App for journalists: Emulsio, for stabilising shaky camera footage

Credit: Photo by Ozgu Ozden on Unsplash

What is it? Emulsio is an application that helps steady shaky camera footage shot on mobile devices.

Cost: ‘Freemium’ - free, with optional ‘Pro Pack’ (one-off payment of £7.99)

Devices: iOS only

How is it of use to journalists?

Not all reporters working from home are masters of mobile journalism. Emulsio removes the shakiness of handheld footage to make it look more presentable for social media or broadcast.

No need to create an account; simply download the app, select the footage you want to stabilise and the app will automatically adjust your video to smooth out any shakiness.

A useful tool within the app is a ‘live comparison’ between the app’s stabilised footage and the original video. This can help you decide whether to increase or decrease the stabilisation strength before exporting.

Click the circle-shaped icon near the top of the screen to access this. You can then move how much of the screen shows the original and stablised footage by dragging the line across the screen.

Adjust the strength of stabilisation by clicking on the slider on the right of the screen and moving it upwards or downwards.

Additional stabilisation settings can be found by clicking the bottom icon on the left of the screen, with the ability to change the 'stablisation profile' to Cinematic for a smoother camera motion, or Vibration to remove smaller shakes while preserving the original motion of the camera.

Once you are happy with the footage, the app allows you to export the video to your Camera Roll or directly to social media.

On the free version, exported footage will include a watermark. The app’s ‘Pro Pack 2’ (£7.99) removes this, and includes improved stabilisation accuracy with 4K footage.

The app supports high-speed videos up to 240 fps recorded with the most recent range of iPhones and is also available for iPad devices.

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