Author: dafaryny@uncc.edu

dafaryny@uncc.edu

What visualization properties can I add to my processed video?

 

Visualization properties are available to export along with your processed video. The properties that you assign to the video right before you click the export button, are the properties you will have in the exported video.

 

Shuffle Colors: shuffle the colors on all of the objects

Global Colors: make all the objects have the same color markings.

Show Markers: make the markings on each object visible or invisible

Interpolated frames: removes/add the dotted object markers

Marker Type drop down box: choose the marker shape

Track ID: shows the ID of the object throughout the video

Show Tails: using the bar, you can adjust the tail length which shows where the object has been

 

dafaryny@uncc.edu

What format video does the video need to be?

ABC Tracker uses a MP4 video format for processing videos. However, if your video is a different format, the ABC Tracker Program can internally convert the video using FFMpeg.

Common video formats that we can convert:

  • .mp4 -> Best for ABCT
  • .mpg
  • .avi
  • .mov
  • .qt
  • .asf
  • .avchd
  • .flv
  • .swf
  • .wmv

The program can also convert many other video formats. Check out this link to see what format options are supported: [FFMpeg]

How long does converting take?

Many factors influence the speed of the conversion. Here are a few:

  1. Video length
  2. Original format (some compressions take longer to decode)
  3. The PC

Is there is a loss of resolution when we convert videos internally?

  1. Simple answer: If the video is larger than 1920 x 1080 (or a greater number of pixels than this), then yes – the video will be scaled to such.
  2. To be more specific, we are limited by the number of pixels in the video. The maximum number of pixels is [1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600]. Videos in an unusual width/height ratio will need to have less then roughly 2 million pixels to avoid resolution loss.
  3. Note: There is a slight quality drop with almost any conversion made internally (or any other conversion tool), but we have tried to make the difference virtually unnoticeable.
dafaryny@uncc.edu

Finding the Perfect Object Markings

Incorrectly marked objects can cause errors in tracking the objects.

Important tips for good markings:

  • Good Marks: mark most of the object’s body and minimize the blue markings outside of the object 
  • Bad Marks: marks that are too big or too small cause errors

  • For curled objects, mark the object’s general angle
  • If your object is a permanently round object like cells, you can click on the same object in the same place three times. 

 

Remember: Use the “Brush Size” bar to change the size of the object markings!