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Having a smooth and polished video doesn’t always come right away after you point and shoot your subject. That’s why editing videos has always been a way to enhance them further and resolve issues with shakiness. So, don’t be surprised if you encounter videos that are not stabilized, as there are various methods and types of video stabilization, which this article will also explore. To further assist you in stabilizing video on your own, we will first provide an introduction to what video stabilization entails, including its concept, types, and factors that can affect stabilization.
Furthermore, once we have honed the basics, we will guide you through the actual step-by-step process of stabilizing a video using both free and paid methods, allowing you to experience the effectiveness and ease of use of each technique.
Video stabilization is a process that removes or reduces any unwanted shakiness or jitter in a video. Shakiness or jitteriness causes the camera to shake while recording a video, making the result somewhat unwatchable. Thus, to avoid unnecessarily reshooting the footage, video stabilization comes in to make the video appear smoother.
The basic concept of video stabilization that occurs during the process is that the tool or software works behind the scenes to achieve this effect. Just like digital-based video stabilization, it estimates and detects how the video moves between frames. Once the video frames have all been analyzed, the tool will then adjust, reposition, and warp the frames to minimize movement while maintaining smooth visual continuity across frames.
1. Optical
Optical stabilization refers to the actual use of physical lenses, sensors, or tools to stabilize video. These are usually attached to the camera or video-taking device to stabilize the video by simply having the attachment use a sensor to detect and reposition the camera into a steady position that minimizes as much jitter as possible, compared to holding the camera by hand.
2. Digital
Digital stabilization is the use of software-based tools to analyze and reposition video frames. This occurs during the video's post-processing. While this type of stabilization remains a flexible and customizable option, that being said, you cannot rely on it fully to stabilize your video.
3. AI-Based
AI video stabilization utilizes deep learning or well-trained AI to predict and correct video frame motion and patterns, simulating how the video would appear when stabilized. This type of stabilization is incorporated into tools like digital-based stabilization, which makes the entire digital stabilization process.
Camera Movement
One main factor that can affect the video stabilization process is the camera's movement during recording. Movements that can easily be registered on the video, even if it is a minimal one. That’s why, even if a stabilization tool is available for use, it is ideal to remain cautious with movement when taking videos to minimize as much movement as possible. This will make the video stabilizing process easier.
Lighting
Lighting can have an effect when stabilizing videos, as having a severe, poor lighting condition makes it hard for the digital-based stabilization to work, as well as having an excessive amount of lighting on the video, as this can increase the presence of glare and blur in the video, which makes stabilizing the video overall difficult.
Video Quality
The video quality can significantly impact the effectiveness of the stabilization process. Having poor video quality can hinder the effectiveness of digital-based and AI stabilization tools, as they struggle to distinguish between motion and frame reposition, which can exacerbate the current video motion.
1. iMovie
Using iMovie to stabilize a video is a straightforward process, as the tool itself is organized and minimal, making it easy to work with. While its simplicity and straightforwardness bring convenience for stabilizing video, we find the exclusiveness to only Apple users as its downside.
Using your Mac device, open the iMovie software and load your video into the software you wish to use for stabilization from its main interface.
Once your video is in the software, proceed to drag it down to your timeline track.
Once your video is in the timeline track view, navigate to the right corner of the software. From there, you will see a preview of your video, and above it, you will see various video editing tools.
From the video editing panel, click on the Video icon, and from there, you will gain access to Stabilize Shaky Video. Feel free to adjust its strength before enabling it. Once you allow the stabilization, your software will automatically process it. Once it's done, click on the Export button to save your video to your Mac device.
2. Shotcut
Another free-to-use video editing platform, Shotcut, can also be used to adjust and stabilize video. While it is great that it is more accessible to Windows and Mac devices, it is also powered with a lot of video editing and enhancement tools, which may come in handy for overall video processing. However, while the software manages to deliver what was requested in video stabilization, its downside is that when you stabilize your video in it, the video resolution quality may be lowered.
Open your Shotcut software on your desktop device. From there, upload your video into the software. Once your video is in the Shotcut timeline, click on it to proceed.
Once you have selected your video, proceed to tap on the Filters section located in the upper part of your software. From there, click on the Filter icon and select the Stabilize filter to apply it to your selected video.
Once you have applied the stabilization filter to your video, simply adjust the filter strength to achieve your preferred level of stabilization in the video. Once done, click the Export button to export and save your video to your desktop.
1. VidHex Video Enhancer
Using VidHex Enhancer for video stabilization purposes, we realize that, apart from being a paid option for this matter, users can access and utilize its features for free, as a free version is available. This makes our overall video stabilizing task more accessible and hassle-free, as the user interface with this tool is extremely beginner-friendly. The simplicity of its user interface doesn’t compromise the quality it produces, especially in video enhancement and stabilization, as it is capable of exporting videos of up to 4K quality.
Download and install VidHex Video Enhancer on your desktop device (Mac or Windows).
Once installation is complete, open VidHex Video Enhancer and, from the main interface, upload the video you want to stabilize.
Go to the right side of the software tool and locate the Frame Interpolation Model. Click on it to fix video shakiness by adding extra frames for smoother playback.
After that, set your Output Resolution to 4K and, once done, click the Export All button to start the process and save your video to your desktop device.
2. CapCut
CapCut is a popular and well-known video processing tool. Capcut stabilize video feature works on desktops, mobile devices, and in web browsers. This broad compatibility increases accessibility; however, users must subscribe to the Pro version to access it. When paying for pro, you can expect lossless, high-quality output, especially for video stabilization.
Open your CapCut application on any of your devices. Once you are in its main interface, simply upload your video file into the tool.
Once your video is loaded into the tool, navigate to the right side of the tool to access all editing and enhancement features. From there, simply click on the Basic setting and locate the Stabilize setting.
Once you locate the Stabilize feature, simply adjust its strength to your desired level. When you are satisfied, proceed to the Export button to save it to your desktop device.
What is the difference between optical and digital stabilization?
The difference between the two is that optical uses physical tools, such as sensors and lenses inside the camera, to reduce shakiness or jitter in real-time recording. While digital stabilization is often implemented in the software tool or post-processing phase, where editing the video takes place.
Can I stabilize a video that was shot handheld?
Yes, this can be done via a software tool or sometimes included as a feature in a post-processing platform. While this method helps reduce jitter in the video, it is not entirely reliable, as excessive movement and shake are difficult to correct with digital stabilization.
How can I improve the quality of a shaky video before stabilization?
To ensure that you won't lose your video resolution prior to stabilizing your shaky video, you can upscale your video first to have clearer and brighter frames, which is ideal for better tracking when stabilization takes place.
Which software is best for stabilizing action-packed videos?
To ensure high-quality output and performance, it is recommended to use a professional-grade video editing platform, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. However, these platforms are suitable for beginners, but may be overwhelming for them to use.
Is there a free online tool for video stabilization?
Yes, some of them are Kapwing and Clipchamp, as they can both be used on any web browser, making them perfect for quick and urgent video stabilizing needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, video stabilization is beneficial in making a video more watchable. This article not only shows a step-by-step process on how to use a video stabilizer, including both free and paid options, but also lists some information about what it is, the basic concept of how it works, types of stabilization, and factors that may affect the stabilizing process.
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