Topic: Webcam 9000 problems

I have a Logitech webcam Pro 9000, and even though I set everything on manual I still have light flicker. mini/sad
Yes, I have everything on manual! This is not me, or outside lighting! I have turned off all the lights but the studio lights and animated in the night. This problem is odd because I didn't have it when I filmed The Three Knights.
Here is an example of what happens:
I build a desert set and put a camel on it. When I placed the camel on-screen some parts of the screen go darker, when the camel is removed the lighting returns to normal. The odd thing is that the camel must be on-screen a certain amount to affect the lighting.

I think it is some auto-exposure or white balance issue, but I have uninstalled and reinstalled the cam software.
Also, I use SMA to animate on a HP laptop running Win 7, but this problem also happened when I tried Monkey jam to animate.

I would like an answer as quick as possible.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Did you also disable the "right light" settings? They are in a different tab than all the regular settings...

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Re: Webcam 9000 problems

It sounds like something is on auto. Did you go to the Advanced Settings? When Rightlight is turned off, the gain and white balance are still on auto. Go to the Avanced Settings and un-check the box that says "Auto" next to the gain and next to the white balance.

Not literally dead, just no longer interested in Lego or animation.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

if you don't have anything on auto like you say you don't, its because Lego is a tiny bit reflective and when lights bounces of, it can change everything around it even if you have stuff on manual. That happens to me to. it especially sucks that that happens when I'm doing masking and the base plate changes colors.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5232/5888638190_6ce46b1d91.jpg

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Do you have the anti-flicker off?

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Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Pritchard Studios wrote:

I have a Logitech webcam Pro 9000, and even though I set everything on manual I still have light flicker. mini/sad Yes, I have everything on manual!

Once again, everything is on manual! And anti-flicker is off.
@LTW The strange part is that the place that changes lighting is the background, not lego.
I have a poster board painted with pastels, and the brown colored area in the corner of it is the part that goes brighter/darker.
But thanks anyway.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Pritchard Studios wrote:

I build a desert set and put a camel on it. When I placed the camel on-screen some parts of the screen go darker], when the camel is removed the lighting returns to normal. The odd thing is that the camel must be on-screen a certain amount to affect the lighting.]

Pritchard Studios wrote:

The strange part is that the place that changes lighting is the background], not lego.

Sounds to me like a shadow hitting the backdrop. Try changing the position of the lamps, and see what happens.

Last edited by mcoov (July 27, 2011 (07:25pm))

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Good guess. But I'm not that dumb. Well, not quite. mini/tongue  Let's take one of my clips for an example on the lighting problem:

The before mentioned camel is walking onto a set that is approx. 15 inches wide and about twenty deep.
He is walking very slowly, so at 15 fps he's front foot is only on the forth visible dot on-screen. He is also approx. 20 dots away from the camera (six inches or so). The above action is placed at frame #62.
Then from frames 63-69 the brown places on the background (one right in front of the camel, one on the complete other side of the set, and three in between, all about 18-20 inches away from the cam) get slightly brighter, then from 70 onward the brown spots are even brighter. And at frame 70 he is half-way on the 6th dot. (Yes I know, that's a slow walk cycle.)

Now there were three (really four) stages: All before Frame 63:Brown is normal, Frame 63-69: The brown is brighter and stays that way until Frame 70 where it becomes even brighter and remains that way until near the end of the clip (Frame 157) but after frame 157 the brown flickers randomly in between the three different shades until the end of the clip at frame 176. And the camel ends on the 18th dot from the side of the set.

If you can't understand that, then I'll just have to join flickr and put up pics of the problem.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Put the right light off.

Also, sometimes for me, when something harshly colored like black, enters the screen, it will make it look like it loses a film over the lens. That's what happens to me but I have no idea how to conquer it.

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So yeah, I'm back from my mind.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

I've got SMA open right now and I'm looking straight at the Logitech Webcam Controller. It says RightLight, RightSound, auto-focus and follow my face are all off. I've also done a little test with those exact settings. With nothing on the set the spots are normal, with the Camel they're brighter, with Jabba the Hut they're normal and with the black ARF trooper they're bright.

I see what you mean by a "film" over the scene, but that's just the exposure (I think) getting brighter.
But please let me clarify, the bright "Spots" are just where I notice the change the most, the rest of the screen lightens as well, but not as much.

I'm wondering if the software is messed up. But I have reinstalled it. mini/confused

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

in the logitech software, there are tabs at the top. click on the middle tab and mess with those settings

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5232/5888638190_6ce46b1d91.jpg

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

...and even though I set everything on manual I still have light flicker. Yes, I have everything on manual!

Once again, everything is on manual!

Yes, I've gone into the middle tab there, all through SMA, and everywhere else that I can think of.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Under the focus slider bar in the Webcam Controller, there's someting that says "Advanced Settings". Click on that. A window should pop up. You'll see a bunch of slider bars that are labled Exposure, Gain, Brightness, ect. To the right of the Gain bar, there should be a box with a check in it labled "Auto". Click on that box to uncheck it. Go to the bar on the bottom, labled White Balance. There should be a box to the right of it labled "Auto". Uncheck that box as well.

Do that, and it should solve your problem.

EDIT: Wait, you said that the anti-flicker is off. That's under the advanced settings. If you already do have those boxes unchecked, it's not your camera settings. I have those off, and I have zero light flicker.

Is that bar labled White Balance there? If not, then you need to get the new version with the white balance control.

Last edited by minifig051 (July 28, 2011 (10:33am))

Not literally dead, just no longer interested in Lego or animation.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

LTWProductions wrote:

In the Logitech software, there are tabs at the top. Click on the middle tab and mess with those settings.

minifig051 wrote:

Under the focus slider bar in the Webcam Controller, there's someting that says "Advanced Settings". Click on that. A window should pop up.

I believe those are the same thing. and I have checked there.

Pritchard Studios wrote:

Yes, I've gone into the middle tab there, all through SMA, and everywhere else that I can think of.

And yes, I have the newest version with the white balance.
In fact, I just checked for updates and downloaded the newest one. (That was after this problem came up, and  itdid nothing to fix it.) mini/sad

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

Hmm... What kind of lightbulbs are you using?

Not literally dead, just no longer interested in Lego or animation.

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

They're GE brand, 40 watt, incandescent and "Reveal" (Supposedly not as "yellow-looking" as Soft-white.)

I've also used these bulbs for quite some time, they were even lighting up most of the shots in "Star Wars: The War Without End" and that means they're probably over a year old!

Re: Webcam 9000 problems

As long as they still work, they should be good.

As for your problem, I studied the LEGO camel (i.e. pulled up a picture on Google), and I think this is merely a case of unfortunate angles. I think that the light is bouncing off of the "leg corners" (particularly near the rear-end), and illuminating strange parts of the set in strange ways.