gst-plugin-linescan/gst/intervalometer

GStreamer Intervalometer Filter

Automatic Exposure Control for IDS uEye Cameras

Inspired by YASS (Yet Another Sunset Script) for CHDK cameras.

Overview

The intervalometer element is a GStreamer filter that automatically adjusts camera exposure and gain settings during changing light conditions. It analyzes video brightness in real-time and smoothly ramps camera parameters to maintain optimal exposure - perfect for time-lapse photography during sunset, sunrise, or other variable lighting scenarios.

Features

• Automatic Exposure Ramping: Smoothly adjusts exposure time based on scene brightness
• Automatic Gain Control: Increases/decreases sensor gain when exposure limits are reached
• Configurable Ranges: Set custom min/max values for exposure (0.85-1.24ms) and gain (0-52)
• Multiple Ramp Rates: Choose from VSlow/Slow/Medium/Fast/VFast adjustment speeds
• Exposure Compensation: Fine-tune brightness with ±4 stops of compensation
• CSV Logging: Optional detailed logging of all exposure parameters
• Multiple Format Support: Works with GRAY8, GRAY16, RGB, BGR, and BGRA video

Requirements

• GStreamer 1.0+
• IDS uEye camera with idsueyesrc element
• Camera must support runtime exposure and gain property changes

Installation

The filter is built as part of the gst-plugins-vision project. Build and install normally:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
make install

Properties

Control Properties

Property	Type	Range	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	-	TRUE	Enable/disable auto-exposure
target-brightness	double	0-255	128.0	Target average brightness level
compensation	double	-4.0 to 4.0	0.0	Exposure compensation in stops
camera-element	string	-	""	Name of upstream idsueyesrc element

Exposure Range

Property	Type	Range	Default	Description
exposure-min	double	0.01-1000.0	0.85	Minimum exposure time (ms)
exposure-max	double	0.01-1000.0	1.24	Maximum exposure time (ms)

Gain Range

Property	Type	Range	Default	Description
gain-min	int	0-100	0	Minimum gain value
gain-max	int	0-100	52	Maximum gain value

Ramping

Property	Type	Values	Default	Description
ramp-rate	enum	VSlow, Slow, Medium, Fast, VFast	Medium	Speed of parameter changes
update-interval	int	10-10000	100	Time between exposure updates (ms)

Brightness Filtering

Property	Type	Range	Default	Description
brightness-smoothing	double	0.0-1.0	0.1	Temporal smoothing factor (EMA alpha)
brightness-deadband	double	0.0-50.0	10.0	Deadband zone to prevent oscillation (0=disabled)

Logging

Property	Type	Range	Default	Description
log-file	string	-	""	Path to CSV log file (empty = disabled)

Usage Examples

Basic Auto-Exposure

gst-launch-1.0 idsueyesrc name=cam ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam ! \
  videoconvert ! autovideosink

Custom Range for Day/Night Transition

Configure for the typical day (0.85ms exposure, gain 52) to night (1.24ms exposure, gain 0) range:

gst-launch-1.0 idsueyesrc name=cam ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam \
    exposure-min=0.85 exposure-max=1.24 \
    gain-min=0 gain-max=52 \
    ramp-rate=medium ! \
  videoconvert ! autovideosink

With Exposure Compensation

Adjust overall brightness with compensation:

gst-launch-1.0 idsueyesrc name=cam ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam \
    compensation=1.0 \
    target-brightness=140 ! \
  videoconvert ! autovideosink

With CSV Logging

Log all exposure data to a CSV file:

gst-launch-1.0 idsueyesrc name=cam ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam \
    log-file=exposure_log.csv ! \
  videoconvert ! autovideosink

Dawn/Dusk Time-Lapse (Recommended)

Optimized settings for smooth sunrise/sunset time-lapse:

gst-launch-1.0 \
  idsueyesrc config-file=ini/whole-presacler64_autoexp-binningx2.ini \
    exposure=0.85 framerate=50 gain=0 name=cam device-id=2 ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam \
    ramp-rate=vslow \
    update-interval=1000 \
    brightness-smoothing=0.1 \
    brightness-deadband=10.0 \
    log-file=timelapse.csv ! \
  videocrop bottom=3 ! queue ! videoconvert ! autovideosink

Key settings:

• ramp-rate=vslow: 5% exposure steps per update (smooth transitions)
• update-interval=1000: Updates every 1 second (not too aggressive)
• brightness-smoothing=0.1: Filters out moving objects (cars, people, birds)
• brightness-deadband=10.0: Prevents oscillation by creating a stable zone

Complete Time-Lapse Recording

Record a time-lapse with auto-exposure:

gst-launch-1.0 idsueyesrc name=cam framerate=1 ! \
  intervalometer enabled=true camera-element=cam \
    exposure-min=0.85 exposure-max=1.24 \
    gain-min=0 gain-max=52 \
    ramp-rate=slow \
    log-file=timelapse_exposure.csv ! \
  videoconvert ! x264enc ! mp4mux ! \
  filesink location=timelapse.mp4

How It Works

Exposure Control Algorithm

The filter uses a YASS-inspired algorithm with deadband control:

1. Brightness Analysis: Calculates average brightness of each frame
2. Deadband Check: If brightness is within deadband zone, skip adjustments (prevents oscillation)
3. Error Calculation: Compares to target brightness (with compensation)
4. Ramping Priority:
   • When too bright: Decreases exposure first, then gain
   • When too dark: Increases exposure first (up to max), then gain
5. Smooth Ramping: Changes are gradual based on ramp-rate setting

Typical Behavior

• Daytime: Fast shutter (low exposure), high gain for noise reduction
• Sunset/Dusk: Gradually increases exposure time as light fades
• Night: Maximum exposure time, minimum gain

CSV Log Format

When logging is enabled, the filter creates a CSV file with:

Frame,Time_s,Brightness,Exposure_ms,Gain,Target_Brightness
0,0.000,145.32,0.850,52,128.00
1,0.033,143.21,0.851,52,128.00
2,0.067,142.15,0.853,52,128.00
...

Camera Property Control

The filter finds and controls the upstream idsueyesrc element using the camera-element property. It sets:

• exposure: Exposure time in milliseconds
• gain: Master gain (0-100 range)

Ensure your camera source is named and the name matches the camera-element property.

Configuration Reference

Ramp Rates

Rate	Multiplier	Step Size	Best For
VSlow	0.5x	5% per update	Dawn/dusk time-lapse (recommended)
Slow	1.0x	10% per update	Gradual sunset/sunrise over hours
Medium	2.0x	20% per update	Normal time-lapse scenarios
Fast	4.0x	40% per update	Faster light changes, clouds passing
VFast	8.0x	80% per update	Quick adaptation, testing

Note: The base ramping rate is 10% of the delta between current and target values, multiplied by the ramp rate setting.

Update Intervals

Interval	Updates/sec	Best For
100ms	10 Hz	Fast-changing scenes (clouds, indoor)
500ms	2 Hz	Moderate changes
1000ms	1 Hz	Dawn/dusk time-lapse (recommended)
2000ms	0.5 Hz	Very slow lighting changes
5000ms	0.2 Hz	Extremely slow changes

Important: At high frame rates (50fps), avoid very short update intervals (< 500ms) to prevent oscillation and flickering.

Brightness Smoothing

The brightness-smoothing property uses Exponential Moving Average (EMA) to filter out transient brightness changes from moving objects:

smoothed_brightness = (alpha × current_brightness) + ((1 - alpha) × previous_smoothed)

Value	Behavior	Best For
0.05	Very heavy smoothing	High traffic scenes
0.1	Heavy smoothing (default)	Time-lapse with moving objects
0.3	Moderate smoothing	Some filtering needed
0.5	Light smoothing	Quick response
1.0	No smoothing	Instant response to changes

Effect: With brightness-smoothing=0.1, the algorithm effectively averages brightness over ~10 frames, filtering out cars, people, and birds while still tracking slow lighting trends.

Brightness Deadband

The brightness-deadband property creates a tolerance zone around the target brightness where no adjustments are made. This prevents oscillation caused by continuous micro-adjustments.

How it works:

• When brightness is within ±deadband of target, no changes are made
• When brightness exceeds the deadband, normal adjustments resume
• Allows fast corrections when needed, prevents hunting when stable

Value	Behavior	Best For
0.0	No deadband (disabled)	Maximum responsiveness (may oscillate)
5.0	Narrow deadband	Slow update rates (>500ms)
10.0	Standard deadband (default)	Fast update rates (10-100ms), prevents oscillation
20.0	Wide deadband	Very stable, less responsive

Example:

• With target-brightness=128 and brightness-deadband=10.0
• No adjustments when brightness is between 118-138
• Adjustments resume when brightness < 118 or > 138

Important: Higher deadband = more stability but less precision. Lower deadband = more precision but potential oscillation at fast update rates.

Tips for Best Results

Dawn/Dusk Time-Lapse (Recommended Configuration)

ramp-rate: vslow (5% steps - very gradual)
update-interval: 1000 (1 second between updates)
brightness-smoothing: 0.1 (filter moving objects)
brightness-deadband: 10.0 (prevent oscillation)
exposure-min: 0.85 (or camera minimum)
exposure-max: 1.24 (or 1/framerate)
gain-min: 0 (cleanest image)
gain-max: 52 (or camera limit)
target-brightness: 128

Why these settings:

• vslow ramp rate prevents visible exposure jumps
• 1000ms update interval allows camera hardware to settle
• Brightness smoothing filters transient changes (cars, people)
• Results in smooth, flicker-free time-lapse

Fast Changing Conditions (with Fast Update Rates)

ramp-rate: fast or vfast
update-interval: 10-100 (very fast updates)
brightness-smoothing: 0.3-1.0 (more responsive)
brightness-deadband: 10.0-15.0 (ESSENTIAL to prevent oscillation)
compensation: Adjust to preference (-1.0 for darker, +1.0 for brighter)

Critical: When using fast update rates (10-100ms), brightness-deadband is ESSENTIAL to prevent oscillation. Without it, the algorithm will continuously overshoot and create flickering.

Maximum Image Quality

gain-max: 20-30 (lower max gain = less noise)
ramp-rate: slow or vslow (smoother transitions)
update-interval: 1000-2000

Avoiding Flickering and Oscillation

If you experience flickering or oscillation:

1. Enable deadband (MOST IMPORTANT): Set brightness-deadband=10.0 or higher
2. Increase update-interval: Start with 1000ms for slow changes, or keep at 10-100ms with deadband for fast response
3. Decrease ramp-rate: Use vslow or slow
4. Enable brightness-smoothing: Set to 0.1 or lower

The New Solution: With the brightness-deadband parameter, you can now use fast update rates (10ms) with fast ramp rates without oscillation! The deadband creates a stable zone that prevents continuous micro-adjustments.

Troubleshooting

Filter not adjusting exposure:

• Verify camera-element property matches your camera source name
• Check that camera allows runtime exposure/gain changes
• Ensure enabled=true is set

Flickering or oscillating exposure:

• Primary cause: No deadband zone at fast update rates
• Solution: Set brightness-deadband=10.0 (or higher)
• Alternative: Increase update-interval to 1000ms
• Also try: Set ramp-rate=vslow and brightness-smoothing=0.1
• New capability: With deadband enabled, you CAN use fast update intervals (10-100ms) for rapid response without oscillation!

Changes too fast/slow:

• Adjust ramp-rate property
• Modify update-interval (higher = slower convergence)
• Check exposure-min/exposure-max range is appropriate

Brightness oscillates with moving objects:

• Enable brightness-smoothing=0.1 to filter transients
• Lower values (0.05) provide even more smoothing
• This filters cars, people, birds while tracking lighting trends

Brightness not reaching target:

• Increase gain-max to allow more gain
• Increase exposure-max if not motion-limited
• Adjust target-brightness or use compensation

Log file not created:

• Check file path is writable
• Verify log-file property is set before starting pipeline

Comparison to YASS

Feature	YASS (CHDK)	Intervalometer (GStreamer)
Platform	Canon cameras with CHDK	IDS uEye cameras
Control	Shutter speed + ISO	Exposure time + Gain
Integration	Standalone Lua script	GStreamer pipeline element
Real-time	Script-based intervals	Frame-by-frame analysis
Logging	CSV to SD card	CSV to filesystem

Technical Notes

Flickering Fix (2025)

The original implementation had a critical bug where exposure ramping was not actually implemented - the code would instantly jump to target values instead of gradually ramping. This caused visible flickering, especially with short update intervals.

Fixed in gstintervalometer.c:688-716:

• Implemented proper gradual ramping using the ramp_step variable
• Each update now applies a percentage of the delta (not instant jumps)
• Formula: current_exposure += (target_exposure - current_exposure) × ramp_step

Exposure Range Query Fix

The original implementation used GObject property specs to query exposure limits, which returned incorrect values (0.0 min, DBL_MAX max). This has been fixed to use the IDS uEye SDK directly:

Changes made:

• Added IDS SDK header include and camera handle support
• Added hcam property to idsueyesrc to expose camera handle
• Use is_Exposure(IS_EXPOSURE_CMD_GET_EXPOSURE_RANGE) for proper hardware limits
• Result: Proper min/max values (e.g., [0.019 - 19.943] ms) from camera

Brightness Smoothing

Added Exponential Moving Average (EMA) filtering to handle transient brightness changes from moving objects (cars, people, birds). This prevents exposure oscillation while maintaining responsiveness to actual lighting changes.

Brightness Deadband (Anti-Oscillation)

Added deadband control to prevent continuous micro-adjustments that cause oscillation. When brightness is within the deadband zone (default ±10 units), no adjustments are made. This allows:

• Fast update rates (10-100ms) without oscillation
• Rapid response when changes exceed deadband
• Stable operation at any ramp rate

Implementation in gstintervalometer.c:698-707:

• Checks absolute error against deadband before making adjustments
• Skips exposure/gain changes when within tolerance
• Allows full-speed corrections when brightness significantly deviates

License

This filter is part of gst-plugins-vision and released under the GNU Library General Public License (LGPL).

Inspired by YASS (Yet Another Sunset Script) by waterwingz, based on work by Fbonomi and soulf2, released under GPL.

See Also

• YASS Documentation - Original CHDK script that inspired this filter
• idsueyesrc - IDS uEye camera source element