Strobe image editor
The concept of creating a strobe is described
here. When creating a strobe image
follow these steps:
- Selecting a video
- Identifying events
- Generating strobe image
- Post-processing
Strobe images are created from a video file. You can either capture a new
video file if you have a camera connected to your computer, or you can open an
existing video file.
| Action |
Description |
| New video |
Capture a new video from a DV camera |
| Open video |
Open an existing video file (see
supported video files) |
Create events automatically
To create events
automatically select one of the following options:
| Action |
Description |
| Automatic - spread evenly |
Create the requested number of events between the start and finish
and spread them evenly |
| Automatic - spread randomly |
Create the requested number of events between the start and finish
and spread them randomly |
| Automatic - repeat every n'th frame |
Create an event every n'th frame. For example, create an event every
10th frame. |
| Automatic - based on clue |
N/A |
| Manually |
Create events manually. |
The following options will influence how new events are created on the
timeline. Events will be created between the
start event and the finish event. By default the start event is
frame 0, and the finish event is teh last frame of the video, but these defaults
can be changed.
| Action |
Description |
| Count |
The number of events that are created |
| Add events |
Add the number of events |
| Set start event |
Set start event to current frame |
| Set reference event |
Set reference event for background (see
Strobe Image). The selected frame will serve as a reference frame when
determining the background for the strobe image algorithm. |
| Set finish event |
Set finish event to current frame |
Example
For a timeline containing 100 frames, the following options are set:
- Move the slider to frame 10 and click Set start event;
- Move the slider to frame 60 and click Set finish event;
- Choose Count = 6;
- Make sure event creation is set to Automatic - spread evently;
- Click Add events.
More information
Event
Event editor
Event window
Select Process to proceed with all default settings. Select More...
to change the default settings.
Blending
Blending options determine how (partly) overlaying activities are blended
into the final image.
| Blending option |
Description |
| Flattened |
All events are treated equally. |
| Autogain |
More recent events are given higher priority than older ones. |
| Stacked |
Interesting activity from older events are not to be overwritten by
newer events. |
Background determination
Background determination select the method of determining the background in a
video file. The following options are available:
| Background |
Description |
| Automatic |
Background is determined automatically. This is generally the best
option if there is good
spatio-temporal separation. |
| Reference - color |
Use a reference color. This is a good option if the background is
relatively monotone, such as a subject in front of a black curtain in a
lab setting. |
| Reference - image |
Use a reference event (see
creating events).
This option can be used if a frame can be identified in the video where
the subject of interest is in a different location as the activity of
interest (or even outside the frame altogether). |
| Reference - video |
Use a reference video (frame 0). This option can be used if you have
a video that represents the background only. |
Deinterlacing
Deinterlacing is the process of converting interlaced images (known as fields)
into non-interlaced form (comprised of frames). The following deinterlacing options are available:
| Deinterlace |
Description |
| Automatic |
Apply spatio-temporal deinterlacing algorithm |
| Even |
As above, but select "even" lines only |
| Odd |
As above, but select "odd" lines only |
| None |
No deinterlacing |
After the strobe image has been generated it is displayed in the image editor...
Image editor
The following tools are available on the bottom of the image editor:
| General |
Description |
| Clone |
Show current image in a new window |
| Open |
Open image as background (*.bmp; *.gif; *.jpg; *.png; *.tif) |
| Save |
Save current image (*.bmp; *.gif; *.jpg; *.png; *.tif) |
| Zoom in |
Zoom in by 10% |
| Zoom out |
Zoom out by 10% |
| Reset |
Reset zoom level to 100% |
| Tool |
Description |
| Pointer |
Select objects |
| Text |
Text tool |
| Curve |
Curve tool |
| Line |
Line tool |
| Rectangle |
Rectangle tool |
| Ellipse |
Ellipse tool |
| Image |
Image tool |
| Angle |
Angle tool |
| Delete |
Delete currently selected object / all objects |
| Properties |
Enable/disable property editors |
The following property editors are available on the right side of the image
editor:
| Editor |
Description |
| Background |
The background settings influence how the background is displayed in
the image editor. |
| Reference plane |
The reference plane tool lets you define the
plane in which
Euclidean
measurements are made. |
| Graphics objects |
The graphics objects list shows a list of graphics objects available
in the image. |
| Pen |
Change the outline properties of selected object |
| Fill |
Change the interior properties of selected object |
| Text |
Change the optional description / measurements of selected object |
See also
See also
