Crop mode recording (crop_rec.mo) (1:1, RAW/H.264, 25/30/50/60 fps)

[a1ex]

Link doesn't work, see https://www.dropbox.com/en/help/167

@beauchampy: already answered.

[Hans_Punk]

My apologies, try this...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/60jxn7e9ehwejtc/1080p%20Stripes%201.mov?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a9zz2y4gihm9vfo/1080p%20Stripes%202.mov?dl=0

[a1ex]

Is this good enough, or should I keep trying?

http://a1ex.magiclantern.fm/bleeding-edge/stripefix/fix.jpg

(will publish the script later, afk)

[Danne]

Wow.

[Hans_Punk]

@A1ex....huge improvement already, many thanks!

Hard to judge if it is still distracting when footage in motion, rather than in a still....but to me it looks almost 100% clean.
Don't want to steal your time too much - but if you have any joy pushing it further, that would be totally amazing and much appreciated.

RE: script, please be gentle with me in explaining how to implement...scripts and line commands are still confusing for my tiny brain, still trying to grasp basics. 

[a1ex]

Here you go - the vertical stripe fix for H.264:

stripe-fix-h264.html

stripe-fix-h264.ipynb

fix2.jpg (slightly better results after cleaning up the code)



Regarding script:

For tasks like this, I find it much easier to write a script, than to write a C program that can be compiled as executable. Also, I hope my approach will not just solve your particular problem, but it will let the ML community benefit in other ways from this script, such as:

- understanding how this method works (I've included sample images at every step)
- getting started with octave and IPython Notebook (even if this is your first contact with these tools, I don't think it's a bad idea to take a look at my experiment, then check the documentation of these tools where my description is not fully clear)
- having a working code that you can just copy/paste and integrate in your workflow

Of course, octave is a little slow, but I think I gave enough details for anyone with average programming skills to implement the same method in a language that can give better execution times, and/or a nicer user interface.

If you still have trouble running the script, I'm sure other members will be able to help you.

[Hans_Punk]

I owe you not a beer...but a brewery!

Many thanks again a1ex, truly outstanding work as always.
I really appriciate the time and effort you and others put in to help this community.

[a1ex]

Looks like the remaining artifacts can be masked out if you add a tiny bit of noise.

fix2n.jpg - compare to fix2.jpg

Updated the notebook to show the effects of adding noise, and saved both samples with better jpeg quality.

[hjfilmspeed]

Wow this is brilliant. Just red the article..... I just can't even understand this simple fix. Its over my head. Amazing work

[Danne]

Great documentation. Even "repairing" the h.264 blocky artifacts. I,ll try to make this work in MLP.

[DeafEyeJedi]

First of all, Excellent contributions by all of you guys including @Hans_Punk, @Danne, @a1ex, @beauchampy and the rest.

Secondly, I am even more impressed with the progress of having the possiblitilies with a script to help fix those vertical stripes horror of H264.

However, with that being said I can't fathom myself on trying to produce those stripes during crop_rec.mo shooting unless I'm doing something wrong? Does it only appear in highlights area or vice versa?

Shooting a Wedding this weekend and unfortunately the couple refused to have me shoot in RAW because they want the footage at the end of the night ... so I'll be shooting everything in H264 and I've been keen on myself (more like forcing) to not use this module during this event but at the same time I am feeling confident that I can get away with a lot afaik unless I'm literally color blind from those so called blocky artifacts.

Also is there a reason why I refuse to shoot this in 60p and only in 30p? Maybe because I fear that I won't be able to fix the squeeze effect on the H264 footage if I were to shoot in 60p (they ask for some slo-mo's) which I will secretly use my SL1 and EOSM with their crop_mode video hack ( 30p in Canon Menu w FPS override set to 45fps @ 1080p  ) w a 6.5mm Opteka Lens which has done its job respectively in the past.

[Danne]

Most of the questions and the answers to them could probably be tested out before you go out and shoot the wedding. In fact a thourough pretest and then the wedding shoot with a thourough follow up addressing bugs etc would be great for progress here.
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=8900.msg91362#msg91362
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=17021.msg165749#msg165749

[axelcine]

@DeafEyeJedi - I happen to see you as a totally competent cinematographer, and the way I read your post, you "drop the crop" for the time being, since you don't really know how much work you'll have to do in post, just like the clients want some footage tonight, and you won't have time for conversion from raw.
I'd say to you, as an old journalist to another old and wellproven veteran: Go ahead with SL1 and the M, if you feel they'll do the job with slomo and crop. Do it discretely but not secretly - you are the expert, and the clients should not interfere with your choice of cameras. Like when they go away from church in a limousine and want to dictate the brand of gasoline...!
So you're in for many hectic hours behind the cams and in post. Good luck - I know that the married couple are going to love their movie and be proud to show it to their kids and grandkids in the years to come.

[sterid]

Hi, did anybody fork it to 6D?

I found this link http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=10111.msg125590#msg125590
But I cant understand how to change.

[dmilligan]

Up until now, in post tools we were identifying the video mode based on the raw buffer size in raw_info. This is important information for things like automatic focus pixel removal and automatic "de-squeezing", and it's probably also just nice metadata to have for users (should I worry about aliasing in this shot? computing effective focal length, etc.). With this module, that is no longer possible, different cropping modes can have the same raw buffer size.

So I propose that part of the change for this new feature should be to add new metadata to the MLV format for horizontal and vertical pixel skipping/binning amount.

[a1ex]

Agree, detailed proposals welcome.

[DeafEyeJedi]

Hello everyone-

After weeks of debating on whether or not I should use this special build by @a1ex while shooting a Wedding few weekends ago. Lord behold and I was actually fortunate enough to bite this bullet. Why? Because I believe things happen for reasons and here's what I was able to get away with.

First of all, My goal was to try and keep things simple as possible because the groom (my client) had asked me to NOT shoot anything in MLV RAW and also for me to use a decent color profile while shooting in H.264 which smelled trouble at least for me since I haven't used anything other than MLV RAW over the years.

So I decided to go with Faithful (Sharpness @ 0, Contrast @ 1, Saturation @ 2 & Color Tone @ 0) and only because @markodarko has proven that this color profile can literally hold up pretty well without any required post work as this client repeatedly told me that he wasn't comfortable with the color grading process and he's only into Editing. Thanks to @markodarko for this otherwise I'd be using CineStyle and force the client to apply LUT's on top of it but he firmly instincts not to and frankly he's the one that paid me so here we go.

Cameras used on set: 5D3, 7D & C100II (a nephew used an Osmo that was owned by the groom).

Glass: 35L, 16-35L, 24-105L, 70-200 F4 & Opteka 6.5mm (I didn't want to bring my whole set of glass as I try to pack light).

Audio: Groom's Lapel on Channel L & AUX Output from a PA system into Channel R which was recorded onto Sound Device (rented).

Secondly, earlier I mentioned that things happen for reasons and what I meant by this was the fact that halfway through the Ceremony as I was running to the other side of the aisle to make sure the 7D + 70-200 was wide enough for the couple to walk out at the end and bam just before I got there ... Dropped the good ole' 24-105L onto the ground as it was in my Hip Pack. Cracked the UV Filter and it was pretty hard to try and take off the Filter which I then decided to not waste time trying to fix this while the event was taking place.

Look up it's not a Plane, it's not a Bird & no it's not Superman. It was @a1ex's build who came to the rescue by using his crop_rec.mo while shooting in H.264 (yes, that's right I said H.264) with a 35L for the rest of the event on the 5D3. I knew in my head that with this deadly combo of 35/105 focal length would deliver magic (according to my pretests in MLV RAW and barely any tests on H.264) as I thrive on taking risks. No IS. Not sure why I've been like this my whole life. Living on the bleeding edges can actually help you with building up confidence, BIG time.

Per the Groom's request everything was shot in 30p (5D3, 7D, Osmo) while I only used C100II for slo-mo (60p) all @ 1080p. I also had to force myself to set the Color Profile to 'EOS Standard' instead of the lovely 'Wide DR' on the C100II to better match with the 'Faithful Profile' from the 5D3, 7D.

https://vimeo.com/167454180 (Sorry fellas the couple decided to make their video private)

Non Crop-Mode 35L @ ISO 3200


Crop-Mode (1:1) 35L @ ISO 3200


Where's DeafEyeJedi at? 7D + 6.5mm @ ISO 6400


From where I was standing and just to be able to push a few buttons (preferably one) in order to get into crop-mode is priceless.

Now imagine if I had shot this whole thing in MLV RAW instead but no shame on myself and hey I think overall it came out not too shabby at all. 

Special Credits goes to @a1ex for this build and none of this would have been possible without your eagerness so I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and also to everyone else on board that has contributed all along. Thank You!

Incidentally my question now brings to this thought ... How & When do we know that this build is ready for to be merged into the Nightlies?

I know we still have quirks to iron out for slo-mo's squeezed images and whatnot but as for 24p & 30p which seems legit according to my eyes for both H.264 and MLV RAW.

Anything that we can help with to speed up this Project of yours, @a1ex?

[markodarko]

Thanks to @markodarko for this otherwise I'd be using CineStyle and force the client to apply LUT's on top of it but he firmly instincts not to and frankly he's the one that paid me so here we go.

<snip>

I knew in my head that with this deadly combo of 35/105 focal length would deliver magic

You are most welcome. Looks great! :-)

Funny you should mention the 35/105 combo too as I posted the very same thing about it here earlier. :-D

The crop mode recording is, as you say, fantastic. So versatile for a one lens setup.

I shot with my 70-200 f/4 IS the other day and essentially had every focal length between 70-600 at my fingertips!

I too would be interested if and when it'll be in the nightlies as I'm still currently rocking @a1ex's original build he posted up. Not that I've any problems with it though.

Anyway, I'm glad the shoot went well. Oh, and how's your poor 24-105L doing now?

Cheers,

Mark.

P.s. Have a look at the Canon 35mm f/2.0 IS, @DeafEyeJedi. The IS is great for hand held video work and from f/4 it's absolutely pin sharp. I use my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art when on a tripod or for the extra light, but the Canon is a cracking little lens and cheap (relatively) too!

[axelcine]

@DeafEyeYedi: Excellent, beautiful wedding footage, and the crop is a godsent, especially in low light. Maybe we could hope for a new interim crop-ML/5d.113 based on the most recent nightly - there have been some very important improvements to ML since April 3. Then again - one just has to read the posts here to acknowledge the amount of work, A1ex (a.o.) is putting into the ML. Does that man ever get to sleep?
@markodarko: Yes, with a variety of glass the crop would be a real game-changer. I'm using crop/5d.123 with my nifty-fifty. It's a gem.

[Licaon_Kter]

...
I will secretly use my SL1 and EOSM with their crop_mode video hack ( 30p in Canon Menu w FPS override set to 45fps @ 1080p  ) w a 6.5mm Opteka Lens which has done its job respectively in the past.

Umm, on my EOSM crop_mode does not actually do anything, it works for you?

[axelcine]

The crop-version ML we're discussing is a tailored ML/5DIII that A1ex produced back in the start of April. It is being tested in various modes and configurations before going into the nightlies. EOS-M has its own crop mode hack - https://builds.magiclantern.fm/#/features.

[Licaon_Kter]

I know it has the 600D mode, though this was a different implementation.

[Danne]

Thanks for sharing deafeyejedi. Truly remarkable module I say.

[bouncyball]

Thanks for sharing DeafEyeJedi. Nice work.

[DeafEyeJedi]

@markodarko - Thanks for your kind words. Yea I saw that post of yours too and thought it was funny and quite a coincidence, right? Yes, I also agree that the 35 f2 IS is a nice workhorse but needed the extra light as I knew I was getting myself into some serious night scenes towards the end of this event.

I could have gotten away with it more nicely in crop-mode if I hadn't dropped the 24-105L which would obviously help but knew that with a Monopod and try to keep it on its feet (rather than handheld) would be good enough with a 35L. It's a tough job to try and pull the monopod leg down more to set the feet properly while recording for certain angles. Schmucks!

Admittedly, it's not perfect but how else can we train our eye/hand coordinations in order to continue and improve our skills? The more I try to stay away from IS the better I become as a whole (even when I do use IS for certain situations later on) which still produce nice results as I've been itching to sell my 16-35L II for a 16-35L f4 IS but damn it ain't so easy to give up that extra light for IS even tho I can tell that both glasses are still sharp as F. Right, @beauchampy? Ha.

@axelcine - Thanks, Mate! I too think this is a great Module and just to be able to use this 50/150 focal length combo is incredible especially wide open. Bokeh's dreamy as it can be.

@Licaon_Kter - I ended up NOT using the M or SLR during this wedding event because I had decided to rent a C100II as the client demanded everything to be in 1080p and preferred 60p over 45p. Yes,  I agree with you that the M's '600D-crop' isn't quite the same as this but one of the main reasons why @a1ex came up with this build was because I believe many of us 5D3 users were, for years, howling at the moon out loud for a similar module that a lot of the APS-C's cameras running ML already have.

In other words, I'm afraid it's pretty much the same for 24p/30p except for when it comes to slo-mo (48p,50p,60p) which hasn't been implemented yet but am feeling confident that other cameras will eventually have this build sooner rather than later, hopefully!

@Danne & @bouncyball - Thanks for the compliments and much appreciated! Even though would I do this again with H.264? I'm not sure as I am completely addicted to the workflow of MLV RAW and the Dynamic Range that comes along with the color grading process. It delivers at a level that's incomparable with what H.264 delivers, IMO. However, to my surprise the end result from this event was probably better than I expected especially for shooting in a codec that I cannot fathom to use. Thanks again to @markodarko for the generous tip w a certain Color-Profile on our Canon DSLR's.

At the end of the day... Once you go RAW, there's no going Back. I try to keep that motto and stick with it in my head. Because as for me it was actually quite a nightmare in preparing myself to shoot H.264 after years of shooting in MLV RAW.

@Everyone - Last week I personally took the 24-105L to a Canon repair facility down in Irvine, CA and was pleased with their service as they were able to take it into the lab to take the filter off as well as doing the 11-point check for free of charge. Took them 20 minutes.



All good in despite. Whew!