Android User Guide

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The core functionality of the app is fully tested.
The stabilization works well, but the ideal settings are still be dialed in.

Stabilization

First-Time Use

1. Turn Stabilization OFF in the Settings menu.

2. Record a pass with each available lens on your phone (Rear-Main, Rear-Ultrawide, Selfie) to see which is most stable. This will often be the Selfie or Ultrawide, but it depends on your phone model.

3. Once you find the best lens, use it for all recordings, whether you add Stabilization or not.
   
   

Understanding Stabilization Delay

Due to Android platform limitations, video stabilization is a post‑processing step, not real‑time. It runs in the background and cues up videos so you can continue recording new videos, but when you are done skiing, videos will not appear in your photos app until processing finishes.

The length of processing time is highly dependent on your phone, settings, and how many videos you record:

• Slow: On an older phone, recording in 4K/60fps with high Stabilization Strength, and many passes (ex. 4 sets of skiing), it could take many hours for all your videos to process.

• Fast: With a recent high-end phone, recording in HD/30fps with a low Stabilization Strength, and just 6 passes, it will take less than 5 minutes.

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. 

If you manually force-stop the app or shut off the phone, stabilization will stop, but data isn't lost and it will resume processing as soon as you activate the app again.

Timing Considerations

• HD vs 4K: 4K takes much longer to stabilize.

• 30fps vs 60fps: 60fps takes much longer to stabilize.

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

To speed things up, use HD30 as your recording setting, and use the lowest Strength that still produces acceptable stabilization.

Other Stabilization Settings

Stabilization Profile, Shakiness, and Panning: These are still being tested and will eventually be locked and hidden.
For now: use Profile SP1, Shakiness 2, and Panning 0.
But also feel free test them yourself. The process would be:

• Test Panning 0 vs 1. Choose what's best.

• Then test each Profile with the chosen Panning. Choose what's best.

• Then try each Shakiness value with the chosen Panning/Profile. Choose what's best.

If you do a full test like this, let me know what you find is best.

App Settings

Pylon Mount

• I recommend the Ski View with Active Track.

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

Trigger Speed

• Set your trigger speed 4 MPH below your slowest ski speed, to avoid missing the start of a pass or if GPS briefly misreads.

Zoom

• Pinch with two fingers to adjust. Increase until the skier fills the frame without cutting out. If the skier exits frame on one side only, slightly rotate your camera mount toward center. Small adjustments make a big difference. 

Camera/Lens

• It is expected behavior that not all phones with a Rear-Ultrawide lens will show Ultrawide as actually available. Many Android phone developers don't expose more to 3rd party apps more advanced camera features like Ultrawide lens.

• To find your most stable lens: turn Stabilization Off and test each lens available to you. 

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 versions of Android, but nothing is 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%.

• Watching on phone screen, the difference between HD and 4K is 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.

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.

• You can likely 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, have the skier sit in the water at roughly full-rope length. Zoom in more than normal so you can clearly see subtle variations in focus. Adjust the the focus slider back and forth until the skier is most in-focus. Press to "Lock" the slider to avoid accidental adjustment, and zoom back out to an appropriate level for recording.

Directional Trigger

• Unless you are using PylonCam Pro for jump, leave this Off, or you will miss passes being recorded.

App Details

Home Screen Overview

• Zoom Level: Top middle value (ex. "1.5x"). Use a two-finger drag in to adjust, as in other apps.

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

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

• Manual Focus Slider: Appears when Manual Focus is enabled. 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.

• Setting Menu: The bottom left button.

• Trigger Speed: Bottom middle value 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).

• Auto-Record Toggle: 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: Switch between the Rear lenses and the Front/Selfie lens.

• Lens: If you select Rear, switch between Main and the Ultrawide lens.

• Quality/FPS: Selects resolution and frames-per-second (fps) of recording:

  • 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.

• Directional Trigger: When enabled, recording will start only when the trigger speed is reached and the boat is travelling in the selected direction. For jump skiers, 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: Adjusts whether the Trigger Speed is 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: Opens 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.