Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Komodo Dragon

Komodo dragons video


.--Mbz1 (talk) 14:04, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Reason:The only video on Wikipedia of a wild and active Komodo Dragon - a rare not well known fascinatingg beast.
 * Articles this image appears in:Komodo dragon;Komodo (island)
 * Creator:Mbz1


 * Support any as nominator --Mbz1 (talk) 14:02, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
 *  Weak Oppose . Weak Support. It's quite an awesome beast, but unfortunately the camera is shaky and there is never a good angled encyclopedic shot of the dragon. We see it from the front (so not all aspects of the lizard are seen) and we only a see a full body near the end of the clip. The close zoom in the first half is not necessary, in my opinion. Nautica Shad es  00:19, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
 * That being said, I could understand why you weren't worrying about such trivialities when a live Komodo dragon was rapidly approaching you. It is definitely a difficult shot to capture. For that reason, I'll change my vote to weak support. Nautica Shad es  00:23, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment I guess I need to explain what is going on in that video. The two of us and a ranger were looking at 10 feet long Komodo Dragon at the island of Komodo. The Dragon was peacefully asleep and we got to him closer than we should have. Suddenly the beast woke up, found and eatten something, and started moving toward us. It was mesmerizing because usually wild animals move away from people. You could hear the voice of the ranger "come on, come on" and then us running. We were lucky to find a ranger station close by. Komodo arrived at that station too in no time, but we were safe there.The last you could hear me asking "How we're going to get out of here?" I've decided to keep the sound on that video because IMO it helps to understand what is going on, but of course it could be removed.(The thumb does not work, but the video does)--Mbz1 (talk) 14:02, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment. I would suggest losing the sound (it's not like the animal is making sounds such that the silent video would be less encyclopedic), and I would suggest editing out the shaky part in the middle when you were probably moving the camera.  Spikebrennan (talk) 18:18, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Support the Dhatfield edit. Marvelous source video, marvelous edit.  Spikebrennan (talk) 15:37, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Note: This can't be promoted until bug 14524 is fixed. MER-C 07:32, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Out of curiosity, why can it not be promoted? The thumb doesn't show up, but the video certainly plays. Nautica Shad es  01:59, 14 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I can close the nomination as usual. However if I do all the other stuff, it looks like a deleted/corrupt image in the various FP galleries, which is very... not good (and could lead to meddling hands removing it). MER-C 09:28, 14 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I probably should withdraw the nomination until the error is fixed? If it is the case, may I please ask you, MER-C to close it for now? Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 16:42, 14 June 2008 (UTC)
 * That's not necessary. MER-C 04:16, 15 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Fully agree with MER-C re not promoting until the bug is fixed. Perhaps would be worth suspending the nomination though, as I personally feel the thumb not working is, if nothing else, discouraging to potential voters. --jjron (talk) 11:40, 15 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Whatever community disides is fine with me.--Mbz1 (talk) 15:29, 15 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Nomination suspended. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 15:28, 17 June 2008 (UTC) --Mbz1 (talk) 20:55, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Bug fixed, we're good to go. Thanks Tim! MER-C 10:38, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * It shows up, but I still can't get it to play. The audio moves forward, but the video freezes on the first frame. Clegs (talk) 15:00, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * It might be your broweser. Works fine with me.--Mbz1 (talk) 16:25, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

*Support But, please, can you just remove seconds 44 and 45, where it's all jerk and no vision, it will really make it a much better video. Komodo dragon video! --Blechnic (talk) 01:55, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment I'd like it renominated as soon as the bug is fixed, whatever is going on. I think the sound should be removed, and I think it could be edited a bit, show the dragon eating, show him walking, this last part excellent.  Also, as with the leopard seal, he blends into his background a bit too much, can you reshoot in a studio?  (Just kidding.)  Ten foot long lizard?  The world is scary.  --Blechnic (talk) 16:23, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * CommentThank you all for your comments and vote. I removed the audio and I am afraid it is all edits I could do in a studio without going back to Komodo Island ;-) --Mbz1 (talk) 16:28, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Can we find someone to edit it just a bit, a few parts, a few seconds here and there? Again, whatever the bug is, I don't quite follow, this film is excellent, and could be used in a few other articles, particularly about its  mode of locomotion.  I hope you've learned your lesson about waking the dragon!  --Blechnic (talk) 22:48, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * The bug is there no more.It was fixed.The video is up for voting--Mbz1 (talk) 01:03, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I am afraid I cannot. I do not have the cable anymore to re-rerecord from the original and I have no idea how to edit videos on my computer. I posted a message to the person, who knows how to deal with videos amd maybe he'll be kind enough to help.Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 02:39, 20 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Co-nominate and support Edit 2. List of edits:
 * 1) Separated into two videos
 * 2) Applied motion compensation (reduced wobble) using an algorithm I've developed
 * 3) Smoothed out chroma artifacts in dark areas, also custom made. I intend to free license these tools and make them available to all Wikipeople - any advice on how this could be done would be appreciated
 * 4) Virtualdub (www.virtualdub.org) edits follow - Increased saturation and changed levels, sharpened, rotated Part 1 clockwise
 * 5) Cropped to subject (20x20 px adaptive for motion compensation and 10x10 px for rotation)
 * 6) Reduced resolution by 20% to improve download rate with negligible effect on appearance - also reduces compression & sharpening artifacts
 * 7) Created a gallery of 'things to look to for' in the video now available here
 * 8) Changed the frame rate in Part 1 to increase encyclopedic value.
 * I propose that the order of the parts should be as shown here because Part 2 while chronologically second, has good establishing shots of the whole lizard and a chilling finish while Part 1 has good educational detail on scales, eating, the tongue used for smell and how to hunt Mila :) Dhatfield (talk) 14:33, 20 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't quite understand the reason for making it two, reordering them because of the ability to establish the entire physique is fine. Well, maybe the article on animal locomotion can use Edit 2.  Still, for Komodo Dragon article, one video is the way to go.  Good job removing the couple of problematic sections, it played well on my current low res system.  --Blechnic (talk) 18:50, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Support Oppose editing of rate of motion of animal as unencyclopedic. (I don't think I voted above, if I did, let me know.) Excellent video of the locomotion and foraging of a Komodo dragon in the wild.  Please don't try this at home folks.  --Blechnic (talk) 19:05, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Support any with preference to Dhatfield's edits This would have been even greater with the sound, but it spooky enough. Muhammad (talk) 05:40, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Object to changing frame rate in edit. Perhaps this is acceptable if it is clearly labeled as slow motion, but it is misleading and less encyclopedic even if not misleading to show an animal in slow motion. It's not as though it is moving too fast for the viewer to see what is going on. Calliopejen1 (talk) 23:09, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Info Ask, and you will receive Edit 3. Dhatfield (talk) 13:09, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment I didn't understand this, you changed the frame rate to make the motion of the animal other than what it is in real time? You can't do this!  --Blechnic (talk) 03:18, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Blechnic, what can't happen is you can't edit a video to FP quality. Until you learn a little humility and that right is not, and never will be, a substitute for polite, you have been blocked from editing my opinion regarding FPs. See Edit 3. Dhatfield (talk) 13:09, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Why can't Dhatfield slow down the clip? I see the slow motion in many of National Geographic's documentaries. Mentioning the slowing down of the clip on the description page should be enough. Muhammad (talk) 16:57, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
 * But it's not mentioned on the video, where it needs to be. Dhatfield, don't even understand what you're saying, doesn't matter, science comes first, and is part of the requirements of FP candidates: it has to be accurate.  --Blechnic (talk) 20:39, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
 * For "doesn't matter, science comes first", you have earned a block from my entire consciousness. Anybody who grants themselves free license to offend does not deserve my eyeball time. Dhatfield (talk) 01:16, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Apparently I didn't even earn the first block, so I'll take this one about as seriously, and not bother to remember it, either. It's much more likely someone will take comments of this nature if you don't issue them.  Issuing them ruins them.  Not what this is about, though: accuracy is a FP requirement.  Yup, science first.  Change the requirements if you want, until then that's all.  --Blechnic (talk) 01:20, 23 June 2008 (UTC)