Sony’s Cinema Line cameras all have the ability to record metadata from inertia and gyroscope sensors about the way the camera moves while shooting. This metadata can then be used to stabilise your footage in post production. The stabilisation that this can provide is normally very good and tends to look a lot more natural than using post production stabilisation that looks at the footage and tries to hold it steady. However, until recently the only way to make use of this metadata was via Sony’s Catalyst Browse software.
Now however an Open Source project known as GyroFlow has made it possible to use the Sony metadata in FCP-X and DaVinci Resolve via an OpenFX plugin and a FCP-X plug-in. In addition there is a standalone GyroFlow application that can stabilise the footage and then export a stabilised version of the clip.
GyroFlow is a collaborative Open Source project, so different developers are working on different aspects and plug-ins, so it is a bit more disjointed than a lot of commercial products. But, it is free and it will get better, so why not give it a try. The main website for the project is here: http://gyroflow.xyz/
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Hi Alistair
How do know which Sony cameras have this ability
It’s mostly cameras made from mid 2020 onwards including the A7SIII, A7IV, A7RV, A1 and all of the FX Cinema Line.
Sony’s Cinema Line cameras all have the ability to record metadata.
Q: Is an FS7 considered yo be a Cinema Line camera, and thus register metadata with which the stabilization can be applied later using, for example, software from Sony.
No, the FS7 is not a Cinema Line camera. The Cinema Line currently includes the FX30, FX3, FX6, FX9, FR7 and Venice.
No, FS7 isn’t part of this.
It’s not FCPX. It’s Final Cut Pro. They dropped the X years ago.
X = 10 and we are still on FCP version 10 and FCP-X remains the easiest way to make sure people are clear what version is being talked about. The plugin doesn’t work with other versions only version 10, so it works with FCP-X but not with FCP-7.
Sony ZV-E10, Sony RX0M2, FX30.
Looking at native FS5 files in Mediainfo, I noticed that this camera generates significant metadata so would it generate gyro data too?
No, the FS5 does not have the gyro sensors.
Thank you Alister to talk about gyroflow, i tried it several mouths ago, it is interresting and well implemented in resolve via plugin (that could help you when stab doesn’t give us good results in premiere or resolve). Catalyst have a plugin for Adobe premiere too but it is not free (100$/year) and really slow. I don’t understand why gyro metadata are not push more by big compagny and Gpu accelerated. It looks like not to be very popular.
Thanks for this info on GyroFlow. I found the stabilization in Catalyst kind of squrrilly, so it is nice to have another option.
Thanks for mentioning Gyroflow. I tested it some time ago as stand alone application, now I see that is mentioned as DaVinci plugin which looks great in terms of workflow.
Sooo…. I installed it, I see it in the plugin list in DVR and now… I’m just looking how to use it in DVR because it does not appear in the stabilization options 🙂
Looking for a tuto.
Allister,
Can you confirm for me if Catalyst or Gyroflow can see the stabilization metadata on clips from the Venice (1)? I have never been able to get Catalyst to see the metadata on my clips. Have tried with XAVC as well as XOCN, with all thpes of glass. I see the roll/tilt readout in real time when I am shooting. Any help greatly appreciated. Being able to access this info in Resolve would be spectacular.
No, it does not currently stabilise Venice clips.
Thank you. Do you know of any software that can currently leverage the stabilization data in venice clips? Im confused why Catalyst doesn’t.
Gyro is fine if you handheld with the intent of stabilization later. If you are careless it will not work. Catalyst is much better but it doesn’t export in the same resolution as the original.