A question for Jafa, Barfly, Joe90 and the rest about taking footage

[_RAAF_Stupot]

I am a hack IL-2 moviemaker that gets most of my best ideas off other people, and I have to credit the people in the subject line (plus many others) for that. I think I am slowly learning the main techniques, but there is one I haven't figured out....

That is regarding obtaining footage off the ntrk recordings......

How do you all get such nice & smooth pans & zooms (especially the zooms)?

Obviously you can simulate a zoom in the video editor by cropping & key-framing, but I have no idea how to get a nice smooth zoom from the native ntrk using Fraps. My mouse hand is too jerky! Smooth pans are pretty easy using TrackIR, but that doesn't solve the zoom problem. (I am not using any mods, so 6DoF TrackIR is out).

Do you record the ntrk at 2x speed & twice the eventual fps, so that any hand jerks will be 'dampened out' when it is eventually rendered at 1x speed?

[rakinroll]

As a noob il2 moviemaker, i generally prefer pilots view. But from outside of the plane, i use il2's three zoom option (wide, normal etc) to being able to see enemy which stay behind of my plane time by time. I think best zooming and moving camera maneuvers can be able with TrackIR. I am planning to make a great movie and kill Jafa and MP also. :grin:

[EAF602_Joe90]

Good to see there are still some developing IL2 movie makers :) We need more films!

Most pans and zooms can be done from a static camera (CTRL F2 to jump to it), then lock onto the target with F6. Vary the zoom level by sliding the mouse in and out, and then as the aircraft flies by it looks like you are zooming into it.

Another useful tool is mouseemu, a really old programm for simulating moving the mouse very slowly in a smooth pan. There's a link for it in the old UBI forum:
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/65710358/m/5691037983

EDIT - Darn it, that link is dead. I might have an old copy somewhere, unless anyone esle has a link.

[_RAAF_Stupot]

Most pans and zooms can be done from a static camera (CTRL F2 to jump to it), then lock onto the target with F6. Vary the zoom level by sliding the mouse in and out, and then as the aircraft flies by it looks like you are zooming into it.


Now THAT sounds like a good trick - I'll try it. Thanks.

Edit - Just tried it and for some reason I can't get the lock to work. I have tried using 'External Padlock, Enemy Air', 'External Padlock, Friendly Air', 'Padlock Next, and Padlock Previous' and none lock onto the single aircraft in the recording. Does 'No Padlock' have to have been turned off in the difficulty setting when the ntrk was taken?

[_RAAF_Stupot]

Problem solved.

I did not have the aircraft in range for the padlock view to lock on....

[_RAAF_Stupot]

This video has my first attempt at using Joe90's tip about using a padlock view from a static camera, plus other stuff I've slowly been getting better at.

Making this was a good way to spend a rainy weekend with no other commitments!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnN-nZz-2k

[DoolittleRaider]

Another tip. In editing, try to follow the guideline of 14 'clips/shots' per minute.....or average 4 seconds per shot.