Author Topic: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again  (Read 11835 times)

xairbusdriver

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We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« on: July 09, 2015, 07:22:51 PM »
It's only taken me three tries to get a reliable, correct formatting, PoE camera. It works great! Plenty of controls, video qualities for most any bandwidth/browser/OS type. The thing even has sound! ;)

Now, comes the part about getting the images to my web site. Thanks to an answer by Stu earlier, I now know to forget the video recording; only use jpeg 'snapshots'. I even found the settings in the camera to save those on a regular schedule.

I even managed to get WC to 'see' the images on the camera's SD card, the only place it want to store things, BTW. All I had to do was enter the URL and the path to that SD card directory. The "Show Video Preview" worked. Unfortunately, for me, anyway, the term "Video" confuses me. These are not videos but single jpegs shown in a 'slide show like' method. Or am I just looking at what WC is actually doing; converting the single images into a video?! [blush]

Other questions will follow.
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elagache

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Videos are time-lapse stitching of images. (Re: We cam)
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2015, 11:12:30 PM »
Dear X-Air and WeatherCat web spinners, . . .

Unfortunately, for me, anyway, the term "Video" confuses me. These are not videos but single jpegs shown in a 'slide show like' method. Or am I just looking at what WC is actually doing; converting the single images into a video?! [blush]

WeatherCat is making the single images into a time-lapse video.  It is "kind of" a slide show if you want to think of it that way, but a movie is nothing more than series of still images.  Real time movies are typically taken as rates like 24-36 frame per second.  WeatherCat is stitching images taken say every 30 seconds (1/2 a minute.)  So you are getting a true time-lapse video effect.  It is just the thing to see the movement of normally slow-moving clouds.

Hope that helps, . . . Edouard

xairbusdriver

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Re: WeB cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2015, 11:38:31 PM »
Thanks for confirming my 'theory'.

As you can see by the title of this tread, I need to be led by the hand! I can't even spel "web cam"! :(

I'm off to visit Sam's to pick up some more cheap stuff, my fingers are sore from pinching pennies elsewhere! :P Just had some carpets steam cleaned and I can't sleep on the floor for 8 to 12 hours!!! I hocked the beds to pay for the camera!!!! :o
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Blicj11

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2015, 04:45:30 AM »
Beds are overrated. A good webcam is priceless. You did the right thing.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2015, 04:57:13 PM »
Second confusing fact:
It appears that WC actually converts/stitches together the jpags saved by Evomcam into... wait for it... Movies (.mov formatted video)! As the explanatory text in the "Webcam" prefs says (last line):
Quote
Pictures and movies are stored at Home/Library/Application Support/WeatherCatMedia
There are actually two directories there, that I assume WC created: Movies and Pictures.

The "Pictures" directory has nothing except Network Cameras.evocamdata (created 7/8/15, 5:28pm), Untitled.evocamsettings (created 7/8/15, 5:32pm), and webcamForPicture.jpg (created 'Today'-7/10/15, 10:33am). I do not have "Images" set to be saved, which likely explains the scarcity of images.  [rolleyes2]

The "Movies" directory has two sub-directories: Today and WeatherCatDailyMovie_2015_07_09. Both folders have what I assume are 1 hours worth of the jpgs created by Evocam scheduled 5 minute captures. I'll attempt to look at those in iMovie and see if they are, indeed, 12 individual 'frames'. Perhaps I can make that schedule a bit faster at the cost of making the 'movies' longer/larger. OTOH, there's not really a lot of action in the back yard! [lol]

Each of these movies appears to be appended with the hour_minute of creation. I have WC set to "Create Daily Movies" and "Keep For 7 Days". That could probably be changed and save drive space.
Bottom line: I believe these settings to be somewhat standard/normal. Informational tidbit: WC cannot grab/use .mov files created by a camera, but it can/does create them from .jpg images. Most people could probably not care less about this detail, of course. [banghead]
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And the United States = The Banana system


xairbusdriver

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2015, 05:24:28 PM »
Next order of business: Using the WC webcam image(s) WeatherUnderground.

First, my confusion with WU:
WC Prefs->On-Line-Wunderground
Here is a screen shot of my settings:
You can see that I need to enter a "Camera I.D." from WU. That's the simple part, even I can understand. However, when I go to WU, sign in, click the "Add Webcam" button, I have a choice of FTP or URL methods. Obviously WU can't create a different page for every user, of every weather app on every OS. Deductively, I reason that WC will actually take care of the FTP option despite the text reading "will require [me] to send [them] the images. That's what I've done, anyway.

Now, my question: Where is this image coming from? I assume it is the most recent jpeg? It should be whatever there is in the ~/Library/Application Support/WeatherCatMedia/Pictures directory?
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Felix

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2015, 08:53:10 PM »
I'm on a phone now and will have to look on my weather computer when I'm home to see how I set that up (or maybe Blick will answer sooner).

elagache

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WeatherCat uses FTP for Wunderground (Re: We cam)
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2015, 12:11:53 AM »
Dear X-Air and WeatherCat webcam caregivers, . . .

However, when I go to WU, sign in, click the "Add Webcam" button, I have a choice of FTP or URL methods.

WeatherCat uses FTP.  I know this because my WC Status Growler AppleScript will occasionally report errors in uploading the webcam image as FTP upload errors.

So just get your webcamID and decide how often you want to upload images to Weather Underground.  I have it set to 10 minutes.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

xairbusdriver

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2015, 01:36:07 AM »
Quote
...just get your webcamID and decide how often you want to upload images...
Thanks, Edouard, that's what I did. Despite the 'status' or some label saying 'inactive' or 'stupid is as stupid does', an image now shows on my WU page. I had made all the right assumptions, just needed someone to give me a pat on the head, which is still covered with hair despite its age! [cheer]

Next will be an attempt to get the template to accept the image(s)/video. [computer]

Meanwhile, the camera is humming along just fine! [bounce]
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
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And the United States = The Banana system


Blicj11

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2015, 09:55:07 PM »
WU will store your jpegs and will auto stitch them together to create a daily "movie", which is a time-lapse slide show. Edouard (the Magnificent) and some others have been successful in imbedding the WU time-lapse video on their web pages, but I have never been able to do it on my website. I've followed Edouard's instructions and they just don't work for me.
Blick


elagache

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Its supposed'ta work . . . (Re: We cam:)
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2015, 11:14:02 PM »
Dear X-Air, Blick, and WeatherCat movie fans,

Edouard (the Magnificent) and some others have been successful in imbedding the WU time-lapse video on their web pages

Hey, don't overdo it!!  [biggrin]

but I have never been able to do it on my website. I've followed Edouard's instructions and they just don't work for me.

Actually, it is supposed to be service of Weather Underground, so it really is supposed to just work.  If it wasn't working for you it could have be a problem on the Weather Underground end of things.  You might just try again.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

xairbusdriver

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2015, 11:40:41 PM »
Not sure which "website" Blick is talking about. Are you having trouble getting vids in your personal web site or the one that you upload data to at Wunderground? Please keep answers to words with no more than two syllables, thanks. (notice, I don't always follow my own suggestions!)
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Blicj11

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #12 on: July 12, 2015, 12:11:52 AM »
Can't imbed WU time lapse video on my website. Can upload my images to WU so that WU can make time lapse video on WU's site.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2015, 03:03:56 AM »
I think WC can do that time lapse stuff for you. I think it just requires telling WC where to find those mages. Mine are actually stored on a flash memory card in the camera, but since the camera is on the local net, I just put the url in the WC "Webcam" prefs. If your images are stored on your hard drive, you can insert the path to them in the "Local File" part of the same WC Pref. Lastly, if the camera shows up in this WC Pref, you can use the "Camera" radio button. Check my post #4 above for how my Prefs look.

The actual 'time lapse' .mov files will end up in ~/Library/Application Support/WeatherCatMedia/Movies.

That's the sum total of what I know! [blush] I still don't have them uploaded to my web space nor accessed by the template! "Just do like I say, not like I do!" [rolleyes2] I'm sure others can explain things better and in more detail, anyway! ;) Frankly, the hardest part, so far, was reading between the lines at WU! [banghead]
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WCDev

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Re: We cam: Simple steps for the newbie... again
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2015, 01:06:53 PM »
Yes, correct. WeatherCat will pick up the image from your camera and periodically append it to a time-lapse movie. Each movie will be one hour long and can be uploaded to your custom website with the MOVIE$ tag - this upload will happen on the first upload past each hour.

A capturing period of 30 seconds provides a reasonable compromise between file size and quality.