[size=14.6667px]Hey guys and girls, I shot my first video that wasn't at my house and the quality doesn't look very good to me. I shot it in 4k and converted it to 1080P however the 4K video doesn't look any better when viewing on a computer. I know the video card and monitor dictates how it looks. I've uploaded to YouTube and streamed it to my HD TV in 1080P and it just looks like crap. I was wondering what other's thoughts are? Here is a link to the video, it's 9 minutes long and boring, I just wanted to show what I'm talking about. Also, would the ND filters help clear it up?

[size=14.6667px]https://youtu.be/7yVGaaaX2rg


[size=14.6667px]Thanks in advanced for your opinions!

Just for future reference,  when you upload a video to youtube if you just copy the youtube link and paste it in your post here,  the video will show here.  
Are you taking your video off of your device, or are you getting it from the sd card mounted in the body of the camera?

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-2-15 12:51
Just for future reference,  when you upload a video to youtube if you just copy the youtube link and ...

I did just copy the youtube link. For some reason, it doesn't show. I'm taking the video off of the sd card in the Phantom.

You are right, it does not look good at all. But let's start with a few things. Have you removed the clear plastic film over the lens?

Next, the camera is not a 'no light' camera, so you are not going to get decent pictures shooting in the near dark. Try shooting during the day with some sun about. The old adage applies here, 'garbage in, garbage out'.

The next thing is to look at what you used to convert from 4K to 1080p, as it may not have done a good job of the process.

Geebax Posted at 2016-2-15 16:38
You are right, it does not look good at all. But let's start with a few things. Have you removed the ...

No film on the lens. I've also uploaded the same video in 4k with no conversion done. Looks the same.

OK, but the basic problem is that you are shooting at dusk with almost no light. This camera has a very small sensor and does not produce good images at low light levels. Add to that the bland nature of the subject, as in swamp grass, and it won't look good.

wheeliesteve Posted at 2016-2-15 14:53
No film on the lens. I've also uploaded the same video in 4k with no conversion done. Looks the sa ...

Hey,  you got the video to post at least!  You are making progress already!  There are lots of camera experts on here.  I'm sure they will help you get it figured out.  Good luck

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-2-15 18:07
Hey,  you got the video to post at least!  You are making progress already!  There are lots of c ...

Thanks for y'alls help. I'm thinking it's just the low light thing causing the issue like y'all said. Here's another one I did when i first got it. Video isn't anything to see, I'm just trying to figure everything out. But you can see it looks better in the daylight. I don't know if it should look even better though?

I guess I'm just expecting a lot better quality for something that costs this much. I mean my liitle $200 galaxy S5 shoots video that blows this thing away. It just doesn't fly. lol

wheeliesteve Posted at 2016-2-16 13:16
I guess I'm just expecting a lot better quality for something that costs this much. I mean my liitle ...

Looking at the second video you posted, there does not look like anything is wrong with your camera, it is quite crisp and sharp, just that the material is boring and does not make for interesting shots. That's not a criticism of you, just an observation of the scene you shot. Like your first clip, it looks like the sun is at a very shallow angle, like perhaps early evening. This is called the Golden Hour in photography because everthing takes on a golden hue. But the colour temperature at that time does not allow other objects to reveal their proper colours. I would suggest you go somewhere that is a bit more photogenic and in the middle of the day and try it from a higher altitude.

Also, slow down the camera movements, perhaps get into the settings and change the tilt and yaw rates. Swinging the camera around like a fire hose looks bad and is hard for people to watch.

Geebax Posted at 2016-2-15 19:00
Looking at the second video you posted, there does not look like anything is wrong with your camera ...

Thanks for the tips! I will adjust the settings and slow down the yaw. I also will take it somewhere one of these days with some better scenery. I just haven't had time to take it anywhere other than around here which is not appealing.

wheeliesteve Posted at 2016-2-16 14:21
Thanks for the tips! I will adjust the settings and slow down the yaw. I also will take it somewher ...

I look forward to seeing some shots.

Geebax Posted at 2016-2-15 19:32
I look forward to seeing some shots.

Here's one I did earlier before the sun went down. Still boring video.

Wow, you live in a really flat area.  All you need is a couple of good earthquakes and it will fix you right up.  Here is a short video of my yard.

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-2-16 01:34
Wow, you live in a really flat area.  All you need is a couple of good earthquakes and it will fix y ...

Nice! We have some "not so flat" geography down in south Texas that we call the "Hill Country". I have a lot of video footage from my gopro on my bike when I use to ride down there every year. Hopefully I can take the Phantom down there in the near future and get some footage.

Are you viewing the video file from the Pilot folder or the DCIM folder on the SD card?

I made the mistake and copied the file from the Pilot folder looked very blocky and rubbish.   Then copied the file from the DCIM folder and quality was miles better.

wheeliesteve,

There's nothing obviously wrong with your video footage, although I'd suggest (a) dialing in +1 stop of exposure compensation, and (b) tweaking the levels a little in post.  The dark trees and other shadow areas seem underexposed and therefore muddy, and the highlights (sky) aren't overexposed, so I think your video would look better brighter (I'm specifically thinking of Post #13).

The other thing that I wonder about -- but really can't tell because 1080p and Youtube -- is whether your camera is focused correctly.  This isn't something you can control, but it's been an issue with a few Phantoms.  I'm probably hypersensitive to it because mine had a defective/misfocused lens (and is now on its way back from DJI for a replacement/alignment).

As I said, I can't tell here because (1) 1080p is low res, and (2) YouTube compression makes it worse.  But I keep wondering whether distant scenery is a little out of focus in your videos -- it doesn't look as sharp as I'd expect. If you post a still photo -- or even an 8-megapixel JPEG frame grab from a 4K video -- then we can see whether this is an issue.  4K should be tack-sharp everywhere beyond 8 feet away.

What everyone else wrote...

Also, check the color mode you are shooting in. A setting such as "Log" will make everything look muted or washed out... it is designed to be post-processed. Most of the good looking videos you see around here have are not "right out of the camera" - they have at least some amount of color grading applied.

QBK Posted at 2016-2-16 08:26
wheeliesteve,

There's nothing obviously wrong with your video footage, although I'd suggest (a) dia ...

QBK, the video uploaded to YouTube in #13 is 4K video. You can select 4K from the quality options with the gear icon at the bottom. I however, do not have anything that will play 4K, only 1080. The video that I am taking from the DCIM folder on the sd card looks exactly the same as it looks post youtube upload. I can see no difference. Just an FYI.

From everything I've been reading, I think I definitely need to get an ND filter to make the videos look better. I know that won't fix the issue with poor lighting but it should make the day time videos look much cleaner.
I've about decided on the Snake River Graduated ND16-8 filter. I really like that it's a slip on, so no need to remove the factory one. Any of you have any experience with this one or recommend one over the other?
Thanks,
Steve

wheeliesteve Posted at 2016-2-16 23:12
QBK, the video uploaded to YouTube in #13 is 4K video. You can select 4K from the quality options  ...

Oops, my bad.  Didn't even bother to check that, which was stupid (I think I got confused by an earlier post's reference to 4K->1080p downconversion).

Anyway, now that I look at them in 4K:
* The first video (lake at sunset) looks terrible.  Subject matter is nice, but the video quality is absolutely awful, with lots of mush and really prominent color noise patches in the shadows.
* The second video (post #8) is fantastic, from an image quality standpoint.  Sharp, contrasty, good color -- basically, if your camera can do this is good conditions, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.  
* The third video (#13) is pretty good, but gets a bit mushy at times.

My conclusion is that the problems with videos 1 and 3 stem from low light.  The P3P camera has a 1/2.3" sensor, which means it's small.  At 4K, the pixels are tiny.  They don't deal well at all with low light.  And the P3P's data rate at 4K is 60 Mbps, which is somewhat low.  Video is getting fairly heavily compressed.  In good light, with lots of photons, this isn't a problem.  But in low light, the raw video has a lot of shot noise, and that wreaks havoc with compression.  In effect (this is a very simplified story), the compressor ends up devoting a lot of bandwidth to that random noise, and has fewer bits left over for *real* detail (like tree branches.

I'd recommend shooting in good light for a while, so you get good quality and can focus on building your composition skills (which, for drone video, includes not just "what to shoot at" but "how to move the drone").  That's where I'm at.  I figure another 10 years and I ought to have a clue.  

And, on the ND filter... just to be clear, you're specifically talking about a graduated ND filter here, right?  A standard ND filter won't do a thing for image quality.  A graduated ND filter will (if used carefully and correctly) darken the sky, allowing you to get the landscape brighter while keeping the sky the same.  Keep in mind that it'll limit the range of vertical angles at which you can shoot effectively (if you look straight down at the ground with a graduated ND on, you'll get very weird images).