How much does VidSync cost?
VidSync is free and released under the MIT License. A project also requires a Mac and whatever cameras, mounting equipment, storage, and calibration materials its workflow calls for. See the Hardware Overview for the main equipment categories.
Is there a Windows version?
No. VidSync currently runs on macOS and relies on macOS-specific media and interface frameworks. Producing a Windows or cross-platform version would require a major rewrite.
The 2025 post VidSync vs EventMeasure discusses one commercial alternative using a direct comparison study.
Can VidSync be used with one camera?
Yes. A single camera is sufficient for event logging and video annotation or for 2-D measurement in a calibrated plane. Three-dimensional triangulation requires views from two or more calibrated cameras.
What hardware is required to use VidSync?
A 3-D analysis ordinarily uses at least two cameras, rigid mounting, a distortion-correction checkerboard, and a two-plane calibration frame. A 2-D analysis can use one camera and a flat calibration grid. Event logging and annotation do not require calibration hardware. The Hardware Overview, Video Cameras and Mounts, and Camera Settings pages cover system design in more detail.
A brief light signal visible to every camera is a simple synchronization marker. In field work, a small LED flashlight switched on and off in view of the cameras is often sufficient.
Does VidSync only work with underwater video?
No. VidSync can be used in terrestrial, laboratory, and aquatic settings. The cameras and calibration frame must provide adequate coverage and visible landmarks for the working area. The examples are weighted toward fisheries because VidSync was developed for that field, although the Project Showcase includes varied applications, including work with whale sharks.
Is VidSync compatible with more than two cameras?
Yes. Three-dimensional measurement can use two or more synchronized, calibrated camera views. Most projects use two cameras; additional views can extend coverage or provide another view of points that are sometimes obscured. Each camera requires its own distortion correction and calibration.
Which video formats does VidSync support?
VidSync can open video codecs and containers supported by the media frameworks in the user’s version of macOS. A filename extension alone does not establish compatibility. Test representative clips together in VidSync before converting a full collection, and retain the camera originals. See Video Formats and Transcoding for compatibility tests, remuxing, transcoding, variable frame rate, and segmented recordings.
Can a distortion correction or calibration be reused?
Reuse requires the camera geometry and optical state to remain fixed. Moving a camera or mount, changing focus or zoom, changing resolution or cropping, enabling variable digital stabilization, changing a lens or housing port, or allowing a camera to shift inside its housing can invalidate earlier values. Record those conditions and repeat the relevant correction or calibration after a change. See Camera Settings and Calibration.
Does VidSync do automatic object tracking?
No. VidSync’s measurement workflow uses screen positions selected by the observer. Its current computer-vision features detect checkerboard features for distortion correction and can snap a manual click to a nearby prominent feature. The program does not automatically follow animals or other objects through a recording.