HDV still image capture for stop motion...

grig wrote on 5/8/2009, 4:36 AM
Hi,

is there a way to capture a still image in HDV mode from a HDV camera (not in VCR mode) for stop motion?
I mean directly from the "lens" of the camera, not from the tape!

I saw that it's possible in the DV capture mode ("capture image" button), but I don't see anything similar in HDV capture mode!

And even better if possible, is it possible to capture in the same way but from a digital photo camera (direct from the "lens", not an access to files already on the card of the camera)?

thanx!

*Sorry for my approximative english!

GriG

Comments

Earl_J wrote on 5/8/2009, 4:53 AM
Hello Grig,
I have captured video from a still camera in other video editing packages. I do not have a still camera with IEEE-1394 connections at the moment, so I have not tried it yet.
Get a still camera with an IEEE-1394 connection (Firewire); hook it to the computer; it should recognize the camera as a DV device with an IEEE-1394 signal; then begin the capture. all the computer wants is a Firewire data stream - it should not matter if it is from a tape, a video camera, or a still picture camera.
I mentioned this technique in another forum but have not yet received any confirmation that it works.
_ _ _
Unfortunately, I do not do any HDV just yet, so do not yet know about capturing a still through an HDV camera will work.
For what you're attempting, I've always used the still capture capability in the editing stage - that way I get an exact still of the video and not a "close" still that "almost" matches the video frame ahead of the freeze frame.
I think you know that. . .
_ _ _
Until that time... Earl J.
grig wrote on 5/8/2009, 5:22 AM
ok, thx Earl, but if the still camera has firewire connection and is recognized as a DV device, what about the resolution of the picture captured?
Will it be limited by the DV format (720x576 in PAL) or will I have the picture format (size) of the still camera?

Thx!
;)
GriG
farss wrote on 5/8/2009, 6:00 AM
If you're trying to do stop frame animation probably best to use a still camera. Some will let you capture directly over USB I think. Even without that you can fit a lot of still images onto current sized flash cards. Once you've filled one just download all your stills.

If you don't want to spend any money you can used Vegas to capture a second or so of video (HDV) from the camera and extract one frame from each clip. Tedious but free.

The problem is that what comes out of a HDV camera when it sends HDV down the firewire port is not discrete frames. The 'capture' software basically needs a whole 'GOP' to be able to a frame.

DV is sent encoded as discrete frames so it's simple to extract a single frame from the stream.

Bob.
reberclark wrote on 5/8/2009, 8:10 AM
I have used StopMotion Maker Advance and it works well with my HD camera. But there is a StopMotion Maker HD offered as well (haven't used it yet). www.stopmotionmaker.com
grig wrote on 5/10/2009, 3:44 AM
Ok, Thx a lot guyz!

;)
GriG
Steve_Rhoden wrote on 5/10/2009, 5:42 AM

You can also achieve some excellent stop motion effects however
using the CreativEase plugin from Pixelan.
richard-amirault wrote on 5/10/2009, 6:25 AM
I don't have a HD camcorder, but I can take HD stop motion with my DSLR or point & shoot digtial camera by using an intervalometer to take photos, continuosly at xx second intervals.

My point & shoot has the intervalometer built in. My DSLR does not but I bought an external, adjustable infrared trigger device to do the same thing with that camera.

One thing .. you'll need to reduce the resolution of your digital camera. Shooting 8 or 10 meg images is way overkill for this. Something like 2 meg images will still give you HD video and save space on your data card, as well as making it a lot easier on Vegas when you import them.

Once you've shot your images just upload them to your computer then import them to the Vegas timeline as a group. You'll need to set "prefrences" to have each image last as long as one frame (or whatever you want) but that's easy to do.

This is a lot easier, IMHO, than dragging your computer around to import from your camcorder.
farss wrote on 5/10/2009, 6:38 AM
Maybe I'm wrong here but I think Grig is shooting stop motion not timelapse.
Of course a DSC is a good way to shoot stop motion but it'd be unusual to use an intervalometer.
Probably the reason he wants to directly download into his PC from the DSC is so he can be certain he doesn't move it even in the slightest.

Bob.
Earl_J wrote on 5/10/2009, 7:11 AM
Hello Grig,
apologies for the delay...
If you hook up a still camera to capture images, it will come in at whatever resolution you select on the camera... so if it is capable of full HD and you set it for that, the image captured should be full HD. . . don't forget to put Vegas into the HDV mode as well. . . if you stick in SD and import HD, Vegas will down-convert ... hmmm ... maybe not; (need a little help on this one).
We have a hD still camera at work and I'll make sure I bring it home tomorrow and play with it a bit... to verify what I just said.

Until that time. . . Earl J.
richard-amirault wrote on 5/10/2009, 2:34 PM
Maybe I'm wrong here but I think Grig is shooting stop motion not timelapse.

Yes .. my mistake .. but it seems to me that the principal is the same except no intervalometer would be needed.
reberclark wrote on 5/10/2009, 3:31 PM
The principle is the same - with StopMotion Maker you can set an automatic interval to take a frame (for metered timelapse) or you can just reposition your model and take a frame (or two) as you choose. In my limited investigation of this it seems most stop motion programs work this way.