Another side effect to watch out for is that, after stabilization, it will look like the footage goes out of focus during periods where a large jump or pan that was corrected. This isn’t the fault of SteadyHand, however, since the footage actually does significantly go out of focus at these times, but you normally don’t notice it because of the distraction of the motion. However, when stabilized, the focus shift becomes much more noticeable. It is a trade-off that seems worthwhile, since focus shifts aren’t nearly as annoying (or vomit inducing) as extremely jerky footage.
This shot was hand-held, and the shaking in the original is quite distracting. Note how far SteadyHand has to enlarge the picture to completely fix the tremors, resulting in a slightly softer picture.
Value
At $66.66, SteadyHand is dirt-cheap for what you get. In addition, if you buy it in Gooder Video’s Value Bundle, you will get two other programs (MotionPerfect and SlowMotion), for $99, which reduces the price of SteadyHand by half. I have seen some other stabilization software produce slightly better results, but none that are this easy to use. So if you’re looking for a quick way to stabilize your footage (keeping in mind that time = money) this is a great value.
A steadicam was actually used for this shot, but due to operator inexperience it tilted and panned erratically. SteadyHand smooths it out so it looks like the steadicam operator actually knew what they were doing..
Final Comments
Nobody wants to be subjected to footage so jerky that it induces seizures and vomiting. With SteadyHand, Gooder Video has done a big favor to audiences everywhere by producing software that easily and quickly takes out the shakiness from handheld footage. It’s so cheap that it makes a perfect gift, especially for that friend or relative who is always trying to show you their nearly unwatchable vacation footage that looks like the whole thing was shot during an earthquake.
Ease
of Use
10.0
Depth
of Options
5.0
Performance
8.0
Value
10.0
Overall
Score
8.3
Ryan Graham is the director of Livelihood, a critically acclaimed ultra-low budget zombie comedy. He also runs 37.5 Productions, a post production company specializing in giving a Hollywood sheen to independent films. In his spare time he is the lead guitarist for The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad.
