Image stabilizer

[Spaghetti]

I usually stabilize my video clips in iMovie, store them after processing, then move to RaceRender for data overlaying. I was wondering if there is a better workflow, and what is others experience with software stabilizers for motorsports.

[Weston@HPTuners]

I looked into implementing a software solution for this in RaceRender a while back, as the early attempts to mount video cameras in race cars produced a very wobbly and almost unwatchable result, but as time goes on this has become less and less of an issue... The root cause of it is of course a hardware issue, and has almost always been a camera mounting problem, which could be improved by a better mount and/or better mounting position. Seat headrest camera mounts were often pretty bad, and DIY attempts to attach common video cameras to a roll bar or cage weren't so great either, but those cases have pretty much disappeared in the wake of better mounting solutions and action cameras like GoPro that offer an array of specialized mounts.

We are seeing a resurgence of wobbly video due to the use of smartphones for video recording, particularly with some of the newer or more advanced camera features (OIS that's good for handheld use may be a real mess in a race car). But as with before, the biggest culprit, and the thing we should aim to solve first, is that most smartphone windshield mounts aren't very stable for shooting video, and some phones are much more prone to showing wobble than others. My own strong preference from experience is to use a PanaVise model 809 suction cup mount with an iStablizer smartMount attached to it, as described here: http://www.hptuners.com/forum/showth...est-Footage%29 The results do also depend on the phone being used and other factors, but this has been much more stable for me than typical smartphone windshield mounts, producing much more stable and usable video for even the wobbliest of smartphone cameras that I've tested. I also use the same PanaVise 809 mounts for several other cameras as well.