11/25/2016 userguide [Magic Lantern wiki]

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InstallGuide|User'sGuide|FAQ

MagicLanternv2.3User'sGuide

Features
Audio:disableAGC,audiometers,manualaudiocontrols,selectableinputsource(internal,internal+external,externalstereo,balanced),
audiomonitoringviaA/Vcable.
Exposurehelpers:ETTR,zebras,falsecolor,histogram,waveform,spotmeter,vectorscope.
Focustools:focuspeaking,zoomwhilerecording,trapfocus,rack_focus,follow_focus,stack_focus.
Moviehelpers:Bitratecontrol,movielogging(Exiflikemetadata),autorestartafterbufferoverflowor4GBlimit,HDRvideo,advanced
FPScontrol.
LiveViewadjustments:contrast,saturation,displaygainforusingLiveViewindarkness.
Cropmarkimages:usereditableoverlaystoassistframingandcomposition.
FinecontrolforISO,Shutter,Kelvinwhitebalanceandotherimagesettings.
Bracketing:advancedexposurebracketing,focusstacking.
RemotereleasewithLCDfacesensorandaudiotrigger,withoutextrahardware.
Timelapse:intervalometer(forphotosandmovies),bulbramping(manualandautomatic),recordingatverylowFPS(downto0.2FPS),
silentpictureswithoutshutteractuation.
Astroandnightphotography:bulbtimerforverylongexposures(upto8h).
Infodisplays:focusandDOFinfo,CMOStemperature,shuttercount,clock.
Forstrobists:flashexposurecompensation,rangeupto10to+3EV(dependsonthecamera).
Powersaving:TurnoffdisplayorreducebacklightinLiveViewduringidletimes.
Handyfeatures:QuickzoominPLAYmode,keyshortcutsforcommonlyusedfeatures,customizablemenus.
Andmuchmore!

Importantnotes
If you have a bootable SD card and have the BOOTDISK flag set in the camera (which the installer does), and you do not have an
AUTOEXEC.BINfileonthecardthecameraWILLNOTBOOT!Itwillhangandnotwakeupuntilthebatteryisremoved.
Ifyouencounteralocked upcamera,quicklyremovethebattery.
Whenindoubt,removethebatteryandreboot.

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And,rememberthatthissoftwarecandamageordestroyyourcamera.

Knownissues
Firstsecondofrecordedaudiomaybeveryloud.
Sometimes,rackandstackfocussimplyrefusetowork,andyouneedtorestartyourcamera.
SDmonitorsarenotcompletelysupported(magiczoomandRGBtoolswillnotwork).
MagicLanternhasnoaudiocontrolsforCanon600D/T3iandnewercameras.YoucandisableAGCfromCanonmenusthough.

Commonterms

Moviemode
Mostcamerashaveadedicatedmoviemodeonthemodedial.Inthiscase,it'sobviouswhatmoviemodeis.

However,thefollowingcamerasdonothaveadedicatedmoviemode.Forthesecameras,MagicLanternconsidersthefollowingconfigurations
asmovie mode:

ForCanon5DMarkII:inLiveView,withmovierecordingenabledANDLiveViewdisplaysettoMovie.Tip:youcanchangeLiveViewdisplay
typefromExpomenu.
ForCanon50D:inLiveView,withmovierecordingenabledfromMLmenu.

Whenmoviemodeisactive,MagicLanternwillshowaMvsymbolonthebottominfobar.

The''Q''button
Mostcamerashaveabuttonlabeledas[Q].Afewcamerasdon't,soyouwillhavetousesomeotherbutton:

5DMarkII:usethePicture Stylebutton.
50D:usetheFUNCbutton.
500D:usetheLiveViewbutton.

Liveviewscreenlayout
MagicLanternusestheavailablescreenspacetodisplayoperationalinformationinaclearandpracticalmanner.Theimageshowsascreenshot
withcommonlyusedMLfeaturesenabled.
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Someitemsthatmayneedmoredetails:

Audiometers:thisshowstheaudiorecordlevels,indB.Thebarsbecomeyellowat12dBandredat3dB.
FPS:thecurrentFPSvalueisdisplayedwith3decimalplaces(25.000,24.000,23.976etc).
Shutterspeed:inmoviemode,valuesthatmaintainacertainamountoffilmicmotionblur(180degreeshutter)aredisplayedingreen.In
photomode,valuesthatmaycauseblurrypicturesaredisplayedinred.
ISO:valueswithlownoise(negativedigitalgain)aredisplayedingreen.
Clippingdotsonhistogram:theyappearwhentheimagecontainsoverexposedareas.
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Green/magentawhitebalanceshift:notallcamerasletyouadjusttheseinmoviemodefinetunethemfromWhiteBalancesubmenuin
MLmenu.

Keyshortcuts

PLAYmodeshortcuts
Q(550D),UNLOCK(60D),DISP(600D),LV(500D),FUNC(50D)orPicture Style(5DMarkII):showexposuretools(zebra,false
color,histogram,waveform,spotmeter)andcropmarks(asconfiguredfromOverlaymenu).
SET + Main Dial (Scrollwheel) in PLAY mode: customizable function (preview HDR images, silent pictures, multiple
exposures,timelapseplayback,imagecomparison).SeeSET+MainDial.
LV:createatransparentoverlayfromcurrentimage(whenGhostImageisactive).Youcanuseitforpanoramasorforrepeatingshots.
LVon60D/600D:youcanconfigureittoprotectimageswithasinglebuttonpress.
SET+Erase:youcanconfigureittoeraseimageswithouttheconfirmationdialog.
Zoom In:quickimagemagnification:asingleclickcanzoomallthewayin,oncenterpoint,onAFpointetc(configurable).

Arrowkeyshortcuts
Arrowkeyscanbeusedtoquicklyadjustthefollowingsettings:

Audiogainsandinputsource
ISO(inintermediatesteps)andKelvinWB(pushbuttonWBalsoavailable)
Shutterandaperture,infinersteps
LCDbacklight,saturationanddisplaygain.

YoucanselectwhatfunctionsyouneedfromArrow/SETshortcutssubmenu,underPrefs.

Toenabletheshortcutmenu,pressthefollowingkey:

550D:theAvbutton(optional:covertheLCDsensor)
60D:theMeteringbutton(nearISO)
600D:theDISPbutton
500D:covertheLCDsensor
50D:theFUNCbutton
5DMarkII:thePicture Stylebutton.
Besidestheshortcuts,arrowkeyscanalsobeusedforfocusing(seeFollowFocus).

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SeealsoourShortcutsarticle[http://www.magiclantern.fm/cameraoperating/101articles/catcamop/catshort/91artfastoperatingwithshortcuts].

Miscshortcuts

SETpressedatstartup:loadsvanillafirmware(doesnotloadMagicLantern).
INFO/DISPinLiveView:changecurrentdisplaypreset,ifthisfeatureisenabled.
Zoom Inwhilerecording:itdoesjustthat:)(MagicZoom)
SETinLiveView:centerAFarea(thelittlerectangle).
ActivatingAFmodedialogwhenManualFocusisactivewilltoggleTrapFocus.

MagicLanternmenu
PressERASEbuttontobringuptheMagicLanternmenu.
Usearrowkeys,joystickorscrollwheelstonavigate.
UseSETandPLAYtotogglevalues.
UseQtoopenasubmenuwithmoresettings.
PressINFOorDISPbuttontogethelp.
InLiveView,pressZoom IntopreviewtheimagebehindMLmenu.
PressMENUtohideitemsthatyoudon'tuse(toreduceclutter).

ForcameraswithoutQ:

5DMarkII:pressthePicture Stylebutton.
50D:presstheFUNCbutton.
500D:presstheLiveViewbutton.

Onehandedmenunavigationfor5DMarkIIand50D(optional):

OpenMLmenuandsubmenuswithalongpressonjoystickcenterkey
NavigateMLmenuwithscrollwheels
Closesubmenuswithashortpressofjoystickcenterkey(useLeftandRighttoadjustvalues)
CloseMLmenuwithashorthalfshutterpress.

Audio

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Manualaudiocontrols.

ThismenuisnotavailableonCanon600D/T3i.

The600D/T3ialreadyhasmanualaudiocontrol,butrightnowit'snotpossibletochangeaudiosettingsfromMagicLantern.Youcanonlyuse
audiometersduringrecording.

AnalogGain(dB)

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Gainappliedtobothinputsintheanalogdomain.Ifyouuseanexternalpreamp,setthisparameteraslowaspossibleotherwise,setitashigh
aspossiblewithoutclipping(audiometersshouldbegreen).

LDigitalGainandRDigitalGain(dB)
Digitalgainappliedtoleftandrightchannel.Recommendedsetting:0.

Inputsource
Audioinputsourceforrecording:

internalmic
L:intR:ext
externalstereo
L:intR:balanced(internalmiconLeft,externalmiconRightfrombothexternalpinsasbalancedaudio)
Autoint/ext:cameradetectsifamicispluggedin.Intisdualmono,extisstereo.

Balanced audio allows for very long cable runs without interference. Usually balanced mics have
three pin XLR connectors and it is very easy to out together an XLR to Canon mic input cable.
Balanced allows us to use such pro mics with our little Canons and this is a very welcome
surprise for audio guys.(source)[http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=24384&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=330#p164691]

WindFilter
Digitalhighpassfilter.SeeAK4646datasheet [http://wiki.magiclantern.fm/_media/ak4646.pdf]p.34.

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MicPower
This is required for internal mic and certain types of external mics, but it reduces input impedance. See AK4646 datasheet
[http://wiki.magiclantern.fm/_media/ak4646.pdf] p.31 and the Mic power control [http://groups.google.com/group/ml
devel/browse_thread/thread/516d22e75dcb9357]thread.

ON:inputimpedanceis2kOhm
OFF:inputimpedanceis30kOhm.

ThissettingisalwaysONwheninputsourceiseitherinternal micorL:int R:ext.

AGC
Enable/disableAutomaticGainControl.AGCisappliedonlyindigitaldomain(i.e.itoverridesdigitalgains,butyoucanstilladjustanaloggain).

Recommendedsetting:OFF.

HeadphoneMonitoring
Audiomonitoringwithheadphones,usingtheA/Vcable.

DisablethissettingifyouareusingaSDmonitor!

Thisfeatureisnotavailableon600D/T3i.

Touseaudiomonitoring,youneedaspecialcable:

yourCanonA/VcablewithaRCA3.5mmjackadapter[http://amzn.to/mlaudiomonrca35]
adedicatedcablefromSescom[http://www.sescom.com/product.asp?item=DSLR550DHOCF]
oryoumaysolderityourself(youwillhavetocutyourA/Vcable).

Warning:mobilephonecableswillnotworkeveniftheconnectorlookssimilar,it'snotidentical.Youmustusetheoriginalcablewhichcame
withyourcamera[http://amzn.to/canonusbrca].

Fordetails,seeAudiomonitoringHOWTOonVimeogroup[http://vimeo.com/groups/magiclantern/forumthread:237296].

Outputvolume(dB)
Digitaloutputgainforaudiomonitoring.Itdoesnothaveanyeffectontheinternalcameraspeaker.

For best results, you should a pair of low impedance headphones, for example Audio Technica ATHM50 (38 ohms)[http://amzn.to/mlathm50].
Withhighimpedanceheadphones,youmayhavetouseaheadphoneamplifierlikeFiiOE5[http://amzn.to/fiioe5].
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AudioMeters
Displaytheinputaudiolevel,from40dBto0dBmetersbecomeyellowat12dBandredat3dB.

Audiometersareonlydisplayedinmoviemode.

Expo

Adjustingtheexposureparameters.MostofthesesettingsonlyworkinManual(photoandvideo),andsomeofthemworkinP,AvandTvtoo.

WhiteBalance
Advancedwhitebalancecontrol.ThepreferredmethodisKelvinwhitebalance(range:150015000K).

Submenuoptions:

Kelvinwhitebalance
WBShiftG/M:GreenMagentawhitebalanceshift.Usefulforfluorescentlighting
WBShift B/A: BlueAmber white balance shift. 1 unit = 5 mireks on Kelvin axis, according to this post
[http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t5450.html]
CustomRGBmultipliers:finetunecustomwhitebalance
Blacklevel:thisparameterisappliedonRAWdata,beforeapplyingwhitebalance.Adjustitifyouhaveproblemswithgreenormagenta
shadows

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Auto adjust Kelvin + G/M: in LiveView, ML will compute the white balance for the current scene, using the center (200200 pixels
rectangle)asreferencegray.

ISO
AdvancedISOcontrol.

Colorcoding:

orange=CanonISOwithgoodnoiseordynamicrangecharacteristics(100,160,200,3203200).
green = ISO with negative digital gain applied via DIGIC (80, 90, 160, 320 obtained by setting ML digital ISO to a negative value).
ThesecanhavelowernoiseorbetterhighlightrolloffthantheirCanoncounterparts.
red=ISOwithpositivedigitalgain(avoidthesevalues).

Submenuoptions:

EquivalentISO
AnalogISO
CanondigitalISO
MLdigitalISO(DIGIC)inmoviemode:negativevalueswillreducenoise,butmaycausecolorissuesinhighlights.Thisfeatureenables
ISO50,ISO51200andmanyotherintermediateorastronomicalISOs.
DisplayGain(nightvision)inphotomode,forpreviewingnightscenes
HighlightTonePriority(whichincreasesdynamicrangeby1stopinmoviemode)
ISOselection(CanonISOsorMLISOs)onlyusedinmoviemode

Shutter
Finetuneshutterspeed.

Inphotomode,MagicLanterndisplaysshuttervaluesroundedto2significantdigits(e.g.1/50maybedisplayedbyMLas1/48).Thisis
notabug.
Inmoviemode,shuttervaluesaredisplayedwith3decimalplaces(forexample,inPALmode,Canonuses1/33.333toavoidflicker).
TouseshutterspeedsnormallynotavailableinCanonfirmware(like1/25or1/8000inmoviemode),enableexposureoverride.

Aperture
Adjustaperture.Whenexposureoverrideisenabled,youcanadjustitin1/8stopincrements.

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PictureStyle
Changepicturestyleoradjustitsparameters.

RECPicStyle
Youcanuseadifferentpicturestylewhenrecording(toggledautomagically).Maybeusefulwithflatpicturestyles.

Expo.Override
ThismodebypassesCanonexposurelimitations(forISO,Tv,Av).Itenables:

Manualvideoexposurecontrolsincameraswithoutit(500D,50D,1100D).
1/25sinmoviemode(24p/25p)1/3stopsbetterinlowlight.
1/8000sinmoviemode,usefulforslowmotion[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztuUh3bgqA].
ISO12800isallowedinmoviemodeon60Dand600D.
FulltimeDOFpreviewinphotomode,withoutblockingcertainkeys.

Settings:

OFF:Canondefaultexposuremode.
ON:MLoverridesexposurevalues(changethemfromExpomenu).

Sideeffect:inphotomode,anythingslowerthan1/25secondswillbeunderexposedinLiveView.

LVDisplay
SelectsordisplaysLiveViewdisplaytype:

Photodisplay,withexposuresimulation
Photodisplay,withoutexposuresimulation(forframingandforflashphotography)
Moviedisplay.

Overlay

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GraphicsoverlaysthatcanbeusedinLiveVieworinimagereviewmode:histogram,zebras,cropmarks,spotmeter,focuspeaking,falsecolor

GlobalDraw
ChoosewhentoenableMagicLanternoverlaygraphics:(zebra,cropmarks,histograms,audiometers,MLshootinginfo):

inLiveViewonly
inQuickReview(photomodeoutsideLiveView)only
Bothmodes
Disabled

Ifyouuseddisplaypresets,pressQonthisitemtoswitchthepresetswhileyouareinMLmenu.

Exposuretotheright(ETTR)
Automatic Exposure to the Right (ETTR or AETTR) is a technique of setting the exposure of a scene such that few or no pixels are are over
exposed (blown out) thus maximizing the information captured without loosing information to overexposure. This may produce a darker image
butthiscanbecorrectedlaterinpostprocessing.Theexposurecurveisthusasfartotherightaspossiblewithoutitbeingclipped.

FormoreinformationonETTR,seethepageAutoExposuretotheRight.

Zebras

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Enable/disablezebrastripes,whichindicateoverexposedorunderexposedareas.

Colorspaces:

Luma:zebrasarecomputedfromYchannelonly.
RGB: check overexposure for each RGB channel. Clipped channels are displayed in the opposite color (i.e. clipped red shown as cyan,
underexposedaswhiteandsoon).

Youmayadjustthresholdsforunderexposureandoverexposure,oryoucandisablezebraswhilerecording.

Note: when using the Technicolor CineStyle picture style, luma will have values between 16 and 255 therefore, you will have to set the
underexposurethresholdto16orgreater.

FocusPeak
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Focus assist function. Highcontrast lines will be marked by blinking dots showing which part of the
imageisinfocus.

Methods:

D1xy:computesfirstimagederivativeonXandYandtakesthemaxvalue.Mayworkbetterin
lowlightoronnoisysensors.
D2xy:approximatessecondimagederivativewitha33Laplaciankernel.Maybemoreaccurate
ingoodlight.

Otherparameters:

Threshold:howmanypixelsareconsideredinfocus(percentage).
Color:eitherfixedcolor,oracolorcodingaccordingtofocusintensity.
Grayscale img:ifenabled,LiveViewwilldisplayedasgrayscale(butstillrecordedascolor).
Toseehowitworks,checkthisarticlefromLuminousLandscape[http://www.luminouslandscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=56246.0].

MagicZoom
Displaysazoomboxforfocusassist.Canbeusedwhilerecording.

Triggermodes(notallmodesareavailableonallcameras):

HalfShutter:triggeredwhenyoupresstheshutterbuttonhalfway.
Focus Ring:triggeredbyturningthefocusring.
Zoom.REC: triggered by pressing Zoom In button while recording. If your camera has a LCD
sensor,youmayalsocoveritandpressZoom In.
FocusR+HalfS:triggeredbyturningthefocusring,orbypressingshutterhalfway.
Focus+ZREC:triggeredbyturningthefocusring,orbypressingZoom Inwhilerecording.
Zoom In (*): triggered by Zoom In button (overrides Canon's default zoom modes). To bypass magic zoom, press both zoom
buttonsatthesametimeorcovertheLCDsensor.
Always On:notriggerkeyneeded.YoucanusebothCanon's5x/10xzoomandMagicZoom.
WhenMLbelievesyouhaveachievedperfectfocus,MagicZoomwilldisplayafocusconfirmation(customizable):

Green Bars
Split Screen:whentheimageisoutoffocus,thezoomboxlookslikeasplitfocusingscreenfromoldfilmcameras.
Split Screen with ZeroCross:willreversethesplitdirectionwheneveryouachieveperfectfocus.
Otherparameters:size,position,magnification.

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Notes:

Zebras,focuspeakingandfalsecoloraredisabledautomaticallywhenthezoomoverlayisactive.
FocustriggeringonlyworkswithlensesthatreportFocusdistance,orwhenyouusefollowfocus/rackfocus.
Insomemodes,halfpressingtheshuttermaytemporarilyhidethezoomoverlay.

Originalimplementation:MagicCirclesbyAJ[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW25AtYjAk].

Cropmarks
Cropmarksorcustomgridsforframingandcomposition.

Notes:

If you use custom cropmarks, place them in ML/CROPMKS folder on your SD card and give them short 8.3 names. You can place at
most9cropmarksonthecard.
Get more cropmarks from the ML cropmark repository [http://www.sawomedia.de/magiclantern/cropmarks/] or draw your own (see
Cropmarks).

Ghostimage
ShowsatransparentoverlaywhichcanbecreatedfromanyimageinPlaymode.

Usage:

Toselecttheimage,gotoPlaymodeandpresstheLiveViewbutton.
MovetheghostimageinLiveViewwitharrowkeyscenterorhideitwithSETorjoystickpress.

Defishing
Previewtherectified(defished)imagefromSamyang8mmfisheyelens[http://amzn.to/mlsamyang8mm],usingrectilinearprojection.

Thisfeatureworksbestinphotomode(outsideLiveView).

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Defishing uses a precomputed lookup table (LUT). It is possible to create LUT files for any other lens or projection by defishing
vram/xy.pngwithyourfavoritedefishingsoftware,andthenrunning vram/defish-lut.mtogettheLUTfile.Alltherequiredfilesare
foundintheMLsourcetree.Projectfiles(*.PTO)fornona(hugin)areprovidedforbothrectilinearandPaniniprojections.

Spotmeter
Measurebrightnessfromasmallspotintheframe.

Possiblemeasurementunits:

Percent(0..100%)
Raw8bitlevels(0..255)
IRE1..101(formulausedbyAJ,whichmaps0255lumalevelstoapprox.1..101IRE)
IRE0..108(formulaproposedbyPiers,whichmaps16235lumalevelsto7.5100IRE)
RGB(displaysHTMLlikecolorcodes[http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colors.asp])

Falsecolor
Thisisatoolforevaluatingtheexposure.Itshowsdifferentluma(Y)levelsusingacolormap.Youmayselectoneofthefollowingcolormaps:

Tips:

youmayconfigureadisplaypresetwithFalseColorandtoggleitwithasinglebuttonpress.
you may also use false colors to highlight 50% and 70% brightness levels, or to reveal color banding, or to check for uniform green
screenlighting.

HistogramandWaveform
Theseexposuretoolswillshowthedistributionofimagebrightnesslevels.

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To learn how to read these graphs, see Understanding Histograms [http://www.luminouslandscape.com/tutorials/understanding

series/understandinghistograms.shtml]andFinalCutWaveformMonitor[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXMvFk146R0].

Vectorscope
ThistoolshowsthecolordistributionwithanUVplot.Usefulforcolorgrading.

To learn how to read it, see Introducing Color Scopes: The Vectorscope [http://www.kdenlive.org/users/granjow/introducingcolorscopes
vectorscope].

Movie

Functionsspecifictomoviemode.

BitRate
ControlsH.264bitrateusedforvideorecording.
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Possiblemodes:

CBR: constant bitrate. You specify a factor for multiplying default video bitrate, between 0.1x and 3x. CBR 1x is the firmware default
setting.
QScale:constantquality,variablebitrate(VBR).Availablevalues:16+16.Lowernumbersmeanhigherbitrates.
Firmware default:completelydisablebitratecontrol.
Notes:

Increasingthebitratemaycauserecordingtostop.Youneedafastcard.
CBRactuallyworksbyadjustingQScaleontheflytheinstantvalueisdisplayedneartherecordingdot.
InQScalemode,bitrateiscompletelyoutofcontrol(don'tuseit!).
In CBR mode, QScale will not go outside [16+16]. When QScale reaches the extreme values (16 or +16), bitrate willbedifferent
thanyourCBRsetting.Watchthebitrateindicators.Thisisnotabug,pleasedonotreportit.
Youcanpushthebitratehigherifyourecordwithoutsound,thenuseAudioRemoteShottosyncthevideowithanexternalaudiotrack.
Youcan'tchangethissettingduringrecording.
Ifbufferusagegetstoohigh,MLwillpauseallCPUintensivegraphics.ChangetheBuffWarnLevelsettingtocustomizethis.

TimeIndicator
Whenrecordingamovie,MLwilldisplayasmalltimecounterintheupperrightcorner,whichcanbe:

Elapsed:durationofthecurrentclip
Remain.Card:estimatedamountofrecordingtimeremainingonthecard.
Remain.4GB:estimatedamountofrecordingtimeuntilreaching4GB(oruntilfillingthecard,whichevercomesfirst).
UnlikeCanon'stimerwhichassumesconstantbitrate,MLtimerassumesvariablebitrateandworksevenifQScaleisenabled.However,dueto
variationsinbitrate,theestimatedvaluewillfluctuatealot,andthisisnormal.

MovieLogging

Ifthissettingis ON,MagicLanternwillwriteoutametadatafilefortheeachmovieto MVI_1234.LOG(numberedafterthemovie).Thelog

filecontainslensandexposureinfo,aswellasatimestampeverytimeanyoftheparametersischangedduringrecording.

Logfilesareplacedinthesamefolderasthemovies:DCIM/100CANON/,101CANONetc.

Tip:youcanrenameLOGfilestoCSVandimporttheminMSExcel.

MovieRestart

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Whilethissettingison,movierecordingwillrestartautomatically,unlessyoustopit.Therewillbeafewsecondsskippedduringrestarting.

REC/STBYnotify
Customnotificationsforrecordingorstandby:

RedCrossout(highlyrecommendedifyouforgettopressrecord)
Message(itshowsSTBYorREC)
Beeps(itwillbeepwhenrecordingstartsorstops)
BlueLED(obviousifyourcamerahasit)

MovieRECkey
Thisoptionenablesyoutostart/stopmovierecordingbyhalfpressingtheshutterbutton.

Tip:withthis,youcanuseawiredremotetostart/stoprecording.

ForceLiveView
ForceLiveViewinMoviemode(bypassthedialogsayingPressLVbuttontoactivatemovieshooting).

Always:forceLiveViewevenifyouuseanunchippedlens,ornolensatall.Becareful,youmaygetdustonthesensorwhilechanging
lenses.
Start&CPUlenses:itwillforceLiveViewatstartup,regardlessofthelensused.Afterthis,itwillonlybypassthedialogwhenachipped
lensisattached(i.e.itwillenterLiveViewassoonasyouattachachippedlens).

ShutterLock
Thisoptionlockstheshuttervalueinmoviemode(youwillbeabletochangeitonlyfromMLmenu).

FPSoverride
ThissettingaltersFPSforallvideomodes.Onlyundercrankingworkswell.

FPS is changed by altering two timer values (let's call them Timer A and Timer B). Increasing any of these values results in lower FPS. Aside
fromFPS,changingthesetimersmayaltershutterspeedandrollingshutter.

Options:

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DesiredFPS:chooseavaluefrom0.2fpsto65fps.Ifthedesiredvalueisnotpossible,MLwillchoosetheclosestsafeoption(lookat
'ActualFPS'below).
Optimizefor:
Lowlight:usethisoptionforrecordingtimelapsewithshutterspeedsetto1/fps(360degrees)athighFPSvalues,youmaybe
abletouseothershutterspeedvalues.
Exact FPS: try to achieve an exact FPS value, such as 24.000 or 30.000 or 12.500. If more exact solutions are found, ML will
choosetheonewithlowestjelloeffect.
HighFPS:changesFPSwithoutalteringshutterspeedandallowsaslightovercranking(60D,600D).
LowJello,180d:trytominimizethejelloeffect(causedbyrollingshutter),whileallowingyoutoexposeat180degrees(0.5/fps)if
possible.
High Jello: maximize the jello effect and enable fast shutter speeds. You can use this mode for recording slitscan frames
(distortedimageslikethese[http://people.rit.edu/andpph/textslitscan.html],whichusetheextremejelloeffectincreativeways).
Shutterrange:displaystheavailableshutterspeedrangewithcurrentsettings.WhenyouuseFPSoverride,Canonmenuwillstilldisplay
1/301/4000,buttheactualshutterspeedwillbedifferentreaditfromMLdisplays.Youcanaltershutterspeedrangebychanging
theratiobetweenthetwotimervalues(decreasingtimerBwillresultinfastershutterspeedsavailable).
TimerA:displaysthevalueoftimerAandletsyoufinetuneit.MLwillreadjusttimerBtomatchyourFPSchoice.
Timer B: displays the value of timer B and lets you finetune it. ML will not readjust timer A, so this option will let you finetune the
exactFPSvalue.
TGFrequency:displaysthecrystaloscillatorfrequencyoftheFPScircuitdriver(readonly,dependsonyourcamera).
ActualFPS:thisdisplaysthecurrentFPS,computedasTG_FREQ/timerA/timerB(readonly).
Sound Record: by default, ML will disable sound recording when FPS override is enabled otherwise, audio will go out of sync and
recordingwillstop.Onlyenablesoundifyouknowwhatyouaredoing.

Notesandtips:

ThisfunctionwillnotchangetheframeratefromthevideoheaderthevideowillplaybackatthesettingfromCanonmenu.
Recommendedusage:setFPStoaverylowvalue(forexample,3fps)torecordatimelapse.
Tip:thisfeaturealsoworksinphotomode,makingLiveViewusableindarkenvironments.Combineitwithdisplaygain.
Toget180degreeshutterspeedatverylowFPS,simplydiscardhalfoftheframesinpost.
If0.2FPSisnotenough,useFrameMerger[http://bit.ly/framemerger](aVirtualDubplugin).
ExactframeratemayberoundedtobeanexactmultipleofPAL/NTSCframerates.
PALmodes:25p/50p.Roundedframerates:33.333fps,12.5fps,11.111fpsandsoon.
NTSCmodes:30p/60p/24p.Roundedframerates:29.97fps,23.976fps,11.988fpsandsoon.
Forfinetuningandcalibratingcustomframerates,useEOSTimerGen[http://bit.ly/EOSTimerGen].

HDRvideo

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This feature allows you to shoot a high dynamic range video by alternating ISO every other frame.
SelectthetwoISOvaluesfromthesubmenu.

Possiblepostprocessingworkflows:

Interframe script: userfriendly version [https://bitbucket.org/a1ex/magiclantern/downloads/HDR

workflow051.zip] and barebone version [https://bitbucket.org/hudson/magic
lantern/src/tip/contrib/hdrvideotools?at=unified]
GingerHDR[http://www.gingerhdr.com/](pluginforAdobeAfterEffectsandPremiere)
MagicLanternHDRComposegeneratorforFCPX[http://alex4d.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/mluhdrcomposefcpxplugin/]
HDRGloggerWebService[http://hdr.glogger.mobi/upload_hdr.php]
etc(pleasehelpmefillingthelist!)

Discussionthread,postprocessingworkflow,FAQ...[http://vimeo.com/groups/magiclantern/forumthread:250295]

ImageEffects
CustomimageeffectsfoundbyinvestigatingDIGICregisters:

Desaturate(letsyourecordgrayscalewithanypicturestyle)
Negativeimage
SwapUV(redbecomesblue)
Cartoonlook(forthistowork,setsharpnessinyourpicturestyletoanynonzerovalue).

MovieRecord(50D)
Enablemovierecordingon50D(19201080,30fps,withoutsound).Tostartrecording,gotoLiveView(P/Tv/Av/M)andpressSET.

WARNING:Canon50DwasNOTdesignedtorecordmovies.Keepinmind:

ThisfeaturewasnotthoroughlytestedbyCanonandmaybeunstable(evenifyourecordwithoutML).
Alwaysdisablemovierecordingwhenyoudon'tuseit.
Batterywilldrainquicklywhenrecordingalso,thecameramayoverheat.

Limitations:

Thecamerawillnotrecordsound.Youcanuseanexternalrecorder(forexample,ZoomH1,H2orH4n[http://amzn.to/zoomh])andsync
thesoundinpostwithaclapperboard.
Youcan'tplaybackmoviesinthecamera.

Thissettingremainsactiveevenifyoustartthecamerawithstandardfirmware(untilyouclearyoursettings).
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ShutterButton(50D)

Leave unchanged:obvious:)
Block during REC: blocks the shutter and related (AF, *) buttons while recording. In 50D, taking pictures while recording would
result in ERR99 with this option, you can avoid taking pictures while recording by mistake. Side effect: this will disable image
stabilizationduringrecording.
Hold during REC (IS): ML will keep the shutter button pressed halfway during recording, which will enable image stabilization
(IS).Sideeffect:youneedtopresstheshutterbuttonhalfwaytoturnISoffbeforethecamerawillletyoustoprecording.

ExposureLock(50D)

Lockstheexposureinmoviemode.Youcanalsousethe*button(youdon'thavetoholditpressed).

Shoot

Functionsforstillsshooting(someofthemworkformovies,too).

HDRBracketing
ExposurebracketingforHDRimagesandtimelapses.

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InMmode,thisfunctiondoesshutterand/orISObracketing.Intheothermodesitdoesexposurecompensationbracketing.
Tostartbracketing,takeonlythefirstpictureandMLwillcontinuethesequence.
TopreviewHDRimagesincamera,setSET+MainDial:ExposureFusionfromPrefsmenu,Imagereviewsettings,thengotoplaybackmode,
holdSETandturnthemaindial(wheel).
For each HDR picture set, Magic Lantern may also write a bash script for stacking the exposures with enfuse
[http://wiki.panotools.org/Enfuse](version4.x),withoptionalalignment(align_image_stack).Moreinfo:ExposureFusion:Whatisit?How
does it Compare to HDR? How Do I Do It? [http://www.digitalphotographyschool.com/exposurefusionwhatisithowdoesitcompareto
hdrhowdoidoit].

Intervalometer

Takepicturesormoviesatfixedintervals.

Youcanstoptheintervalometerbyrotatingthemodedial,bypressingMENUorPLAY,orbyturningoffthecamera.

Settings(insubmenu):

Durationbetweentwoshots.
Startdelay(upto8hours).
StopafterXpictures.
Inmoviemodeonly:durationofamovieclip.

Tips:
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Toavoidflicker,shootinmanualmode,usemanualwhitebalance,avoidshortexposuretimesanduseamanuallens(ifyouuse
anEFlens,locktheapertureandunscrewit).
Tomakeatimelapsewithoutincreasingshuttercount,donotusetheintervalometerinstead,setFPSoverridetoaverylowvalue(for
example,3fps)andstartrecording.
WhenusingtheintervalometerinLiveViewwithnoisymode,yourshutterwillweartwiceasfastthanoutsideLiveView.
Iftheintervalometercan'tbestopped(itmayhappenincrazymode),turnthecameraofforopenthecarddoor.
Adjustyourautooffsettingtolongerthanyourtimelapseintervalthecamerawillturnoffbeforethesecondshot.

PowerSaving:

WhennotinLiveView,pressDISPorINFOtoturnthedisplayoff.
InLiveView,MLwillturnthedisplayandthesensoroffduringidletimesifyouenablethisoptionfromPowersavemenu.
Whiletheintervalometerisrunning,thecardledwillblinkoncepersecondtoletyouknowit'saliveandkicking.

Bulb/FocusRamping
Bulb Ramping allows the capture of a timelapse that gradually changes exposure, compensating for the
transitionfromdaytonight.

Options:

Autoexposureramping:thisoptionwilladjustshutterandISOautomatically,bylookingatimage
brightnessofpreviousshots.
Manualexposureramping:thisoptionwilladjustshutterandISOtofollowafixedexposureramp
(a fixed amount of EV change per shot). Can be used as standalone or combined with auto
ramping.
Manualfocusramping:thisletsyouadjustfocusgraduallywhileshootingthetimelapse.Itrequiresalenswithautofocusanditcanonly
workinLiveView.

Settingsforautoramping:

Mode:sunset/sunrise/auto.Insunsetmode,theexposurewillalwaysincrease.Insunrisemode,theexposurewillalwaysdecrease.
ThisideawassuggestedbyTomLoweonRedUser.netforum[http://bit.ly/loweratchet].
Maximumrampingspeed:thisparameterisusedforcomputingtheoptimalsmoothnessfactor.Alowervaluewillreduceflicker,butifthe
valueistwiceaslowastherealrateofbrightnesschange,MLwilllosetheabilitytorampcorrectly.Forexample,ifyousetamaximum
rampingspeedof0.1EV/shot,andthescenerequiresarampingof0.2EV/shot,MLwillstartflickeringheavily.

Quickstartguideforautoramping:

1.Takeapictureofyourscene.Youwilluseittosay:I want my timelapse to be exposed like this picture.

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2.EnableBulbRampingandIntervalometer.

3.LeavethecamerastillwhileMLrunsacalibrationstep:

Makesureyouhaveastaticandwelllitscene(anystaticscenewhichdoesnotrequirelongexposureshouldbefine).
Aftercalibration,youshouldgetaniceScurveonthescreen.

4.Nowyouwillhavetosaywhattonerangetometerfor(i.e.highlights,midtones).Followthewizard:

Usearrowkeystoselectyourreferencepicture(whichyoujusttook).
Usethemaindialtoselectthetonerangetometerfor.Youcan'tperfectlymatchtwoimagesjustbyvaryingoneparameter(exposure),
soyouhavetochoosewhat'simportantforyouinthispicture.
Forlowestflicker,meterformidtones(choosethe50thpercentile,i.e.median,becauseit'sarobustestimation,unlikesimpleaveraging).
Leavesomeheadroomforhighlights(underexposeabit).
Ifhighlightsareimportant,meterforthem(choose80thpercentileforexample).YouwillhavetoshootRAWandremoveflickerwhenyou
developtheRAWfiles.
Thealgorithmworksbestwhenbrightnessiscloseto50%(trynottochooseextremevaluesforit).
Whenyouarereadytostart,pressSET.

5.Sitbackandrelax:)

Limits:

ISOischosenbetween100andmaximumautoISOvaluefromCanonmenu.
Shutter speed is chosen between 1/8000 (lower limit) and the delay between two shots minus two seconds (upper limit). Example: for
10secondintervals,shutterspeedwillbebetween1/8000and8seconds.
Apertureisfixed(youcanchangeitmanually).

Tips:

Don'tadjustISOandshutterbeforethetimelapse,theyarefullyautomatic.
UseaNDfilter[http://amzn.to/mlndfilter]toreduceflickerduringdaylight.
Reduce flicker in post. We recommend VirtualDub with MSU Deflicker plugin (free, works with Windows and Wine). See also Timelapse
workflowusingfreesoftwaretutorial[http://vimeo.com/groups/magiclantern/videos/19854305].

Technicalnotes:

Exposureismeteredusingaconditionlikethis(forexample):70%ofpixelsshouldbebelow50%brightness.
Exposureforeveryshotiscomputedfrompreviousshots,usingafeedbackcontrolleralgorithmwithasmoothingfactor.
ISO is chosen using the 180 degree rule, so the resulting shutter speed stays between 90 and 270 degrees (that is, between 1/4 and
3/4ofthedelaybetweentwoshots).
OnlyfullstopISOs(100,200,400etc)areused(becauseyouaresupposedtoshootRAW).
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Shutterspeedcanbeadjustedwitharesolutionof10ms.
Frameswithfastshutterspeeds(lessthan1secondinRebelcameras,less0.1secondsin60D)aretakeninManualmode.Youwillget
flicker.
Itcangofrom1/8000s@ISO100(daylight)toseveralminutesofexposuretime@ISO6400(completedarkness).
Exposure algorithm is a feedback controller designed with pole placement the closed loop response will have two real poles placed at
thesmoothingfactorvalue.Smoothingfactoriscomputedinsuchawaythat,whenscenerampingspeedmatchesthespeedselectedin
menu,rampisfollowedatexactly1EVbehindit.
Ifthelightingchangessuddenlyafewstopsbetweentwoshots(forexample,youchangetheNDfiltersortheaperture),thealgorithm
should recover completely after 2 or 3 shots. A sudden exposure change is considered when the exposure difference is greater than 2
stops.

Logging:

Whenyouusebulbramping,MagicLanternwillsavealogfilewiththeexposureparameters,meteredvaluesandsoon.Pleasesendthis
filetodevelopers.
Theselogfilescanbeusedtoseehowwelltherampingwentandtofinetunethealgorithm.

BulbTimer
Very long exposures with Bulb mode and ML timer. This feature is useful for
nightshotsandastrophotography.

Bulb timer is started by holding the shutter button pressed halfway for one
second(fullshutterpresswillnotwork).

Tips:

You may cancel the exposure earlier by halfpressing the shutter

button.
BulbtimeralsointegrateswithotherMLfeatures,suchasintervalometerorexposurebracketing.

LCDsensorRemote
Start/stopremoteshutterreleasemodewiththeLCDsensor.

Near:Totakeapicture,putyourhandneartheLCDsensor.
Away:Pictureistakenwhenyougetyourhandawayfromthesensor.YoumaycombinethissettingwithMirrorLockup.
Wave: Picture is taken after you wave your hand 3 times near the sensor. You can leave it on without interfering (too much) with
normalshooting.

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Thisfeatureisusefulforavoidingcamerashake.

InMoviemode,theWavesettingisabletostartandstoprecordingmovies.Theothermodescanonlystartrecording(becauseit'stooeasy
tostoprecordingbymistake).

Whilerecording,theNearandAwaymodescantriggertherackfocusoperation.

AudioRemoteShot
Start/stop remote audio trigger. To take a picture (or start recording a movie), make some loud noise, for example, clap your hands or pop a
balloon.

Tip: with the audio trigger you can sync a video recorded without sound with an external audio track (see this topic)
[http://groups.google.com/group/mldevel/browse_thread/thread/14522b5d65a43cbf/e472d79ab8c4e57b?show_docid=e472d79ab8c4e57b]

Becareful:thismaytriggertheshutterfromthesoundsmadebycamera(likefocusbeepornoisefromoperatingthebuttons).

MotionDetect
MotiondetectioninLiveView.

Triggermodes:

Exposure change: it only reacts to brightness changes. Detects

largemovingsubjectswhichcausesignificantchangeinexposure.
Frame difference:itcomputesthedifferencebetweenlasttwo
frames A and B (luma channel only) this detects smaller movements
whichdonotchangeexposure.

Detection time is somewhere between 200 and 300 ms according to DataGhost's speed test [http://dataghost.com/chdk/md_meter.html] it's
fasterwithsilentpictures.

SilentPictures
Thisfeatureisreservedtoveryadvancedusers.ItcantakepicturesinLiveViewmodewithoutmoving
the mirror. When enabled, it saves uncompressed YUV422 frames from the LiveView image buffer when
youpresstheshutterhalfway.

Makesureyoudon'thaveautofocusassignedtohalfshutterpress(putiton*orturnitoff)

Modes:

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Silent Picture:simple,lowresolution.Imageresolutionisusuallyaround1or2MPix,anddependsonthecurrentmode(zoomor
not,recordingornot,andmovieresolution).ForalmostFullHDresolution(1720974),chooseFullHDtorecordadummymovie.
Silent Pic Hi-Res: emulates highresolution by taking a matrix of small silent pics, in zoom x5 mode. You need to have the
camera on a tripod and the subject should be static (a picture is taken in a few seconds). Could be useful for focusstacking or for
timelapsewithoutincreasingshuttercount.

Silent picture setting is applied to intervalometer and remote triggers. It will also go to LiveView when you press the shutter halfway.
Therefore,youshouldonlyenablethissettingwhenyouactuallyuseit.

ImagesaresavedinDCIM/1xxCANON/afterthefollowingrules:

If intervalometer is OFF, silent pics are named after last picture/movie taken without this function (e.g. 12340001.422). You are
limitedto10000silentpicturesforeachnoisypicture.
Ifintervalometeris ON,silentpicshavenameslike 12345678.422.Tip:use File Numbering Manual ResetfromCanon
menutoincreasefoldernumber(tosortthemeasier).

Toconverta422imagetoJPEGonthePC,useoneofthefollowingprograms:

422jpg.py[https://bitbucket.org/hudson/magiclantern/src/tip/src/422jpg.py](commandlinetool,runsonallplatforms,youneedtoinstall
Python,PILandnumpy).
422toimage [http://groups.google.com/group/mldevel/browse_thread/thread/ae65535fc3e860fc] (Windows only, source code available
[https://bitbucket.org/mindogas/422toimage/]).
YUV422Convertor[http://www.diazonline.be/yuv422/](Windowsonly,closedsource).

MirrorLockup
Mirrorlockup.SeeCanonuserguidefordetails.

Timer+RemotewillautoenableMLUunderoneofthefollowingconditions(anddisableitotherwise):

selftimermodeison(either2secondor10second,butnotcontinuous)
LCDsensorRemoteisinAwaymode.

Flashtweaks
Afewtweaksforflashusers:

Flash expo compensation (10..+3 EV). Tip: you may use 10EV to trigger an external flash without putting light on the scene coming
fromtheonboardflash.

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Flash/Noflash:usethiswhenyouarenotsurewhethertouseflashornot.Oddpictures(byfilenumber)willbetakenwithflash,even
pictureswithoutflash.
3rd party flash in LV: a trick for using a nonCanon flash in LiveView on Rebel cameras, which disables LiveView on halfshutter press.
DISABLEthisoptionwhenyoudon'tuseit!!!

Focus

TrapFocus
ForMFusers:takesapicturewhenthesubjectcomesintofocus.

Modes:

HoldAFbutton:youneedtoholdtheautofocusbutton(halfshutter, *or AF-ON,dependingonyour

settings).
Continuous:youdon'tneedtoholdanybuttonMLwill holdthehalfshutterpressedforyou.Thiswill
alsoblockmostbuttonspresstheshutterhalfwaytounlockthemfortwoseconds.

Notes:

OutsideLiveView,itonlyworkswithlenseswithchip.
InLiveViewitonlyworksforphotos,anditwilltakeapicturewhenthefocusindicatorhas(almost)maximumvalueonthefocusgraph.

NotesforLiveViewtrapfocus:

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You may have to turn the lens back and forth a few times in order to let ML compute the correct focus scaling factor for the current
scene.
Ifyoumovefromahighcontrastscenetoalowcontrastone,youwillalsohavetowaitabituntilthehighcontrastdatadisappears
fromthefocusgraph.
PressSETtotemporarilydisableautomaticscalingoffocusmagnitude.

FocusPatterns
Customfocuspatternswhichcanbeusedeitherwithautofocusortrapfocus.

Tochangethefocuspattern:

Setyourcamerainphotomode,nonLiveView
Lookthroughtheviewfinderandmakesurethemaindisplayisoff
ChangethefocuspatternwiththearrowkeysandSETyoumayormaynotreceivevisualfeedback.
PresstheZoom Inbuttontwicetoseethecurrentselection.
YoucanusethecustomfocuspatternsinLiveViewQuickFocusmode,too,butthepatternwon'tbedisplayedonthescreen.

Thisfeaturewasportedfrom400plus[http://code.google.com/p/400plus/].

FollowFocus
Verysimplefollowfocus(likearackfocuscontrolledmanually).

Arrows:youwillbeabletofocuswiththearrowkeys.

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LCD Sensor:on550D/500D,focusbyplacingyourhandneartheLCDsensor(avoidingshake).Tousethis,youmayneedtodisable
LCDsensorRemote.

Recommendedfocusstepsettings:

FocusStepSize:1or2
FocusStepDelay:smallvalues,withoutStep Wait
Ifthemotionisnotsmooth,trylargerdelays(100ms)

Quickrackfocuswhilerecording:

PressMENUtosavecurrentfocuspoint(thismeansI want to return here)

Usefollowfocustochangefocuspoint(focussomewhereelse)
PressPLAYtogotosavedfocuspoint
PressPLAYagaintogoback.

FocusSettings

StepSize

Stepsizeforonefocuscommand,asusedbyEOSUtility.

StepDelay

Delaybetweentwosuccessivefocuscommands,withanoptionalwaitingflag(StepWait).

StepWait

If Step Waitisnotactive,MLwillonlywaitaforfixeddelaybeforesendingnextfocuscommand.Thiswillreducestutter,butmay
affectrackfocusaccuracy.Thissettingisrecommendedifyouonlyusefollowfocus.
IfStep Waitisactive,MLwillwaituntileachfocuscommandiscompleted,andthenitwillwaitforafixeddelay,asconfiguredhere.
Thiswillincreaserackfocusaccuracy,butmaycausestutterwithcertainlenses.

StartDelay

Setsthenumberofsecondsbeforestartingarackfocus.Thisletsyoufilmthestartpointfirst,theninitialisetherackfocuswithouttouching
thecamera.

FocusEndPoint
Thisisendpointofrackfocus(Xfocusstepsfromthestartpoint,i.e.fromcurrentfocuspoint).
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Firstyouhavetosettheendpoint.Focusthelens,thenpressSETonthismenuitem.

AfterpressingSET,MLwilldisplay Focus End Point: 0 steps from here.. This means the end point is now assigned to current
focusposition.

At this point, you will see the LiveView image and set the start point using left and right keys (just like with followfocus) or the main dial
(scrollwheel).Thestartpointwillbealwaysthecurrentfocuspoint(whichyouarechanging)theendpointwillremainfixed.

RackFocus
Triggerstherackfocusoperationthatmovesbetweenthestartandendfocuspoints.Afterthemoveiscompletepressingagainreversesthe
move.

SET:rackfocuswillstartafter2seconds
Q:rackfocuswillstartimmediately
PLAY:MLwillautomaticallyrecordashortclipwiththerackfocusoperation.
Stepbystep:

1.Picktheendpointofrackfocusbyfocusingonit(manuallyorwithAF).
2.Configurefocusparameters(stepsizeanddelay).Differentlensesmayrequiredifferentparameters.
3.OpentheFocusmenu,gotoFocus End PointandpressSettozeroitout.
4.Pick the start point by focusing on it with the LEFT/RIGHT buttons while the Focus menu is active. Make sure the number from
Focus End Pointischangingasyoufocus.Finetunethepositionwithscrollwheel.
5.GotoRack FocusandpressSETorPLAYtostartrackfocus.
6.Toreturntothestartingpoint,runrackfocusagain.

Tips:

1.whilerecording,youcanstartrackfocusfromoutsidethemenu,bypressingPLAY.
2.whenLCDsensorRemoteissetonNearorAway,youcantriggerrackfocusfromtheLCDsensor,avoidingcamerashake.

Recommendedfocusstepsettings:

FocusStepSize:1or2
FocusStepDelay:
withoutStepWait:largedelays(around100ms)willignoresmallpositionerrors
withStep Wait:smalldelays(useitonlyifyourlensisinverygoodmechanicalcondition)

Stackfocus

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This selection will shoot a series of photographs with varying focus points. It is used in macro
photographytoassemblesharperfinalimagesbymergingphotoswhereeachhasadifferentfocuspoint.

Thisfunctioncanalsocreatescriptsnamedlikenamed FST_1234.SH,whichcanbeusedforstacking
theimageswithenfuse.SeeExposurebracketingfordetailsonhowtousethesescripts,andthefocus
stackingsection[http://panorama.dyndns.org/EandEdocumentation/enfuse.html#FocusStacks]fromEnfuse
referencemanual.Toenable(ordisable)thepostprocessingscripts,gotoHDRbracketingsubmenu.

Usage:

1.focusonyoursubject
2.opentheFocusStackingmenu
3.choosethenumberofpicturesinfrontand/orbehindyourcurrentfocuspoint(usecommonsense)
4.optional: check your settings with either Silent Pictures or Snap Simulation (Shoot menu). This lets you run the focus stack without
wastingshutteractuations,andfinetunethesettingsasneeded,beforerunningthefinalsequence.
5.disableSilentPictures/SnapSimulationandrunthefinalfocusstacksequence,withfullresolutionpictures.

Alternativeway:

1.Configurerackfocusanduseittopreviewthefocusrange.
2.FromtheFocusStackingmenu,selectCopyrackfocusrange
3.Selectthenumberoffocusstepstoskip.Thiswilldeterminethenumberofpicturestobetaken.
4.Startthefocussequence(Runfocusstack).

YoucanalsocombinethisfunctionwithHDRbracketingandsilentpictures.

Recommendedfocusstepsettings:sameasforrackfocus.

DOFinfo
Thefollowingitemsaredisplayonly:

FocusDist

Thedistancetothefocalpoint.ValueisreturnedbymostnewerCanonlenses.Ifthelensdoesnotreportanydistanceinformation,0willbe
displayedandtheDOFcalculationswillnotbecorrect.

SeealsoFocusdistance.

Hyperfocal

The hyperfocal distance is the point of focus where everything from half that distance to infinity falls within the depth of field. This is the
largestdepthoffieldpossibleforthecurrentfnumber.

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DOFNear

Thenearestdistanceinwhichobjectsappearinfocus.

DOFFar

Thefarthestdistanceinwhichobjectsappearinfocus.

Display

Optionsfordisplay(mostofthemareforLiveView).

LVcontrast
AdjuststhecontrastinLiveView.Itdoesn'taffectrecording.Thishelpswhenfocusingwithveryflatpicturestyles.

Values:Normal(noeffect),High,Veryhigh,Zero,Verylow,Low.

LVsaturation
AdjuststhesaturationinLiveView.Itdoesn'taffectrecording.Thishelpsyoufocuswithoutbeingdistractedbycolor.

Values:Normal(noeffect),High,Veryhigh,Zero(grayscale).

LVdisplaygain
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Photo mode only: this feature increases the brightness in LiveView, making it usable in very dark scenes
(where Canon's LiveView would be pitch black). Combine this with FPS override for better lowlight
performance.

Formoviemode,useMLdigitalISOsforasimilareffect.

ColorScheme
This affects the colors and brightness of the onscreen information (including LiveView overlays, Canon menus and ML menus). Range from:
Bright(default),Dark,BrightGray,DarkGray,DarkRed.Tip:darkthemesmayreducetheeyestrainduringnightshooting.

ClearOverlays
ClearbitmapoverlaysfromLiveViewdisplay.

HalfShutter:Holdtheshutterhalfpressed,orthe *button,orDOFpreviewforaround1secondtoclearalltheoverlaysfromthe
LiveViewdisplay(audio,zebra,crops,shutterspeeds).Tip:assignautofocusto *button(fromCustomFunctions,set Shutter/AE
lock button=AE lock/AF).
WhenIdle:Inthismode,alltheoverlaysareerasedfromthescreen(100%cleandisplay)whenthecameraisidle(i.e.youdon'tpress
anybuttons).
Always:Inthismode,alltheoverlaysareerasedfromthescreenyouwillhavetochangeshootingsettingsblindly.Youcanstilluse
themenus.Tip:thisfeaturemaybeusefulwithExternalRecorders,sinceitremovesthefocusboxandothergraphicsfromthedisplay.

Focusbox(LV)
WiththissettingyoucanchoosetoshowtheFocusboxinlivevieworhideitwhennotneeded.

ForceHDMIVGA
ThisoptionwillforcealowresolutionmodeonHDMIdisplays(720480),whichavoidsblackscreenwhenyoustart/stoprecording.

Screenlayoutsettings...
Screenorientation,positioningfinetuning,adjustmentsforexternalmonitors

ScreenLayout

Choosescreenlayout(positionofMLtopandbottombars),fordifferentcamerasorforexternalmonitors.

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Top/bottomlayouts:

Inside3:2:defaultlayoutfor3:2screencameras(550Dandnewer).
Inside16:10:for16:10HDMImonitors.
Inside16:9:for16:9HDMImonitors.
4:3movie(for5DMarkII,500Dand50Dinmoviemode).

Bottomonlylayouts:

Under3:2:usefulfor4:3screencameras(500D,50D,5DMark2)inphotomode.
Under16:9:suitableforlowresolutionexternalmonitorsandfor4:3screencamerasinmoviemode.

Imageposition
Thismaymaketheimagebettervisiblefromdifferentangles(especiallyoncameraswithoutflipoutscreen).

UpsideDownmode
Thismodeisusefulifyouwanttomountyourcameraupsidedown.

AutoMirroring
ForcameraswithflipoutLCD,thisoptionspreventsmirroringthedisplaywhenyouopenitat180degrees.

Display:Normal/Reverse/Mirror

ForcameraswithflipoutLCD,youmayselectadifferentflipping/mirroringoption.

LevelIndicator(60D)
Showsifthepicturelevelswiththehorizon.Canbeusedwhilerecording.

KillCanonGUI
For50Donly:disableCanongraphicselementstoavoidconflictswithMLgraphicsinLiveView.

Idle/Menus:onlyenableCanongraphicswhensometransparentmenufromLiveViewisactive.
Idle/Menus+Keys:onlyenableCanongraphicswhenyoupresssomekeysornavigatethetransparentmenusfromLiveView.

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Prefs

Imagereviewsettings...
Customizetheimagereview(playback)mode:

SET+MainDial

WhenyouholdSETpressedandturnthemaindial(scrollwheel),MLmayperformoneofthesefunctions:

Play 422:displaysilentpicturesfromDCIM/100CANON(lowresonly).

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Exposure Fusion:combinetwoormoreimages,usefulforpreviewingHDRimagesormultipleexposures.
Compare Images:comparetwoimageswithadiagonalsplitview.Thecurrentimagewillalwaysendupinthetophalf.
Timelapse Play:scrollthroughallyourpicturesquickly.

Imagereview

QuickReview default:justlikeinstandardfirmware.
CanonMnu:HoldPLAY:ifyouset Image Review: Hold in Canon menu, it will go to PLAY mode instead. This allows you to
zoominassoonasyoutakethepicture(withouthavingtopressPLAY).CreditsgotoKenRockwellforsuggestingthis.

QuickZoom

FasterzoominPLAYmode,forcheckingcriticalfocus:

OFF
ONzoomsfasterthanCanonfirmware.
SinglePress 100%: a single press of Zoom In will zoom all the way in (to 100%) on center point. Next press will zoom out (full
screenimage).
FullzoomonAFpoint:similar,butitwillzoomoncurrentlyselectedautofocuspoint.
Fullzoomonlastposition:similar,butitwillrememberthelastpositionofthezoombox.

LVbutton

CustomizetheLiveViewbuttoninPLAYmode:

Default(enterLiveView)
Protectimage

QuickErase
Shortcutforerasingimageswithoutconfirmation(holdSETandpressERASE).Becareful!

Arrow/SETshortcuts...
Selectthefeaturesyouwanttoadjustquicklywitharrowkeys:*Audiogain*ISO/Kelvin*Shutter/Aperture*LCDBrightness/Saturation

YoucanalsoenablequickfunctionsfortheSETbutton,coupledwiththecorrespondingarrowadjustments:

Audioinput(internalmic,externalmic,balanced)

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Pushbuttonwhitebalance
180degreeshutterspeed
ResetLCDbrightnessto5andsaturationtoNormal.

Misckeysettings...

LCDSensorShortcuts
UsetheLCDfacesensorasanextrakeyinML(e.g.fortriggeringarrowkeys,forblockingfollowfocusorforbypassingmagiczoomkey).

TofullydisabletheLCDsensorinMagicLantern,disable LCD auto offfromCanonmenu(Wrench1).Youneedtodothisifyouareusinga

devicewhichcoverstheLCDsensor(e.g.aloupe).

StickyDOFPreview
ThiswillmaketheDOFpreviewbuttonsticky(soyounolongerhavetoholditpressed).

Note:enablingDOFpreviewwillblockcertainbuttons.

Tip:enableExposureOverridetopreviewDOFwithoutblockingthebuttons.

StickyHalfShutter
Thiswillmakethehalfshutterpresssticky(soyounolongerhavetoholditpressed).

Tip:usethistopreventthecamerafromturningoffLiveViewafter30minutes.

SwapMENU<>ERASE(60D)

SwapsMENUand ERASEbuttons.ThisfeatureallowsonehandednavigationinMLmenuon60D,butwillhavetouse MENUbuttontodelete

thepictures.

DigitalZoomShortcut(600D)

On600D/T3i,thisletsyoucustomizethebehaviorofDISP+Zoom In / Zoom Outshortcutkeyinmoviemode:

1x,3x:togglebetween1xand3xdigitalzoommodes(FullHD)
3x10x:defaultCanonsetting(changedigitalzoomvaluebetween3xand10x).
Note:bydefault,MagicLanterndisablesdigitalzoomvaluesgreaterthan3xinordertoavoidimagequalitydegradation.

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AutoBurstPicQuality
Whenenabled,itwilltemporarilyreducepicturequalityinburstmodeinordertomaintainadecentframerateevenwhenthebufferbecomes
almostfull.

Thisfunctionwillreducepicturequalityifthebufferhasspaceforlessthan4pictures:

RAW+JPGJPG Large FineJPG Medium Fine

RAWJPG Large FineJPG Medium Fine
JPG Large CoarseJPG Medium Coarse
Possibleresults(550D,TranscendClass10,yourmileagemayvary):

RAW+JPG,JPG-L,allothersJPG-M
RAW,RAW,allothersJPG-M

PowersaveinLiveView...
OptionsformaximizingbatterylifewhenusingLiveView.

Enablepowersaving:onStandby,duringRecording,oralways.
UseLCDsensor:youcanuseittowakeupfrompowersave(waveyourhandnearit),ortoforcepowersavemode(coverthesensorfor
afewseconds).
Dimdisplay:InLiveView,ifthecameraisidle,MagicLanternwillreducetheLCDbacklightleveltominimuminordertosavepower.
TurnoffLCDandLV:thiswillturnoffthedisplayandthesensoractivityinLiveView.Mirrorwillnotbemoved.Ifthecameraisrecording
ormotiondetectionisenabled,onlythedisplaywillbeturnedoff(sorecordingwillnotstop).
TurnoffGlobalDraw:ifthecameraisidle,MLoverlaygraphicswillbedisabledtoreduceCPUusage.

Configfile...

Magic Lantern saves its settings in a configuration file named MAGIC.CFG, located under ML/SETTINGS directory on your card. This
submenuletsyoucustomizehowthesesettingsaresaved.

ConfigAutosave:Ifenabled,settingsaresavedautomaticallytomagic.cfgwheneveryouchangeasettinginMLmenu.Configsaving
processwilltakeplaceassoonasyouclosethemenu.
Saveconfignow:SaveMLsettingstoML/SETTINGS/MAGIC.CFG.
Deleteconfigfile:usethistorestoreMLdefaultsettings.Afterdeletingtheconfigfile,restartthecamera.

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LVDisplayPresets
Thisfeatureletsyouuseupto4displaypresetsforthesettingsintheOverlaymenu.

On the top bar, you will see DISP 0, 1, 2 or 3. Each of those is a preset for the settings in Overlay menu. So you can, for example,
configureDISP 1withfalsecolors,DISP 2withzebrasandfocuspeaking,andDISP 3withcleardisplay.

ThismenuitemsetsthemaximumnumberofavailableDISPpresets.Todisablethisfeature,setthenumberofpresetsto1.

Tochangethecurrentdisplaypreset,pressINFO/DISPinLiveView,or[Q]ontheGlobalDrawentryintheOverlaymenu.

CropFactorDisplay
Ifenabled,MLbottombarwilldisplaythe35mmequivalentfocallength,includingcropfactor(1.6x).

Forexample,a50mmlensatf1.8willbedisplayedas:

50mm f/1.8withthisoptiondisabled
80eq f/1.8withthisoptionenabled.

Displayhiddenmenus
To reduce menu clutter, Magic Lantern allows you to hide unused menu items. Enable this to display the hidden items, so you can reenable
them.

Debug

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Functionsfortroubleshooting,development,andpossiblyunstablefeatures.

Screenshot(10s)
Printscreenafter10seconds.ThisoptionsavesaBMPfilefortheoverlaysanda422file(silentpicture)fortheLiveViewimage.TheBMPdoes
notcontaintransparencydata.YoucancombinethetwofilesinGIMPorotherimageeditingprograms.

ThecardLEDwillblinkeverysecond,untilthescreenshotistaken.

Menuscreenshots
Createscreenshotsofallmainmenusatonce.

Don'tclickme!
Don'tclickit:)

Stabilitytests
ThisoptionrunsvariousteststomakesureMagicLanternisstableandwillnotcrash.Youcanuseittotestyourparticularconfiguration.

Ifitcrashes,reportanissue[http://bitbucket.org/hudson/magiclantern/issues].

Showtasks...

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DisplaysthetasksstartedbyCanonandMagicLantern.

SaveCPUusagelog
SavesalogwiththeCPUusageforalltasks.

FreeMemory
DisplaystheamountofavailableRAM.

ShutterCount
Displaysthenumberofshutteractuations.

CMOStemperature
DisplaystheinternalCMOStemperature,inrawunits.

Batteryremaining
60Dand5DMarkIIonly:displaysbatterypercentage,estimatedtimeremainingandbatterydischargingrate.

Foraccuratereadings,waituntilthepercentageindicatordecreasesbyatleast2%sincepoweringon.

us erguide.txtLas tmodified:2 0 1 6 /0 5 /0 4 2 0 :2 7 bya1 ex

Exceptwhereotherwisenoted,contentonthiswikiislicensedunderthefollowinglicense:CCAttributionShareAlike3.0Unported
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