Getting better quality when capturing

[JIM E]

I just recently purchased a mini DV camera. It is only like VCD quality, and I was wondering if there is any way you can make the quality better in anyway using programs like premier, after effects, etc. Thanks.

[jsnkc]

Garbage in Garbage out. Mini DV should give you a far betture picture than VHS and 8MM so I'm not sure where your VCD quality is coming from. Anyways, there is really no way to improve the quality of the video using an editing program, all you can really do is some color correction, and add some filters which will change the video and make it look diffrent, but it will not improve the quality of the video istelf. I get clients all the time that bring in VHS-C home movies and want me to make a DVD out of them and then they complain because it looks like crap when they play it back. They think just because it is on a DVD and not a tape that it should look like a hollywood movie.

[JIM E]

Thanks. I don't expect the quality to look like DVD, but mine don't even look like VHS. When I buy VHS tapes at the store and play them in comparrison, they look way better to what my camera captures.

[G-man]

Something doesn't sound right. If you really have a mini-DV videocamera then you should be able to xfer (via a firewire link) a 720x480 resolution AVI file (DVD quality). What are you doing to the video file after you xfer it into your PC? What are you viewing it on? Please provide more details.

[jaeshin]

G-Man's right. If you are using DV, the quality should be far better than VHS since the resolution is same as DVD. Of course, you will not get a commercial movie quality pictures from your DV player unless it is a 3 CCD model (>$2000).

Is the quality poor when you directly play it to TV, connecting the DV camcorder to TV via S-Video or RCA?

How about viewing it through LCD screen on the camcorder?

If above methods give you better quality, then you are capturing the video in a wrong mode. Can you explain your situation in detail? (captured video? What program? etc.)

FYI, you need to transfer (capture) your DV movie using DV capture in the program you use in order to get the full quality video.

Also it is not possible to upgrade quality in any software. It only goes down or stay the same (this is the ultimate goal for everyone).

[gNOMEintheRedHat]

Indoor shots can often times turn out bad.

Digital Cameras need LOTS of light to put out a good picture.

[racer-x]

Another thing you might try is to turn off digital image stabilization. It distorts the picture somewhat. But you will need to use a tripod. And definately outdoor daylight shots will be better.