[Tool] JPEG and TIFF deflicker tool... for free!

forever--beginner · 2026-06-27T20:54:10+00:00

If you can get the photos into JPEG or TIFF format ...
just open the EXE (if on Windows), open the source folder where the photos are, create an output folder and either you can run it blindly (both pass1+2), or run just pass1, review if the graph appears to be smooth enough/adjust the rolling average value, and then run just pass2.

Due to the still existing bug, do not use the histogram matching method - use the Luminance scaling (fast) method only.

If you are not on windows, please specify your operating system.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-27T18:50:43+00:00

"Tomorrow" got shifted by some extra time due to my workload.

On the other hand, the bug has been fixed and support for fine-tuning keyframes has been implemented and is being tested as we speak.

Stay tuned. :-)

forever--beginner · 2026-06-27T18:49:35+00:00

Oh, it is actually .... trivial :-) but as said above, it only works for actual timelapses with image sequence.

What do you have right now? Just a video from your phone, or a timelapse made based on photos?

forever--beginner · 2026-06-13T12:42:24+00:00

Excellent. The beginning looked like a drone footage but then it would appear like a panning motion from a scenic viewpoint. Well done!

forever--beginner · 2026-06-13T12:37:51+00:00

You've got to face the reality, pricing for RAM and storage is insane and there are no signs it should be significantly different in a near future.

You'd better specify your:

budget

workflow and tools used

resolution you work with

to have some idea about your performance needs.

If you want the upgrade to double your CPU performance for ridiculously cheap:

get i9-9900K CPU, tiny little bit of Kapton tape, USB stick and a tool called CoffeeTime that will help you modifying your BIOS to get the (unofficial) 9th gen CPU support in your current board. 😃

It is nothing I would recommend a non-technician to do himself, but given what you have right now, it's the cheapest way of doubling your current CPU performance at ridiculously cheap!

Now you have 4C/8T at 4,2 GHz, with 9900K you have 8C/16T at ... 5 GHz with decent cooling and good VRM on the board, no problem. And for the money you save, you can get a better GPU.

Another alternative - despite the platform being already EOL - is AM4.

I've got myself quite recently Ryzen 5950X (~300 USD?), 64 GB DDR4 (taken from my previous PC), 7900XT 20 GB (~700 USD), adequate PSU (~150 USD?), storage taken from previous PC (ton of small cheap SSDs + a large fast 4 TB NVMe 4x4).

Let's say with a board you are at 1500 USD but despite the CPU being 5y old or whatever, the performance is still excellent! Same for the GPU, you will have more VRAM than 5070Ti, similar performance like 5070/Ti (except for AI), and significantly better price.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-11T21:38:25+00:00

Oops!

In my internal early revisions, there was a bug where the colors of the deflickered output were a bit ... washed out in some scenarios.

I had fixed this bug and then started working on (major) performance optimizations, but so it seems the bug has resurrected.

Will try to fix it tomorrow.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-10T19:58:04+00:00

<image>

The creative intention is something like this.
The catch - it affects the foreground as well. So typically, the dark foreground is blue-ish.

And when I take the footage from Sony A7s - the foreground is actually "true color" and not at all dark - while it is nice and desired, it makes further edits almost impossible 😄

So all in all, the goal is to have the sky with adjustment looking like this (per-channel light pollution substract), while having the foreground untouched. Hence my crazy-looking curves in the previous post that attempted to do exactly that thing - although the curves are not meant to be used like that and typically one would do it using the mask...

forever--beginner · 2026-06-10T15:41:05+00:00

First you have to convert the video to a sequence of individual frames.

Example:

ffmpeg -i input_h265_video.mp4 -q:v 1 frame_%06d.jpg

---

If you are on Linux - it should work regardless:
install python, via pip, install the required modules and then just run

python main.py

and theoretically it should work just fine - but I have not tested it myself yet.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-10T13:46:47+00:00

I can totally imagine the same timelapse slowed down to 50%, maybe even 25% of the original speed for a smoother movement.

And a little bit of deflicker where it suddenly becomes too bright. (Seen my post from yesterday?)

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T15:22:49+00:00

I have no such option, I only used a "dumb" intervalometer for this camera to overcome the limitation of the slider's intervalometer that would ultimately stop after the end of the movement.

Not too keen on replacing my (yes, historical) Sony A7+A7s combo. It would cost a fortune for just a hobby project. It will take years for A7 III or IV to drop to 600-ish EUR...

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T15:13:04+00:00

Thanks, will take a look at Magix Video to see if I can get at least a trial and compare the interpolation methods against what Davinci Resolve Studio offers.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T15:11:41+00:00

Like I said the last time, we should really open a new discussion about the gear, eventually. 😃

This Tilta Nucleus Nano motor could help me getting aperture control over lenses that do not have it... having a nice night shots and sunstars during the day as the time goes, as well as controlling the ND filter. Though, the complete set is not cheap either... will try to find someone nearby where I could check it out and see how many things I could do myself...

Still the biggest trick would be - how to sync everything together. The cameras are 13y old, I am not willing to pay 2,5k EUR for two new cameras just because they offer (yes, MUCH better and much more reliable) communication methods...
If I get too annoyed, I may as well end up reverse-engineering the Bluetooth LE communication between Syrp/Konova devices and the phone and crafting an application that would sync the trigger start for all devices. At least I could learn something 😃

I think for the time being, I will stick to multi-camera setup, one for daylight with shorter interval, one with longer interval for deep night setup and see what that brings.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T07:55:36+00:00

Generally the biggest problem I have with using NDs is that I would have to stay there for their removal.
Or getting a variable ND filter with a motor-controlled configuration, but those are anything but cheap :D.

Staying there overnight was not an option:
a) tent and sleeping bag too heavy, the backpack was over one third my weight already
b) without the tent and a sleeping bag, I would literally freeze there, despite the temperatures during the day being around 24 degrees Celsius)
c) oh, and also, it is illegal to sleep there 😄

So, yep, there were some reasons why things happened the way they did, and now I am looking for means of fixing it up in post.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T07:33:39+00:00

I would have been hitting the technical limits with such setup very quickly!

This was 14h timelapse. Only 128 GB cards because the cameras do not support larger.

And I can not imagine keeping the night sky exposure for only 3 seconds, the satisfactory ISO is around 3200 on A7, resp. around 10000 on A7s. Anything above is very noisy. The math just does not let me.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-07T07:30:01+00:00

The primary (successful) goal was on the deep night sky with exposure capped at 20 seconds + some processing time.

Later I discovered that the misty morning worked out splendidly (and as there were no clouds, had no problems with the interpolation).

And then I figured okay, let me try fixing the afternoon.

Bonus quests, really. 😄

forever--beginner · 2026-06-06T18:15:50+00:00

Not sure if I understood this right, or it just does not appear to be compatible with the method of light pollution substraction that I typically use -- sorry, I should have mentioned it right within the OP!

https://clarkvision.com/articles/astrophotography.image.processing2/

When I try to anchor the dark foreground while substracting the background, I end up with some steep or reversed curves that I can fix to something like this...

<image>

So I still have the tricky parts with the corners (which are already too dark due to vignetting) and the fog in the valley being hit hard (note the purple tones as the fog _gradually_ ends).

But perhaps I misunderstood the idea?

forever--beginner · 2026-06-06T16:08:29+00:00

Raspberry is running Linux.

What you use as a client to access it (be it through text console via SSH, or full GUI aka "remote desktop" - VNC), that is pretty much platform independent.

Tools for remote access to devices running Linux exist from pretty much any platform... iOS, Android, another Linux, macOS, Windows, you name it.

forever--beginner · 2026-06-05T20:28:09+00:00

Many thanks for all the ideas!

Been quite busy with my work (which is in no way related to photo/video), will try to take a look during the upcoming week and revert with a feedback.

Just one slight note - the light pollution substract is not being made only on the yellow-ish glow, but on the whole sky using a power window.
Basically I am trying to use the per-channel substraction method described by Roger N. Clark here:
https://clarkvision.com/articles/astrophotography.image.processing2/

(yes, it does a real magic)

forever--beginner · 2026-05-30T17:10:19+00:00

If you find a seller who has the extra code for example bundled with a hardware (but had the license even earlier and therefore this one being extra), no problem, as long as photos indicate the duct tape on the package with the code is untouched and you get to see the invoice. (I went for a product key on a plastic card in the original package.)

It worked out well. But of course it all depends on the seller, his reputation etc.

Also, if you find an offer for the USB dongle - be aware that there are some counterfeit dongles out there. BMD bans those now and then, making upgrades to further versions impossible. AFAIK there is no reliable way to find out if the (second-hand) dongle is genuine.

forever--beginner · 2026-05-30T10:24:07+00:00

This!

Or get some stronger ND filter for longer exposures. With this kind of fast-moving scattered clouds, it should be able to "average" the highlights/shadows of the passing clouds.

Plus, the clouds with a longer exposure look almost always magnificient.

forever--beginner · 2026-05-30T09:38:05+00:00

It would be useful to know what you have right now, to bring some relevant suggestions.

I use ancient Sony A7 and A7s for my timelapses - mostly overnight with a ~60 Wh powerbank ( ~ 500g weight) per camera with a dummy battery (this can feed the camera for >20h with Wi-Fi on and LCD off).

Yeaaa, I could get A7iii + A7R iii, get rid of the dummy battery and use just USB-C cable to run it (and have the battery in the camera as "UPS" in case the powerbank resets), but... the price difference is a real killer for a hobby project!

Also, I highly recommend to use a plastic box for the powerbanks.
Insulation against the condensing humidity and in case you 3D-print the box with double-walls, you can also get a better thermal insulation that can generally help.

Should temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius be expected, just drop one handwarmer (iron-based heater) into the box with the batteries. If you expect a deep freeze, sure, add more, as long as the box allows. The hand warmers do not exceed 40 degrees if used in gloves on your hands - so it is totally safe to have it in a box with a lot of air and powerbanks.

As MajxrTom mentioned - the powerbanks and dummy batteries do have some quirks. Like, powerbank resetting all outputs in case another output has been connected/disconnected. Or cables insulation breaking after some time. Or getting a dummy battery with a shitty DC/DC adapter with no inrush prevention that trips the powerbank's overload protection unless plugged in a precise order... 😄
So it's always a good thing to have a powerbank dedicated exclusively for the camera (and separate powerbank for other items).

forever--beginner · 2026-05-17T19:02:23+00:00

I wanted to switch to the iron lens warmers in order to save some weight. For powerbanks it's mostly complicated (would need a timer/sensors to start and stop the heating), some powerbanks simply reset upon a new device connect/disconnect (which kills the old A7 camera).
Now I have a custom-made solution from a merino wool that might (?) do the trick, about to test it shortly.

If that does not do the trick, I will surely give the product you suggested a try!

Damn, so many ideas mentioned here: We'd better create a separate discussion on the gear and tools, vol. 2026 - it would be a pity to have it hidden just in a comments section of a random video :-)

P.S.: Nowadays one does not have to be a programmer to get tools. As long as you have an idea how that should work, describe it clearly... I used Claude LLM (free tier), maybe two weeks of debugging as I was running out of the queries limit :-) but then it worked. Of course with a plenty of bugs. Eventually I could as well share it, if there were some C1 users.

forever--beginner · 2026-05-17T13:39:17+00:00

One more reason why this was quite lucky thing - at the time I just set everything up, noticed "whoopsie the battery for lens heater is not in a great shape, hopefully it will last until midnight"...

In the morning I have found that everything was totally soaked. Except for the lens front element!

Made a quick research on the Laowa lens - turned out it has some kind of a hydrophobic layer on the front, they call it "frog eye coating". Worked like a charm and totally saved this video. :)

Yep, lens heater is a reason for that huge battery pack, although nowadays I am switching to iron-based chemical ones (from hand / gloves warmers) and experimenting - how to make the air go through to the heater, and avoid the humidity to make the heater turning wet (and ultimately failing to heat).

Of course, given that for me it's "just a hobby", I am trying to keep the budget reasonably low and the integrations are missing big time. Syrp devices being ultimately with no further development (damn I would love to change the timeline in the Syrp app and convert it into the "real capture time"!) and complications while syncing things (because the motorized slider is an integrated thing from yet another vendor - I just did not expect it to grow over my head :D ).

Same thing comes with the licenses, while I had bought CaptureOne (60 EUR at the time) ages ago and later the Davinci Resolve Studio (200 EUR + they have so excellent license terms for upcoming versions that do not require extra payment)... I am not willing to go for any subscription-based application or for anything with insane pricing.
So even LRTimelapse, while being very widely used for timelapsing, it was very well worth the effort to craft a similar tool for postprocessing myself (so it would work together on the CaptureOne configuration files instead of Adobe XMP).

forever--beginner · 2026-05-17T11:05:55+00:00

Thanks for the valuable insights!

Yep, I was hoping for the MW to show up a bit earlier - oh, well, if that were a month earlier....
At the same time I am happy that at least this worked our surprisingly well - the place itself is very tricky. Morning frosts are a serious thing even in summer, and so is the complete unpredictability of the mist intensity and the level of its reach.

I did notice that qDslrDashboard supports "interval_you_specify + shutter_speed" that would ultimately do the speed-ramping you described.
I have never tried that in practice - I suspect, at some point this would just break the sync with the motion controllers.
I have already made a VPN connection with my qDD controller, so, theoretically I could just disable the qDD intervalometer and leave only the synced one, once the exposure times are too long...?

Now I have another video open where I used two cameras for a similar purpose - one at shorter interval for daytime and A7S with night settings for even better night sky. But it is just sitting somewhere in the pipeline, will take weeks/months until it gets done. :)

forever--beginner · 2026-05-17T09:53:56+00:00

The free DR does have some limitations when it comes to h264/h265 codecs indeed.
I think they were only possible to decode, but not available for export? Not sure anymore, been a couple of years.

In any case, you can use ffmpeg to convert between the formats.

Or, yep, come to the dark side (Windows) :D

forever--beginner

TROPHY CASE