Android User Guide

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The core functionality of the app is fully tested.
The stabilization works but the specific ideal parameters are still be tested.

First-Time Use Instructions:

1. Ensure that Stabilization is OFF in the Settings menu.

2. Record a pass with each available lens on your phone (Rear-Main, Rear-Ultrawide, Selfie), and see which lens is most stable. This will likely be either the Selfie or Ultrawide lens rather than the Main lens, but will depend on your phone model.

3. Then whatever lens is best, use that going forward. You may find you don't even need additional stabilization.

Stabilization

If you do try Stabilization, note that due to Android platform limitations, video stabilization is a post‑processing step, not real‑time, and it takes time to complete. The stabilization runs in the background and cues up videos, so you can continue skiing and record as many new videos as you want, but it means when you are done skiing, it will take time before all your videos actually appear in your photo Gallery.

The length of time this takes is highly dependent on how many videos you record in a row, your phone model, and the settings you use. Particularly if you have an older phone, are recording in 4K, and/or you recorded many videos in a row (ex. 4 sets of skiing), it could take hours for all your videos to process.

While videos are stabilizing/processing, you’ll see a persistent notification in your phone’s notification tray (the pull‑down menu at the top of your screen). It will show: “Stabilizing videos… <# of videos> remaining.” This notification stays visible until all videos finish processing. 

Note that if you manually force-stop the app, stabilization will stop, but data isn't lost and it will resume stabilization as soon as you activate the app again.

• Stabilization Strength: Higher values produce more stable video but increase processing time.

• HD vs 4K: 4K videos take considerably longer to stabilize.

• 30fps vs 60fps: 60fps videos take considerably longer to stabilize.

Stabilization Profile, Shakiness, and Relative: These are all parameters that I am currently testing which settings are ideal. Once determined, these will be hardcoded in the app and not changeable options.

Reducing Stabilization Timing: If your videos are taking too long to stabilize, use HD30 as your recording setting, and as low of a "Strength" as possible while still producing acceptable stabilization.

• • • For initial estimates of how long stabilization will take based on your phone and settings, see this spreadsheet (coming soon). These times are subject to updating after more testing.

Other Settings

Pylon Mount

• I recommend the Ski View with Active Track.

• Optionally, you can add a vibration dampening device like explained here, which should improve any ongoing "background vibration," though they may slightly worsen the momentary "rope snap shake" when the skier hooks up out of the buoy.

Trigger Speed

• I recommend setting your trigger speed 4 MPH below your slowest ski speed, to ensure you don't miss any portion of a pass, particularly if there;s any momentary issues with GPS accuracy.

Zoom

• To adjust zoom, do a two-finger drag on the screen. Depending on your phone and which lens you are using, and what camera mount you have, you will likely want some amount of zoom, but just start lower and keep bumping it up until the skier is going to the edge of the frame but not out-of-frame. If the skier is going out-of-frame on only one side, adjust your camera mount to compensate by turning it more towards center (small movements make a big difference!).

Camera/Lens

• It is expected behavior that not all phones that have a Rear > Ultrawide lens will necessarily be able to use the Ultrawide lens within PylonCam Pro. Many Android phone developers don't expose more to 3rd party apps more advanced camera features like Ultrawide lens.

• The most stable selection will be completely dependent on your specific phone model, and there is huge variation among the Android platform. To test, set you Stabilization Strength to 20, Stabilization Profile to SP2, then try each lens that is available to you. Whichever produces the most stable video, stick with that lens.

Manual Focus

• If Manual Focus is available on your selected lens, I recommend using it, particularly if you use a Shock Tube.  Even if you haven’t noticed particular focus issues, locking the focus can improve video stability by preventing the lens from constantly hunting focus during a pass.

• I think you should be able to use the same setting for every line length from 15off to 41off:

  • • • At 41off the skier is still 39 feet from the pylon, and at such long distances the "range of focus" on a single setting becomes very broad. It's possible that a short-line skier would tick it just slightly closer and a longer-line skier just slightly farther, but maybe not even, and you certainly won't have to adjust in between every rope length.

• To set your ideal focus, get the skier sitting in the water at roughly full-rope length. Have the boat driver or passenger slide the focus slider back and forth until the skier is most in-focus. It may also help to zoom in a bunch onto the skier (much more than you would to actually record), so you can see clearly the variations in the focus on the skier. Once you have your setting, you can press to "Lock" the slider to avoid accidental adjustment, and zoom back out to an appropriate level.

Quality/FPS (frames-per-second)

• It is expected behavior that some phones, including all Samsung phones, will not have all four options available. Samsung does not expose to 3rd party apps more advanced camera features like 60fps. It's possible this is changing in upcoming version of Android, but nothing confirmed.

• The decision of HD or 4K is a trade-off between quality, stabilization processing time, and file size:

  • • 4K has a sharper image than HD, but will considerably increase your stabilization processing time and your file size.

    • 60fps will yield more fluid motion as compared to 30fps, but will considerably increase stabilization processing time and increase your file size by about 50%.

• If you are watching back only on phone screen, the difference between HD and 4K is definitely present but not drastic. The larger the screen is, and the more you zoom in, the more the quality of 4K will become apparent.

• Note, if you text someone a video, it may get compressed/degraded on the recipient's end, sometimes significantly. If you want to ensure you share a full-quality video, you must upload it to a file storage service like Google Drive and send a link.

App Details

Home Screen Overview

• The top middle shows the current Zoom level. Use a two-finger drag in and out to adjust the zoom, as you would in the standard Apple Camera app.

  • • The zoom level will save even if you full-close and re-open the app.

• When a video is being recorded, a small Red Circle will appear in the top right.

• If Manual Focus is enabled in the Settings menu, a Focus Slider will appear. Drag the white circle left and right to adjust focus. Click "Lock" to lock the slider to avoid accidental adjustment, or click "Unlock" to make the slider adjustable again.

• The bottom left button accesses the Settings menu (see below).

• The middle number shows the current trigger speed, and the - and + buttons next to it adjust the speed. This is the MPH or KPH at which the camera will start recording (once user speed goes above trigger) and stop recording (once speed goes below trigger).

• The bottom-right toggle switches between Auto-Record Enabled (green) and Auto-Record Disabled (gray). When it is Disabled, no recordings will be made.

Settings Overview
All Settings will save and reload even after a full-close and reopen of the app.

• Camera Select: Allows you to switch between using the Rear lenses and the Front/Selfie Lens.

• Lens: If you selected the Rear Camera, you can select between the Main camera and the Ultra-Wide lens. If you selected Selfie, the Ultra-Wide option is not available, as there is only one lens on the Selfie side.

• Quality/FPS: Selects what resolution and frames-per-second (fps) you want to record in:

  • HD = 1080p quality

  • 4K = 4K (2160p) quality

  • 30 = 30 fps

  • 60 = 60 fps

• Focus: Selects whether to use Auto Focus or Manual Focus. When Manual Focus is selected, a Focus Slider bar appears on home screen (see above).

• Directional Trigger: This adds a direction-based condition to videos being recorded. Whichever direction you select, the recording will start only when the trigger speed is reached and the boat is travelling in the selected direction. For jump skiers, this means you can have the recording only start once you are moving in the direction of the ramp. The recording will stop once the user goes below the trigger speed, as normal. 

• Speed Units: This adjusts whether the Trigger Speed is expressed in MPH or KPH.

• Stabilization Strength: The higher this setting, the more stable the video will be, but the longer it will take to process (see above).

• User Guide: takes you to this User Guide. 

• Send Error Report: If you are having an issue with the app, particularly if you are missing passes being recorded, please press this button, an email prompt will open with an attachment containing app usage logs. Please then explain the issue you are facing and the specific date and time it happened, then send. You must send this within 3 days of the issue happening, as that's how long logs are kept for.