Lens distortion correction in Premiere CS6?

[berriganator]

I'm trying to correct the distortion caused by a wide-angle lens in Premiere CS6. From what I can tell, there is no filter or transform / distort feature within Premiere itself. I followed the steps in this tutorial to open the MPEG4 in Photoshop, apply the lens correction filter, and then export the video again to be re-imported to Premiere. http://podcasts.creativecow.net/adobe-premiere-tutorials-podcast/correcting-lens-distortion

However this tutorial is for CS5. I am seeing no adjustment or filter layer in my layers panel, as it appears in the tutorial. When I go to export the video, it seems the Adaptive Wide Angle filter or the Lens Correction filter has only applied to a single frame of the whole clip. Bummer.

Any other suggestions for fixing lens distortion in Premiere?

Thanks!

[excited_Genie16B8]

This is probably better done in After Effects.

(Of course, the best solution is not to use a lens that distorts the image unless you want that distortion as an effect.)

[shooternz]

The minimal amount of distortion I see in that grab could be dealt with by "Corner Pin" Effect or 3D Tilt maybe.

AEFX is a better solution though.

[berriganator]

The image shown is with the effect applied, but as you can see it does not appear in the layers panel. According to the tutorial, however, it should. And I was pretty excited that Photoshop filters could be applied to video.

I'm not familiar with AEFX. I tried opening the clip in AEFX and got an error. Another reason why I was hoping the Photoshop would work. That and the Lens Correction can correct for particular models of DSLR cameras with specific lenses, so it's very fast. I guess I'll go searching now for tutorials on AEFX. But I was hoping to find out how to make Photoshop filters apply to video.

[shooternz]

I did wonder why the screen grab came from Photoshop yet you asked your question regarding Premiere.

Not very smart way of asking a question!

[berriganator · Accepted solution]

Both these replies are a bit rude and unhelpful. I am editing in Premiere, and I am not very familiar with it. The question is about how to fix lens distortion in Premiere. Maybe there's a way to do this that I'm not aware of...? That's why I asked the question! There's nothing about it that I could find in the forums. The only fix I found didn't work—which was to use Photoshop *integrated with Premiere*. And two people tell me to use AEFX without pointing me in any directions of how to do that. Useless.

Anyway, I found some information that *was* helpful. This tutorial demonstrates that one critical step was missing from the prior tutorial, which is to convert the video layer to a smart object before applying the effect:

http://www.protechreviewgroup.com/tutorialsinformation/tutorial-fisheye-correction-in-photoshop-for-...

The same person provided a tutorial on how to do this in AEFX:

http://www.protechreviewgroup.com/tutorialsinformation/tutorial-fisheye-lens-correction-in-after-eff...

Now that these steps are taken, I have to take the footage back into Premiere. It's a workflow question. Other video editing software has this kind of stuff built-in to the effects panel.

[Guest]

This tutorial demonstrates that one critical step was missing from the prior tutorial, which is to convert the video layer to a smart object before applying the effect

Quite contrary: that's you who missed that in Richard Harrington's tutorial, but not Richard Harrington who didn't say that.

And two people tell me to use AEFX without pointing me in any directions of how to do that. Useless.

Since you didn't say anything about your skills, it's impossible to guess what explanation you may need.

Now that these steps are taken, I have to take the footage back into Premiere. It's a workflow question.

So as to get your video back from Ps, you have to render it out and import into PrPro.

In case of AE you can either render digital intermediate and import it into PrPro or use Adobe Dynamic Link.

[SAFEHARBOR11]

There is an effect in Premiere CS6, and it is called "Lens Distortion". Apply that and adjust the "Curvature" slider

Thanks

Jeff Pulera

Safe Harbor Computers

[Kevin-Monahan]

SAFEHARBOR11 wrote:

There is an effect in Premiere CS6, and it is called "Lens Distortion". Apply that and adjust the "Curvature" slider

Thanks

Jeff Pulera

Safe Harbor Computers

Unfortunately, it's a Windows only effect. Not available on the Mac. If berriganator needs to correct lens distortion, he or she will have to do so in Photoshop or After Effects.

[berriganator]

That's too bad. Thanks for confirming though.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Yes, the Windows version has a number of effects not available on the Mac. Feel free to write a feature request for parity of effects for both Mac and PC: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

[berriganator]

Thanks. I will do that.

[SAFEHARBOR11]

Sorry for misleading, had no idea the Lens Distortion effect was PC only. I use it often to fix fish-eye lens clips.

Jeff

[Noggin Juice]

My beef is why can it not be as simple as in Adobe Lightroom... I have a Panasonic DMC-GH2, using a SIGMA 1.4 50mm for lush DOF. Obviously Lightroom pulls my cam data, then I select the lens and hey presto corrected without getting it wrong fiddling with a slider (and you can see the emediate noticable change), let alone compared to Lightroom the Lens Distortion Effect, seems to zoom rather than actually properly unwrap so I loose some of the image data, especailly when the distorion is subtle...? Thing is lens distortion seem to me the only reason that, rolling shutter correction or stabilsing seems to not do it's job properly too for me...?  It's really getting on my nerves as what is lush footage is being runined by no Abobe tools to make correcting stuff thats often a given a breeze rather than a mission.... Please fix this properly aka transfer the Raw Profile system and profiles into Premiere, not fudge it please... Tar Samantha

[excited_Genie16B8]

You're getting distortion from a 50mm on the GH2?  Curious.

[Noggin Juice]

Why is it curious, it's a prime slight asperical SIGMA lens, chucked on via a standard none digital adapter..?, it's clearly there considering the correction on RAW stills works peachy. It's the fact I've no way of selecting a Panasonic DMC-GH2 profile like Lightroom pulls automatically from RAW Stills data, doing the Photoshop fudge, to then select the SIGMA profile. The slight lens distortion then seems to play havok with the Jello effect even more and then trying to correct it..?

[excited_Genie16B8]

I just wouldn't expect any distortion from a 50mm.  I only see any when I get below about 18mm.

But i do agree it would be if nice video had all the XIF data that we see for stills.

[Noggin Juice]

Even just access directly to all the profiles that Lightroom already has bult-in, within Premiere and Prelude even (so you can just do meta data pre-ops). So when you pull your footage into anything else it automatically sets-up any conversions. My other beef it it does not read inside the HBR, *.MTS files properly so Premiere see's them as interlaced when the Panasonic Doc's say the firmware update encodes as 25p Progressive. I think it's the Micro 2/3rd's it x2's ir sees it as more like a 90-100mm with a ton of solid glass it amplifies the subtle asperical nature of it to pull the 1.4. If you saw the actual glass you could see what I mean Jim. I will admit I did get it in a rush a while back for a shoot so only had a an EX DG, hence the standard non digital adapter. It's the fact on footage I'm doing a ton of moment, using a tripod like a budget steadycam, so tons of fast parralax and movement.

All the more fustrating when I used to work for Avid many years ago, before having our third child, being a mum at home for a bit and am merely a skint Ginger trying to do creative stuff now Jim, ADOBE maybe give a job aye please, lol

[Steven L. Gotz]

Well, it is entirely possible to bring the video into Photoshop, fix it, and then export it. You have a generational loss, but it works. After all, Photoshop has a timeline. Right?

[Noggin Juice]

But it's a fudge Steven that does not work for me nor make a remotely sensable workflow. Better would be to chuck all the Lightroom and Cam Raw profiles, presets, filters in Speedgrade, makes better sense in term of workflow, considering it IS Adobe's eqivilant video grading package and is intergrated..? Or just like I said make all this work properly in Premiere period.

I was fiddling with the Warp Stablizer & the seperate rolling shutter effect, which in theory should detect any lens distortion as the Jello effect, is all about the lens, parralax and scan timings. Yet it's like poking in the dark with the settings and I'm working on a pants laptop so is slow to simply fiddle. I've come from using tracking/optical etc programs in the VFX arena, I just have a distinct feeling none of this should be so much faffing & effort thease days, more so when the correct preset that should make all this work much quicker are already in Lightroom..?

I will say my main systems down as it got fryed by the storms where having in the UK. Let alone for some reason Premiere is creating animation tweens that do not exist, but that's for another thread..?

[Steven L. Gotz]

But it's a fudge Steven ...
Better would be to chuck all the Lightroom and Cam Raw profiles, presets, filters in Speedgrade...
Or just like I said make all this work properly in Premiere period...

Oh, I agree it is a fudge that should be dealt with in Premiere Pro. If Lightroom and Photoshop can do it, then the same database ought to be available to Premiere Pro.

I have never shot any video with any noticeable distortion, but I am not fond of wide angle lenses in particular, and I, like Jim, am suprised that you are having issues with a 50mm lens. That is unusual to say the least.

If you were shooting with a 20mm, well then, that would be a horse of a different color.

As more and more people shoot video with a DSLR or Mirrorless (I shoot with a GH3) then similar tasks need to be ported over to Premiere Pro. The last version of Photoshop got the Camera RAW filer. That should be in Premiere Pro as soon as they can get it in.

Lens distortion? Same thing. Get it done.

I suggest you start with a feature request.

[Guest]

It is very sad news that the Mac version of Premier lacks the Lens Distortion effect. It was the principal reason I downloaded Premier. I just got the DJI Phantom 2 Vision and had read great things about the wide angle lens correction ability in Premier. Now it appears I ought to have gone with Final Cut Pro. I see that there is a wide angle removal filter than can be purchased for $39 but only for FCP.

Is there any news about efforts at Adobe to add the Lens Distortion effect to the Mac version?

Any other options that don't involve doing it in Photoshop? What about After Effects?

[cc_merchant]

Have you considered a better lens to reduce distortion in the source material? That is where it starts...

[Guest]

Not helpful, just kind of snarky.

As per my post, I have a Phantom 2 Vision. It has one lens. No other option.

My question is specifically about software to correct wide angle distortion. Other work-arounds are not helpful.

Thanks.

[shooternz]

What about After Effects?

Yes.

No other option.

I see the camera has FOV options