Make uneven panning speed appear appear smoother?

[TT814]

I have VideoStudio Pro 2019 Ultimate. I'm relatively new to video editing but have looked at all the tutorials. While recording, I apparently was not very good at keeping the camera moving at a constant speed. Parts of the pan move quicker than others. Is there a way to make it look smoother (same panning speed throughout?)
Thanks.
TT814

[Ken Berry]

Welcome to the forum!

To start with, though, I assume your reference to VS 2019 was a typo, and you meant VS 2018 which is the latest version.

I'm afraid that I don't know of a way to achieve what you want with existing video. Others may have other ideas, and I too will look forward to hearing them if they are presented here.

Like you, I also worry about the speed of pans, and used to try to keep them both slow and as steady as possible when holding the camera in my hands. However, as definition continued to increase and the slightest hand shake or change of panning speed became more obvious, about 10 years ago I finally invested in a decent tripod with a fluid head, and that made all the difference. Velbon still have these at a price well under US$100.

[TT814]

Thanks, Ken, for your reply. I thought that was probably the case. And 2019 was a typo. I'll look into the tripod.

[tletter]

Is there a way to make it look smoother

Assuming that you are referring to a video clip then there are two techniques that you might explore:

1. Use of the Mercalli filter
2. Use of the Variable Speed option on the clip

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[Ken Berry]

I had thought of the variable speed control and was originally going to suggest it. But then I thought you could end up with an even wider variety of speeds in the one clip. But I guess getting pretty close is better than having some parts more obviously faster or slower.

Does Mercalli work with speed? I have only ever used it to largely remove shakes...

[TT814]

Thanks for the responses. I researched the Mercalli filter and with the version that comes with WSP 2018 Ultimate, it removes shakes but doesn't correct panning speed. I'm going to try the Variable Speed option, and see what I can do. If I have any success, I'll post it.

[tletter]

I researched the Mercalli filter and with the version that comes with WSP 2018 Ultimate, it removes shakes but doesn't correct panning speed.

Having never seen your video, I've no idea what all the issues are, but there are probably several issues at play that ought to be corrected.

Is there a way to make it look smoother

Mercalli V2 Plug-In "Eliminates jitter in video, even in zoom/pan moves".

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[TT814]

I already used the Mercalli V2 plugin to eliminate the jitter in the panning, and that worked fine. However, it doesn't also smooth out the uneven panning speed, which is what I'm trying to do. Thanks for taking the time to offer help.

[gewb]

Variable Speed is the best tool in VS2018 but will take some finess. You would need to clip the segment with the speed changes then use Variable Speed to set key frames an asign a value, slower or faster, and build your speed profile - up, down, steady, up, down, etc.

It will take some time and not be perfect but it could be an improvement.

[TT814]

Thanks so much for the details. I'll take the time and see how it works. I'll post back if it makes a real difference.

[lata]

Hi
I am not on the pc to check but you may have problems applying Mercalli then Variable speed
changing the frames using variable speed may force Mercalli to rescan
You may have to apply Mercalli, render the project then apply Variable

Variable first the Mercalli may work, still think there may be problems

[tletter]

you may have problems applying Mercalli then Variable speed

The Mercalli video analysis must be executed after all filters that affect the timing or size of a clip are applied. That being said, Mercalli and the Variable Speed option are compatible in my experience.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter