Optimizing video quality--suggestions? (from Canon Vixia HF100)

[Michiko280]

I am trying create videos using a Canon Vixia HF100 camera and Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 software to be uploaded to Youtube.

I am shooting inside so lighting has been a bit of an issue (I can only film on bright days to get good quality videos). Additionally, the when I take videos on the Canon camera they looks fabulous and well lit on the camera screen. However, when I transfer them to my computer (HP Pavilion dv2700) the quality, namely the brightness, seems to decrease. The difference is dramatic in low light situations. I transfer the videos using a flash drive and SD card. I know its not a problem with my computer because the quality of other videos I watch, and those taken by my webcam, is fantastic. Can anyone help me make sense of this?

Here is a video I took with the Canon vixia (click through to see in HD).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNrVlBhLPD8

This is the best quality video I have achieved thus far. Any tips about what camera settings to use or ideas about how to enhance quality would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Michelle

[2Bdecided]

Your PC's monitor has a different gamma, contrast and brightness from your TV screen (and the camcorder's view finder) - it's normal for the videos to look different. If you burnt them onto DVD, and watched them on a standard TV, I bet you'd find they looked really bright again.

For web delivery, play with the controls in your editing software to get the look you want on a PC monitor - or play with the camera's settings (though that's guess work).

The only problem I see with your video on YouTube is that the background is beautifully lit, while the person is slightly over lit on one side vs the other. If you can, put a reflector (just a large white piece of paper) to the right of the camera to bounce a little light onto the "dark side" of the person. Or you could put a light over there, but it might look strange having one side lit with daylight, and the other lit with artificial light - they look very different from each other to cameras.

Another trick you can try, if there's room, is to move the camera as far away as possible, then zoom in so you still get the same kind of shot as you have now. The advantage of this is, because of how the optics work in these cameras, it should throw the background a little out-of-focus, while keeping the person in-focus (lock the focus on them if you have manual focus), which would improve the shot.

Cheers,
David.

[Michiko280]

Thanks so much for your advice! I'll try your suggestions

[Soopafresh]

See if Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 has dynamic range compression for the audio. It's not just the video which can be improved.

[2Bdecided]

You reckon? I thought it was fine - though I think you can hear the camera person breathing! Applying DRC would make this worse.

Cheers,
David.

[Michiko280]

Hahha that actually isn't the camera person...it's my dog. Hahaha. Thanks!

[Soopafresh]

Her delivery is all over the place, volume wise (IMHO). Here's the audio with DRC. Doesn't have to be this video in particular, but the ones in the future will be much easier to listen to if the volume is the same.

dynamic_range_compression.mp3

[2Bdecided]

Her delivery is all over the place, volume wise (IMHO). Here's the audio with DRC. Doesn't have to be this video in particular, but the ones in the future will be much easier to listen to if the volume is the same.

dynamic_range_compression.mp3

That's louder (which is fine - by all means peak normalise it), but with subtle DRC pumping added all over it.

It's subjective, but I think it's worse. (Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference!). As an audio engineer, I liked the natural sound on the original, and dislike the audible effects of DRC.

Cheers,
David.

[jagabo]

If you don't want to reshoot that video you might be able to recover a little of the washed out bright areas by adjusting the luma level before converting. Here's an example:

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic363230.html#1932533

In the future you can get a narrow depth of field (clear subject, blurry background) by setting your camera to a fixed, wide aperture. It may have a preset mode for this. This will de-emphasize the background:



Since you're going to be shooting regularly you should invest in some studio lighting. Or at least in some bright incandescent lights (and use your camera's manual white balance feature). This will give you better control of lighting and can de-emphasize the background by having less light will be falling on it (relative to the subject).

You can buy products designed specifically for this, but in a pinch you can use a big white panel or tape some aluminum foil (dull side out) to a piece of cardboard to provide fill, or bounce, lighting. Place it outside the the frame on the shadowed side. This will decrease the difference between the bright and dark sides of your face and reduce the washed out highlights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill_light
http://www.professionalphotography101.com/portrait_photography/Portrait-photography.html

[edDV]

Sounds like you are using the camcorder mic probably with AGC on. That causes the uneven echo sound.

Use a lav or directional boom mic on the talent, turn off AGC and set audio level manually. Use headphones.

[Valnar]

It also might be difficult to make too many changes to the video without loss of quality because the HF100 records natively in MPEG-4.