Rolling Shutter Effect demonstrated with Python

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Swipecat [OP]

I watched the Youtube video Rolling Shutter Explained on the Cheap by Matt Parker where he shows that you don't need to visit an actual aeroplane with expensive slow-motion cameras to demonstrate the rolling shutter effect on aircraft propellors. He shows that you can do it with a model propellor connected to an electric drill — then some Python code to process the video to emulate the rolling shutter effect and to add a green line scanning down the image.

Well, I thought, let's do the whole thing in Python.

Here's 30 lines of Python, using the Numpy and Pillow libraries and ffmpeg to create the video:

https://github.com/dafarry/rolling-shutter-effect-python/blob/master/rolling-shutter-makevideo.py

Here's another version that uses Tkinter to display the video to your screen in real time rather than making a video. It needs a fast(ish) PC to display smoothly:

https://github.com/dafarry/rolling-shutter-effect-python/blob/master/rolling-shutter-tkinter.py

SamF111

Any thoughts on how to undo it with the known shutter rate and the output of your analysis as an input?

s3cur1ty

This post has been removed.

Synaps4

Yep, you would need to match your shutter rate to the rotation of the object.

bradfordmaster

Hmm... Not necessarily. If you knew it was a constant rate, I think you should be able to approximate it from the input if you can also make some assumptions about the shape of the real propeller (e.g. radial symmetry). Now I'm curious how well it would work

Synaps4

Good point. You can at least know a multiple of the rotation rate if you know the shutter speed. I wonder if 4 rotor objects are always discernable from 5-rotor ones?

bradfordmaster

Almost certainly based on the number of blobs you see and rate they move, at least I think. Also I think you can be pretty confident in the multiple by putting some bounds on the speed (propeller tip not going faster than speed of sound, blade not longer than a certain amount)