Hi all, I'm just wondering if any does this? I just recently stopped taking pictures and instead just pull the pictures off the video. I feel I'm getting a better picture and have a much better chance of getting the perfectly times shot.

Does anyone else do this? Am i getting a better picture this way? (it sure looks better)
Are there any advantages or disadvantages doing this way?

Thanks
Robert

Yes I do just that. I do not do it professionally just for my own use. I'm sure that the professionals will be cringing at this thread. Still get fantastic pictures doing it this way.

ei4jr@eircom.ne Posted at 2015-7-29 00:07
Yes I do just that. I do not do it professionally just for my own use. I'm sure that the professiona ...

It just seems so much easier. I'm not a professional either. I just follow my 14 year son around as he adventurously does things.. ie surf, snow board, sea-doo... love taking shots from above. You know how it is....

delete     

tapboxer@gmail. Posted at 2015-7-29 00:17
It just seems so much easier. I'm not a professional either. I just follow my 14 year son around a ...

how are you pulling stills from video.  I use photoshop just to piece video together and editing for time.

DNG still photos will have the potential for much greater dynamic range. You need to understand how to adjust and convert the DNG raw files to get the most out of them. I use Capture One software for this but there are several other programs that support the Inspire's DNG files.

Here is an example that uses a wide dynamic range.

Yeah, you're never going to get close to the image quality of a DNG file pulling stills from even a 4k video.

Pulled from 4k 30 fps video
https://www.facebook.com/AerialP ... ?type=1&theater

dennis@aerialpe Posted at 2015-7-29 02:23
Pulled from 4k 30 fps video
https://www.facebook.com/AerialPeek/photos/a.1447174342249796.10737418 ...

I'm not sure what point you are making since the only way I could judge would be to have a raw file and your frame grab at full res to compare on a subject like that.  We need to judge resolution, noise, dynamic range, etc. Then see what various software can do to correct any defects, before we have the best quality from any method... JUST to lay the foundation to compare one scene.

Since I can't judge the dynamic range, detail or noise in your photo, I'll only comment that the color is not to my liking.

I am a long time architectural photographer with pretty advanced digital post processing skills and while I can see using a frame grab in a pinch, that would not be my approach for supplying still photos to my clients.

As it is, even under the best circumstances and using my best skills to adjust the images, the still quality from the Inspire is marginal for my needs when it comes to noise and detail... especially in low light or any time above 100 ISO.  I have another system that flies an APS still camera when I need better quality.  Where the Inspire shines for stills is its ability to shoot with long shutter speeds due to its stability, gimbal and lack of vibration in the camera or elsewhere.

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-7-29 00:28
DNG still photos will have the potential for much greater dynamic range. You need to understand how  ...

How do you get the DNG file. I only see it saved it JPG. thanks

tapboxer@gmail. Posted at 2015-7-29 04:34
How do you get the DNG file. I only see it saved it JPG. thanks

Go into the Pilot menu and click on the camera Photo settings to choose DNG. This is one huge benefit of the Inspire over using a GoPro.  I've been shooting many many stills lately and feel I am getting all the camera has to give.

thank you for your help!

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-7-29 04:32
I'm not sure what point you are making since the only way I could judge would be to have a raw file ...

No point just giving you a chance to see that you can pull decent and print quality photos from the 4k video.  That particular picture was selected by speedboat magazine for a double page print in the July issue.  No dynamic range judging needed or  advanced digital post processing skills.  I typically photo moving objects much more difficult to get a quality still then say shooting a house that never moves and you can wait all day for the right light.  My complements on your house photos they are a bit boring but first rate.

tapboxer@gmail. Posted at 2015-7-29 18:06
thank you for your help!

tapboxer, just be aware that shooting DNG (often called RAW) comes with its own cost. FIles are larger (which may not matter with storage being as cheap as it is) and photos do NOT typically look all that good directly out of the camera. They require editing in an application designed for this.

The payoff, of course, is exactly what others have already pointed out: greater dynamic range and way more creative flexibility.

If you already know this, good. If not, I'm pointing it out because RAW can be a disappointment to someone who hasn't used it before.

Once you start and get the hang of it, there's no going back to JPGs (or frame grabs).

ulrich@ulrich.c Posted at 2015-7-29 22:09
tapboxer, just be aware that shooting DNG (often called RAW) comes with its own cost. FIles are la ...

Yes, thank you. I knew this but I don't know this, if you know what I mean... I've never delt with a raw file before, but I've read that this is the way to go and allows you to get the picture you want in the end, because you have the WHOLE image to work with and adjust... You have room in all directs to make changes.
Am I correct to think of it this way?

tapboxer@gmail. Posted at 2015-7-30 01:06
Yes, thank you. I knew this but I don't know this, if you know what I mean... I've never delt with ...

You are correct in thinking this way. Here is an example of what can be done with a raw file compared with the jpeg.

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-7-30 01:26
You are correct in thinking this way. Here is an example of what can be done with a raw file compar ...

Once created, then you save as a Jpeg?
I see, as Jpeg is just a jpeg, with limited manipulation, because in a sense its already been manipulated by the camera. Raw allows you to make the manipulation on the other end, with a program, because it has not been manipulated.
thanks!

dennis@aerialpe Posted at 2015-7-29 21:56
No point just giving you a chance to see that you can pull decent and print quality photos from th ...

Well if you have to work quickly, a frame grab may be the way to go.   The Inspire is not like working with a camera that can shoot raw files at 10 fps. FWIW in my early days I shot F1 racing and other high speed stuff. Yes houses and real estate as subjects are not very exciting to me either. But being able to make mundane objects look good is a marketable skill for photographers. There are plenty of people who can combine action with top rate quality. And even in the case of a frame grab, various adjustments are possible.  

I have countless published images that are low res and where the client did not care much about quality.  I have shot jobs with my cell phone  and all kinds of p&s cameras. I am not trying to say that there are not ways of using images of lesser quality than the Inspire is capable of via DNG.  I am simply trying to explain how one can get the most out of the Inspire's still image capability.

Yeah I do this and then someone else more skilled touches up the frames in Light room.  Perfect for my (semi professional) needs

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-7-30 01:35
Well if you have to work quickly, a frame grab may be the way to go.   The Inspire is not like work ...

Well you do nice work.  I think for the performance boating industry I need to step up to an S900  and a nick cannon that can shoot 20 megapixels or better with 4K video as well.

dennis@aerialpe Posted at 2015-8-3 22:17
Well you do nice work.  I think for the performance boating industry I need to step up to an S900  ...

Look in to the Sony A7 series. They're lighter than Canon.  I use a Sony a5000 APS camera on another copter for stills. The 16-50 lens can be zoomed remotely.  A lot of people use the Panasonic GH4 for 4K video.

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-8-4 12:13
Look in to the Sony A7 series. They're lighter than Canon.  I use a Sony a5000 APS camera on anoth ...

I like the Panasonic GH4 and the price point

alan@goldsteinp Posted at 2015-8-4 12:13
Look in to the Sony A7 series. They're lighter than Canon.  I use a Sony a5000 APS camera on anoth ...

Question for you Alan,
When you shot photos using the Inspire in raw format do you find the clarity and sharpness to be better then jpeg. Or does it just offer better color manipulation.

dennis@aerialpe Posted at 2015-8-6 02:42
Question for you Alan,
When you shot photos using the Inspire in raw format do you find the clarit ...

I can't answer that because I have not shot a single jpeg with it.  The problem with all jpegs is some kind of algorithm  is being applied to them that may not be what I want or may not be performed to the level I want it. (Noise processing, c/a correction, distortion correction, vignetting compensation, , unsharp masking, contrast, color, etc.)  

I do sometimes shoot Raw plus Jpegs with my Sony and the jpegs are over-processed for noise, have numerous artifacts and definitely have a bit less fine detail.  (The detail is smeared a bit by the noise smoothing.) I only want the Jpegs for quick review on a laptop. I'll always use the raws.  

I want to give the best possible image to my clients and take a lot of pride in my post processing abilities.  This is a very competitive business.

SimplePanda Posted at 2015-7-29 01:47
Yeah, you're never going to get close to the image quality of a DNG file pulling stills from even a  ...

ive heard this but dont quite understand why.  4k is about 100x better image quality than the 12 megapixel still isnt it?  Im not that impressed with the quality of stills the inspire takes.  They are ok but my samsung galaxy note 4 takes much better stills.  I hope the release a way better camera soon, im far more interested in stills than video.  Was hoping to be able to take pictures of peoples farms/houses from the air and sell them a high quality printed framed photo like people do from airplanes, using a dslr i assume, but i feel the inspire still image quality is marginal for this purpose.  The higher the image quality so you can see more detail is much better and more likely to gain a sale.  No ones gonna pay for a crappy quality photo and the ones from the airplane guys look so much more detailed side by side,

sultangris01@gm Posted at 2015-8-6 12:46
ive heard this but dont quite understand why.  4k is about 100x better image quality than the 12 m ...

12MP = 4000x3000.
UltraHD = 3840x2160
4k = 4096x2160

You're always getting more pixels with a 12MP still.

And yes, point-and-shoot wise (shooting JPG for immediate use) you're going to get better photos from most other cameras. The Inspire 1 / Phantom 3 / any DJI made camera are nothing to write home about, quality wise.

Where the Inspire 1 offers value is in shooting log video and DNG images for post-processing in software. The "airplane guys" are doing the same thing, usually: shooting in RAW (CR2 / ARW / NEF / DNG) and then fixing in post.
Also you can always do multiple exposures with an Inspire 1 and comp in post for extra pixels. Very easy to get good results this way.

SimplePanda Posted at 2015-8-7 07:40
12MP = 4000x3000.
UltraHD = 3840x2160
4k = 4096x2160

ah, I see.  I didnt know what resolution 12mp was, i just thought 4k looked much better quality than the 12mp still.  Thanks for the info.   Ive never used editing software and dont really have the time to try and learn it at the moment.   Ill have to wait till i get some free time or hope they release a much better quality camera soon.

SimplePanda Posted at 2015-8-7 08:12
You'll find that cameras are somewhat on a bell curve in terms of "what the photos look like strai ...

how long does it take you to create a good image using editing software?

sultangris01@gm Posted at 2015-8-7 08:18
how long does it take you to create a good image using editing software?

You can usually bang something decent out in Lightroom in about 10 minutes. It might not be going in National Geographic but a potential client will be fine with it.

SimplePanda Posted at 2015-8-7 08:21
You can usually bang something decent out in Lightroom in about 10 minutes. It might not be going  ...

thats not too bad, i might be able to handle that if its quick and easy to learn how to use it.  Thanks.

sultangris01@gm Posted at 2015-8-7 08:39
thats not too bad, i might be able to handle that if its quick and easy to learn how to use it.  T ...

I'd recommend Adobe Lightroom. Works without Photoshop (but even better with it using one-click "Edit in Photoshop" compatibility). Also has native support for DJI Inspire 1 DNG files (including lens distortion profiles for the camera).

http://www.adobe.com/creativeclo ... oL:20150807004000:s

How are you pulling stills from video?  I've been looking for a simple way to do this.  I use Adobe PS just to piece together video but would love to be able to pull stills as well.
Thanks

SimplePanda Posted at 2015-7-28 09:47
Yeah, you're never going to get close to the image quality of a DNG file pulling stills from even a 4k video.

Stunning capture!