Strobe lights matching DVX

DBoz699

DBoz699

Veteran
Is there any way I could match the framerate of the DVX100a to capture an image everytime the light flashes on a strobe light? To time it perfectly so i can get a trailing motion for a certain effect?

Any certain exposure settings?
 
haha, I like PanasonicNZ's blunt response, Don't take my word for it, but it dosent seem likely that that is possible, considering that the dvx dosent exactly film 24p like a film camera does. I suggest you shoot the scene, then try to do your effect in post with a strobe filter or a keyframing effect

-Matt-
 
I would think it certainly is possible, just depending on what rate the strobe was flashing. I imagine, if you played with it enough, you should be able to sync your shutter speed with the strobe speed ... I don't know how much frame rate would play into it as much as shutter speed would.

Also, what do you mean by trailing effect? Like a ghosting image? That can be done easily enough with motion blur, etc. in post.
 
Both frame rate and shutter speed come into it.

Slowest possible shutter rate is required to create the trail and a known frame rate to determine the number of strobes required over given time.

(Exposure is tricky - The strobe is the subject exposure and the shutter speed is the trail exposure.)

Triggering strobe to framerate would be complicated or otherwise a trail and error thing.
 
It CAN'T be done. Not without some sort of hardwired device which the DVX obviously doesn't have. It would be a waste of time and can be easily done in post. The strobe light and camera shutter will drift if not synced somehow and getting them in sync sonds like a tough mission anyway.
 
Firstly - it could be done but you are correct - it needs a wired device and that could use the firewire out put as a reference. Very complex I agree.

Not sure exactly how easy this is to do in Post . - (Maybe a Flame Suite ?)

What tools would you use to create a "moving" sharp image with a blurred trail behind it of X length ?
 
Not to argue a moot point, but shutter sync to an external source HAS been done with a dvx100. Ever hear of the the 3D Dvx100 camera? Explain that one to me... it absolutely must have syncronized shutters (for both cameras) to function properly.

I'll concede that any camera hacking is a tough mission and probably not worth it.
 
Sry for the late responses

What I was thinkin of doing...was...the strobe would go on for like a second and then a white trail of my character would go for like a second or two....sorta like a beat..it goes on and off.....im guessin im better off with post....but i wanted to try it a different way..instead of doing everything in post..to kinda challenge myself..but as hard as you guys say it is...i think im better off in post.

EDIT: something more over the lines of this kinda trail...

http://www.digitalair.com/techniques/flash_trail.html

I know they used like 798639472343 different cameras at the same time...but something close to that kinda effect..and I asked my friend and he said you would need a strobe light for it.
 
When you do it , let me know how it was done because I want to put some trails on some motorbike footage.

I have not got anything in Premiere Pro (incl Matrox FX) that will do this and I do not want to rotoscope in After FX.
 
A few things to try:
Some effects packages and editors have trail effect built in. This allows a build up of frames.
Since you're shooting moving images you get the 'still' images for free.
If you don't have this you can add the same clip to your time line multiple times to layer it. Offset each a frame (or several frames), set opacity to less than 100% for all but the bottom. You coudl set mode to screen if you have a dark background. Obviously locked off camera woudl work best. Each layer could have different color/filtration.
You could a freeze frame or still for each layer.
 
Scottdvx100 said:
If you don't have this you can add the same clip to your time line multiple times to layer it. Offset each a frame (or several frames), set opacity to less than 100% for all but the bottom.
Click to expand...

Yep. That's how I'd do it.

Strange thing I did once, though... Head

I dumped stills (PNG) out from Vegas, loaded them in the JASC Animation Shop, and created an AVI from them. For some reason it did what you see in that clip.

Cool. But I've not been all that successful again, doing it on purpose.

Dan
 
The "problem" with multiple offset layers is that it affects the whole frame (image).

Eg a tracking shot with a motorcycle. The trails would be on both the roadside trees & the motorcycle.

Ideally it would be one or the other and that is difficult to achieve with out a mask or roto.

Only other way I can think of is to create seq frame file and deal to them in photoshop.
 
That's why you try to shoot it as a lock off if you can, ideally with dark background.
Photoshop is fine for stills but if you're dealing with moving images you'll want to use Commotion or After Effects.
Even a soft rough roto would probably work since it's a stylized look anyway.
 
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