These steps can help achieve better image quality and resolve issues where Facecam video appears to have excessive visual noise in the form of video noise, graininess, or pixelation.
Example of low video noise.
Example of heavy video noise.
Table of contents
- Check ISO value
- Increase Brightness Level
- Use Manual Exposure
- Reduce Zoom Setting
- Use a shutter speed of 1/32 s
- Turn On Noise Reduction
Check ISO Value
Visual noise in Facecam can occur when the ISO value is too high.
The ISO value indicates how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. If the sensitivity is high visual noise is introduced in the form of video noise.
Facecam will automatically adjust the ISO to increase the average picture brightness of the video is too dark when set to automatic exposure mode.
The best ISO value is 100.
An ISO of 400 or lower is recommended for optimal image quality.
An ISO of 800 may produce an acceptable image.
ISO of 1000 or higher may give the appearance of increased visual noise.
If the ISO is over 1000, the steps below can help reduce it.
Increase Brightness Level
The best way to ensure minimal video noise is by increasing the amount of light in your setup that will reach Facecam's sensor. Facecam will then reduce the ISO value and increase the shutter speed - Increasing visual fidelity and smoothness.
Examples include:
- Turn on overhead or room lights
- Open curtains that may be blocking natural light from a window
- Use dedicated video lights such as Key Light, Key Light Air or Ring Light.
Use Manual Exposure
Automatic Exposure may not be working correctly in your setup. This could occur if most of the image is dark but you are well lit.
Setting the exposure mode to manual lets you fine-tune and have complete control over the shutter speed and ISO.
Set the shutter speed to 1/64th, and then tune the ISO to achieve your desired brightness.
Reduce Zoom Setting
Facecam's zoom setting uses digital zoom which increases the size of visual noise and in turn the perception of noise.
Use a Shutter Speed of 1/32 s
Setting Facecam to a slower shutter speed means the shutter stays open for longer and lets in more light at the expense of frame rate. By letting in more light, the ISO value can be lowered, reducing sensor sensitivity which in turn reduces graininess.
A shutter speed of 1/64 s means Facecam video is operating 60 frames per second.
A shutter speed of 1/32 s means Facecam video is operating 30 frames per second.
We suggest not using a shutter speed under 1/32 s - Lower shutter speeds will reduce the frame rate and video may begin to blur.
1) Open Camera Hub
2) Scroll down to the Exposure tab in the left-hand settings
3) Toggle off Automatic exposure
4) Set the Shutter speed to 1/32 s
5) Now adjust the ISO value lower as needed to achieve your desired brightness level with minimal noise
6) At the top of the settings click on save to save the settings to Facecam
Turn On Noise Reduction
Facecam has a built-in noise reduction option that will remove some visual noise at the expense of some finer detail which may also be removed.
To enable noise reduction
1) Open Camera Hub.
2) Scroll down in the settings to the Processing tab.
3) Toggle the Noise Reduction setting to on.
4) Click save at the top of Camera Hub to ensure Noise Reduction stays enabled.
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