Panned video from 360 video

GerryQ

Member Joined: Aug 26, 2015 14:43 Messages: 63 Offline

Solved by

Aug 21, 2017 04:17

I've been using PD15 to edit some 360 video shot with a 360fly camera.
All well and good, no issues. The 360fly panders only to the USA market and hence only shoots in 30/60 or 24 frames per second.
It shoots natively in 2880 x 2880 and has a proprietary program that can convert this to 'Equi-rectangular' That is 3840 x 1920 the 2:1 ratio format that has become a standard for 360 video output.
Using this converted format there have been no issues with me making 25fps 360 videos for upload to facebook. PD15 takes all this frame rate nonesense in it's stride and all is well with the world...

However...

One of the many great features of PD15 is its ability to take a 360 video and then let you produce a 'Normal' HD video - say 1920x1080 whilst panning around the 360 deg video, producing smooth pans / zooms automatically using key frames - with the bonus of ease-in/out all auto... It's like producing a video when you've had several cameras all synched together facing every direction...

So what's the problem ?

I edit a 360 video... - I choose to use a previously Trimmed / 25 fps video previously produced in PD15.
I set the pans / zooms etc for a 90 second clip...
I hit 'Start' in the Produce area and ... The file starts to be 'produced' until... randomly... as some point in the proceedings it suddenly comes to a grinding halt... It slows r.i.g.h.t.d.o.w.n... And will take a few minutes to finish the file. (A normal 1920x1080 90 second clip production normally takes this PC literally seconds - it's quick.
When I look at what's been produced, there will be a glitch exactly where the slowing started... It can be a juddering of video, or freezing of video whilst the sound-track continues on un altered until the end of the file.

The mystery ?
I'll try again with the same editing set up and watch it fail somewhere completely different !
I'll close PD15, then open again and load the same project - to watch it fail at a completely different spot once again !
I've tried computer re-boots / incantations and everything...
And daftest of all... After about 10 attempts - heh presto, PD15 makes it to the end of the file - all working as it should have the first time !

Can anyone shed any light as to what's going on ?
Am I really doing something different the 10th time that makes it work ?
I've addressed the frame rate issue by only using 25fps PD15 produced clips...

stevek

Senior Contributor Location: Houston, Texas USA Joined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18 Messages: 4663 Offline

Aug 21, 2017 15:35

Hi GerryQ,

I've worked with 360 video but from a SamsungGear 360 (older model). I've had issues regarding the sync when stitching the videos. I turned out that much of the problem was related to the settings in the 360 editor (Action Director). I had gone tyo the Grear 360 users group and found the correct settings.

Perhaps if you go to the 360fly web site, they may have an update or at least a discussion regarding the problems and possible solutions. I went there and didn;t see somethign that stood out but I really didn't search the site.

I got the Smasung 360 because I didn't need to stitch the video on my smart phone (too much time and energy).

Have you looked at the normal computer issues like disc space, overheating, interference from antivirus (trying to re-scan what is alrady on the computer), or other programs that may draw the attention away from the video processing?

Perhaps if you attach the Windows dxdiag.exe text file to your reply, we may see something there.

.

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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Aug 21. 2017 15:52

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GerryQ

Member Joined: Aug 26, 2015 14:43 Messages: 63 Offline

Aug 22, 2017 13:54

Hi Steve,
Many thanks for your thoughts.
I've been playing with this and it still baffles me a little...
I was using 360 deg files already produced in PD15 - I should have thought that if there was any problem with the 'Director' software from 360fly, then it would have shown itself on the first trimming and editing.
I would have thought that the frame rate of the camera could have been an issue, but that's been corrected by PD15 already.
I can't see why it works 'Sometimes' and not others...
This PC seems to handle all other PD15 tasks fine first time, and generally blisteringly quickly, so I can't see that there's anything inherently wrong with the set-up or any conflicts that are affecting the normal performance... It's just the panning and zooming function used in the "View designer"... ? !

Fifthrider

Newbie Joined: Sep 14, 2017 23:12 Messages: 2 Offline

Sep 14, 2017 23:20

This looks like the only thread remotely connected to what I'm trying to do. I've read the advice above but I don't understand it. Like SteveK I have a Samsung 360. I tried using Gear 360 Action Director to create a non-360 video (output) from a 360 video source. I filmed something in 360 and now I'd like to edit it so that I force the perspective of the viewer to follow the action in the places I edit it to focus on.

Apparently Gear 360 Action Director doesn't do that so I bought CyberLink Power director because I was told it would. Well great.... How? I've installed it and been going through the guide and the "help" ( which only brings me here, to the forums ) but no real "help." I'm about 2 hours into reading PDFs and looking at other people's YouTube videos and I can't find a thing that tells me how to make a 360 source into a focused "normal" perspective movie.

Is there some kind of user's manual out there that I'm not downloading or don't know of? This should be real simple, or so I assumed.

GerryQ

Member Joined: Aug 26, 2015 14:43 Messages: 63 Offline

Sep 15, 2017 05:13

Quote I can't find a thing that tells me how to make a 360 source into a focused "normal" perspective movie.

Hi Fifth Rider,

When you produce your 360 deg video from the Gear 360 Action Director software, do you end up with a 2:1 ratio 360 video ?
If so, then PD15 CAN turn this into 'normal' video - it even allows panning and zooming around the 360 view (Albeit in my case glitching 4 out of 5 times !) If I don't pan around it seems far happier !

Import your video clip into PD15 It should recognise it as 360 video...
It 'Should' ask if you want to work in 360 or normal view - My version does with my 360fly clips...

Put your 360 video onto the time-line
Highlight the clip on the time-line...
Look directly above the time-line and you'll see in white on black background a row of drop down options...
eg 'Designer', 'Fix/Enhance', 'Tools', 'Key Frame', 'Edit Audio'.

Once your clip is highlighted in the time-line, select the 'Designer' drop down.
The bottom of the three choices is 'View Designer'.
Choose this option and you'll see your clip in a new window, 16:9 view... You can select the view at any point and pan / move around... Have a play with it.

There's a pretty good tutorial on this available here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGh8yfoXlvU

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Sep 15. 2017 05:14

Fifthrider

Newbie Joined: Sep 14, 2017 23:12 Messages: 2 Offline

Sep 21, 2017 22:58

Quote

Quote I can't find a thing that tells me how to make a 360 source into a focused "normal" perspective movie.

Hi Fifth Rider,

When you produce...

Extremely cool. Thank you very much Gerry. I just read your message and have been playing around with this for the last hour on a simple 30 second test clip. Yes, this is perfect, thank you very much. It certainly gets me going in the right direction.

Unfortunately my test video ( once in "Produce" mode ) is all black but this is another problem for another day. The video and your instructions were perfect, thank you very much. "Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime."