Image stabilization software for Vegas?
 

Hey guys (and gals)

I'm looking for image stabilization software that will work with or plug into Vegas (currently using V7). I need to smooth out some shaky handheld stuff a little.

Does such a thing exist?

Thanks!

I just bought Mercalli for 20% off using this code "prodad20"

Afterward, I wondered if "prodad30" would've givenme a 30% discount...:) I just googled 'prodad coupon' to find it.

Also, there's a similar thread over on SCS which talks about a script for Deshaker by John Meyer. I downloaded it but haven't tried it yet. I can't remember where the script s are stored for V8 (anyone?) go to thread

re: Mercalli--it won't take footage from a 10' boat on 2' waves and make it look like the water was placid, nor will it take footage from an ultralight in turbulence and make it look like it was shot with a Steadicam, but it will take a pretty good long pan (on a Bogen 501 head) and make it look great. I've tried all of the above.

It's fast and reliable, mUCH better than frameserving to AE7, at least on my system.

no keyframes . and no motion tracking, like for spot removal or pinning an image into the frame eg ad on a bus. can't remove only rotation from the shot.

It chooses it's track 'points' continuously, so, unlike AE or Fusion, if they leave the frame you don't have to stop and reset the point.

For $95 izza a great tool to have in the bag.

Bill, Scott.... you made my day. Thanks!

prodad30, 40, 50, etc... don't work... :)


Also, what I found interesting was that you can save a huge amount of money depending on what currency you choose to pay in!

It came up as €119 for me... which I then switch to USD, and it came up at $119! A huge savings. Then I switched to CAD... and it popped back up to $170! Ridiculous considering the exchange rate. So for Europeans or Canadians, pay is US dollars and save 50%!

Also, it forced me to spend $25 + $11 shipping on a backup CD, which I don't want but couldn't remove it from the shopping cart without removing the software as well. I would have been pissed except I had the 20% off code so it kind of was a break even for me.

The registration process is a pain in the ass. When I pay for something, I expect to be able to register it instantly, not send emails and wait for replies to get keys.... Grrr...

Oh well, as long as it works (which, currently, it doesn't).

[/BEGIN RANT] They force you to spend $36 on a backup CD (inc p&P)? They FORCE you?? Blimey, so they do. Just went through the purchase process myself.

Maybe I'm a bit stingy with my money but that would be a showstopper for me. Happy to pay for something I want but not for stuff I don't, 20% discount or not.

Whether it's the best stabilising software on the planet or not, I really hate being gouged.

They cite the reason as being that if you lose the original download you can turn to the CD. They should look at NewBlueFX - or even Sony - as good examples of online software vendors. If you lose the download, download it again. And again. And again. And surely, while you're re-downloading it, they have a great opportunity to tell you about latest additions to the range and sell you something else! They should have a word with their marketing guy . . .

[END RANT/]

I just backup the software myself and never have a problem. I just loaded a new machine all from previous backups. I do agree that Sony handles this very nice.

It might be that element 5 (their online store solution) tries to force the backup CD onto buyers as a way of upselling them. e.g. like how Best Buy employees must push extended warranties onto buyers.
The software vendor in this case may not have a choice about the upselling... it might be their online store solution forcing it onto shoppers. (So proDad may not be to blame.)

Digital River, the company that owns element 5, does some other shady upselling stuff. Another DR company tricks users into some wacky coupon program, where the unsuspecting customer is billed $10/month.

*Disclaimer: Please take my comments with a grain of salt as they might not be correct.

2- I'd encourage you to ask ProDad what is up... they may not be happy with the upselling either.

I somehow was able to remove the Backup CD. How did I do it?....not sure...it was late...

keep trying, cuz I got the software without the Backup CD.

[double post]

I had no problem removing the 'backup CD'... Just clicked the trashcan at the end of the line.
And in Euro's Mercali is €100; still with the dollar at € 0.65 that's a no brainer.

George/

FYI I was not able to remove just the CD, just like Dylan. When I tried to remove just the CD (yes, by clicking on the trash can - thanks for the guidance, by the way) the download version went as well. Whether it's because their checkout was broken in some way or whether that's the way it was set up I have no idea. But I confirm again I was NOT able to remove it without removing the download as well.

This would not be the first time a software vendor tried to force sell something the customer didn't want. But of course an experienced on-line shopper would have come across that sort of thing before. I know I have ;-)

To bring the matter up to date, I have revisited the site and now I AM able to remove the CD, which is good. But to prevent any confusion, when I tried last night I was NOT able to do so.

Do you think they may have changed it because of complaints from customers? You never know. I'll be charitable and say that it was probably because the shop was broken temporarily.

I've just tried an experiment. I had a steady tripod shot of a man going up and down on his toes in front of a brick wall. I asked mercalli to take a look at it and it did an amazing job - kept the guy's eyes locked steady in the frame and bounced the brick wall behind him up and down. Weird.

tom.

When I bought Mercalli 4 months ago, I was a little annoyed as well about the upsell, but even then a simple 'trash it' was all that was required.

Can't explain other users' experiences. The Element5 store seems to use geographical data, so maybe not all options are available everywhere...

Who knows.

George/

P.S. I know I can be annoying as well ;-)

That was my experience as well. I spent 5 minutes trying various angles of loading the shopping cart then deleting the CD, but it had me by the cojones.

I should put it on Ebay... :)