Bricks in Motion
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So I just received the Logitech Quickcam pro 9000, and I've been looking at brickfilmers that use this webcam, and the quality is great!
But my Quickcam pro 9000 doesn't have exactly the best quality (especially the quality isn't the same as other brickfilmers) so I ask you, why is my quality worse than other brickfilmers that use the Logitech Quickcam pro 9000?!
Take NXTManiacs or Darkman for example 
-Supremacy
What software are you using to capture frames?
Well considering you are not giving any specific details Ill just say what I think you might be doing wrong.
-Play with the focus
-Play with the white balance
-Adjust contrast
-Turn auto focus off
Essentially you just have to play around with the setting on the QCP9K. Depending on when you got your QCP9k you may need to downgrade, yes downgrade, your software in order to have control over white balance. Hope that helps.
I find that sometimes Helium Frog gives off better quality picture than the Logitech Webcam Software. You also might have lighting issues. Try lighting your set better. Maybe you can post so,me pictures of your setup and a pic taken with your webcam.
I have MonkeyJam's image size turned way up, then I put the capture window on my second monitor.
It fills up the entire screen, but when I shrink it in post production, it looks better then it otherwise would.
Also, does anyone know if Helium Frog can capture images in 16:9?
It can.
Thanks for your help guys!
I use MonkeyJam, but I don't quite like it.
Also, I use manual settings for focus, but I use auto for colour balance.
I basically just want to get rid of the graininess in the images.
And to VFS, I'll be sure to give you some pictures of my set up and one with the webcam
Plus, does anyone know a free/non expensive editing program that is better than Monkeyjam?
Last edited by ShadowSupremacy (July 28, 2011 (03:28am))
Probably you should diffuse your lights. Try putting waxed paper (dull side up) or just normal paper on them. It really makes a difference in quality. Webcams need soft light, they can't handle harsh lighting that well.
There are three separate issues to consider.
1) software and hardware setup. The QC9000 is capable of 1600x1200 resolution. If you dont get that reinstall your driver before connecting your camera. Then turn everything to manual mode in the software.
2) Stage setup. Lighting is the big killer. Make sure it is very bright. If in doubt add more. Diffusing it through wax paper is a good idea, but you still need lots of light.
3) Editing. If you send a highly compressed file to an editor such as windows movie maker and then re edit it, the quality goes down. Another problem is if you overcompress the output video. Try raising the bitrate of your output compression. Check the quality of some still frames directly from your animation software. If the quality is good and the final video is bad, this is where your problem is.
...but I use auto for colour balance.
No, no, no. Put all the settings on manual. Having any setting on auto will mess you up.
Plus, does anyone know a free/non expensive editing program that is better than Monkeyjam?
Monkeyjam isn't an editing program. It's a frame capture program. Lightworks is a good free editing program. Capture your frames in Monkeyjam, then export it as an AVI file, then import in into Lightworks. (Read the user guides on the Lightworks website. This program requires a little bit of learning.)
Thanks guys!
Actually, I forgot to mention that I cover my lamps with paper.
Thefourmonkeys tutorial on Monkey Jam had the settings they use with the 9000 in it.
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