Has anyone worked out the logic behind the new S14 stablize plug-in?

To start, it doesn't seem to obey the same "background render" rules as the the rest of the plug-ins.

And, if you put the cursor into the clip, background render sometimes seems to stop.

Doesn't look to me as if it's been particularly well intergrated into Studio. And as someone else has pointed out, you can't add Speed at the same time.

The help file is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.....

Jeff, I haven't noticed anything particularly unusual with BG rendering the stabilize plug-in, although it appears that it stops when you take the focus out of the timeline.  So far, I've been fairly impressed with its capabilities (using HDV video).   However, I haven't created any output yet, so can't comment about another user's bad experience with creating a file or DVD.  Have you had any problems with this?

Kayla & I were the only ones to successfully Install Mercalli Trial, in S11 & 10, respectively. Rendering is CPU specific (Taking a very long time) & poss Speed Effect. IMO, you would need to Render both separately to File DV-AVI 1st (With Backgtound Rendering off).. There were 2 Versions of Mercalli; Light & Expert?, which was for severe de-stabilization. Before you could use that, you needed a more powerful CPU than for the Light. Kayla's single core CPU at the time, was insufficient. Whereas my dual core was. However I & many others had little success. In a number of cases, applying Mercalli made the de-stabilization worse. Applying the OverScan where the De-stabilization was worse, cut off part of the Image, after Rendering.

Mike Shaw on VFF Posted some info re: playing around with the parameters at the time, to get an acceptable stabilization, using Mercalli.

Whether or not the same applies to S14 Stabilizer, I don't know. However, if S14 Stabilizer is the same as Liquid's, why did the Liquidizers go for Mercalli?

Mercalli didn't appear to be what it was cracked-up to be, Maybe S14 Stabilizer is the same?     

colour:

Mercalli didn't appear to be what it was cracked-up to be, Maybe S14 Stabilizer is the same?     

Hi Peter,

Mind if I join in for a moment?  I've used Mercalli (the expert version) on a few jobs and have had success with it.  You generally have to be prepared to give up video quality around the edge to get an improvement in the centre of the field.  I've used it on two different types of output, one from a twenty year old tape camera and the other on material shot in AVCHD and converted to HDV2.  Both came out showing some improvement.

I have S14 but haven't tried the new stabiliser yet.  I'm just rebuilding after a system crash (made worse by my Ghost backup being useless ) so I hope to be able to check the S14 stabiliser later in the week.

Hi Greg

I think I'm seeing diiferent behaviour dependant on which computer I'm using, or what the source material is. 

I was seeing a "rendering" box on my desktop before I could play a clip that had the new stablize effect added, but I currently can't reproduce the message on my laptop.

They have either already processed or used steadicam for much of the OurNatureAdventure video. I've taken the 6th clip (with the cute kids waving through the the slot)

With background rendering turned off, If I apply a Stablize effect on my laptop, I can't reproduce what I was seeing on my desktop. I might have to go back to AVI material to discover the difference.

Hi Peter

I played around with the Mercalli trial as well, and I think you are right in saying the it seemed to require a seperate pass of rendering. I think that what I might have seen on my desktop with the Avid stablize, but I don't think they are the same software.

Humm....

The S14 stabilizer is supposed to be a sibling of the AMC tool.  Mercalli may (or may not) use comparable algorithms, but is not the S14 tool.  Mercalli Expert is supposed to be for HDV and is best rendered in sub-projects.  If you try it in a primary project, the effect seems to disappear, or require a rehash, if you close and reopen the project.  It can help stabilize moderately shakey footage, with some trade-off in image quality, burred interlacing, or object distortion.  The more complex the motion or objects, the more difficult the stabilization.  It works OK for a bird or aircraft, but not if the object darts in and out of the frame too much.  Against more complex backgrounds, it helps if there is a level horizon or something like lines on a road.  There are lots of "expert" custom adjustments available in Mercalli, but too little documentation or user assistance.  Trial and error eventually let's pick whatever works best.  So two hours pass and 15 to 20 seconds of video is a little less shaky but now looks fuzzy and has a funny border. 

People experimenting with S14's stabilizer might best check whether it works at all in the context of a full timeline, which then gets exported and rendered, or must be done stand-alone and then imported into a primary timeline.   Don't rely on the live preview per se.  Presumably, the manual is no help.

To render HDV takes plenty of CPU and patience.  To stabilize AVCHD is a major proposition, unless done in a sub-unit and with footage that is not hopelessly complex and shaky.

A bright idea: sell Studio with one of those gimbled hand stabilizers in lieu of the green screen!