Basic Camera Settings: Image settings

To display the camera live images, you can set camera views, image and exposure settings in this tab and create and edit custom exposure windows directly in the live image.

Resolution

You can select a predefined resolution or determine a user-defined size to determine the image size of the live image. If you select the User-defined size option, the image size that was defined for this option in the camera web interface is used. Dual images (right and left image sensor) automatically require twice the width.

JPEG quality

The JPEG quality influences both the image quality as well as the file size of the JPEG and MxPEG files generated by the camera.
Using a compression of 60% (default) will usually deliver good-quality images that are suitable for most purposes. If the value is lower than 20%, you can see pixelation within the image. For values higher than 70%, differences to the uncompressed original image are hardly visible. The file size, however, may increase to more than 100 kB (for a 640x480 pixel image).

Camera selection

On Dual cameras, select the image sensor to use when displaying the images: right image sensor, left image sensor, both image sensors or automatic day/night switching.
When configuring the image settings for both sensors, first select the sensor you want to configure using the left or right checkbox in the live image preview window and enter the settings you want.

Display mode

There are various display modes available depending on the camera model.

All Cameras Except Hemispheric Models

• Full image: The entire live image from the camera is displayed.
• Lens correction: This option displays a portion of the live camera image (with lens correction). This option is only available for L22 lenses, provided that the camera configuration is adjusted accordingly.
• Picture-in-Picture: This option displays a small image from one camera sensor inset in the large image of the other. This setting is available on MOBOTIX Dual models only.
• Picture in Zoom: This option displays a small version of the entire live camera image in the lower right corner of the large live camera image. This way, the entire image is visible even when the live image is zoomed.
• Event in Picture: This option displays a small version of the latest event image in the lower right corner of the large live camera image.

Hemispheric Models

• Full image: The entire (distorted) full image of the image sensor is displayed.
• Normal: A corrected image is displayed. This image can be panned and tilted. This is the factory default setting for hemispheric cameras.
• Surround: This option shows four image sections (one for each cardinal direction: N, E, S, W) in one joint view. Note that you can use PTZ actions to modify all four views independently from one another.
• Panorama: This option shows the distortion-corrected image of an entire room (corrected 180° panorama view) from the left to the right wall. The aspect ratio (width to height) is 8:3.
• Panorama focus: This display mode combines the panorama view (aspect ratio 8:3) with two smaller images (each with aspect ratio 4:3) in one large image.
• Double panorama: This mode shows a panorama view for the North half of the image and a second panorama view of the South half of the image using an aspect ratio (width to height) of 4:3. This view only makes sense for the ceiling-mounted MOBOTIX Hemispheric model. Both partial views (North and South) can be changed independently of each other using PTZ commands.

Installation

You can set the mounting position of a MOBOTIX Hemispheric camera: wall, ceiling or floor. The mounting positions are set separately for the left and right lenses for cameras with two active image sensors.

Exposure window

It is set to ensure the proper exposure/brightness for the live camera image.

Custom

Creating And Editing Custom Exposure Windows Select the Custom option and then click on the window in the live image preview.

Action	Explanation
Create exposure windows	Draw a window using the mouse pointer.
Move exposure windows	Left-click on the exposure window and move it to the desired position.
Modify exposure windows	Move the mouse pointer over one of the white "handles" until the icon is displayed. Left-click with the mouse and drag the window making it larger or smaller.
Delete exposure windows	Click .
Exclude areas from exposure metering	Pull open a window of the appropriate size at the position that should be excluded from exposure metering. Click in the window and keep the mouse button depressed until two icons appear. Click on to determine the exclusion window. The window turns red.

Visible image area

This setting enables you to use the current visible image section as the exposure window.

Predefined

You can use a number of predefined exposure windows: When you select the corresponding window, it will be displayed in the live image for review. A predefined exposure window is always applied to the full-image area, that is, the entire image of the sensor.
• Full image: Entire area of the image.
• Quarter: An exposure window at the image center that covers a quarter of the viewable image area.
• Center: One exposure window at the image center.
• Spot: One small exposure window at the image center.
• Top: One horizontal exposure window at the top of the image.
• Center: One horizontal exposure window at the image center.
• Bottom: One horizontal exposure window at the bottom of the image.
• Right: One vertical exposure window at the right border of the image.
• Vertical: One vertical exposure window at the image center.
• Left: One vertical exposure window at the left border of the image.
• Right AND left: Two vertical exposure windows at the left and right borders of the image.

Exposure program

These parameters influence the balance between an exposure time that is as short as possible and hardware aperture that is as small as possible. The objective is to reach a fair compromise between clear images of moving objects (short exposure time, high amplification) and as little image noise as possible (long exposure time, low amplification).

• 0: Default program.
• Negative: The programs will reduce exposure times to decrease motion blurring; could increase image noise.
• Positive: The programs will increase exposure times to reduce image noise; exposure in very bright environments is not impacted.

Maximum exposure time

This parameter determines the longest exposure time used by the camera. This setting enables you to either avoid motion blurring as lighting conditions decrease, or even specifically allow it.  Select shorter maximum exposure times if you do not want motion blurring. You can use a longer maximum exposure time (max. of 1/1 = 1 second, for example) if you want the camera to produce images with good exposure (with motion blurring), even in low light situations.

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