I need help with my videos...
 

Not sure where to post this, but are there any video experts out there that can help me figure out how to get rid of the video distortion on my strings in my videos? Example here...



Everything else looks OK. The strings have a distortion or a rainbowing thing going on. Don't know if I need to upgrade cameras or if I'm using the wrong settings. I'm using a Canon Eos T4i (2013) and the settings are...

1280x720
60fps

I'm using a Canon EFS 18-135mm lens.

Editing in iMovie.

Thanks so much, I really want to give my subscribers the best possible product.

Tom

Pretty sure that's simply a lighting issue. Try more lights, a different angle and different spectrum lighting. One or more of these should cure the issue.

Looks like compression artifacts to me. Could also be a function of the high frame rate.

My daughter shot an entire web series on a T4i that had the clarity of a much more expensive camera, so I know it can be done. Shoot largest possible format, 24fps, 1/50th for your shutter speed. Export at maximum size / least compression. A 20 minute video could end up being 1-2 GB, but you can just upload to YouTube overnight.

Thanks, in that room it's LED lighting and natural light I will continue to experiment.

OK, I will try that right now. Thanks so much.

Looks to me like you didn't nail focus on the strings, instead the focus point is your face and the strings are a bit soft. Is your aperture wide open (which would reduce the depth of field and make focus more critical)?

And the RECORD section is usually where video geeks meet (grin).

Fran

Perceived distortions notwithstanding (they aren't distracting to me, by the way), that's an excellent guitar lesson video.

Moiré pattern

It's a compression artifact. (What @endpin said.)

You need to render at the initial shooting resolution, which you might experiment with, like full HD (1920x1080) and only 24fps.

And wear a simple, dark, solid color shirt so you're not making the compressor go mad with that, too :).

P.S. YouTube is going to compress the snot out of what you upload *even more*, so send them the best, most original shooting format.

It is not just the strings - there is aliasing on the guitar top growth rings, guitar purfling and the rosette when you move the guitar.

What all these have in common is fine line detail + motion + reflection from the overhead lighting over your right shoulder

Thanks everyone. Great tips. I'm working on them now. The dark shirt thing I realize looking back at older videos where I didn't have this issue as back. I'm going to experiment with lots of these changes and hopefully this novice videographer can make some strides.

So I decided to take a closer examination of the situation, and possibly formulate a working hypothesis to help explain the distortions observed on that original video posted.

Conclusion: In my own personal estimation (AKA, IMOPE) the distortion observed is not related to variety or color or pattern of shirt worn--or even compression imperfection artifacts, for that matter; too, no moiré pattern contributed to the "problem"--if that were the case, you'd see such a pattern on all guitar strings in all videos, just as one observes the moiré on a specific type of shirt worn in every imaginable kind of video format, under every manner of lighting condition.

My own opinion (in general agreement with previous poster 619TF) is that the explanation involves various variables related to artificial illumination--positioning, relative intensity, and angle of lighting used, for example.

Some video illustrations.

Here's a past video where you're wearing a simple white shirt (with no "confusing" pattern) in the identical setting featured in that original video (post #1). Note how those same distortions occur along the strings of the resonator--especially prevalent beginning at around the 35 second mark:



The original video, from post #1 in this thread:



And here's the video where you're wearing that black shirt (note dramatic difference in lighting arrangement):



Here's a video of you wearing a plaid shirt in a different lighting situation. No distortions occur.



And, finally, here's as video of you wearing that same plaid shirt seen in original video (post #1). Note absence of "aliasing"/distortion. Note difference in lighting situation:



Of course, to complete the experiment, go ahead and wear that black shirt under the identical lighting conditions used in the original video. See what happens.

You are a rockstar to me Inyo. Thanks for the detailed help. I definitely notice a difference when I switched to 1080 and 24fps. I've order a box light that should help add nicely to the natural light. I also am trying to implement a lapel mic for better clarity and less room sound. However when I import into iMovie or open in Quicktime it's very left heavy. It's like 90/10 L/R. And oddly iMovie does not have a mono option for audio. Thoughts there?

Haha. Just to clarify - I never said, thought nor implied that the shirt was the cause of the string thing you were seeing. All I wanted to suggest was that you can avoid some similar issues that might occur. (I'm a direct person - if I'd meant that, I would have said it.)

Example: https://youtu.be/fOhnvuoooI0 (wrong kind of shirt with the rendering done in the video)

P.S. If your video software offers options on whether to render at a faster speed or with better quality, and you have the time, try both to see if it makes a difference. In my experience, it sometimes does, and sometimes doesn't, depending entirely on all those variables noted.

Best of luck.

I do think the shirt makes a little difference with contrast issues. Definitely 1080 and 24fps helped. Just light from the window to my left. And bouncing from iMovie I rendered at the best quality available. Here's the result...