Manual ProDAD Mercalli V4 SAL plus Windows (page 5 of 43) (English)

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Manual

Autor : Uwe Wenz

Content

Welcome

General information

What is Mercalli?

Why the name Mercalli?

What is new in Mercalli V3 SAL?

What is new in Mercalli V4 SAL?

Installation, activation and registration

Help function

Shortcuts

Mercalli V4 SAL overview (stand-alone version)

Stabilization Information

Choosing the right Stabi-Cam

Perfect stabilization - tips & tricks

What does Avoid Border mean?

Unwanted rolling shutter effects

Advice on filming for even better results

Mercalli V4 SAL im Detail

Starting the program and importing media

Playback of the original video - define trim area

Analyze and export media

Analyze All Selected Media-Bin items

Export All Selected Media-Bin Items

CMOS-Correction - Select distortion types and Rolling-Shutter Compensation

Smooth Camera Path - Using the virtual Stabi-Cam

Used Camera Optics

Avoid Border

Pan Shot Smoothing

View Mode (Result + Source + Vertical/Horizontal Compare + Side-by-Side)

Set up rotation

Set up UI

Playing the stabilized video in Mercalli & calculation for ext. player

Charts

Shift

Roll (with On/Off)

CMOS Sensor (with On/Off)

Zoom (with On/Off)

Tilt (with On/Off)

Zoom-In - Dynamic Scaling

Information, Settings, Media Bin + Output Media-Bin

Information

Settings

Pan Shot Smoothing

Roll - Balance

Border Handling

Best Border

Best Stabilization

Video Color Filling

Forensic View

Dynamic Scaling

Noise reduction / Sharpness

Keep Camera Dynamic

Zoom - Balance

Y-Axis - Balance

X-Axis - Balance

Media Bin

Output Media-Bin

Batch processing in Detail

Exporting a file

Further use of the saved video

Welcome

Mercalli lets you remove the effects of camera shake, jolts and trembling from recorded video

sequences, to enhance the quality of important footage. Mercalli also improves your material by

smoothing irregular pan or zoom shots.

This makes Mercalli a highly valuable tool that'll rescue and optimize crucial video clips.

We hope you enjoy Vitascene and always produce results that are full of effects

General information

Licensing Conditions

Please read these licensing conditions carefully before installing the software.

Licensing agreement

When setup starts, a licensing agreement is shown, which you should read carefully.

By installing the software, you state that you accept the copyright conditions, the licensing

agreement and the licensing procedure.

License Guarantee

proDAD GmbH grants the user the right to use this product for its proper and permitted purpose.

The present product may only be installed on one computer. proDAD hereby guarantees to

provide a license key free of charge. By installing this product, the user acknowledges and accepts

the license guarantee, the copyright terms, and the limitation of liability.

Trademarks

All products and trademarks mentioned in association with this product are trademarks that

belong to the respective owners. All trademarks are used without any guarantee that they may be

used freely, and they may be registered trademarks.

Limitation of Liability

The extent of liability for any one claim is limited to a replacement of the product. This applies to

proDAD GmbH, all licensees and retailers. Claims shall only be recognized if the software is

returned in an orderly manner, together with the returned goods number that has to be

previously arranged with proDAD GmbH. The goods must also be accompanied by proof of

purchase. This guarantee becomes void if a malfunction of this product is due to improper use,

mistreatment, an accident or improper handling. proDAD GmbH, its sales partners and licensees,

shall not be held liable for damages or subsequent damages arising from the impossible usage of

this product. Liability is limited in all cases to the purchase price of the product.

Documentation

The greatest of care has been taken in compiling and translating the handbook. However, the

possibility of errors cannot be fully excluded. proDAD GmbH shall assume no responsibility or

liability whatsoever for the consequences of any incorrect statements or information which the

documentation or translation may contain. Subject to technical and optical modifications.

Information regarding any inaccuracies is always welcome.

The software and the individual components of this product are the property of proDAD GmbH. By

installing this product, the licensee agrees to refrain from unauthorized use and duplication.

proDAD GmbH does not accept any responsibility for the usage of this program and the

publication of its contents and data that has been created with this program.

ProDAD GmbH * Gauertstr. 2 * 78194 Immendingen * Germany * HRB 1077

What is Mercalli?

Mercalli is used for the retroactive removal of vibrations, shaking, distortions, wobbling as well as

compression from video recordings and therefore represents a quality improvements. Also,

uneven pans or zoom recordings can be calmed down in Mercalli and thus their quality can be

improved as well.

Undesired disquiet effects during a recording always occur if a tripod is not available or simply

impractical. It often occurs if there is a surprising event and it has to be filmed to capture the

uniqueness of the situation. Or simply whenever the video equipment must be limited due to

impracticality.

So, if such recordings are basically successful, but blurry to the dismay of the camera man, and if

these have an important content, Mercalli comes into play. Mercalli can rescue and optimize these

recordings mostly fully automatically!

This makes Mercalli a very valuable tool to rescue and optimize the precious recordings

of any film maker.

Why the name Mercalli?

The Italian volcanologist Giuseppe Mercalli created the Mercalli scale, which is used to assess and

categorize the intensity of an earthquake, ranging from "instrumental" to "catastrophic". Mercalli

created this scale based on an assessment of the degree of damage that results from a quake.

That's exactly what it has in common with our program Mercalli:

The Mercalli software also edits vibrations, shaking, distortions, wobbling and compression.

The fully automated CMOS Correction removes errors in a highly efficient manner, which are

often seen as blurriness or shaking in a video. These errors, such as wobbling, distortions and

compressions are often referred to as "Jello, Wobble, Skew" or "Distortions". The cause for this

can be found in the CMOS-Sensor of a camera and they are caused by motor-related vibrations

and physical vibrations - even if Gimbals are used to reduce blurriness or shaking. In most cases,

CMOS-Correction can make the video look significantly calmer and better on its own.

A significant advantage of this type of correction is that it is fully automated and that there is

essentially no need for zooming in. Thus, we can keep the maximum resolution in spite of the

significant improvement! If there a "real" blurs left in the video, the well-known video stabilization

feature can be added, which makes CMOS-corrected material function even more precisely. This

unique type of complete correction is simply the best that can happen to your video(s).

Irregularities are recognized and removed thanks to highly complex mathematical processes. Here,

highly complicated calculations are performed to categorize which movements are desired and

which ones are undesired. The latter damages are then offered to the user for removal.

More information and facts about the features within can be found on proDAD.com.

What is new in Mercalli V3 SAL?

The latest additions to Mercalli V3 SAL at a glance:

•

New! Batch processing - Instead of stabilizing videos one at a time, users can now load an

unlimited number videos into Mercalli V3 SAL for automated batch processing;

•

New! Automatic profile selection – Mercalli V3 SAL can analyze a video clip and automatically

select the most appropriate stabilization profile, thus streamlining the stabilization process;

•

New! Support for 4K and 2.7K video clips; many NLEs don’t even support this yet!

•

New! Export stabilized video in industry standard formats, including MP4!

•

Industry’s only 3-axis (X, Y, Z axis) post-capture video stabilizer – delivers the best possible

stabilization results;

•

Fully automatic rolling-shutter compensation helps improve skew, wobble, and jitter caused by

CMOS camera sensors during fast action;

•

Dynamic Camera Options allow for highly effective stabilization without compromising the

original character of the video;

•

SmartBorder™ Options greatly reduce the amount of zoom-in needed to stabilize, helping keep

the video borders intact;

•

Automatic scene detection allows a single clip with multiple scenes to be optimized with a

single pass;

•

Full resolution preview, including side-by-side comparison of original and optimized video

before rendering;

•

Exports optimized video in several industry standard formats ready for sharing or importing

into a video editor;

•

Native 64-Bit and 32-Bit Windows stand-alone applications with multi-core/multi-thread

optimization and support for unlimited video resolutions.

What is new in Mercalli V4 SAL?

The latest additions to Mercalli V4 SAL at a glance:

•

Unique and completely automatic CMOS correction for skew, wobble and jello

•

Greatly improved video stabilization, faster and more efficient than ever!

•

Improved stabilization, optimal perspectives (3D X, Y, and Z-axis stabilization)

•

Optical-Warp-Image-Stabilize-Function (Fisheye-Distortions have no negative effect anymore

on stabilization process

•

Because the Fisheye-Effect doesn´t need to be removed before stabilization rendering is faster

overall and less zoom is needed

•

Numerous cameras are supported. Universal profiles included as well.

•

Dynamic Zoom Reduction (significantly reduces the need to zoom-in)

•

Improved border-boundary adjustments, which also reduces the need to zoom-in.

•

Increase in focus can be selected easily DURING editing

•

Enhancement of adjustability in handling of camera movement

•

Straight forward storyboard function makes arranging clips and exporting into a single file

effortless

•

Super fast full screen preview with new comparison modes, original/optimized, and Forensic

View makes evaluation of corrected video a snap

•

Export in AVC/H264 mp4/mov und Apple ProRes

•

Import von mov, mpg, mpeg, mp4, mts, m2t, m2ts, m2v, avi, mxf, vob, vcd, 3gp, jpg, tif

Installation, activation and registration

1. Mercalli, installation and activation of the stand-alone version

As of version 2, Mercalli can also be used as a stand-alone application (all details are in the

section Mercalli as a stand-alone version).

To start the installation, double-click the setup file. By installing the program, you agree to the

terms and conditions in the legal notice section and to the license terms. If you have downloaded

Mercalli, the archive file will first be decompressed and then the installation will start. Select the

target folder where Mercalli should be installed.

Now follow the installation instructions.

You can now start Mercalli from a shortcut on your desktop

or by clicking Start/All Programs/proDAD/Mercalli Start.

When you start Mercalli for the first time, you will be asked to enter a Code (Serial Number) to

activate the program. In case that you purchased the download version, enter the Code which you

received along with the download instructions email. In case that you purchased the DVD version,

you'll find the code inside the box. Click Unlock.

IMPORTANT:

Please keep in mind that your system requires an Internet connection for you to activate it. This is

the only way to successfully complete the activation. If you encounter problems, please check the

security settings (Firewall, etc.) in the system and repeat the activation process.

If you want to test Mercalli in the DEMO-Mode, click Continue with Demo Version. The Demo

version is activated until you enter the serial number. By entering the serial number you obtain

the license that converts it into the full version.

Mercalli 4.0 SAL will then start with the active tab Start. Now you will import your video

material.

2. Registering Mercalli

You would like to receive Updates and further information about Mercalli? Please register your

proDAD Mercalli at http://www.prodad.de/register.html.

Help function

Pressing the F1 key opens the Help function.

The user guide is also available in PDF format directly from the Programs menu. Go to

Windows Start menu

Programs

proDAD

Manual-Mercalli

You can also use the Search function to quickly find specific terms or topics in the user guide.

Other information sources at www.prodad.com:

•

FAQ

•

Workshops

•

Online Shop

Shortcuts

Important Shortcuts to optimize the process in Mercalli:

In the timeline:

•

Space starts/stops the playback

•

I sets the In point

•

O sets the Out point

•

Cursor left/right

Generally:

•

F4: analyze all media

•

F5: Perform the export

Mercalli V4 SAL overview (stand-alone version)

Details of the Mercalli V4 SAL (stand-alone version) user interface.

Stabilization Information

Choosing the right Stabi-Cam

The Stabi-Cam is the tool that analyzes and corrects video data. The right choice of Stabi-Cam

depends on how the original video was shot and the type of final result you wish to achieve.

Although the Universal Camera will improve your footage in all cases, in certain situations it

makes sense to try out a different Stabi-Cam in order to produce the perfect result.

Example: tracking of a moving vehicle filmed from the side. Objective: a general steadying of the

shot

Correct Stabi-Cam selection: Universal or, even better, Glide Camera

Wrong selection: Rock-Steady Camera

Example: free-hand camera shot of a point within a scenery. Objective: best possible

stabilization, as if filmed from a tripod

Correct Stabi-Cam selection: Universal or, even better, Rock-Steady Camera

Wrong selection: Glide Camera

Explanation:

The Stabi-Cam selection Rock-Steady Camera is always advisable if you are aiming for scenery

as stable as possible with preferably no camera movement at all. To achieve this, though, the

original footage must not contain panning movements of the camera, but only shakes, jitters,

rotations, tilts and similar movements.

In all footage where the camera pans, you should try out the Stabi-Cam selection Glide Camera

as an alternative to Universal. This also applies to shots where the camera trucks alongside a

moving object.

You will find further instructions in the Lesson Smoothing the Camera Path.

Perfect stabilization - tips & tricks

After running the video analysis and the first playback of the stabilized footage, you may well be

satisfied with the result – but perhaps it is possible to do even better. Check the following points

and you may be able to further improve the stabilization of your video.

•

Are you using the correct Stabi-Cam?

Although the Universal profile will improve your footage in all cases, in certain situations it makes

sense to try out a different Stabi-Cam in order to produce the perfect result.

•

Camera-Dynamic Yes/No?

Enabling the Keep Camera Dynamic option can have a major impact on your footage. For instance,

if you have shaky footage of a scenery WITHOUT any intended movements of the camera, it is

better to disable this option, in order to eliminate the shake as unwanted camera movement. You

would see considerable improvement in a scene of this kind with Keep Camera Dynamic on, but

better stabilization can be achieved with it off.

So when does it make sense to use Keep Camera Dynamic?

Whenever a scene has been filmed with intentional camera motion, such as panning or tracking

shots or similar movements.

What does Avoid Border mean?

Switching on the Avoid Border mode first of all hides the empty (black) areas of the image that

result from shifting the image to stabilize it. This is done by zooming the video.

As a result, the greater the degree of shake in the video, the greater the zoom factor in the

stabilized footage.

But Mercalli V2 also features a new Smart Border Technology. It tells the user by visual signals

that in certain parts of the footage a very high zoom factor would be necessary in order to

perfectly stabilize the video. The user can then choose either to have complete stabilization of

these parts of the video or trade a lower degree of stabilization at individual points for a lower

zoom factor. The advantages of less zoom are a sharper image and preservation of original details.

The user decides what is most important for the footage in question and is not constrained by an

automatic rule.

The parts of the video where the user can decide are indicated as follows:

This signal enables the user to make adjustments interactively during playback and either

increase the degree of stabilization or shift the weighting towards less zoom. This simple manual

intervention lets the cutter fine-tune the fully automatic stabilization to suit individual tastes and

objectives, and should thus meet all needs.

Unwanted rolling shutter effects

A CMOS sensor is an image sensor used in camcorders and digital cameras.

The rolling shutter effect is a positional error in the video, which occurs in moving footage when

the frame is scanned line by line.

If the image is static, the footage is correct because all points of the frame are exposed at their

correct positions. Rolling shutter effect may result in the case of a subject in motion or a moving

camera, when a frame is scanned line by line (i.e. not all at exactly the same time).

If the rolling shutter effect (distortions or wobbling picture) should appear after the stabilization,

this is a CMOS-weakness of your camcorder. Mercalli will reveal this weakness. You can remove

this effect only by activating the option Rolling-Shutter Compensation in the section

Smoothing the camera path / Stabi-Cam.

Common rolling shutter effects are:

•

Jello effect

•

Skew, geometric distortion occurring in pan shots

•

Wobble (similar to heat shimmer)

•

Vibrations and compression

Interesting sample videos regarding stabilization / correction with Mercalli V4 SAL:

Sample videos

Please note:

To play the videos, your PC must be connected to the Internet.

Advice on filming for even better results

You can already do a lot when filming to help achieve steady footage. Bear the following points in

mind:

•

To help rolling shutter compensation when shooting from a vehicle or with a moving camera,

do not start filming when already moving (but have the camera stationary at the start and end

of the shot if possible).

•

Keep the exposure time as short as possible so as to reduce blurring effects between individual

frames due to fast movements.

•

Extreme differences in speed can have less effect as a result of different depths in the shot's

perspective.

•

When tracking a moving object, seek to minimize the prominence of stationary objects darting

through the shot.

•

Filming with a smudged lens or through a dirty window may lead to misinterpretations in the

analysis and stabilizations errors.

•

Atmospheric effects such as heat shimmer may confuse the Rolling-Shutter Compensation.

Details about Mercalli V4 SAL

When you start up Mercalli, it opens with the Start tab active, where you can configure all

settings for the stabilization of your video.

Starting the program and importing media

1. Program Start:

You can start Mercalli from a shortcut on your desktop

or by clicking Start/Programs/proDAD/Mercalli.

Then, you will have 4 options to Import videos.

1. Select file (to import video files)

2. Select folder (to import image files from a folder, Mercalli will convert these into a video)

3. Click here to open Media (to import video files)

4. Import videos via Drag & Drop from the desktop directly into the preview of Mercalli SAL

Playback of the original video - define trim area

After the import, the video can be played in the Mercalli preview via Control = control of playback

just like Play/Pause (1). The Time information (2) of the video (currently = 05 second /

Figure 24) is shown below the preview on the left. To the right below the preview, you will find

the option Calculate preview and play on an external player (3). Click on this option after

the video analysis, then your preview will be calculated and can then be played by e.g. the

MediaPlayer. This function is helpful if, e.g., the preview was not played 100% smoothly in

Mercalli.

Below is Timeline of Mercalli V4 SAL, here, you can define a Trim area. Then, only this area will

be used for stabilization and export. For this, move the red timeline cursor to the desired

Position IN (1) in the video and first click on the option Set trim start point to current time

(2). Then move the timeline cursor to the desired Position OUT (1) in the video and click on the

option Set trim end point to current time (2). The Trim Area in the video is set in the

timeline and is marked in the color cyan.

Analyze and export media

Analyze All Selected Media-Bin items

The option Analyze all selected videos of the media bin

allows the analysis of all media selected in the media bin.

Export All Selected Media-Bin Items

The option Export all selected videos of the media bin

allows the export of all media selected in the media bin. Here, the media is analyzed, stabilized

and exported into a new file.

CMOS-Correction - Select distortion types and

Rolling-Shutter Compensation

First, you will need to remove undesired CMOS effects from your video and then you will get

even better stabilization effects, because pictures that are free of shaking and wobbling are the

better basis for the subsequent stabilization of undesired camera movements!

Almost all action cameras, DSLR cameras, as well as professional video cameras have so-called

CMOS sensors. If these cameras are exposed to vibrations or shaking, the recording of individual

images becomes faulty and these image errors will show up naturally.

First, remove undesired CMOS effects from your video. This is the best basis for better

stabilization results. The subsequent stabilization of undesired camera movements is much more

optimized on the basis of images that are free of vibrations and wobbling!

Mercalli V4 offers extensive adaptation possibilities for this, however, the use of the program is

very simple, as the stabilization as well as the CMOS correction take place fully automatically. Of

course, there is additional fine adjustment - therefore, you will always have the opportunity to

intervene.

Enabling Rolling-Shutter Compensation

With the activation of the option Rolling-Shutter Compensation a possible distortion (only with

CMOS), which can occur in moving pictures (video) can be compensated. This option

Rolling-Shutter Compensation is activated by default.

The rolling shutter effect is an undesired side effect of the so-called CMOS sensors, which are

widely used in digital reflex cameras (DSLRs), pocket cams, mobile radio devices or action cams.

As long as a recording has not been stabilized, the rolling shutter effect is either not or only

slightly noticeable. But as soon as a successful stabilization has taken place during post

production, the rolling shutter effect will remain and will now become slight to significantly

annoying.

Therefore, Mercalli counteracts this undesired effect on request - because a stabilized recording

will remain worthless, if the undesired consequence effect destroys this result.

Furthermore, Mercalli SAL offers different CMOS correction method to choose from, which may

be included in the video, such as Standard, Vibrations / Wobble as well as differentiated settings

(Intensive Repair) to counteract vibrations and waves. If you wish to further optimize the fully

automatic CMOS correction in the video, you will choose one of the available CMOS Distortion

Types from the menu that offers the best possible optimization.

Edit Intensive Repair...:

There is also the option of a permanent Saving or Resetting of CMOS settings.

Smooth Camera Path - Using the virtual Stabi-Cam

The option Smooth Camera Path allows the stabilization of a video to be turned on or off. You

can analyze and correct your shaky video by means of different Stabi-Cams. For this, select a

suitable Stabi-Cam (the default is the Universal Camera).

Information for using the virtual Stabi-Cams

As every video is different in its makeup, we recommend starting the video analysis or

stabilization with the default Stabi-Cam Universal Camera.

If, against the expectations, the stabilization result of your video is not optimal, there are more

Stabi-Cameras available, such as the Glide Camera and the Rock-Steady Camera. These have

different presettings and are specialized devices. But if you want your video to resemble a video

taken with a tripod, use the Stabi-Cam Rock-Steady Camera; this camera comes close to the

quality of a video taken with a tripod.

The Stabi-Cam Action Cam is used if you are recording images with many movements (e.g. an

action-riddled camera drive). Here, only the extreme disquiet in the video will be stabilized.

The Stabi-Cam Forensic Camera stabilizes very strongly to show the differences. This is the

general opportunity to get into the forensic view; here, the correction affected by Mercalli can be

better evaluated.

We also recommend trying the available Stabi-Cams to find the best stabilization possible. These

Stabi-Cams may create better results than the Stabi-Cam Universal Camera in exceptional

situations. However, these Stabi-Cams are subject to very specific environmental conditions,

which, especially when viewed as a combination, are very complex.

There is also the option of a permanent Saving or Resetting of stabilization settings.

Used Camera Optics

In order to achieve the best possible Stabilization quality select your Camera type in this

menu. This way, Mercalli recognizes the Camera Optics. If your camera is not listed, try the 3

Generic-Profile.

Avoid Border

The use of the slider in the field Avoid Border depends on the type of blur in the video. Generally,

Mercalli proceeds following certain automatic schemes.

If you remove nearly all undesired movements that are signaled by a in the shift

diagram, move the slider only as far as you need to go in the field Avoid Border in order to

maintain the original resolution in the stabilized result as much as possible.

The slider in the field Avoid Border is located above the Mercalli preview and on the Settings

tab.

Deactivate Avoid Border; the setting will then change to Best Stabilization; this may cause a

minimal border in the video. The display Suppress (to the right of the preview) is turned off.

Pan Shot Smoothing

With the slider Pan Shot Smoothing you balance the total movements in the video. If you move

the slider further to the right, Mercalli increases the stabilization, the video appears quieter.

The slider Pan Shot Smoothing is available in Mercalli above the preview but also on the

Settings tab.

The slider Pan Shot Smoothing causes the greatest visual change (smoothing of the movement

in the video).

Changes in the correction curve are also visible in the shift diagram.

View Mode (Result + Source + Vertical/Horizontal

Compare + Side-by-Side)

The menu View Mode contains different options to display the video preview.

1. View Result (shows the stabilized video as a preview)

2. View Source (shows the original video as a preview)

3. Horizontal Compare (Comparison of original/stabilized in a horizontal split screen)

4. Vertical Compare (Comparison of original/stabilized in a vertical split screen)

5. Side-by-Side split screen (separation of the image cutout, e.g. left, right, top or bottom in

the comparison view original/stabilized)

Set up rotation

Mercalli SAL offers the setting option of Rotation of the video in the top right menu. One click on

the option Rotation by 90 degrees counterclockwise or Rotation by 90 degrees clockwise

will cause a rotation of the video in the respective direction.

The rotation can also be defined in accurate degrees. This function is ideal if the camera was held

at a slight angle during filming.

Set up UI

Mercalli SAL features settings in the top right menu UI (Mercalli SAL user interface), here you can

hide the Timeline (below the preview) as well as the Dashboard.

Playing the stabilized video in Mercalli & calculation

for ext. player

The stabilized video can be played in the Mercalli preview via Play/Stop (1). The Time

information (2) of the video (currently = 09 second / Figure 13) can be found below Mercalli

preview. To the right below the preview, you will find the option Calculate preview and play

on an external player (3). Click on this option after the video analysis, then your preview will

be calculated and can then be played by e.g. the MediaPlayer. This function is helpful if, e.g., the

preview was not played 100% smoothly in Mercalli.

Charts

Shift

In the Shift diagram, the movement in the video, such as sliding in the X-Y Direction

(horizontal/vertical) is displayed.

With the slider Pan Shot Smoothing you balance the total movements in the video. If you move

the slider further to the right, Mercalli increases the stabilization, the video appears quieter. The

slider Pan Shot Smoothing causes the greatest visual change (smoothing of the movements in

the video). Also, in the Shift diagram, you will see the changes in the correction curve.

If you wish to remove nearly all undesired movements signaled by a in the Shift

diagram, move the slider in the area Avoid Border only far enough to the right (more zoom IN) to

keep most of the original resolution in the stabilized result.

The hatched marking (as seen on the top and the bottom of the diagram), which shows the limits

of the max. movement in the video, is adapted in its height accordingly after changing the slider

position in the area Avoid Border.

Roll (with On/Off)

In the Roll diagram, the movement in the video or the rotation around the Z Axis is displayed.

Move the mouse directly into the diagram; this will also show the current values.

Furthermore, the Roll diagram can also be deactivated (on the right, directly adjacent to the

displayed diagram); then neither a correction nor a display of the stabilization around the Z axis is

available.

The hatched marking (as seen on the top / bottom of the diagram), which shows the limits of the

max. rotation movement in the video, is adapted in its height accordingly after changing the slider

position in the area Avoid Border. The undesired movements signaled by a in the

diagram, can be removed with this action.

CMOS Sensor (with On/Off)

The fully automatic CMOS correction retroactively removes weaknesses caused by the CMOS

sensor. The green curve shows the correction (counter-action) by Mercalli, the orange curve

shows the residual errors (incorrigible). Move the mouse directly into the diagram; this will also

show the current values.

Furthermore, the CMOS Sensor diagram can also be deactivated (on the right, directly adjacent

to the currently displayed diagram). The orange curve showing the residual errors is still displayed.

The green curve will not be available, there will also not be any correction.

Zoom (with On/Off)

The Zoom diagram shows the movement in the video regarding Zoom.

The correction and the display in the diagram depends on the position of the slider Zoom -

Balance on the Settings tab. If the slider Zoom - Balance is moved further to the right, the

zoom is applied to several images, a harmonic zoom is created.

Furthermore, the Zoom Corrections diagram can also be deactivated (on the right, directly

adjacent to the currently displayed diagram); then, neither a correction nor a display for the zoom

are available. On the Settings tab, the slider Zoom - Balance is deactivated as well.

Tilt (with On/Off)

In the Tilt diagram, the movement in the video regarding the tilting around the X/Y Axis is

displayed. Move the mouse directly into the diagram; this will also show the current values.

The correction and display in the diagram depends on the position of the sliders Y Axis - Balance

and X Axis - Balance on the Settings tab. Move the slider Pan - Balance; this will change the

correction regarding the rotation around the X/Y axis. The diagram will display this change in a

curve.

Furthermore, the Tilt diagram can also be deactivated (on the right, directly adjacent to the

displayed chart); then neither a correction nor a display of the stabilization around the X/Y axis is

available. On the Settings tab, the sliders Y Axis - Balance and X Axis - Balance will also be

deactivated.

Zoom-In - Dynamic Scaling

The cyan colored line shows the Zoom In used in the corresponding time position in the diagram.

A high Dyn-Scale value (Dynamic Scaling on the Settings) tab reduces the need for Zoom In.

This is achieved by a rapid change of the zoom.

Note:

Depending on the position of the slider Dynamic Scaling, the zoom requirement will also vary by

time position. The maximum value is always constant, the minimum value can sink with a higher

dynamic (but does not have to).

Minimum 103% and maximum 125% - Zoom In used

Minimum 109% and maximum 125% - Zoom In used

Information, Settings, Media Bin + Output Media-Bin

Information

On the first tab, you will see Information for the current video, as well as how many videos were

imported and how many still need to be exported.

Settings

Pan Shot Smoothing

The slider Pan Shot Smoothing is available in Mercalli, above the preview but also on the

Settings tab.

With the slider Pan Shot Smoothing you balance the total movements in the video. If you move

the slider further to the right, Mercalli increases the stabilization, the video appears quieter. The

slider Pan Shot Smoothing causes the greatest visual change (smoothing of the movements in

the video). Changes in the correction curve are also visible in the shift diagram.

Roll - Balance

The slider Roll - Balance effects a correction of the video regarding the movements (rotation)

around the Z Axis. Changes in the correction curve are also visible in the Roll diagram.

The slider Roll - Balance can also be deactivated, but only if the slider Zoom - Balance has

already been deactivated. Simply click on the checkmark on the Settings tab. Then, there will be

no correction of the Roll movement (Z Axis) in the video.

The slider Roll - Balance will be deactivated if rolling movements cannot be evaluated by Mercalli,

or if only pans are to be stabilized.

Border Handling

Mercalli offers various Border Options.

Balancing the Movements creates calculation-related borders.

So, if you move the image 10 pixels to the left to compensate or balance an originally caused blur

to the right, a border, or rather an information gap is created on the right side of the image. This

can usually be seen as empty content or black image areas. At this point, the user can decide how

to perform the border calculation.

Best Border

If you select the option Best Border, there will be No Border in the stabilized video. The border

will be eliminated by zooming into the video. This is done in relation to the blurs and the desired

extent of correction in connection with the setting process done with the Zoom slider.

You can find more detailed information on the subject of Borders (Border Handling) in the FAQ

section in the support area of www.prodad.com.

Best Stabilization

If you select the option Best Stabilization, a black Border will be displayed in the stabilized

video. This can vary between images, depending on the extent of the blur in the current situation.

This border, however, can be filled in with image content by using the option Video Color Filling.

Note:

If this displays interfering side effects in the border replaced by image content (see gate at top

left), deactivate the option Video Color Filling once again.

You can zoom into the video with the slider Scale, the border will be minimized further.

Too much Zoom In can cause blurs (grainy image) in the video.

Video Color Filling

With the option Video Color Filling you allocate Image Content to an existing black border in

the video.

Note:

If this displays interfering side effects in the border replaced by image content (see gate at top

left), deactivate the option Video Color Filling once again.

Forensic View

In the Forensic View, the display is zoomed out and has no limits. By zooming into a scene, the

effected correction is easier to evaluate with Mercalli. The slider Scale will support you with Zoom

IN/OUT.

Dynamic Scaling

The cyan colored line shows the Zoom In used in the corresponding time position in the diagram.

A high Dyn-Scale value (Dynamic Scaling on the Settings) tab reduces the need for Zoom In.

This is achieved by a rapid change of the zoom.

Note:

Depending on the position of the slider Dynamic Scaling, the zoom requirement will also vary by

time position. The maximum value is always constant, the minimum value can sink with a higher

dynamic (but does not have to).

Minimum 103% and maximum 125% - Zoom In used

Minimum 109% and maximum 125% - Zoom In used

Noise reduction / Sharpness

If your video contains noise portions or if it is not sharp enough, you can select Settings and the

option Noise reduction / Sharpness and improve the quality. The change will immediately be

shown in the preview.

Keep Camera Dynamic

The option Keep Camera Dynamic is intended to maintain the vivacity in the video, i.e., deliberate

camera movements of the person filming should neither be smoothed nor stabilized.

If you wish to stabilize a normal hand-filmed blurry camera shot into a Tripod Recording, you

should deactivate the option Keep Camera Dynamic.

Zoom - Balance

With the slider Zoom - Balance, you can smooth the Zoom Movement in the video.

Move the slider further to the right to effect a stronger smoothing of zoom changes. Existing

blurring in the zoom is thus balanced. Changes in the zoom correction curve are also visible in the

Zoom Corrections diagram. The slider Zoom - Balance can also be deactivated. Simply click on

the checkmark on the Settings tab.

Then, there will be no Zoom Correction in the video.

Y-Axis - Balance

The slider Y-Axis - Balance effects a correction of the video regarding the movements (rotation)

around the Y Axis (tilting movement of the camera in the direction Y). Displayed in the Tilt

diagram (below the preview) as the cyan-colored curve.

If you move the slider Y-Axis - Balance, this will change the correction regarding the rotation

around the Y axis. In the diagram, this change will be displayed in the cyan-colored curve. The

slider Y-Axis - Balance can also be deactivated. Simply click on the checkmark on the Settings

tab. Then there will be no correction around the Y Axis in the video.

X-Axis – Balance

The slider X-Axis - Balance effects a correction of the video regarding the movements (rotation)

around the X Axis (tilting movement of the camera in the direction X). Displayed in the Tilt

diagram (below the preview) as the magenta-colored curve.

If you move the slider X-Axis - Balance, this will change the correction regarding the rotation

around the X-Axis. In the diagram, this change will be displayed in the magenta-colored curve.

The slider X-Axis - Balance can also be deactivated. Simply click on the checkmark on the

Settings tab. Then there will be no correction around the X Axis in the video.

Media Bin

You can view all imported media on the Media Bin tab.

You will see information on the file path, resolution, runtime, images/sec (f/s), pixel ratio (par) as

well as about the source path of the imported videos. You can also add (+) or remove (-) media

to and from the media bin.

The medium selected in the media bin can be moved up one position by clicking on the Up Arrow

button. With the Down Arrow button, you can move it down.

Note:

The position is important if all media is exported into a common output file.

Mark the videos intended for export after the stabilization/correction in front of the file name.

You also have the option to rename an imported video in the Media Bin; the new file name will

then be considered during the Export. However, the file name of the original file will be

maintained.

Output Media-Bin

Mercalli also has the Output Media-Bin tab; here, all exported videos are shown.

Batch processing in Detail

Mercalli allows batch processing.

The Batch processing is arranged in a way that allows you to export your video file at any time.

There are 2 main options of Batch processing.

1. Video analysis of separated videos and subsequent export of all the selected videos

Import a video in Mercalli 3.0 SAL, select the Stabilization settings (as Staby-Cam etc.) and

analyse the video. Import further videos and analyse them. The videos will be available then in

the Media Bin register. You can now modify subsequently various Stabilization settings. To do so,

select the video in the Media Bin register.

You can also start a Playback of a selected video in the preview. The selected videos can be

exported afterwards. You can select all the available videos in a group or individually. To start the

export, click the Export stabilized Media register where the number of the videos selected to be

exported will be displayed. Consider the Export settings. The selected videos will be subsequently

exported.

The exported videos will then be available in the Output Media-Bin register.

2. Video analysis and Export in one process

First import several videos in Mercalli 3.0 SAL and select a Stabilization setting (as Staby-Cam

etc.) for each video.

Then select all the videos that you would like to analyse and import in the Media Bin register.

To start the analysis and the export, click the Export stabilized Media register where the

number of the videos selected to be analyzed and exported will be displayed. Consider the Export

settings. The videos selected for the export will now automatically be analyzed and then exported.

The videos will then be available in the Output Media-Bin register.

Note:

For further modifications of the stabilization settings, just select the video in Media Bin, modify

the settings and export the videos including the new settings in the Export stabilized Media

3. By means of a simple storyboard function, you can export several clips in any order into a

single file.

The Export into a Video file

Go to the Export stabilized Media register.

Select the Export Files into another Directory option

then you can determine an own Export path. Click the arrow to open the Search Archives

dialog. This is where you select an own directory.

You can still choose between 3 Quality levels in the Export. For best results we recommend the

selection of Medium.

Now you use the option Setup to select the desired Media Encoder for video. Currently, the

following Media Encoder Settings are available to you: AVC/H264 (mp4), AVC/H264 (mov),

MJpeg (mov), Apple ProRes (mov) as well as HEVC/H265 (mov).

Now you use the option Setup to select the desired Media Encoder for audio. If you wish to

export Audio , first mark the option Use Audio. Here, also the following Media Encoder

Settings are available to you: AAC, PCM 16bit, AC-3 and Apple Lossless (ALAC).

By means of a simple Storyboard Function, you can export several clips in any order into a

single file. So, you can export small cut movies directly from Mercalli V4 SAL quickly and easily,

without the need to use a

video editing program. For this, mark the option Combine Videos.

Click Start export in order to export the stabilized video into a new file.

Then you can select the exported video directly from Mercalli 3.0 SAL and reproduce it via

Mediaplayer.

Note:

After exporting various video files, these files will be available immediately for Playback via

Mediaplayer.

Further use of the saved video

The file you have created (your stabilized video) is now available for further use (e.g. burning on

a DVD or Blu-ray) depending on the export format you have chosen.

You can also import the file into video editing applications that are not supported by a Mercalli

plug-in.

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