Tutorials for the Flicker Free Plugin

The Flicker Free Video plugin is easy to use. You almost don't need tutorials to use this video effects software! It's always good to see how you can push software to perform even better than we imagined, so read on.

Flicker Free 2.0 Manual

You can download the Flicker Free 2.0 PDF manual here. It'll give you an overview of the parameters, how to register, and some tips on trouble shooting!

Flicker Free - Basic Parameters

Sensitivity: This affects how much of the image Flicker Free is looking at. Usually set this between 10 and 30. If the flicker is affecting the whole frame, higher values are useful. For smaller areas, set to a low value.

Time Radius: Determines the number of frames over time that Flicker Free is looking at. The higher the value, the better it'll remove flicker, but the longer the render times.

Type: The three different algorithms available in Flicker Free. Time Lapse is appropriate for footage shot over long intervals. The Slow/Regular Motion algorithms are more appropriate for high frame rate video and footage shot at the normal 24/30 fps.

All Channels:This can produce much better deflickering as each channel is processed independantly. However, it can result in more artifacts.

Threshold:Only the Slow/Regular Motion - Alternate algorithm uses this parameter. Set between 5 and 20 for best results.

Detect Motion:Flicker Free will analyze the footage and try to account for fast moving elements in the scene. This usually will reduce any artifacts. However with some footage and in can cause problems. So if adjusting the Time Radius and Type doesn't solve your issues, try turning this off. Usually it should be left on however.

Read more

Flicker Free 2.0 - Authorizing and Troubleshooting

Learn how to get started with Flicker Free! In this video tutorial we show how to enter your serial number, register the plugin, and troubleshoot common problems in Premiere Pro, AE, FCPX, Davinci Resolve, and Avid Media Composer. LEVEL: BASIC

Questions? Email us at cs@digitalanarchy.com.

Flicker Free 2.0 - Settings and Features Overview

Flicker Free 2.0 is GPU accelerated and can better deflicker video with moving cameras and subjects. This tutorial gives you an overview of its new features and show how they work to better remove flicker from your video footage. The tutorial is done in Premiere but the information applies to all video editing apps. It goes over the parameters and explains how to use them. LEVEL: BASIC

Download test footage here!

Flicker Free 2.0 - Removing Flicker from Shots with Motion

Motion compensation allows Flicker Free 2.0 users to remove flicker from footage that was previously unfixable. The newest version of the plugin uses optical flow algorithms to detect and delineate independently moving objects, even in the presence of camera motion. Learn more about motion compensation and how you can better utilize this option to remove flicker from your video in this tutorial. LEVEL: BASIC

Flicker Free 2.0 - Using Flicker Free with Other Effects & Troubleshooting Errors

Flicker Free is commonly used in conjunction with other effects like Warp Stabilizer and Lumetri color, which can cause errors and slow renders if you do not adjust your settings correctly. In this video tutorial, we go over steps to use Flicker Free with other effects and list simple ways to troubleshoot error messages (and visual glitches!) you might see when combining other post-production enhancements with Flicker Free to polish the look of your footage. LEVEL: BASIC

Time Lapse Sequence Flicker Free

Speeding up De-Flickering of Time Lapse Sequences in [Adobe] Premiere

Time lapse is always challenging… you’ve got a high resolution image sequence that can seriously tax your system. Add Flicker Free on top of that… where we’re analyzing up to 21 of those high resolution images… and you can really slow a system down. So I’m going to go over a few tips for speeding things up in Premiere or other video editor.

Click Here to read the full article.

Fixing Rolling Band Flicker Caused by Camera/Light Sync Problems

One common problem that Flicker Free is used to solve is when the camera frame rate or shutter speed is out of phase with the electricity cycle or refresh rate of lights. This results in 'rolling bands' moving up the screen, essentially ruining the video footage.

This tutorial discusses the different Flicker Free settings that can be used to solve this problem, how the parameters interact, and the tradeoffs that sometimes have to be made to get as good of result as possible. LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

You can download the footage and AE/Premiere project file: Rolling Band Flicker (250mb)

Flicker Free Tips: Apply Flicker Free BEFORE other Plugins

One incredibly important way of speeding up Flicker Free is to apply it before any other plugins or effects. This can dramatically reduce your render times.

For example, in Premiere Pro if you apply the Lumetri plugin before Flicker Free it'll increase render times by 300-350%. For more details, please visit the AnarchyJim Blog post on Applying Flicker Free First. LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Read more

Don't have video footage of your own to test? Just download the sample movies below. NOTE: This movie is only for testing Flicker Free, and NOT for royalty free usage.

Flicker Free Tips: Improving Flicker Removal

Take a deeper look at the controls for our popular Flicker Free plugin! This explains what to do when the stock settings in the plugin are just shy of getting rid of that pesky flicker. We look at the quick and easy changes you can make and explain how and why they work to remedy the most stubborn flicker you might encounter. This uses After Effects but many of the tips can be applied to other host applications. LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Flicker Free Tips: Speeding Up Flicker Free

How to speed up Flicker Free's rendering time. In Summary: Keep Time Radius as low as possible, Sensitivity as high as possible, and apply Flicker Free to the resolution you're going to deliver at. Watch the video for a complete explanation! You can also check out this blog post for other Flicker Free rendering speed tips. LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Deflickering Day to Night Time Lapse Videos

If you're trying to shoot a time lapse sequence with extreme lighting changes, like day to night (or vice versa), shooting Aperture Priority is an easy way to do it. Letting the camera adjust the shutter speed as the light changes. Unfortunately, this leads to flicker. In this tutorial we'll show how to use Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin to easily get rid of the exposure flicker and end up with a beautiful, smooth time lapse video.

Read more

Removing Flicker from Stadium Lights in Slow Motion Sports Videos

In this tutorial, Jim Tierney shows how to deflicker slow motion video footage shot under stadium lights. This is a common problem with shooting slow motion sports, as most stadiums, even for pros, either use LEDs or industrial lighting. Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin solves the problem easily. It's available for After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Resolve and more.

Removing Flicker from Drone Video Footage

One common problem when shooting video with a drone is flicker caused by prop shadows. Our Flicker Free plugin is commonly used to deal with this problem and this tutorial goes over how to do it. It discusses the correct settings within the plugin and the two step process usually necessary to deal with drone prop flicker. This tutorial is done in Premiere but the concept should apply to any host app: After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Resolve, etc.

Download AE and Premiere project files along with test footage. Click Here.

De-flickering GOP Compression Artifacts in Drone Video Footage

In this tutorial we show how to reduce the video flickering caused by GOP compression artifacts, a common problem with video footage shot with drones(DJI Phantom Pro drone in this case). This tutorial is done in After Effects but the concept should apply to any host app: Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Resolve, etc.

GOP stands for 'Group of Pictures' and is a common compression method.

It groups multiple frames together to help get better compression rates. Typically this is 7 or 15 frames. In the case of the DJI Phantom Professional drone, it uses a 7 frame GOP. This causes a shift in pixels every 8 frames. In some video footage this is very noticeable as it's rhythmic pattern and creates a shimmering type of effect. The Flicker Free plugin can be used to minimize this, giving you a more professional looking video.

Download the original 4K drone footage with GOP flicker. Click Here. (1gb file)

Download the AE and Premiere Pro project files used in the tutorial.

Read more

Flicker Free Demo Reel

The reel is a mixture of different types of flicker problems with the originals and the deflickered Flicker Free versions. It shows a variety of situations that cause video to flicker. You can download a few of these movies from the Examples section to use yourself. Of course, you can use the trial version to apply it to your own footage and see for yourself how easy it is to deflicker video.

High Speed Cameras and Flicker

This article has an excellent explanation of why there is often flicker problems with slow motion footage. The lighting section is at the MIDDLE of the article and applies to ALL high speed cameras, not just the Phantom (which is what the article is written for).

http://www.lovehighspeed.com/lighting-for-high-speed/

Creating Beautiful Time Lapse Videos - Part 1: Intro and Setting Up Your DSLR

This is a short (5min.) intro to what we'll be talking about in this series on shooting time lapse video sequences. I also discuss some basics of setting up your camera. Part 1 is short and a little boring (it's hard to make camera settings exciting ;-). We get into the meat of things in Part 2.

Time lapse is an amazing form of photography/videography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the years. Through the whole series we'll be going through the entire process of how I should time lapse. From setting up the DSLR, to taking the photos, and then on to post production where we'll process the RAW images, stabilize them, and remove any flicker.

I tend to shoot mostly sunrise and sunset time lapse, so I'll be focusing on shots where the lighting is changing. Most tips and tricks will apply to other scenarios, but there's a few that you don't need to worry about if the light is going to change significantly over the course of your shot.

The processing is done in Adobe After Effects and uses Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin for deflickering the video. You can use other software (especially Premiere Pro) but that's what I'm using to demonstrate the problems and solutions.

Read more

Creating Beautiful Time Lapse Videos - Part 2: Why Shoot RAW instead of JPEG?

In this segment we discuss the benefits of shooting RAW when doing time lapse sequences. The biggest benefit is the automatic removal of dead pixels. Watch the segment for all the details!

Time lapse is an amazing form of photography/videography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the years. Through the whole series we'll be going through the entire process of how I should time lapse. From setting up the DSLR, to taking the photos, and then on to post production where we'll process the RAW images, stabilize them, and remove any flicker.

I tend to shoot mostly sunrise and sunset time lapse, so I'll be focusing on shots where the lighting is changing. Most tips and tricks will apply to other scenarios, but there's a few that you don't need to worry about if the light is going to change significantly over the course of your shot.

The processing is done in Adobe After Effects and uses Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin for deflickering the video. You can use other software (especially Premiere Pro) but that's what I'm using to demonstrate the problems and solutions.

Read more

Creating Beautiful Time Lapse Videos - Part 3: What Makes a Good Time Lapse Sequence?

In Part 3, I'll talk about some of the elements that make a time lapse interesting. Every time lapse is different but there are some things that typically add visual interest.

Time lapse is an amazing form of photography/videography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the years. Through the whole series we'll be going through the entire process of how I should time lapse. From setting up the DSLR, to taking the photos, and then on to post production where we'll process the RAW images, stabilize them, and remove any flicker.

I tend to shoot mostly sunrise and sunset time lapse, so I'll be focusing on shots where the lighting is changing. Most tips and tricks will apply to other scenarios, but there's a few that you don't need to worry about if the light is going to change significantly over the course of your shot.

The processing is done in Adobe After Effects and uses Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin for deflickering the video. You can use other software (especially Premiere Pro) but that's what I'm using to demonstrate the problems and solutions.

Read more

Creating Beautiful Time Lapse Videos - Part 4: Stabilizing the Images

Stabilizing the photo sequence is critical to a good time lapse video. There's a lot you can do while shooting to make sure there's no camera shake, but if there is, then you need some help. Manually adjusting 1500 photos isn't fun. In this segment we discuss ways to stabilize the camera and then talk about stabilizing the photos. I use Adobe After Effects but most video applications have a way of stabilizing. Some are better than others and I think After Effects is one of the best.

Time lapse is an amazing form of photography/videography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the years. Through the whole series we'll be going through the entire process of how I should time lapse. From setting up the DSLR, to taking the photos, and then on to post production where we'll process the RAW images, stabilize them, and remove any flicker.

I tend to shoot mostly sunrise and sunset time lapse, so I'll be focusing on shots where the lighting is changing. Most tips and tricks will apply to other scenarios, but there's a few that you don't need to worry about if the light is going to change significantly over the course of your shot.

The processing is done in Adobe After Effects and uses Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin for deflickering the video. You can use other software (especially Premiere Pro) but that's what I'm using to demonstrate the problems and solutions.

Read more

Creating Beautiful Time Lapse Videos - Part 5: Removing Flicker from the Time Lapse Sequence

In this last segment, I talk about removing the flicker that occurs if you have the camera in a semi-automatic mode like Aperture Priority. This is usually necessary if you're shooting when the light is changing, like during sunset.

I've done another tutorial on this, showing several day-to-night time lapses CLICK HERE to see them.

I use Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plug-in to easily deal with this problem. It's available for many host applications: After Effects, Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, Sony Vegas, Resolve, Nuke, and more.

Time lapse is an amazing form of photography/videography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the years. Through the whole series we'll be going through the entire process of how I should time lapse. From setting up the DSLR, to taking the photos, and then on to post production where we'll process the RAW images, stabilize them, and remove any flicker.

I tend to shoot mostly sunrise and sunset time lapse, so I'll be focusing on shots where the lighting is changing. Most tips and tricks will apply to other scenarios, but there's a few that you don't need to worry about if the light is going to change significantly over the course of your shot.

The processing is done in Adobe After Effects and uses Digital Anarchy's Flicker Free plugin for deflickering the video. You can use other software (especially Premiere Pro) but that's what I'm using to demonstrate the problems and solutions.

Read more
Connect