Getting a smooth shot with the stabiliser effect
The stabiliser effect in Video by Zaweba analyses shake and keys corrections, with smoothness, zoom, edge handling and a perspective mode for tilting shake.
When a one-click fix isn't enough, the stabiliser effect in Video by Zaweba gives you control over how a shaky shot is steadied. It analyses the shake in the clip and keys corrections, frame by frame. You then choose how smooth the result should be, how much to zoom, how to handle the edges, and, for tougher footage, whether to correct each corner of the frame separately with its perspective mode.
How it differs from the Stabilise command
Clip, then Stabilise makes a steadied copy of a file with FFmpeg's deshake and stores it in a stabilised folder. It is quick and simple. The stabiliser effect is applied like any other effect, from the Effects tab, and its corrections live in the project as keys you can adjust. That means you can change the settings and see the result without making a new file each time.
Smoothness
Smoothness decides how much of the original movement is kept. At low settings, only quick jitter is removed and deliberate camera moves, such as a slow pan, stay as they were. At high settings, the camera's path is smoothed a lot, giving a gliding look as if the camera were on a rig.
Too much smoothness on a shot with intentional movement makes the frame lag behind the action and then drift to catch up. Raise it gradually, watching the moments when the camera is meant to move.
Zoom and edge handling
Every stabiliser moves the picture to cancel out shake, which exposes the edges of the frame. You can deal with that in two ways, and the stabiliser lets you balance them.
Zoom scales the picture up so the moving edges stay outside the frame. It hides the borders completely, at the cost of some resolution and a slightly tighter shot. The more smoothing you ask for, the more zoom is usually needed.
Edge handling decides what happens at the borders when they would otherwise show. Depending on the setting, you can accept a little edge movement in return for less zoom. On a high resolution clip, zooming is often fine. On lower resolution footage, keeping zoom low and handling the edges another way can look sharper.
Perspective mode
Some shake isn't a simple shift up, down or sideways. When a camera tilts slightly towards or away from the scene, the picture warps in depth, and moving it flat can't correct that. Perspective mode corrects each corner of the frame separately, so shake that tilts the picture in depth can be steadied too. It is the mode to try when the standard result still seems to wobble or sway, especially with walking shots and footage from vehicles.
Getting good results
Stabilise before you grade or add effects to the clip, so you are judging the final framing. Trim to the part you need first, which keeps the analysis focused.
Watch for things moving through the frame. A large object passing close to the camera can confuse any stabiliser, because it looks like movement of the whole picture. If a section goes wrong, splitting the clip and stabilising the parts separately can help.
Combine it with the rolling shutter repair effect for phone footage that both shakes and wobbles. Rolling shutter makes vertical lines bend during fast movement, and stabilising alone doesn't straighten them.
When to stop
A perfectly locked frame isn't always the goal. Handheld footage has a human feel that suits documentaries, vlogs and intimate scenes. Often the best setting removes the distracting jitter and leaves a gentle sway. Play the shot at full speed and judge it in the context of the edit, not on its own.
The stabiliser effect takes a little more care than the one-click command, but it gives you shots in Video by Zaweba that look intentional rather than merely fixed.
