Operation Manual

proDAD Mercalli V2 Manual
11
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:
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by red markings around the video
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).
This effect appears in the form of a diagonal distortion when filming fast-moving subjects. And
also if the filming equipment is subject to heavy shaking, as may occur when filming with a
moving camera (e.g. from a car), strong distortion of the entire image may result, severely
impairing the quality of the footage.