrr6]

Thanks fellas----will try your suggestions and let you know how it turned out!!

[jbarchuk]

I have a new Casio EX-FH20

I filmed 40 of my Varsity and JV hitters in our Gym on Sunday which has pretty darn good Tungsten lighting.....

What do you guys recommend I try to brighten up these hitting clips??

These are more camera rather than VS comments but still useful and relevant.

I just looked up this camera and it looks excellent. I'm a big fan of casio along with olympus along with my favorite canon.

Can I safely guess that there's also window light coming in? If yes then you've also got 'mixed light' color balance issues (and someone did mention auto tone.)

Suggest: At shoot time you've got a manual white balance in there. A few minutes setup up front saves a lot of annoyance-adjustment later, or maybe at least 'less adjustment.'

I wonder though, were you viewing TTL or the screen, and what did the image look like at shoot time? I tend to trust less what I see there and use histogram more. But that casio doesn't have that, which may make manual WB much more useful.

[johnrr6]

I played with the White Balance and set the lighting to a manual setting to match the Gym lighting but it seemed the "auto" setting just did better.

There was NO outside lighting-----the Gym has no windows---but the lighting is pretty bright.

There IS a histogram setting for the Casio----I saw it in the manual somewhere----I just haven't set it.

When you set up the shot----the screen on the LCD is bright and clear----the second you push recor----that's when the LCD darkens down. And what you see on the LCD as you record is remarkably similar to how the video looks on a computer.

With outside light----even at 210 FPS----the video is nice and bright----no problems.

The Casio EX-FH20 is really a groundbreaking camera/camcorder-----especially for coaches or folks that want to break down movements and skills.

[johnrr6]

OK----partially solved----the Auto Tone and color correction Filter was fabulous and worked like a charm.

BUT----I thought our Gym was Tungsten lighting when it actually is a strange kind of flourescent can lighting.

The flicker in the slow motion clips is really distracting----with or without the brightness filter.

Is there some kind of anti flicker correction filter specifically fo video shot under flourescent lighting???

I think I should have overridden the auto white balance on the Casio and just set it for Flourescent to begin with.....

But it's too late for that now----Live and learn.

[Ken Veal]

File-Preerences-Edit Tab

[Ron P.]

I think the anti-flickering filter in VS is meant for image clips. I've looked around at the various video filters, and find there really is not a video specific anti-flicker filter, that comes with VS. You may want to look at some commercial filter plug-in packages for this.

[johnrr6]

Ron----can you steer me in the right direction....

I looked at NewBlue---are there some other companies that sell a plug in for VideoStudio?

NewBlue has an "Anti flash" filter that I will download the trial and test---but I'm not sure that will work....

[sjj1805]

Video Shot Under Fluorescent lighting eh!
Try doing what I had to do about a year ago when I took some video film at my sons wedding. Some idiot messed with my camcorder without my knowledge and put the night shot plus setting to ON.
Later when I came to view the video it was so green it was like one of those things the Army - or James Bond might use to see in the dark.

Ditch the colour and use "Black and White" (just turn the saturation setting right down). Use just the best bits and throw in whatever stills you might have so you get a slide show interspersed with video clips.

[johnrr6]

I emailed NewBlue and ProDad to ask them for suggestions.

In the meantime----I played around with some filters in VirtualDub and different NewBlue filters like "Remove Flash"

The Anti flicker filter for VirtualDub had little effect and after looking at the docs for it-----it appears to have been made more for flickering caused by frame rate differences more than lighting differences----8mm film etc.

New Blue Remove Flash was a little better---but not much....

Then---I stumbled on the simple "motion blur" filter in VirtualDub and BINGO!!

It slightly blurs together adjacent frames and although my slow motion baseball bat is slightly blurred-----it is still ENTIRELY useable for slow motion analysis------and it virtually removed the flicker.

Combine that filter with a simple levels and contrast filter also included in VirtualDub......

And the clip is entirely useable after one pass and exports as an .avi.

So I think I have fixed it enough until I figure out a better lights setting for the Casio when I film in our gym.

My next challenge is to figure out good settings for a little hand held Kodak Zi8 hand camcorder that films at 1080p----but the setting I am more interested in is the 720p at 60 FPS.

That 60 FPS is attractive for slow motion----and the size of the thing looks like it would be a nice quick camcorder I could lug in my pocket to the practice field.

Video is EVERYTHING to these young players. You can talk about a skill till your blue in the face----even demo it. But until they see themselves doing it wrong (or right) on video----I find they just don't make adjustments.

[Black Lab]

The 60 fps should also solve your fluorescent light problem, as those lights operate at 60 Hz (in the U.S. anyway)

More info on the subject: All About Fluorescent Light Flicker in Cameras!