Most people with the Mavic 3 have been there, thinking they got the perfect shot, only to get back to the computer to edit and post the footage, and then see the dreaded green lens flairs on the photo or videos. It really detracts from the image, especially if there isn’t any green in the shot. Here are some examples.
As seen in the image to the right and below the sun there are 2 bright green dots, which are from the Lense flair.
How to remove the lens flare in photos
My method is to use Adobe Photoshop content-aware tool
Step 1, is to select the green dot with the lasso tool
Step 2, is to right-click in the area selected and select content-aware fill
Step 3, is to edit out any objects that could interfere with the aware fill.
Step 4, is to adjust any errors with either more content-aware fills or using the clone stamp tool.
How to remove the lens flare in Videos
This is a bit more complex, and I have only just started using Adobe Aftereffects.
Step 1. Import the clip into your adobe aftereffects timeline
Step 2. Zoom into the dot and create a mask around the green dots, change the mask setting from add to none
Step 3. Right-click the mask and select track mask, move frame by frame, and ensure that the mask stays around the green dots during the entire clip. Then set the mask to subtract
Step 4. Select the window on the navigation bar and ensure that content-aware fill is selected, then select it on the right-side panel. I generally use “object” and an alpha expansion of 5. Then click generate fill layer.
Step 5. Watchback video and make adjustments, these could be changing the mask size adding reference frames, or changing the content-aware fill type and alpha expansion, it is really dependent on the clip you are trying to edit.
Limitations
There are a handful of videos that are really challenging to remove the lens flairs with just the content-aware fill tools, these are generally where the lens flare
Crosses over multiple different surfaces
Hyperlapse videos with lots of motion
These can be combated by adding more reference frames in the process and editing them like removing a lens flare in the photos section describes.
How to Prevent the Green Dots
The easiest way to have a photo without the lens flare is just to take the image at angles where it does not develop. Looking directly at the sun with the camera is the highest issue for having the lens flare in the imagery. This can be a challenge when filming a sunset or sunrise, which is where the angles come into play.
Our Services
Here is what we are now offering for drone pilots without the Adobe Creative Cloud, we can remove the green dots from either your photos or videos both products are now listed on our website with either editing 5 photos for $25 or editing a 1-minute video for $80
Giveaway
We are giving away a 60-second video edit of lens flare removal for a Mavic 3 video as well as edited photos, one of our new subscribers to our newsletter and to our youtube channel.
Entry is done by subscribing to our newsletter. Entry opens on1/21/2022. Entry closes on 1/31/2022 11:59 Pm EST. Giveaway will be drawn on 2/1/2022, and the winner will be notified within 24 hours. NJH Aerial reserves the right to alter the contest at any time. Void where prohibited.