Hi,

There has already been some discussion about the Beta version of the Mercalli plug in (originated by Muttley on 26 November under the heading "Speaking of plug-ins - Mercalli stabilisation"). The reactions were somewhat mixed but I see that Mercalli are now selling a full version of the plug-in devised specifically for Vegas Versions 7.x and 8.x.

I, too, should like to know if it's any good.

I should also like to know whether anyone has tried it with Sony Version 6.x and, if so, with what results. When I asked ProDad they said they hadn't tried it with 6.x and suggested I should download the trial version to see whether it was compatible but I am reluctant to do this in case it causes a conflict or creates a problem with my existing esiting programme (or am I being unnecessarily cautious?).

Several people have commented favourably about VirtualDub but to use this I believe you have to download this programme as well as the deshaker plug-in along with a specific Codec to make it work with Vegas. To have to make three downloads seems cumbersome if you can achieve the same result with a single programme such as Mercalli.

Regards and A Very Merry Christmas to You Alll.

Richard Jones

I don't think either stabilization program adds any blur. With extreme motion, there is already motion blur in the individual frames and that is what you're seeing. Seeing the blur without the motion makes it quite obvious.

My approach to deshaking is to get the footage as smooth as possible then deshake to get rid of the minor shake. This seems to work extremely well. Footage shot with my Spiderbrace shouldermount or Levelcam hand stabilizer looks just wonderful after running the Deshaker script.

The Deshaker script works wonderfully well, but I still am really interested in the Mercali program.

I am running the demo version of Mercalli and I have to say that I am getting very good results. I compared it to the Deshake script and after 2 passes with Deshake on some footage with minor smooth movement there was still shake but Mercalli was almost rock solid steady. The expert version gives you plenty of controls to steady your footage with several options on how to handle the borders. I will most likely buy Mercalli.

I found the wide variety of controls available in the Mercalli plugin very appealing. I've used DeShaker, and hats off to those who have kept it current, but changing the script is WAY beyond my expertise. If people are finding them similar and Harold seems to have found the Mercalli even better, I'm planning on purchasing it also.

Laurence, your point is a good one that neither program "adds any blur... there is already motion blur... seeing the blur without the motion makes it quite obvious." I think I'll purchase the Mercalli plugin, but I can see situations where I would like to use it but this element you point out may show that it's not always going to look best.

I'll tell you, deshaking video has dramatically changed the way I work. About the only time I use a tripod these days is when I'm either doing an interview or showing off architecture. Aside from that, it's all shoulder mount now. I can shoot in a fraction of the time and the end result is markedly better IMHO.

There are some problems with the Vegas plug-in architecture. Therefore, I think, ProDAD had to create a script as part of the plug-in. The script is located here:
C:\Program files\proDAD\Mercalli-1.0\mc\exo

At the moment the supported render templates are (copied from the script file):

/* Render-Templates

proDAD-Mercalli PAL DV:
Fps = 25
PAR = 1.0926
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli PAL DV Widescreen:
Fps = 25
PAR = 1.457
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli NTSC DV:
Fps = 29.97
PAR = 0.909
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli NTSC DV Widescreen:
Fps = 29.97
PAR = 1.212
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli NTSC DV 24p:
Fps = 23.976
PAR = 0.909
Field = ProgressiveScan

proDAD-Mercalli NTSC DV Widescreen 24p:
Fps = 23.976
PAR = 1.212
Field = ProgressiveScan

proDAD-Mercalli HDV 720-30p:
Fps = 29.97
PAR = 1
Field = ProgressiveScan

proDAD-Mercalli HDV 720-25p:
Fps = 25
PAR = 1
Field = ProgressiveScan

proDAD-Mercalli HDV 1080-60i
Fps = 29.97
PAR = 1.3333
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli HDV 1080-50i
Fps = 25
PAR = 1.3333
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli HDV 1080-24p
Fps = 23.976
PAR = 1.3333
Field = ProgressiveScan

proDAD-Mercalli HD 1080-60i
Fps = 29.97
PAR = 1
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli HD 1080-50i
Fps = 25
PAR = 1
Field = LowerFieldFirst

proDAD-Mercalli HD 1080-24p
Fps = 23.976
PAR = 1
Field = ProgressiveScan

*/

I bought the Expert version the day the plug-in was released. I’m very satisfied with Mercalli (and I have used several other stabilizing programs / plug-ins). Most of all, it’s very fast and accurate. But read the Help file to understand more fully how this excellent plug-in works.

Jøran Toresen

Hi,

It looks as though Mercalli is the way to go. Does anyone know if it will work with Vegas 6?

Regards,

Richard Jones

You can down load the demo and give it a try. It lists Vegas 7 and 8 so I am not sure about 6.

> Does anyone know if it will work with Vegas 6?

The demo does not work in Vegas 6 so I assume they listed only Vegas 7 & 8 for a good reason.

I was extremely impressed by this plug-in and plan to buy it. I just finished working on a friend's high school football highlight video that he shot on his DVD palmcorder. The footage was quite shaky and I use DeShaker to get a lot of the shakes out. I decided to try the same footage on Mercalli and I was totally amazed. The footage was rock solid like it was shot on a tripod. This was noticeably better than the DeShaker footage and I was instantly sold!

~jr

Thanks JR - This I like, I like very much indeed "Processing Multicore CPU support"!

Plus a User interface I can "expertly" adjust. I was often at Dynapel asking for a plugin for Vegas. Is there ANY development link between Dynapel(SteadyHand)<>SteadyMove<>ProDad?

The Example zoom thrus' are just spectacularly steady. Panning is without that Drag n Grab fell.

PLUS at the moment they are throwing in a:

"Bonus: Video-Shaker - now included for free!"

Now THAT is kewl!

You know what? I think at long last we are starting to hear and see more and more plugins for our beloved Vegas? Maybe we kinda seeing a quiet rumbling under the tectonic NLE plates? Maybe people are waking-up to scripts and plugs? Ironic it is about this time we see a stabilizing s/w and its freebie Video-Shaker!!

"Things is Great for 2-0h-0h-8"

Happy Hols!

Grazie - ho ho ho

My hand-held footage is so rock steady that it could use that "shaking effect" so that people don't think I'm wasting time and money on a dolly or something like that... ;-)

Hi and Thanks to JR and Harold,

ProDad told me they hadn't checked Mercalli with Vegas 6 and that they didn't know whether it would work with this version. Their suggestion was that I should download the demo to see whether it works or not. Is there any danger (to programmes/systems or to of introducing a bug into Vegas 6) if I try this?

> Is there any danger (to programmes/systems or to of introducing a bug into Vegas 6) if I try this?

There is always a chance of introducing system instability when you install any software but I have had no problems with having the demo installed. I have Vegas 5, 6, 7 and 8 on my PC and I can tell you it does not work with Vegas 5 & 6. You press the Start video-analysis here button and nothing happens.

So I see no need for you to bother trying it with Vegas 6. It does not work.

~jr

I just ordered it this morning, but I am waiting on my new laptop (which should be here today) before I install it.

Johnny, maybe you could investigate the script that is a part of Mercalli (for Vegas) and find out why it does not work with Vegas 6? I think it is the script that is executed when you press the Start video-analysis her button.

Jøran

I'm in the process of getting the trial version to play with, but in the FAQ they briefly mention the "black border" issue, which is at the heart of all these stabilization programs, in my view.

They say there are three methods of operation. The first is to just leave the black border alone, which implies that the user will crop or zoom the stabilized video to eliminate the border. The second approach is to apparently "stretch" the edge of the image over to the edge of the new frame, covering the black areas. The third is to automatically zoom as necessary.

Okay, so we don't want the black border visible, so that rules out option 1. We don't want any zooming (causes resolution loss) so that eliminates option 3. We're left with an "edge smoothing" effect. The question for me is how well this effect works when compared to DeShaker. That freeware program offers two non-zoom options--the first is a blurring effect (perhaps similar to Mercalli?), and the second involves the use of adjacent frames in an attempt to fill in the black areas.

Which method works best? I don't know at this time, but a little experimentation will sort this out. For those who claim that the Mercalli software produces rock-solid stabilization, I'd suggest trying DeShaker with larger correction values. You can stabilize footage to any degree you want; the downside is that your black borders will grow enormously if you really want to lock down the movement. This is one reason why I much prefer a light DeShaking. My results still look hand-held, but the motion is very smooth and fluid, very similar to a Steadicam.

But to each his own. I will play with this new software when things settle down a bit. It would certainly be nice to have a simplified interface, though maybe that simplification comes at a price.

EDIT:
Doggone it, the double-post (here and below) was not my doing. Something's messed up in the forum software.

Which method works best?

Shooting steady footage to begin with. Plain and simple. Some people are just lazy, and want to fix all problems in post.

I like Deshaker using the adjacent frames and the look isn't bad. You can see the added frames but it does blend pretty good. The blurring that Mercalli uses might be OK with certain backgrounds or where very little edging is being created. You could get creative if you have Mercalli create a static border area by placing titles or overlays on top of it. Also you don't have to go for tripod results. Just reducing shake might be good enough.

Shaking camera means blurred frames that cannot be fixed so making it steady in post can only help solve the annoyance of bad footage but sometimes that is what you get and that is what can earn your dollars as well. I have received footage from a pro that was too shaky to use. Probably last minute stuff at the end of the shoot. Plus with deshake you can make the subject steady but the background can be moving which has a strange look to it.

I have footage that I took walking with my wife on the beach. No tripod, it is just spontaneous and it has meaning. It isn't jumpy and it is watchable but deshake makes it nice. I wouldn't expect that from a professional but then not all of them have dollys or steadicams.

Just watched the latest Bourne video on our TV (Bourne Identity? Bourne Conspiracy? Bourne Again? Something like that).

Anyway, a lot of the movie was shot in that "Law and Order" style of handheld where you make sure you put in extra shake just to give things a certain "edge." No thanks. I get my edge from caffeine.

Shooting steady footage to begin with. Plain and simple. Some people are just lazy, and want to fix all problems in post.

That shows a stunning lack of understanding of what other people do for a living.

Reasons why even a pro needs this technology:

1. You are an event videographer and you have no idea what is going to happen next, so you must shoot hand-held. Even a pro has shaky hands, especially when shooting telephoto.

2. You are given footage by someone else and must use it in your production.

3. You don't have time to lock down, but need to get the shot.

4. You need to shoot from a moving car, helicopter, etc., but don't have the $$$ for the Stedicam equipment.

5. You restore old film and video for a living and ALL of the material given to you has significant gate weave (some call it "judder"). This can be eliminated using this technology.

However, for those of you who never take a shot off a tripod, were born smart, and never make a mistake, then everything in this thread probably seems pretty stupid. I can't even imagine, however, why such a person would even bother to read a thread like this.

The point is, for anyone who has read even a few posts on this forum, the range of what people do with their cameras to earn their living is absolutely amazing, and for some, this technology isn't just nice to have, and it isn't just a patch to cover up being too lazy or sloppy when taking the original video: this technology is essential.

You need to shoot from a moving car, helicopter, etc., but don't have the $$$ for the Stedicam equipment.

Thats me! I often have to shot one boat while in another boat. Have mde my own steadycam devic thats works ok but still cant afford a pro kit or a Kenyon labs gyro which would help immensly. Just tried the mercalli product and have John's deshaker script. Both make incredible difference in the end result. So lets see for the time being...120.00 for Mercalli and Deshaker for free-vs a pro steadycam setup of any quality and a 3000.00 gyro....
i'll post footage soon.

>>Anyway, a lot of the movie was shot in that "Law and Order" style of handheld where you make sure you put in extra shake just to give things a certain "edge." No thanks. I get my edge from caffeine.<<

Amen!