Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem
by Ryan Walker
on
Apr 21, 2008 at 2:57:17 pm
Hey everybody,
So I will be receiving some footage today, and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how I can remove the dots that are in the middle of the shot? There are a few dust spots, or what have you, on the top middle of the lens, so zooming in enough to take the spots out is not an option. The up-side though, is that this is not the main camera, and the whole project does not have these spots, only 5-8 clips. I have provided a Youtube link to give you an example of what I am talking about (quality is indeed bad). Any After effects tips and tricks, or for FCP would be much appreciated guys. Thanks for you time.
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Darby Edelen on Apr 21, 2008 at 3:45:33 pm
In the case of that shot you could pretty easily use the clone tool to remove the dust. Alternatively you could create a solid layer the color of the area the dust is covering, mask it and set it to the 'Darken' blend mode. Neither of these is perfect, a combination of them might work best, and your technique will vary depending on what the dust is covering.
Darby Edelen Lead Designer Left Coast Digital Santa Cruz, CA
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Nicholas Toth on Apr 21, 2008 at 3:52:48 pm
You could pull a still, get rid of the dust in photoshop, and then matchmove the cleanplate top over the footage. I'm sure mocha for AE could pull it in seconds. Or just stabilize the shot, then pull a still, and overlay it above the video with no movement. You might have to roto the police headlights, but it looks very accomplishable.
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Darby Edelen on Apr 21, 2008 at 5:58:54 pm
[Nicholas Toth]"You could pull a still, get rid of the dust in photoshop, and then matchmove the cleanplate top over the footage. "
If the dust is on the lens, then I don't think a match move is necessary. The dust will always be in the same spot in the frame. I think it's more important that time be spent trying to get the area covered by the dust looking proper in the context of the background of the video.
Darby Edelen Lead Designer Left Coast Digital Santa Cruz, CA
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Darby Edelen on Apr 21, 2008 at 9:23:00 pm
[Nicholas Toth]"But the content behind the dust will be changing frame by frame b/c the video isn't a locked off shot. "
Exactly, which is why I didn't understand why you would bring a still into PS to correct and motion track it in. My point was that the most important thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to emulate the video that would be present behind the dust spot.
Darby Edelen Lead Designer Left Coast Digital Santa Cruz, CA
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Nicholas Toth on Apr 21, 2008 at 10:57:48 pm
Darby,
Gotcha. It'll be synched together, so the match-move method may be more work than its worth. A stamp or a wire removal may be the best option. However, it would work! It just may not be as time friendly as your approach.
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by Ryan Walker on Apr 21, 2008 at 4:04:13 pm
Hey guys,
Thanks for the quick responses. I like both of these ideas very much, its a great place to start! Thanks. Any other ideas that you guys happen to think of, please dont hesitate to let me know.
Ryan
Re: Removal of dust on Lens? Any techniques guys? Video Example of problem by zach gunter on Apr 21, 2008 at 5:09:04 pm
I have a friend that shot an entire film without noticing that he had about 8 pixels missing from all of his shots. this is how he fixed his problem, it might you out, and it's all built in to after effects 7 and CS3. go to effects and presets and look up CC Simple Wire Removal. It uses a built in cloner to match objects around it. You might have to do it alot, but it's the cleanest way that i've seen.
