Video recording advIce

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V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Tuesday 26th June 2012
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Evening all

I am about to embark on a trip into Europe with the petrolhead nirvana guys and i have bought a GoPro HD Hero 2 camera to record some of the highlights so i am posting here for advice.

Now i am mounting the GoPro with the supplied suction mount and this mount is stable and secure (apparently up to 200mph) but i am a little paranoid about getting the camera set so its pointing level at the horizon. On some test footage i have taken the cam looks level on the car but on video playback its clear the horizon is ...... well.....wonky frown

Now short of getting a spirit level out each time i mount the camera can you please give me some advice on how to try and get the camera level or any editing software available that could correct a wonky horizon.

Thanks in advance for your replies





Fordo

1,535 posts

223 months

Tuesday 26th June 2012
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Whats wrong with a spirit level? You could get a tiny keyring sized one and keep it on your keys, or glue one of these to the top of the gopro;



sometimes the simplest solutions are the best!

You can rotate the picture in post to correct the wonky horizon, but then you'll have to enlarge the image slightly to fill the frame, and you'll loose a bit of resolution


V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Thanks Fordo, what editing software would you recommend to edit the wonky footage? I have a MacBook Pro.

Dave 500

6,302 posts

241 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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Fordo said:
Whats wrong with a spirit level? You could get a tiny keyring sized one and keep it on your keys, or glue one of these to the top of the gopro;



sometimes the simplest solutions are the best!
Thats the best way to do it smile

We use some big boys stuff and every tripod I've use in the last few (15) years has had a spirit level built in.

PS Fordo I've added you to our freelance list after reading your profile :thumb up:




Edited by Dave 500 on Wednesday 27th June 11:03

Synchromesh

2,428 posts

165 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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V8KSN said:
Thanks Fordo, what editing software would you recommend to edit the wonky footage? I have a MacBook Pro.
The pre-installed iMovie does all the basics. Get started with that for a few edits while you get your head round editing, then decide if you want to spend money of something else.

V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Synchromesh said:
V8KSN said:
Thanks Fordo, what editing software would you recommend to edit the wonky footage? I have a MacBook Pro.
The pre-installed iMovie does all the basics. Get started with that for a few edits while you get your head round editing, then decide if you want to spend money of something else.
Does iMovie allow you to correct slanted video footage? For example, if the horizon is slanted from left to right will iMovie allow you to 'level' it out?

Sorry for all the questions, this is all very new to me and I just want to make sure the memories I record will be editable..... otherwise I may end up with a cricked neck while watching them back on the TV biggrin

Simpo Two

85,149 posts

264 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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If the camera looks level but the image is X degrees tilted, simply tilt the camera by the same amount the opposite way. Can you monitor what it 'sees' at set-up?

V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
If the camera looks level but the image is X degrees tilted, simply tilt the camera by the same amount the opposite way. Can you monitor what it 'sees' at set-up?
Thats the thing, you can't tell if the camera is level until you view the recorded video after transfer to a laptop. For example, if you recorded some video of a sunset and the sun setting is in the middle of the screen and the horizon level on the left is lower than the horizon level on the right could you 'level' the video using some software?

If you look at the image below, would you be able to 'level' the video using software?


Simpo Two

85,149 posts

264 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Is the error consistent? If so I'd tilt the camera 10 degrees to port, but I'm just old school smile

V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
I'd tilt the camera 10 degrees to port, but I'm just old school smile
I don't think i'm explaining myself properly frown

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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Depending on how soon you're going, and how much you want to spend, the new wifi backpack remote will be able to send video to a phone or tablet once they release the app to do it. It is an extra £100 on the price of the camera, but allows you get a look at what it's recording to aake sure it's all lined up properly.

Don't worry about the suction mount, I stick mine to the faring on the bike and it's rock solid, I can even lift my loaded topbox with the sucker.

I would however reccomend playing with the different recording modes before you go to work out what works best for you, I shot this on my HD1 and now stick with mode 2 or 3 as I find 720p gives me a steadier image than 1080p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8eejQYWZHU

The other thing I've learned from doing some filming on a couple of trips is try and think about the video you want to put together at the end, and film the right stuff to be able to do it. A long video of you just driving down a road is pretty boring, editing it down to a short video that captures thie hilights of the trip results in something that you're actually going to watch again.

Storage space is the other thing, video is bulky so make sure you've got the ability to store enough. Going on a euro tour in september with 5 gopros between 6 of us, I think I may need a USB hard drive biggrin

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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V8KSN said:
Simpo Two said:
I'd tilt the camera 10 degrees to port, but I'm just old school smile
I don't think i'm explaining myself properly frown
Simpo, he's saying that he's mounting the camera (which doesn't have a screen on it) as best he can by eye, but on playback the scene is tipped.

So he either wants to i) learn how to mount it straight on the vehicle so no post production required, or ii) record it wonky and have some software which will rotate the video by 10 degrees or whatever is required to mend the wonky footage.

V8KSN

Original Poster:

4,711 posts

183 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
mrmr96 said:
V8KSN said:
Simpo Two said:
I'd tilt the camera 10 degrees to port, but I'm just old school smile
I don't think i'm explaining myself properly frown
Simpo, he's saying that he's mounting the camera (which doesn't have a screen on it) as best he can by eye, but on playback the scene is tipped.

So he either wants to i) learn how to mount it straight on the vehicle so no post production required, or ii) record it wonky and have some software which will rotate the video by 10 degrees or whatever is required to mend the wonky footage.
Thanks mrmr96 thumbup

Simpo Two

85,149 posts

264 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
I thought that was it. I don't understand why somebody would want to do something wrong, and have to fix it later in software/processing/editing, when with a simple tweak they could get it right in camera. If the image is tilted X degrees one way, adjust the camera X degrees the other. Simples!

I'm not up to speed on current video software but did direct/produce corporates for 15 years. Rotate would be a 2D DVE, is it still that?

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
Totally agree Simpo, mounting the camera straight is the best thing to do, and if your camera has a screen on it then you can take a shot (or clip) and review that on the camera and adjust the mount as required. However the camera which the OP is using has no screen, unless you spend £80 on an add on, so there's no way to review the footage until after the event when you're at home with your laptop. Hence lining it up by eye, or using a spirit level have been recommended.

Proper options to review footage would be
i) screen of some kind
ii) take a test shot, eject the memory card and review it on the laptop which you'd have to carry with you.

What I personally do is to use the GoPro adhesive mount and I've glued and screwed it to an inconspicuous part of my front bumper. I then have a GoPro case and base plate which clips into the mount bit left behind on the car. You can experiement with different angles etc before gluing and screwing the mount to the car, and also leave the thumbscrew which attaches the case to the base plate in place. That way the camera will be in exactly the same place and same direction each time you use it. Just needs setting up in advance, but that can be done when you have the luxury of time and the ability to review footage on a laptop between trials.

HTH

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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OP... you can buy a screen to fit the back of the Go Pro

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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GetCarter said:
OP... you can buy a screen to fit the back of the Go Pro
On the Hero2 you can also get a wifi backpac which streams live to your smart phone. A great solution if there's budget for it.

14-7

6,233 posts

190 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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V8KSN said:
Thats the thing, you can't tell if the camera is level until you view the recorded video after transfer to a laptop. For example, if you recorded some video of a sunset and the sun setting is in the middle of the screen and the horizon level on the left is lower than the horizon level on the right could you 'level' the video using some software?

If you look at the image below, would you be able to 'level' the video using software?

Yes but you'd lose some of the picture.

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
quotequote all
You're also obviously losing some of the resolution, so if you're shooting in 720p by the time you've croped and roatated it you're at say 650p, so your processing software has to interpolate it back to a recognised size, so you lose a bit of quality. If you're looking at posting to Youtube then anything outside it's standard resolutions will look rubbish.

JustinP1

13,330 posts

229 months

Wednesday 27th June 2012
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V8KSN said:
Simpo Two said:
I'd tilt the camera 10 degrees to port, but I'm just old school smile
I don't think i'm explaining myself properly frown
What he means is you could also tilt your head to starboard.