Gopro time lapses super choppy

[Red Squirrel]

I just got a Gopro Hero 5 session and I setup a time lapse to experiment with but the resulting video is super choppy. Why is that? It's terrible. The actual images look fine, but when I use mencoder to stitch it all together it's a horrible quality and super choppy video. The same command I use with the pictures from my DSLR are not that choppy at all. This is the command I use:

mencoder -nosound -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:mbd=2:trell:autoaspect:vqscale=3 -vf scale=4928:3264 -mf type=jpeg:fps=24 mf://@filelist.txt -o tlapse02.mp4

I used ls to generate a list of files in a text file so that they are in proper order. (I've run into issues where the file naming sequence resets then it throws off everything)

When I try to watch the mp4 file it's ridiculously choppy and horrible to watch. Is there a way to make it smoother? here's an example video: http://www.uovalor.com/misc/tlapse03.mp4

Not only is it choppy but the quality gets super bad too. It's really random it seems. Like some parts will be less choppy than the others.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Can't help, but a heads up. I can't watch that video for some reason, just loads a grey box with another smaller box in the middle.

 

[CuriousMike]

The video isn't viewable for me, either.

I'm surprised GoPro doesn't supply software to do this for you.

Alternatively I've used Windows Movie Maker (don't laugh) to do timelapses with ok results such as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgQnuUe_1Ns

 

[Red Squirrel]

You have to right click and download it then it will play. It plays, it's just that the way the time lapse got generated, it's supper choppy and not smooth, and there is lot of artifacts. I'm using Linux so any kind of special software is only going to work in Windows or be a royal pain to setup in Linux.

I don't know what is with the jpeg format the gopro produces, because I can use the exact same process fine to do time lapses with my DSLR shooting in jpeg and they arn't choppy.

Actually maybe it would help if I uploaded one of the jpegs too, so here is one: http://www.uovalor.com/misc/G0032421.JPG

Worse case scenario I'll just use the built in time lapse video mode I guess, I just figured the photo mode would generate better quality video as it shoots in full res, but looking at some of these pics the quality is actually pretty terrible. I'm kind of regretting buying this tbh, I figured they were higher quality. I want a dedicated time lapse setup but I'm thinking a web cam connected to a raspberry pi would maybe offer better quality images.


As a side note, how the heck do you go in the menu of the gopro without it turning off? When you turn it on it starts to record right away, to stop recording you hit power button, but then it just turns off after a second. You can't go into the menu while it's recording. I hate the app, it's super naggy, so I'd like to have a workflow that does not involve having to use it.

 

[CuriousMike]

1 - My internet says 10 minutes to download your 1.3GB video - I'm too impatient for that.
2 - It looks like the lens has condensation on it.
3 - You're in an extremely high dynamic range situation there - lots of shadows looking out into daylight.

I'd try to built in timelapse feature - but also try it in a more controlled light situation to see if the quality doesn't improve (and it should.)

AFAIK, a JPG is a JPG. Unless your camera is kicking out 5MP photos and the GoPro is kicking out 12MP photos.
The video is being downsampled to 1080p, right?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Not too sure of exact MP but the DSLR pics are 4928x3264 and Gopro ones are 3648x2736.

Not sure if the video gets scaled down or not, trying to figure out how to check resolution in vlc and can't seem to find a place for that.

Actually I think the scale=4928:3264 command is forcing it at that res, that means it's being scaled up. I wonder if that is part of the issue? Maybe it does not like to scale up, and then generates a really bad video because of that.

I think I will still stick with the built in video mode though, because I realized with the photo mode the aspect ratio is not really video friendly, ex: I either need to have black bars, or crop. I'm trying to see if I can find a way to make it so the 3 second hold of button can default to the video time lapse mode. Ideally when I'm using it in the field I don't want to have to fiddle with it or have to deal with using the app.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ok so I guess it was that setting. I changed it to scale=1920:1080 and now the videos are actually not choppy anymore. I don't like to downscale anything until the final render but I guess this will do. The image quality is not that great anyway so I'm not really losing much information by downscaling it ahead of time. I'm sure the quality is going to be better outside though, this was in the window pointing outside, as an all night time lapse test.

I eventually want to build a weather proof enclosure of sorts that can house camera equipment so I can leave stuff outside. Whether i want to use my DSLR or the gopro. The gopro can technically be used outside even in the rain but it somewhat loses that ability when the USB door is open, which is needed to give it external power. I'm kinda curious to try some under water footage with it but I'm kinda chicken to try it even though it supports it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't know what I did but think I figured out how to set the time lapse mode to default to video when I do the 3 second power button turn on. I'm doing one outside right now and I'll see how it works out. Also seems that using the USB for data transfer works out horribly. I thought all my files were corrupting but it just acts that way. Things lock up, etc. But if I take SD card out and use a USB reader then it works ok. Was almost getting ready to return it TBH, was just running into lot of issues and quirks but I'll sleep on it. I have it doing a time lapse in video mode so I'll see how that turns out. That is mostly going to be it's primary purpose, and the odd secondary video shot in interesting angles as I can stick it in odd places etc.

I'm still kinda curious to try a tethering based time lapse rig using a web cam or mirorless DSLR (don't have to worry about shutter wearing out). Basically it would have a Raspberry Pi that controls it and would use wifi so I can access it live. No silly phone app. Could script most of the work, and it would basically run off a large battery pack and be in a weatherproof enclosure. I found out about the concept of tethering while doing research and it sounds really neat.