Pixiq

Over the past 6-8 years, I have been shooting video for the purpose of creating stills. The video capabilities of the latest digital cameras allow for some amazing experimental imagery.

By combining the power of a number of software techniques, the possibilities for digital video capture seem to be endless. The moving image has potential for many different imaging results that I intend to continue exploring. Most paint programs allow users to create video. Photoshop, Painter and Studio Artist offer amazing capabilities.

The example image below was shot using the HD video mode of an Olympus EP1.

I use a combination of different software packages to create unique still photographic results. In some cases I simply run the video through an application that captures the video such as DVD Studio. Other times, I import the video into layers within Photoshop. Here, I stacked the video frames in layers and cropped the frames to a narrow strip and the canvas size was increased to allow the layers to be distributed. When the image was finished in Photoshop, I moved it to Studio Artist to be further processed.

The image above was captured over a period of approximately two to three minutes as I drove down a street in the rain. The video was processed using Processing software which captures single lines of pixels. The technique is a digital process that mimics a slit camera. The file was later altered in Studio Artist to provide a Painted appearance.

I believe that there is a huge potential for the moving image that some of us are just beginning to investigate. The differences between software applications allows for a cross-breeding of creative exploration.

 I can’t wait until all imaging is created with super cameras capable of shooting 10 megapixel plus video frames in HDR and 3D. Somehow, I think that camera is just around the corner.