Kandao Uses AI to Turn 30fps Footage into 300fps Super Slow Mo

The Chinese 360°/VR camera and software company Kandao has announced a new technology called AI Slow-Motion that uses machine learning to turn ordinary footage into super slow motion shots. For example, it can make a 30fps video look like it was shot at 300fps.

Neural networks are used to predict and fill in the extra frames between actual frames, resulting in smooth, cinematic video from existing videos while optimizing quality.

“Using the new feature, users can slow down the footage to up to 10x slow motion after taking them,” Kandao says. “For example, a 360-degree video originally captured at 8k 30fps can be transferred into a 240fps slow-motion in 8K, a 4k 60fps video can be exported at 4K 480fps, by selecting a factor of eight during the 360 stitching workflow in Kandao/QooCam Studio software.”

Here’s ordinary 10%-speed playback of footage shot on the Kandao Obsidian S compared to AI slow-motion that mimics the look of a 1200fps camera:

“Slow-motion offers possibilities to capture special moments in an epic way, but not all camera can do it,” says Kandao CEO Dan Chen. “The high-fps camera is very expensive, as it requires large memories and is data-intensive, which is even more challenging for 360-degree cameras
with multiple lenses.”

AI Slow-Motion will first appear in Kandao’s Obsidian and QooCam 360/VR cameras, but Kandao is planning to open up the tech to other cameras down the road. For now, if you own a Kandao camera, you can find the new feature in the latest Qoocam Studio and in the upcoming Kandao Studio v3.0 (coming April 23rd).

(via Kandao via DPReview)