Stabilization programs have been around for a couple of years now. The most popular tool is probably Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer which was first integrated in After Effects CS5.5 as well as Premiere Pro CS6 and newer versions.
Below is a video tutorial and comparison between the Warp Stabilizer and two other programs.
While the standalone software Turbo Video Stabilizer by muvee is definitely aimed at consumers and amateur filmmakers, DeShaker by VirtualDub is a tool that delivers good results and allows to adjust the settings manually. You can download DeShaker as a filter for VirtualDub HERE for free! It’s definitely worth a try especially for people who don’t use Premiere Pro and are looking for a good stabilization software that is not super expensive (in fact it just costs you your time).
The biggest downside of the muvee software is the lack of manual control or adjustments. The results or ok but not as good as DeShaker or the Warp Stabilizer. There is one button to stabilize the clips. The clips can also be trimmed and flipped which can be useful in some cases. The render speed of the stabilization is fast but the playback inside of the software is not always in real time even when using a fast computer. You can order the muvee Turbo Video Stabilizer HERE for $19.99.
Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer is still our favorite tool to stabilize shaky shots because it delivers good results and has all the important options to correct the stabilization. The interface is easy to use. Analyzing footage is not very fast compared to DeShaker but in the end it’s about the result and the results have been “better” or let’s say more enjoyable to watch and less distracting.
A lot of filmmakers and editors probably know that weird feeling when they see a wobbly shot and thinking: “This clip has been Warp stabilized!” Because it’s integrated into Premiere Pro and After Effects it supports pretty much every file format and resolution.
Below is a video that shows how a driving scene looks before and after being stabilized by the Warp Stabilizer:
Stabilizing footage in post isn’t a technique that will make the use of a slider, gimbal or tripod obsolete. It’s only there to fix a few problems and do some improvements.
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Written by Moritz Janisch