Ask Petra: YouTube Vlogging and Techy Stuff

[Fossil Bluff]

@Fossil Bluff Always wondered to how much time is added each day filming out on the Trail. IE Walking ahead placing the camera to go back and walk in to view with the camera and the same walking away from the camera to then going back to retrieve the camera, through out the day etc.

I've found it interesting, either your running / walking or your going out to film while running / walking to where you want to film. A forty minute run took 4 hours to set up, and a good day to edit.

 

[theoctagon]

Enjoying your channel so far, subscribed

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Enjoying your channel so far, subscribed

Thank you... I think the next one needs to involve a wild camp.

 

[Diddi]

Pixelation is essentially lack of information on the screen due to compression. More you compress the video, more you'll see pixels lumped together creating bigger blocks. This is why the source material is very important. Higher the quality source material, better the result after compression. More movement = more information = when compressed, the same information is pushed through the same compression pipe = still video (less information) comes out higher quality than fast moving video (more information). This is where VBR, variable bit rate comes into play, which allows larger margins of compression but still achieving the same or even better result, smaller file size. Compression also does things like reduces colour depth. It's more about the difference between the individual frame. Compression also means that rather than 'redrawing' the frame from scratch every time, it compares it to the previous frame and only 'draws' the areas that have changed. This is why a still video can be very small as there's little change and video with lots of movement but the same length can be twice as big.

I don't see how image stabilisation causes pixelation unless the camera has a very small sensor. Digital image stabilisation looks at the picture and reduces the erratic movement by levelling the shot and cropping the extra bits that are out of the frame, essentially zooming in a bit. Now if the sensor of the camera is not great and/or the IS is too aggressive then that could lead to pixelation due to not having enough information in the video/photo. Just take a jpeg photo and keep zooming in until you see the rough edges in the detail. Also low light can reduce the detail in the video/photo, and you'll see black blocks on the dark screen, like watching Minecraft.

Higher FPS (30 vs 60) provides double the information, by filling in the details twice as fast. This means when compressed, the algorithm has to 'guess' less while transitioning from one frame to another. This makes compressed video look smoother.

Problems come with compression and transferring video. MPEG and HEVC are both already compressed, just like JPEG on phones. This is why RAW is used by professional as it has more information which allows better colour correction, cropping etc. If you airdrop (on iOS) the videos, I've noticed that it actually compresses them more than using a cable. That's why I don't airdrop my videos anymore. Then when you have finished editing the whole video and export it, the transcoding again compresses the video a bit. Then when you upload them to Facebook or YouTube, those platforms compress the videos quite a bit, making them look crappy. It's really annoying looking at videos on YouTube only to see that YouTube has ruined them with overly compressing. This is why better the source material 4k60fps or 1080p60fps looks better on YouTube than 4k24fps or 1080p30fps. Even shooting in highest possible and then transcoding to lower resolution, but higher fps, in the end looks better than shooting everything in the same 1080p30fps transcoding the final video to 1080p30fps.

24fps/25fps are remnants from CRT TV/VHS/DVD era, are used when wanting to create that cinematic effect, but usually most people use highest available mode possible.

I've been annoyed by choppiness in (others) videos and have dug in it, and it tends to be often the FPS mismatch with the project (in editing software) and source material. If you shoot in 24/25fps and your project is set to 30fps, this means the frame rate needs to catch up every second making a correction by jumping ahead, where as if you shoot in 60fps then the editing software just drops the every other frame which is almost invisible to human eye. 60fps is just seen as more lifelike, more vibrant, smooth etc.

Hopefully that makes some sense. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I've gone down the rabbit hole a few times in search for some answers.

A great help thanks

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Excellent. I'm not a youtube watcher really, but I enjoyed that very much.
I wish all dog owners had their pets that well trained .

Thank you, Cathy

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Pixelation is essentially lack of information on the screen due to compression. More you compress the video, more you'll see pixels lumped together creating bigger blocks. This is why the source material is very important. Higher the quality source material, better the result after compression. More movement = more information = when compressed, the same information is pushed through the same compression pipe = still video (less information) comes out higher quality than fast moving video (more information). This is where VBR, variable bit rate comes into play, which allows larger margins of compression but still achieving the same or even better result, smaller file size. Compression also does things like reduces colour depth. It's more about the difference between the individual frame. Compression also means that rather than 'redrawing' the frame from scratch every time, it compares it to the previous frame and only 'draws' the areas that have changed. This is why a still video can be very small as there's little change and video with lots of movement but the same length can be twice as big.

I don't see how image stabilisation causes pixelation unless the camera has a very small sensor. Digital image stabilisation looks at the picture and reduces the erratic movement by levelling the shot and cropping the extra bits that are out of the frame, essentially zooming in a bit. Now if the sensor of the camera is not great and/or the IS is too aggressive then that could lead to pixelation due to not having enough information in the video/photo. Just take a jpeg photo and keep zooming in until you see the rough edges in the detail. Also low light can reduce the detail in the video/photo, and you'll see black blocks on the dark screen, like watching Minecraft.

Higher FPS (30 vs 60) provides double the information, by filling in the details twice as fast. This means when compressed, the algorithm has to 'guess' less while transitioning from one frame to another. This makes compressed video look smoother.

Problems come with compression and transferring video. MPEG and HEVC are both already compressed, just like JPEG on phones. This is why RAW is used by professional as it has more information which allows better colour correction, cropping etc. If you airdrop (on iOS) the videos, I've noticed that it actually compresses them more than using a cable. That's why I don't airdrop my videos anymore. Then when you have finished editing the whole video and export it, the transcoding again compresses the video a bit. Then when you upload them to Facebook or YouTube, those platforms compress the videos quite a bit, making them look crappy. It's really annoying looking at videos on YouTube only to see that YouTube has ruined them with overly compressing. This is why better the source material 4k60fps or 1080p60fps looks better on YouTube than 4k24fps or 1080p30fps. Even shooting in highest possible and then transcoding to lower resolution, but higher fps, in the end looks better than shooting everything in the same 1080p30fps transcoding the final video to 1080p30fps.

24fps/25fps are remnants from CRT TV/VHS/DVD era, are used when wanting to create that cinematic effect, but usually most people use highest available mode possible.

I've been annoyed by choppiness in (others) videos and have dug in it, and it tends to be often the FPS mismatch with the project (in editing software) and source material. If you shoot in 24/25fps and your project is set to 30fps, this means the frame rate needs to catch up every second making a correction by jumping ahead, where as if you shoot in 60fps then the editing software just drops the every other frame which is almost invisible to human eye. 60fps is just seen as more lifelike, more vibrant, smooth etc.

Hopefully that makes some sense. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I've gone down the rabbit hole a few times in search for some answers.

Blimey, that’s a comprehensive post.

 

[Odd Man]

Blimey, that’s a comprehensive post.

I've been playing around with video files, conversions, internet video for years as a hobby and when I worked in IT I was project manager for webcasting, telepresence, video conferencing and video portal for several years, but that was a while ago. I haven't really shot or edited much myself, until recently (hence my videos being so sh!te). Actual video production, which I'm trying to learn, is very different from the processing/streaming side.

 

[Fossil Bluff]

@Lempo ir anyone else that has a view on this.

I filmed my latest vid using a 1080 60 setting.

When it comes to the set up for processing I set DaVinci at the same rates.

1. As well as 1080 60p it offers me 1080 60i - what is ‘i’ or ‘p’ for that matter?

2. When I transfer media over to the media pool I get a message that the frame rates do not match, I agree for the software to make a necessary adjustment. When I render the film, it tells me that the output is actually something like 59.4fps - what’s that all about then???

 

[Odd Man]

@Lempo ir anyone else that has a view on this.

I filmed my latest vid using a 1080 60 setting.

When it comes to the set up for processing I set DaVinci at the same rates.

1. As well as 1080 60p it offers me 1080 60i - what is ‘i’ or ‘p’ for that matter?

2. When I transfer media over to the media pool I get a message that the frame rates do not match, I agree for the software to make a necessary adjustment. When I render the film, it tells me that the output is actually something like 59.4fps - what’s that all about then???

1.
Here's a good article: https://blog.son-video.com/en/2019/...ereas 1080p features progressive scan display.

As the scan rate of televisions isn’t limited to 50Hz anymore, the i (interlaced) format is no longer relevant.

Choosing between 1080i and 1080p formats
Due to its working principle, 1080p has more advantages than the 1080i format, starting with a superior perceived image quality. Even if an image has the same resolution in both 1080p and 1080i formats, and therefore the same number of pixels vertically and horizontally, the vertical resolution of an interlaced image seems to be almost 60% inferior. This is due to the fact that the even and odd lines of the image aren’t displayed simultaneously. Consequently, a video in a 1080i offers a very similar image quality to that of a file in 720p, meaning you cannot fully enjoy Full HD images.

P = much better quality.
I = old tech, no longer needed

2.

In most cases "60" is techno-shorthand for 59.94, but not always. In fact, 59.94 is 99.9 percent of 60.
Progressive standards are usually described by their frame rates, such as 23.976, 24.000, 29.970, 30.000, 59.940 or 60.000p. Interlaced standards, on the other hand, are typically based on field rates such as 60i.
Some video editors might say that 59.94 is a drop-frame version of 60fps, and in some ways they may be correct, even though the time code itself can be drop-frame (DF) or non-drop-frame (NDF). Knowledgeable engineers know that 59.94 fields per second is a legacy of the NTSC color system, because prior to 1954, black-and-white video was locked to the 60Hz frequency of standard AC current in the United States.

So no need to worry about that. You'll get the noticeable issues if you have 24fps source and try to output it at 30fps, when there's much more 'catching up' = jerkiness from 6 frames per second.

Your latest video quality was very good. Looked very good on my 65" screen in HD. For someone new to this, you're doing a marvellous job, and that's the reason I'll give you constructive critique (even if my own videos are sh!te, but those who can't...). At 4.13 the picture was pretty dark despite being in daylight, so when you have a moment, look into colour grading, black point, midtones etc to have all the clips with the same level of brightness, contrast, saturation etc. Good luck.

 

[Fossil Bluff]

1.
Here's a good article: https://blog.son-video.com/en/2019/09/1080i-and-1080p-resolutions-what-are-the-differences/#:~:text=1080p and 1080i systems are,way the images are displayed.&text=1080i uses an interlaced display, whereas 1080p features progressive scan display.

As the scan rate of televisions isn’t limited to 50Hz anymore, the i (interlaced) format is no longer relevant.

Choosing between 1080i and 1080p formats
Due to its working principle, 1080p has more advantages than the 1080i format, starting with a superior perceived image quality. Even if an image has the same resolution in both 1080p and 1080i formats, and therefore the same number of pixels vertically and horizontally, the vertical resolution of an interlaced image seems to be almost 60% inferior. This is due to the fact that the even and odd lines of the image aren’t displayed simultaneously. Consequently, a video in a 1080i offers a very similar image quality to that of a file in 720p, meaning you cannot fully enjoy Full HD images.

P = much better quality.
I = old tech, no longer needed

2.

In most cases "60" is techno-shorthand for 59.94, but not always. In fact, 59.94 is 99.9 percent of 60.
Progressive standards are usually described by their frame rates, such as 23.976, 24.000, 29.970, 30.000, 59.940 or 60.000p. Interlaced standards, on the other hand, are typically based on field rates such as 60i.
Some video editors might say that 59.94 is a drop-frame version of 60fps, and in some ways they may be correct, even though the time code itself can be drop-frame (DF) or non-drop-frame (NDF). Knowledgeable engineers know that 59.94 fields per second is a legacy of the NTSC color system, because prior to 1954, black-and-white video was locked to the 60Hz frequency of standard AC current in the United States.

So no need to worry about that. You'll get the noticeable issues if you have 24fps source and try to output it at 30fps, when there's much more 'catching up' = jerkiness from 6 frames per second.

Your latest video quality was very good. Looked very good on my 65" screen in HD. For someone new to this, you're doing a marvellous job, and that's the reason I'll give you constructive critique (even if my own videos are sh!te, but those who can't...). At 4.13 the picture was pretty dark despite being in daylight, so when you have a moment, look into colour grading, black point, midtones etc to have all the clips with the same level of brightness, contrast, saturation etc. Good luck.

Brilliant, thank you for the really good explanations. I totally get the colour adjustment and the need to look at each element of light - and you’re absolutely right... I let that slip. DaVinci Resolve does this very well and verging on a professional level of adjustment, but it was one more step that I had to apply after a long day But you absolutely right, for the sake of a 10 second clip, I could have adjusted it and brought it back.

Thanks again.

 

[EM-Chiseller]

Here’s the latest offering. Editing multiple camera positions takes a bit of work doesn’t it.

Cheers for that, left a comment & subbed. Sithee

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Cheers for that, left a comment & subbed. Sithee

Aye aye..

I see that and have subbed you too... How is it that a Yorkshireman can talk funny, even when he’s typing?

 

[Boozawooza]

Subbed, some great editing going on which may influence me!

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Subbed, some great editing going on which may influence me!

supper-stuff

I can’t always see who subscribes or doesn’t - is there a privacy setting?

 

[Odd Man]

Brilliant, thank you for the really good explanations. I totally get the colour adjustment and the need to look at each element of light - and you’re absolutely right... I let that slip. DaVinci Resolve does this very well and verging on a professional level of adjustment, but it was one more step that I had to apply after a long day But you absolutely right, for the sake of a 10 second clip, I could have adjusted it and brought it back.

Thanks again.

There's lot to learn. I just downloaded Final Cut Pro X trial and even with my experience in IT I'm pretty lost atm. It will be a lot of tutorials watching when I get my Mac back from repairs.

 

[Odd Man]

supper-stuff

I can’t always see who subscribes or doesn’t - is there a privacy setting?

Go to YouTube Studio. There are sections: Comments (to see all the comments, to reply etc), Analytics (to see how well the videos are performing, viewing duration, etc) and on the right hand corner you see the latest subscribers.

 

[FOX160]

@Lempo ir anyone else that has a view on this.

I filmed my latest vid using a 1080 60 setting.

When it comes to the set up for processing I set DaVinci at the same rates.

1. As well as 1080 60p it offers me 1080 60i - what is ‘i’ or ‘p’ for that matter?

2. When I transfer media over to the media pool I get a message that the frame rates do not match, I agree for the software to make a necessary adjustment. When I render the film, it tells me that the output is actually something like 59.4fps - what’s that all about then???

Just wondering is there any benefit recording in 4K than 1080 other than taking a frame to use as a photo or does 4K hold better quality over 1080

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Just wondering is there any benefit recording in 4K than 1080 other than taking a frame to use as a photo or does 4K hold better quality over 1080

I’d to know that too

Can you grab a still from 4K? Fabulous.

 

[Odd Man]

Just wondering is there any benefit recording in 4K than 1080 other than taking a frame to use as a photo or does 4K hold better quality over 1080

Benefits of 4K over 1080p

- better quality
- better for cropping / zooming (shoot first, crop later) = more opportunities
- better quality when used DIS (digital image stabilisation, like Hypersmooth 2.0 on GoPro)

Cons of 4K

- takes about 2-3x the space on memory card (depending on many factors)
- requires more processing power on the recording device = uses more battery
- requires more processing power on the recording device = devices tend to heat up more, this imposes max time restrictions with devices to prevent damage (I think the thru-hikers fave Sony has a 5min max)
- requires more processing power on the editing device
- also takes 2-3x more space on your backup media
- some recording devices are limited to 4K 30fps

Many of the aforementioned limitations don't exist with 1080p.

If you shoot still/little movement, than 4K 30fps has great quality, but if you have a lot of movement, 1080p 60fps can produce smoother looking video (as I mentioned in another post). Also 60fps allows smooth slo-mo shots, but slowing down (4K) 30fps makes the slo-mo choppy/jerky.

If you have the quality kit, lots of storage, lots of battery and a good editing computer, go for 4K 60fps. Probably great idea for short hikes where you shoot a lot of short clips.

If you want HD with less energy & storage consumption, and want longer shots, like on a longer hike/thru-hike, I'd go for 1080p 60fps.

Then there's the 2.7K offered in some devices, which might become the new 1080p soon?

 

[Odd Man]

@Fossil Bluff If you publish a video immediately on YouTube, the first viewers only get to see a low-res version of it while YouTube encodes them for streaming. Longer the video, longer it takes to encode. It's usually recommended to put a scheduled publishing, so that after the upload, the YT encode can finish before viewers start watching.

I just started watching your latest, and it was only available at glorious 360p on my 4k big screen tv

 

[Fossil Bluff]

@Fossil Bluff If you publish a video immediately on YouTube, the first viewers only get to see a low-res version of it while YouTube encodes them for streaming. Longer the video, longer it takes to encode. It's usually recommended to put a scheduled publishing, so that after the upload, the YT encode can finish before viewers start watching.

I just started watching your latest, and it was only available at glorious 360p on my 4k big screen tv

Yup, I realised that... 10 views and it was still uploading

It's a learning curve...

 

[Diddi]

Anyone know if the gopro smart remote is compatible with the Hero 8 black?
Heard conflicting results from Argos and the Gopro website

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Anyone know if the gopro smart remote is compatible with the Hero 8 black?
Heard conflicting results from Argos and the Gopro website

I don’t know an answer to that Diddi, but I did enjoy using my iPhone to control the Hero 8, while it lasted. Now I have to keep resetting it to use the phone.

I’ve also got GoPro Max 360.. That’s quite happy with the phone control so far.

 

[Diddi]

I don’t know an answer to that Diddi, but I did enjoy using my iPhone to control the Hero 8, while it lasted. Now I have to keep resetting it to use the phone.

I’ve also got GoPro Max 360.. That’s quite happy with the phone control so far.

Thanks bluff.
Been using my phone to control gopro for years but like the idea of a button on my wrist when i dont need to view my clips.

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Thanks bluff.
Been using my phone to control gopro for years but like the idea of a button on my wrist when i dont need to view my clips.

Excellent... well I’ll watch this space then