Troy, another update should be out within the next few days. Let's see if that version resolves your issues.

this better than deshaker? i don't mind spending the $ if it's WAY WAY better. i know it's probably easier to do than deshaker.

I also have Mercalli and I'm interested in how it compares to NewBlue's stabilizer. Mercalli has a number of presets that have descriptive names that simplify the process of selecting the correct one. More knowledgeable users can also adjust the various settings to achieve whatever they wish.

Does NewBlue's stabilizer have a users guide to help understand the settings and how to apply them?

The "manual" for the NewBlue stabilizer is the help file. You can always download the trial and give it a test run. Then you can tell us how YOU think the different options compare.

Erik, your footage looks better than most I have seen using NewBlue. Is it possible to post a clip from the first sample in full frame without the comparison?

Mike, I looked over the forum link you posted and it looks like there is little consensus between the comparisons but a strong leaning toward deshaker... What do you guys think? Is this a $100 lemon that loses to a free script or a worthwhile tool in the toolbox?

I am on the fence and would really like some thoughts on this. I have a friend/client I am compiling some home videos for and the footage is pretty rocky...

Thanks!

I am a fan of Deshaker. But you have to jump through some hoops to use it, and you need to spend some time to learn it. These other tools are plug and play, with a nice GUI. That's worth the money to a lot of folks.

This is the clip by itself. You can see some edge artifacts when it is fixing some extreme camera motion but nothing you couldn't crop around.

If I was doing this for a finished video I would probably find areas that need work and render them separately so I could use different settings.


This is the original before new blue.

Erik - Thank you for taking the time to share it with us fullscreen, for me that helps a lot.

From what I have seen posted here and at the Sony Forum linked earlier it looks like the Deshaker and Mercalli Pro produce better results but also have disadvantages of interface (Deshaker), price (Mercalli Pro), and steeper learning curves (both.) New Blue looks to have a contender that would meet the needs of many but no real silver bullet in any of the three. In my case, I think the client footage is probably too shaky for any of those but I can see how each would help in many cases. Thanks.

Mercalli only runs in 32-bit Vegas. NewBlue FX has been good about supporting both 32 and 64 bit Windows. Kudos to them for that.

It's good for fixing video that is not too bad to begin with. But nothing is going to fix video that is just crazy shaky.

That was my first attempt, If I keep playing with it I'm sure I could get it better. But it is SO nice having it built right into vegas. Just drag it into the timeline and start fixing.

Thanks for posting these videos showing this stuff used with real videos shot.

I am getting weird blurry edges around the video occationally. I dont understand.
Any thoughts?

The reason for the blur is the camera movement when it was shot. Without stabilization, the blur isn't apparent because of the motion. After stabilization, you see it because the motion is removed.

so all I can really do is zoom in on the video to get rid of that blurry edges. right?

You can use a faster shutter speed on footage that you plan to stabilize in post. This will reduce the blurring although some people don't like the strobe look that faster shutter speeds cause. The best way is to experiment both ways and see which you prefer.