7 ms·

Gyroflow: An open source advanced gyro-based video stabilization tool

283 points by G4E 3y ago

jelled 3y ago
I tried to use this with my Sony camera about two years ago and just could not get consistent results. Currently using Sony's Catalyst Browse which does a great job stabilizing the footage but the workflow is poor. Looks like Gyroflow has a plugin for DaVinci Resolve[1]. If the stabilization has been improved and could be done right in Resolve I will definitely us this. [1] https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/installation/davinci-resolve-plugin-openfx https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/installation/d...
- randomdata 3y ago
  When I last played with it I was able to get quite good results with an A6400 and a phone as the gyro (the camera does not natively provide the data), except for when the rolling shutter is extreme, at which point it falls apart. The camera's notoriously slow sensor readout seems to be more than Gyroflow can accommodate for when it gets pushed.
  - Euphorbium 3y ago
    How do you log gyro data in a phone?
    - randomdata 3y ago
      I used Sensor Logger. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sensor-logger/id1531582925 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sensor-logger/id1531582925
  - comboy 3y ago
    Why is gyro data required? Doesn't the video itself contain enough information about the movement in vast majority of cases?
    - jelled 3y ago
      Adobe (and others) have offered tools like Warp Stabilizer that analyze the image to calculate movement. In my experience they are able to smooth things out a bit but nothing compared to what a gryo can do. Plus those image based tools take a long time to calculate.
    - dmbche 3y ago
      Software based stabilisation morphs and creates artifacts in the video because it's tough to track motion in space from erratic camera movements - using a gyro gives your software a neat little guide on camera position during the shot, making stabilisation much more precise. Depends on applications! Doesn't matter if you're filming your child play baseball, but if you're shooting movies you want the best you can get!
    - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
      In addition to the other comments, gyro data helps reduce the computation required by a lot.
    - optician_owl 3y ago
      One off the main problem is a parallax. Especially if there are moving objects in the background and foreground. For example, tree branches or leaves.
  - Turing_Machine 3y ago
    So it's possible to use a separate gyro for cameras that don't have that function. Cool! That was the question that came to my mind immediately. Since you've been able to make it work with a phone, I presume one could use something from this page as well: https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=gyro+accelerometer https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=gyro+accelerome... It would be neat to make a small dedicated box that you could just attach to the camera (or camera mount). Obviously you'd also need some method of logging the data, and syncing it to the video later (although from skimming the docs, it looks like the latter function is already in the software).
- mikae1 3y ago
  Too bad Sony has crippled Catalyst Browse so badly. It doesn't even do 10-bit exports, so I refuse to use it with my A7S III. For proper formats and 10-bit export you need Catalyst Prepare which is (surprise) a subscription based software. My A7S III logs gyro data which Gyroflow happily reads.
rush340 3y ago
I use Gyroflow to stabilize GoPro footage from autocross events since I can't stand the left/right panning from GoPro's HyperSmooth stabilization. Gyroflow lets me disable stabilization on that axis and the results look great for my use case.
- browningstreet 3y ago
  I’ve wondered if there was any other way to resolve that… it makes a lot of my footage unusable.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
thyselius 3y ago
When stabilizing and shooting with a cinematic shutter speed (1/48s) you have the problem with motion blur from the camera shake. This blur looks very odd when stabilized. Does Gyroflow have any functionality or tips toward this?
- mikae1 3y ago
  Yes, stop using ND filters and use faster shutter speeds. Add fake motion blur. https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming-tips-and-issues https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming...
- robinduckett 3y ago
  The odd look of the blurring is actually a look people go for with FPV drones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JnkyT77AfA& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JnkyT77AfA&
  - bri3d 3y ago
    That Bardwell video is about normal motion blur, which is highly desirable in any cinematic content. You'll see in those YouTube comments (and there are a few mentions in the video, as well) complaints about "stutter blur" and "shaky blur" - the effect you get when you apply HyperSmooth or Gyroflow to physically/exposure-time blurred video. I wouldn't say that smoothed motion blur is desirable in FPV either. These days, you'll usually see people in FPV either fixing their tuning to require less smoothing (the best solution!), or moving to shorter exposure times and post-production blur instead.
deivid 3y ago
It looks cool, though I still find myself looking for Hyperlapse[0] alternatives. Hyperlapse seemed like magic when announced, particularly, not needing to crop large parts of shaky videos [0] https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/hyperlapse-siggraph-2014/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/hyperlapse-siggraph-2014/
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- dmbche 3y ago
  While it seems neat, the principle behind it seems to cause massive morphing and smoothing, and that's creating a lot or artefacting. This is fine for gopro footage or stuff like that, but for production video, the aim is to retain as much information as possible until export. I think the level of artifacting is just unacceptable for general stabilisation needs - and with today's cameras being 4k and up, framing 10-15% wider to adapt to the stabilisation crops makes much more sense.
- sorenjan 3y ago
  Johannes Kopf, the main author behind the original Hyperlapse paper, is one of the researchers behind Localrf discussed here yesterday [0]. I think Hyperlapse Pro [1], which stitched patches from multiple frames together to create new frames after doing some 3D reconstruction and then recreating a smoother camera path was mostly replaced with Hyperlapse mobile [2]. The Pro version was really slow, but the mobile version, which used the original frames from the video, could run in a reasonable time on a phone with almost as good result. Hyperlapse Pro is still available to download [3], Hyperlapse mobile you have to find the APK elsewhere [4]. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36348483 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36348483 [1] http://johanneskopf.de/publications/hyperlapse/first_person_hyperlapse_videos.pdf http://johanneskopf.de/publications/hyperlapse/first_person_... [2] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/hyperlapse-1.pdf https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/... [3] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52379 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=523... [4] https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/microsoft-corporation/hyperlapse-mobile/hyperlapse-mobile-1-7-2016-03020-release/hyperlapse-mobile-1-7-2016-03020-android-apk-download/ https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/microsoft-corporation/hyperlap...
dang 3y ago
Related: Gyroflow: Advanced open-source gyro-assisted video stabilization - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30259771 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30259771 - Feb 2022 (65 comments)
mikae1 3y ago
If you want to try this you have to change the way you work with shutter speeds (and ND-filters) or else you will get horrible results. See: https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming-tips-and-issues https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming...
sunflowerdeath 3y ago
Just tried it on some random GoPro footage and was very impressed! First - by the quality of stabilization. It is if not better then at the same level as in Gopro itself (which is considered having best e-stabilisation on the market). And second, that now I can shoot with disabled stabilization and choose amount of crop in post. I know that Sony offers similar thing with Catalyst Browse, but it is very unconvenient to use additional application to render stabilized footage, here I can just use plugin for Davinci and have seamless workflow.
skyde 3y ago
This software is pure gold. I would actually love to give a donation to support its developement if possible.
- sunnybeetroot 3y ago
  Go for it http://gyroflow.xyz/donate http://gyroflow.xyz/donate
robinduckett 3y ago
Utilised much by the FPV drone community, such that some camera systems even advertise Gyroflow compatibility
JackGreyhat 3y ago
Unrelated to the software itself, but it is amazing how this website runs http without redirecting to https. You don't see that very often any more. It's probably an oversight, I guess :)
- yazzku 3y ago
  It's redirecting like a champ for me. What browser are you even on?
cactusplant7374 3y ago
I prefer the mechanical stabilization of the Osmo Pocket. So much smoother in my opinion.
worewood 3y ago
Can we feed it with gyro data from a phone? It seems straightforward to run a background app recording gyro data while we record a video.
- TheMatten 3y ago
  OpenCamera Sensors does both and seems to work great: https://www.f-droid.org/packages/com.opencamera_sensors.app/ https://www.f-droid.org/packages/com.opencamera_sensors.app/
exabrial 3y ago
Very timely! Im currently mountain biking on vacay and has some footage ruined due to really roughly trail conditions! Going to give this a try
VinLucero 3y ago
Nice! Was looking for this recently!
amelius 3y ago
What do they mean by "gyro-based"?
- junon 3y ago
  The correction is aided by simultaneously recorded gyroscope data.

283 points by G4E 3y ago

I tried to use this with my Sony camera about two years ago and just could not get consistent results. Currently using Sony's Catalyst Browse which does a great job stabilizing the footage but the workflow is poor. Looks like Gyroflow has a plugin for DaVinci Resolve[1]. If the stabilization has been improved and could be done right in Resolve I will definitely us this. [1] https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/installation/davinci-resolve-plugin-openfx https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/installation/d...

randomdata 3y ago
When I last played with it I was able to get quite good results with an A6400 and a phone as the gyro (the camera does not natively provide the data), except for when the rolling shutter is extreme, at which point it falls apart. The camera's notoriously slow sensor readout seems to be more than Gyroflow can accommodate for when it gets pushed.
- Euphorbium 3y ago
  How do you log gyro data in a phone?
  - randomdata 3y ago
    I used Sensor Logger. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sensor-logger/id1531582925 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sensor-logger/id1531582925
- comboy 3y ago
  Why is gyro data required? Doesn't the video itself contain enough information about the movement in vast majority of cases?
  - jelled 3y ago
    Adobe (and others) have offered tools like Warp Stabilizer that analyze the image to calculate movement. In my experience they are able to smooth things out a bit but nothing compared to what a gryo can do. Plus those image based tools take a long time to calculate.
  - dmbche 3y ago
    Software based stabilisation morphs and creates artifacts in the video because it's tough to track motion in space from erratic camera movements - using a gyro gives your software a neat little guide on camera position during the shot, making stabilisation much more precise. Depends on applications! Doesn't matter if you're filming your child play baseball, but if you're shooting movies you want the best you can get!
  - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
    In addition to the other comments, gyro data helps reduce the computation required by a lot.
  - optician_owl 3y ago
    One off the main problem is a parallax. Especially if there are moving objects in the background and foreground. For example, tree branches or leaves.
- Turing_Machine 3y ago
  So it's possible to use a separate gyro for cameras that don't have that function. Cool! That was the question that came to my mind immediately. Since you've been able to make it work with a phone, I presume one could use something from this page as well: https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=gyro+accelerometer https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=gyro+accelerome... It would be neat to make a small dedicated box that you could just attach to the camera (or camera mount). Obviously you'd also need some method of logging the data, and syncing it to the video later (although from skimming the docs, it looks like the latter function is already in the software).
mikae1 3y ago
Too bad Sony has crippled Catalyst Browse so badly. It doesn't even do 10-bit exports, so I refuse to use it with my A7S III. For proper formats and 10-bit export you need Catalyst Prepare which is (surprise) a subscription based software. My A7S III logs gyro data which Gyroflow happily reads.

rush340 3y ago

I use Gyroflow to stabilize GoPro footage from autocross events since I can't stand the left/right panning from GoPro's HyperSmooth stabilization. Gyroflow lets me disable stabilization on that axis and the results look great for my use case.

browningstreet 3y ago
I’ve wondered if there was any other way to resolve that… it makes a lot of my footage unusable.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

thyselius 3y ago

When stabilizing and shooting with a cinematic shutter speed (1/48s) you have the problem with motion blur from the camera shake. This blur looks very odd when stabilized. Does Gyroflow have any functionality or tips toward this?

mikae1 3y ago
Yes, stop using ND filters and use faster shutter speeds. Add fake motion blur. https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming-tips-and-issues https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming...
robinduckett 3y ago
The odd look of the blurring is actually a look people go for with FPV drones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JnkyT77AfA& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JnkyT77AfA&
- bri3d 3y ago
  That Bardwell video is about normal motion blur, which is highly desirable in any cinematic content. You'll see in those YouTube comments (and there are a few mentions in the video, as well) complaints about "stutter blur" and "shaky blur" - the effect you get when you apply HyperSmooth or Gyroflow to physically/exposure-time blurred video. I wouldn't say that smoothed motion blur is desirable in FPV either. These days, you'll usually see people in FPV either fixing their tuning to require less smoothing (the best solution!), or moving to shorter exposure times and post-production blur instead.

deivid 3y ago

It looks cool, though I still find myself looking for Hyperlapse[0] alternatives. Hyperlapse seemed like magic when announced, particularly, not needing to crop large parts of shaky videos [0] https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/hyperlapse-siggraph-2014/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/hyperlapse-siggraph-2014/

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
dmbche 3y ago
While it seems neat, the principle behind it seems to cause massive morphing and smoothing, and that's creating a lot or artefacting. This is fine for gopro footage or stuff like that, but for production video, the aim is to retain as much information as possible until export. I think the level of artifacting is just unacceptable for general stabilisation needs - and with today's cameras being 4k and up, framing 10-15% wider to adapt to the stabilisation crops makes much more sense.
sorenjan 3y ago
Johannes Kopf, the main author behind the original Hyperlapse paper, is one of the researchers behind Localrf discussed here yesterday [0]. I think Hyperlapse Pro [1], which stitched patches from multiple frames together to create new frames after doing some 3D reconstruction and then recreating a smoother camera path was mostly replaced with Hyperlapse mobile [2]. The Pro version was really slow, but the mobile version, which used the original frames from the video, could run in a reasonable time on a phone with almost as good result. Hyperlapse Pro is still available to download [3], Hyperlapse mobile you have to find the APK elsewhere [4]. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36348483 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36348483 [1] http://johanneskopf.de/publications/hyperlapse/first_person_hyperlapse_videos.pdf http://johanneskopf.de/publications/hyperlapse/first_person_... [2] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/hyperlapse-1.pdf https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/... [3] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52379 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=523... [4] https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/microsoft-corporation/hyperlapse-mobile/hyperlapse-mobile-1-7-2016-03020-release/hyperlapse-mobile-1-7-2016-03020-android-apk-download/ https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/microsoft-corporation/hyperlap...

dang 3y ago

Related: Gyroflow: Advanced open-source gyro-assisted video stabilization - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30259771 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30259771 - Feb 2022 (65 comments)

mikae1 3y ago

If you want to try this you have to change the way you work with shutter speeds (and ND-filters) or else you will get horrible results. See: https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming-tips-and-issues https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/common-filming...

sunflowerdeath 3y ago

Just tried it on some random GoPro footage and was very impressed! First - by the quality of stabilization. It is if not better then at the same level as in Gopro itself (which is considered having best e-stabilisation on the market). And second, that now I can shoot with disabled stabilization and choose amount of crop in post. I know that Sony offers similar thing with Catalyst Browse, but it is very unconvenient to use additional application to render stabilized footage, here I can just use plugin for Davinci and have seamless workflow.

skyde 3y ago

This software is pure gold. I would actually love to give a donation to support its developement if possible.

sunnybeetroot 3y ago
Go for it http://gyroflow.xyz/donate http://gyroflow.xyz/donate

robinduckett 3y ago

Utilised much by the FPV drone community, such that some camera systems even advertise Gyroflow compatibility

JackGreyhat 3y ago

Unrelated to the software itself, but it is amazing how this website runs http without redirecting to https. You don't see that very often any more. It's probably an oversight, I guess :)

yazzku 3y ago
It's redirecting like a champ for me. What browser are you even on?

cactusplant7374 3y ago

I prefer the mechanical stabilization of the Osmo Pocket. So much smoother in my opinion.

worewood 3y ago

Can we feed it with gyro data from a phone? It seems straightforward to run a background app recording gyro data while we record a video.

TheMatten 3y ago
OpenCamera Sensors does both and seems to work great: https://www.f-droid.org/packages/com.opencamera_sensors.app/ https://www.f-droid.org/packages/com.opencamera_sensors.app/

exabrial 3y ago

Very timely! Im currently mountain biking on vacay and has some footage ruined due to really roughly trail conditions! Going to give this a try

VinLucero 3y ago

Nice! Was looking for this recently!

amelius 3y ago

What do they mean by "gyro-based"?

junon 3y ago
The correction is aided by simultaneously recorded gyroscope data.