Suggested GoPro Settings for Solo

WARNING: This was written before the latest GoPro update. Most of this sticky is still valid. There is still a lot of useful information in it. The biggest impact the new firmware has on this thread is in the use of ND filters. In the past, we used ND filters to "trick" the GoPro into using slower shutter speeds (not to be confused with frame rate). Now we can lock the shutter speed in GoPro settings. ND filters will still be an essential tool. Slow shutter speeds will lead to blown out footage in the whites. An appropriate ND filter will allow you to get a good exposure at the shutter speed of your choice.
Good Stuff !


Table of Contents:

  1. Suggested GoPro Settings for Solo
  2. Warnings
  3. Description of All Settings
  4. GoPro Filters
  5. Replacement Lenses
  6. Useful Links
  7. Color Correction Basics (coming soon)
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Suggested GoPro Settings for Solo

The Solo Gimbal is only compatible with the
GoPro Hero 3+ and Hero 4 cameras. The settings in the table below are based on the current top-of-the-line Hero 4 Black. For other models, you may have to compromise on resolution or frame rate, but all other settings will be the same.
Basic
Use the Basic settings if you just want to fly, not figure out a GoPro. You’ll get high definition video, good color, reduced fisheye distortion, and you won’t need an (expensive) high speed SD card. Video file sizes will be smaller, so YouTube uploads will be easier. These settings are perfect if you plan to upload full length, unedited takeoff-to-landing videos.

Good
Use these settings if you like the “GoPro look” but want better quality than Basic. Some color correction (particularly adjusting exposure on blacks and mid-tones) will help, but is not required. File sizes will be a lot bigger, so it’s probably a good idea to use some kind of video editor to trim things down.

Very Good

Proper color correction is required or this footage will look flat and faded. While resolution is “only” 2.7K, the higher 60 fps has a number of benefits:
  • Allows faster panning and tilting of camera without getting judder. (more info)
  • Reduces jello and makes footage smoother over all.
  • Allows for great slow motion effects.
Best
These settings will achieve the highest possible image quality that “feels” the most cinematic. However, these settings alone aren't enough to maximize quality. You'll also need to do the following:
  • Use a filter to slow down shutter speed. (See Filters section below).
  • Fly smooth and slow. In particular, at 30 fps you'll need to pan slowly to avoid judder. (more info)
  • Color correct properly in post using professional grade software (Final Cut, Premiere, DaVinci, etc).
  • Editing 4K files requires a Powerful Mac/PC with a big fast hard drive (ideally a RAID 0 or 5 with at least 6 platters and a high speed connection to Mac/PC)
NOTE: These are the requirements to achieve the BEST possible results. You can still get super great 4K video without all of that. For example, you could use the “Good” settings above, but use 4K, 30 fps, and a Wide field of view. The resulting footage will have the "GoPro look" in terms of color and saturation.
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Warnings


Keep GoPro WiFi OFF
GoPro's WiFi interferes with the Solo, potentially causing a crash.
This means you cannot use a GoPro smart remote or smartphone app.


Gimbal Required to Control GoPro in the Air

With a gimbal, you can start/stop recording from the ground. The next Solo software update (September 2015) is reported to add control over GoPro settings (resolution, fps, etc). Without a gimbal, you must push the record button on your GoPro before take off.

Live Feed = Crappy Video.
Even though you can record the live video feed from the Solo App directly to your tablet’s camera roll, it will be very low quality. You have to import your videos directly from the GoPro SD card to get high quality video.

Fast SD Required for Protune and 4K
A fast SD Card rated U3 is recommended to keep up with 4K capture and Protune's higher bit rate. (info)

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Description of All Settings

Protune

Protune enables additional settings like ISO and White Balance, but most importantly, it allows your GoPro to write to its internal SD card at higher bit rates, packing more detail and nuanced color into every frame. Bringing Protune footage to life requires proper color correction.

This video shows two GoPros mounted side-by-side with Protune OFF and ON. At the 1:15 minute mark, note how much more detail can be achieved with the Protune footage.

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(this footage was shot underwater, but its a good example of Protune for any kind of footage.)

For the most part, Protune is meant to be used with software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro X. Having said that, it is possible to do limited color correction in consumer editors like GoPro Studio or iMovie. Furthermore, you can minimize the need for color correction if you use the “Good” settings from the table above. You’ll get the benefits of Protune's higher bit rate, with the standard GoPro look (colors, saturation).

PROTUNE RULE OF THUMB. For maximum quality when Protune is on, pick settings that require your GoPro to perform the least amount of adjustment to the raw pixel data captured by its CMOS sensor.

Resolution

Since there’s been a lot of speculation on these forums, lets just get it out of the way: 4K does not show Solo’s landing gear IF you fly slow and make smooth soft yaw turns. The landing gear will show up in frame if you do hard maneuvers, especially side-to-side, or if the Solo is buffeted by strong gusts of wind.

With that out of the way, some general comments on resolution…

If you are new to GoPro, all you really need to know is that higher resolution equals better detail, but limits other settings (like Field of View and Frames per Second). There is no doubt that 4K on a Hero 4 Black results in the best detail, but it forces a Wide field of view (FOV) which has a strong fisheye distortion (more on FOV below).

Capture v.s. delivery.
Footage captured at 4K or 2.7K, then scaled down to 1080P is always better looking than footage captured at 1080P originally. You get more detail when you down scale to 1080P, and it naturally removes noise caused by the GoPro’s CMOS sensor. So even if you plan to deliver in 1080P (to Vimeo or YouTube for example), it is still worth it to capture in 4K or 2.7K.
Comparison of Resolutions
View attachment 1167
Source: Understanding Video in the HERO4

As you can see from the table above, capturing at 4K or 2.7K leaves you a lot of room to crop while staying above a delivery resolution of 1080P. With 4K you can correct fisheye distortion, re-frame, and apply aggressive stabilization, all without dropping below 1080P.

Consider Delivery in 1080P
Even though web services like Youtube now support 4K video, the quality isn’t great and only users with very fast internet will even be able to watch in 4K. Most people will actually watch your video in 720P, or maybe even 480P, unless they deliberately click into the youtube settings to select a higher resolution. Also, keep in mind that 1080P is the current broadcast standard for High Definition TV.

Superview resolutions
All the superview resolutions capture with the full 4:3 sensor, but dynamically stretch the image to a 16:9 aspect ratio. This violates the “Protune Rule of Thumb” mentioned earlier, so if you want maximum quality, avoid these resolutions.

2.7K(4:3) and 1440
I haven't tested these on the Solo (yet), but they could be good options to get a little more resolution to play with for re-framing, etc.

1080P (and 720P)
Capturing at 1080P is actually a pretty viable choice for the Solo. It allows very high frame rates up to 120 fps on some GoPros. 1080P (at a high frame rate) could be the best capture resolution for close-in shots with a lot of action or foreground movement that you will slow down later. 720P allows even higher frame rates for super-duper-slow motion.

Frames per Second (fps)

NTSC vs PAL
Frame rates in the table at the top of this post have been updated to show NTSC/PAL. NTSC is the GoPro default and the standard format for televisions in North America. PAL is the standard pretty much everywhere else. So "60/50" in the table at the top means 60 if you live in North America, and 50 if you live anywhere else (and have switched your GoPro to PAL).

If you plan to upload your videos to the web, you do not need to switch your GoPro to PAL. The web doesn't care about TV standards. There are benefits to the PAL standard over NTSC related to color hue, but these do not translate to the web. You'll only need PAL if you plan to directly connect your GoPro via HDMI cable to a television outside of North America, or if you want to edit your footage into a project which will be delivered in PAL (on a DVD for example). For that reason (but mostly because I am lazy) I'm not going to update the rest of this post to include comparable PAL frame rates.

Quality vs. Smoothness
Frame rate should be thought of in terms of a trade-off between quality and smoothness. Lower frame rates generally provide higher image quality, but higher frame rates result in smoother video with reduced jello and less judder during fast pans.

Most of us will probably opt for 60 fps as a good balance. Some of us may even select a lower resolution just so we can use a higher frame rate. For example, on a Hero 3+ Black, some may prefer 1080P at 60 fps over 2.7K at 30 fps.
Maximum Frame Rate Available by Resolution
(see note on NTSC vs PAL above)

View attachment 1168
Benefits of higher frame rates:
1. Smoother overall footage.
2. Reduces jello.
3. Removes skipping/judder common when panning (too quickly), for example, during a Cable Cam shot. (info)
4. Allows for smooth slow motion effects.
Caution: Be careful going above 60 fps. Image quality will degrade noticeably.


Frame rate and Image Quality
To achieve the highest possible image quality on a GoPro, lower frame rates (30 or 24 fps) are required. This is because lower frame rates allow the GoPro to use slower shutter speeds. However, to achieve the highest quality, you’ll need to fly slow and smooth and use a filter (more info in the Filters section below).

Shutter speed does not equal frame rate. When your GoPro captures a frame of video, its CMOS sensor may only record light for a brief instant during that frame. This is equivalent to the mechanical "shutter speed" on a traditional camera. In different lighting conditions, this "shutter speed" may increase or decrease, but it can never exceed the duration of 1 frame, thus a slower frame rate allows slower shutter speeds.

Benefits of slower shutter speeds:

1. More detail.
2. Better, more nuanced color
3. A slight motion blur, which eliminates jello and “feels” more cinematic.


“Encouraging” your GoPro to use a slower shutter speed.
Shutter speed is set automatically based on the amount of light entering the camera. However, we can “encourage” it to slow down by reducing our frame rate to 30 or 24 fps. If we really want to talk our GoPro into using a slower shutter speed, we can also set our ISO Limit to 400 and use an ND Filter. (ISO Limit and Filters are discussed below)

Field of view (FOV)

The Field of View on a GoPro is a bit of an illusion. Its not as if the lens magically changes when we switch FOV. The light hitting the sensor is the same. When we use a Wide FOV, the GoPro captures data from the entire sensor. When we move down to Medium FOV, the GoPro simply crops in on a smaller area in the middle of the sensor. For a Narrow FOV it crops in even further. Medium and Narrow appear to have less fisheye distortion only because there is always less distortion in the middle of the frame.

So we could shoot in Wide, and then crop our video on a Mac or PC to get the same effect. If you shoot in 4K Wide, you have a ton of room to play with to decide exactly how much you want to crop (see Comparison of Resolutions chart above).

Spot Meter

With the Spot Meter OFF, exposure is adjusted based on the average brightness of all pixels in the frame. This is what you want.

With the Spot Meter ON, exposure is based on a single dot in the center of the frame. This is bad for drone video because that center dot can sweep across a dark background (ex. a forrest) to a light background (ex. a road or some rocks) and back again in a split second, resulting in a flashing effect as the GoPro rapidly shifts exposure.
Don’t use the spot meter.

White Balance

“Native" White Balance means the GoPro won’t spend any cycles processing the sensor data to set a white point (see Rule of Thumb under Protune above). We can set the white point easily and more accurately in Final Cut or Adobe.

If you don’t want to use “Native,” then you should probably use the “Auto” setting AND turn on "GoPro Color” (see Color below).

If you want to set the White Point yourself, you probably know what it means already and don’t need an explanation ;-). In short: 5500K for most drone flights during the day. 3000K will tint your footage blue, 6500K will make it warmer. For more on GoPro White Balance, look here: GoPro Official Website - Capture + share your world
Color

“Flat” tells your GoPro not to adjust color information in the pixel data collected by the CMOS sensor (Rule of Thumb, again). It will look horrible at first, but once color corrected (in Final Cut or Adobe for example) it will give you the best possible image your GoPro can achieve. More nuanced colors improve detail and image quality; its especially noticeable in the darkest and lightest areas.

“GoPro Color” isn’t bad at all. A lot of people love the GoPro look. If you use it, make sure to set White Balance to “Auto” (or whatever temperature you want).
ISO Limit

Lock this in at 400. It will result in the least amount of noise from the CMOS sensor. The only exception to this rule is if you are flying in very low light, which you probably shouldn't be doing anyway ;-).
Sharpness

Set this to Low. The less your GoPro processes the CMOS pixel data, the better (Rule of Thumb yet again). You can do the sharpening in an editor (Final Cut for example). Aside from that, the amount of sharpening is a matter of taste.
EV Comp

Its tempting to think of Exposure Value Compensation as an electronic ND filter. For example, an EV Comp of -2 is the equivalent of 2 stops darker, and is therefore about the same as an ND4 filter. But if you test it out, there are lots of instances where that doesn’t hold up. This is mainly because EV Comp only works within your ISO limit, after the camera has already calculated what it thinks a correct exposure should be. In reality, EV Comp is more of a “suggestion” we are giving to the GoPro auto exposure code, letting it know how we think a scene should look.

In practical terms on a GoPro, if its a normal sunny day, and you aren’t using an ND filter, an EV Comp of -0.5 or -1 seems to be a good default to knock down some of the glaring whites. If it is very bright out, or there are lots of reflections, don’t be afraid to crank your EV Comp all the way down to -2.

For the "Best" settings listed at the top, I suggested an EV Comp of 0 because I assume you'll be using the proper filter for the lighting conditions during a shoot.

When/if a Solo update is released that allows us to adjust EV Comp from the ground, I think a lot of us will make extensive use of it - whether we use filters or not.
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Lens Filters


Filters are a topic for another thread, but they improve aerial GoPro footage so much that its worth covering the basics.

Benefits

Using a quality glass filter improves color and detail by reducing bright areas, whether its a blown out mid day sky, or reflections and glare off water, foliage, rocks, sand, grass, etc. Footage will look richer and more saturated (bluer skies, graduated clouds, greener trees). Details across the board will be sharper, especially when footage is properly color corrected.

By reducing the amount of light entering the lens, filters “encourage” the GoPro to use a slower shutter speed per frame (see Frames per Second above). This means the CMOS sensor has more time to absorb that light information without getting blasted all at once. The result is better detail in both blacks and highlights (color correction to bring up exposure in blacks is usually required for best results). At the same time, a slower shutter speed creates a bit of motion blur, which may sound like it would reduce detail, but in practice only softens up motion where it needs it. Motion blur also “feels” more cinematic and reduces or eliminates jello.

Glass

Glass has better optics than plastic. Only use glass filters.

ND Filters
Neutral Density filters reduce the amount of light entering a camera on all visible wave lengths. They are “neutral” in that they don’t favor any single color (like a color tinted lens would). The number you see associated with an ND filter is how much less light gets into the camera. So an ND4 lets in 4 times less light. That equates to 2 stops down in camera guy terms.

ND4 = 2 stops = 4 times less light
ND8 = 3 stops = 8 times less light
ND16 = 4 stops = 16 times less light
CP Filters

Circular Polarized filters reduce the amount of light entering a camera by only allowing light waves with a specific polarization to pass through. See this article for more info - All about Polarizers - Linear and Circular

It is necessary to rotate a CP filter to the right angle for it to work best. If you move your camera, you will likely have to rotate the CP again to maintain the same effect. This presents a problem for drone footage where the camera is always moving and subjects are always being shot from different angles. None-the-less, a CP filter can be worth it, especially if you take the time to plan your flight and rotate your filter accordingly. On a drone, it could let you do things like peer down beneath the surface of a lake.


What to buy

The weight of a filter can throw off the balance of a gimbal. Therefore you only want to buy the lightest weight filters. Here are some links to good quality filters that I know of. I’m sure you can find the same ones on other sites for less money.

BlurFix Air 3 Pack
BlurFix Air Professional 6-Pack
GoPro Frame2.0 Filter Professional Edition 6-Pack
GoPro Filters : Peau Productions - Store

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Replacement GoPro Lenses

This is definitely a topic for another thread, but suffice it to say that there are companies out there who sell replacement lenses for the GoPro, many of which do not cause fisheye distortion. Peau Productions sells GoPros with the lens already replaced, or you can just buy the lens and do the replacement yourself. You can also send them your GoPro and they will replace the lens for you.

Camera Packages
4.35 mm lens

(I’ll add links to other lenses if anyone has a recommendation)

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Useful Links

GoPro Support - GoPro Official Website - Capture + share your world - The GoPro support page is actually very good.
Abe Kislevitz Blog - Understanding Video in the HERO4 (Thanks to @Sampson for this link)
Cineclast - Best Settings for Perfect Drone Footage. Me Thinks.
MicBergsma - GoPro and other tips
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Color Correction Basics

[more coming... eventually]

If you use the "Very Good" or "Best" settings suggested at the top, then you'll have to color correct your footage. Therefore I thought I should at least address the basics.

I'll add some more to this section later, but the cliff note version is that you should follow this work flow:

  1. Adjust Exposure first. Start with blacks, then highlights, then mid-tones. Use a waveform luma scope and don't crush your blacks or highlights.
  2. Adjust Global color tint to set white point. Use an RGB parade scope. I usually crop in on something that should be white or neutral and then adjust until the RGB parade is even. There are also plugins that will help you set a white point.
  3. Adjust saturation last. Don't be afraid to crank it up, but if it looks to you like it might possibly be over saturated but you aren't sure... then it's over saturated.
I like to color correct first to get a baseline across all clips, then color grade to get a certain look. If I don't like the grade, I can always turn it off and start over from a color correct image.

 
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Wow, nice job laying this out. As a trainer that produces in video. I have never come across a more thorough resource. You deserve credit for the effort of just putting it all together.
Hope you got paid for this.
 
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Wow, nice job laying this out. As a trainer that produces in video. I have never come across a more thorough resource. You deserve credit for the effort of just putting it all together.
Hope you got paid for this.
Thank you. I don't visit these forums very often anymore, but I do occasionally drop in to see what folks are up to. Looking back across all the drones I've owned, the Solo is still my favorite. I had a lot of fun with it.
 
Still one of the most resourceful threads on 3drpilots. Thanks again Erik.
Thanks Rich. Nice to see your still active here. I pop back in every few months just to check on my favorite drone and the best drone community I've ever come across.
 
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Thanks Rich. Nice to see your still active here. I pop back in every few months just to check on my favorite drone and the best drone community I've ever come across.
I had downloaded the trial of Premier and got me thinking of all your advice. Sure would be nice to pick your brain on occasions. I know others would appreciate you sharing some knowledge. But I do understand.

Still working on the same things and had a couple of break throughs. You still have a Solo? One of the members here produced a silicone data cable for the gimbal and it has resolved much of the micro vibes. Honestly some amazing results can be had when installed.

Hope the family and you are well, they grow up in a blink of an eye. Happy trails.
 
I had downloaded the trial of Premier and got me thinking of all your advice. Sure would be nice to pick your brain on occasions. I know others would appreciate you sharing some knowledge. But I do understand.

Still working on the same things and had a couple of break throughs. You still have a Solo? One of the members here produced a silicone data cable for the gimbal and it has resolved much of the micro vibes. Honestly some amazing results can be had when installed.

Hope the family and you are well, they grow up in a blink of an eye. Happy trails.
I do still have a Solo. Actually I've got a couple of them. They've been gathering dust, but I just might have to dig them back out and see how they are running.

The silicon cable sounds awesome, but as you know I just used stabilization in post.

Speaking of which, now that you're giving Premiere a try, I bet you'll be really happy with the warp stabilizer. With the already smooth footage you have achieved, a touch of stabilization in post will be awesome. Just be ready for it to take some tweaking until you get a feel for it. Google and YouTube will be your friend. I run EVERYTHING through stabilization in post. Yes, it's nice to have a smooth drone, but even the pros on pro equipment stabalize every shot - even with ground based cameras. That's how you get the buttery smooth pro looking footage.

Anyway, as you start with Premiere, I'd reccomend really focusing on asset management right from the start. How are files imported, where do they get stored, where are transcoded proxies and live edit files stored. It's not sexy. It's not fun. But if you learn and take control of how and where your assets are stored, it will save you hours later on. (Edit: I've never liked the free-for-all asset management of premiere. It's the one thing final cut does better than most other video editing software. But Premiere is THE king, so you can't go wrong).
 
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I had to look up the term asset management in relation to Premier Pro, got it.... Like yudders, it has a different context based on what you do or where you are from...;)

I wasn't able to play out the trial period as I wanted, life got in the way. I absolutely see the benefits of Pr for what I was able to edit. Basically you can take marginal video and turn it near epic with a little extra effort. Just amazing for all that can be adjusted, I did enjoy the resulting edits.

Also ran warp on a short clip, it did a great job, but man it took its sweet time processing. I guess that's where the asset management knowledge kicks in....automate and let it run.

For my needs, at least at this point, GP studio is an efficient editor. I'm glad I tried Pr and that the user base of resources is huge. For me however, I would have to immerse myself more than I have available time wise. Maybe at a later date, possibly the Premier AI version will be up and running by then....:)

Again, I can't recommend enough the data patch cable solution. I have an extra, if you'll PM an address I'll send it to you. @User Name was nice enough to send me an extra for exactly this reason.... It's the least I could do to pay down all the advice and knowledge you've shared with the members here.
 
Also ran warp on a short clip, it did a great job, but man it took its sweet time processing. I guess that's where the asset management knowledge kicks in....automate and let it run..

The only thing I don't like about Warp Stabilizer is that it's single-threaded. For such a processor intensive task, there's really no reason it shouldn't take advantage of modern processors. Don't know if that has changed in the newer versions, I'm still using CS6.

Again, I can't recommend enough the data patch cable solution. I have an extra, if you'll PM an address I'll send it to you. @User Name was nice enough to send me an extra for exactly this reason.... It's the least I could do to pay down all the advice and knowledge you've shared with the members here.

Keep your cable Rich... I'll send Erik one if he wants it, for the same reason you suggest - it's the least I could do for all the tips and information he's posted for us!
 
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Rich also have a look at Sony Vegas Pro. Vers 10 for me is very stable. I stuck with 10 in our studio as we send projects to multiple editors and we have to work on the same platform but we all will have to go 14 soon. Use it at home with a server so steaming video for editing is very fast. The editing scripts are very cool and save a lot of time. the audio abilities are amazing as you can switch to soundforge or Boris for 3D with multiple formats on the same timeline. Nesting projects is a breeze. Issues exist between camera levels and video levels they do not follow the same standard so you have to manage this. managing media is the ugly heavy part of editing Sony Catalyst follows the same workflow for editors. Catalyst Production Suite
 
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I had to look up the term asset management in relation to Premier Pro, got it.... Like yudders, it has a different context based on what you do or where you are from...;)

I wasn't able to play out the trial period as I wanted, life got in the way. I absolutely see the benefits of Pr for what I was able to edit. Basically you can take marginal video and turn it near epic with a little extra effort. Just amazing for all that can be adjusted, I did enjoy the resulting edits.

Also ran warp on a short clip, it did a great job, but man it took its sweet time processing. I guess that's where the asset management knowledge kicks in....automate and let it run.

For my needs, at least at this point, GP studio is an efficient editor. I'm glad I tried Pr and that the user base of resources is huge. For me however, I would have to immerse myself more than I have available time wise. Maybe at a later date, possibly the Premier AI version will be up and running by then....:)

Again, I can't recommend enough the data patch cable solution. I have an extra, if you'll PM an address I'll send it to you. @User Name was nice enough to send me an extra for exactly this reason.... It's the least I could do to pay down all the advice and knowledge you've shared with the members here.
There may be some decent free editors out there that have stabilization built in. Worth taking a look. What I'm thinking is that you rough cut your footage in GoPro studio, then run just the cuts through another editor to apply stabalization. Reimport the stabilized clips into GoPro studio and fine tune your edit.

I don't know much about GoPro studio, but I'm kind of surprised they don't have a stabalization feature already. For your footage, which if memory serves you've got pretty damn smooth already, I can't imagine it would take much. You may not even notice the difference until you look at the footage side by side on a big screen TV.

Sony Vegas is a Premiere killer. So you couldn't go wrong with that either, but maybe too pro for what you are looking for. Maybe not. It's not like you have to learn every feature of the software. You just need to know enough to stabilize some clips and get out. Might be intimidating at first, but once you get the steps down, you'd be fine.

Or don't bother with any of it if you're getting good results as is.

As for speed. Yeah it's slow. There are hardware configurations that are faster of course. And video cards can be used instead of the CPU, not to mention certain codecs are faster, but that's a deep rabbit hole for the purposes of this discussion. At the end of the day it's definitely a thing where you get it all set up and then let it batch render for a few hours.

I thank you for the offer of the cable, but I'm afraid it would go to waste. At least let me see if these Solos I have are still air worthy. I'm mostly concerned that the batteries will be degraded by now. I will definitely circle back to you guys if I get these guys going again.
 
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The only thing I don't like about Warp Stabilizer is that it's single-threaded. For such a processor intensive task, there's really no reason it shouldn't take advantage of modern processors. Don't know if that has changed in the newer versions, I'm still using CS6.



Keep your cable Rich... I'll send Erik one if he wants it, for the same reason you suggest - it's the least I could do for all the tips and information he's posted for us!

Thank you!

As I said to Rich, let me first see if I can get my Solo's up and running again. Wouldn't want to take a cable that I never end up using.

What I really need to do is go back through some of my videos shot with Solo and start uploading them. I've got some cool stuff from Iceland and Alps that I never shared. I also have a ton of stuff on my Vimeo account that is hidden/private that I could probably make public now.
 
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Here is the clip I ran through Pr, just attempted to grade it..no stab applied. I did run a copy through YT stab and auto grade last night, it did a decent job.

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Here is the clip I ran through Pr, just attempted to grade it..no stab applied. I did run a copy through YT stab and auto grade last night, it did a decent job.

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That's pretty damn smooth. And that's the clip that hasn't been stabilized? Impressive.
 
That's pretty damn smooth. And that's the clip that hasn't been stabilized?

No stab, nothing but air. I made several breakthroughs on my PlanB solution to reduce vibes. And from those, a better understand of vibes in general. It appears I may have found a key, time will tell. The last four months have been interesting to say the least. The breakthrough that started all this understanding was the improved data cable...

Both yaw and pan are greatly improved, as is the forward and back movement. Lateral is still a problem as the gimbal exposure to prop wash is the cause. Likely Solo will never be a tripod like stable platform, but I'm holding out hope on an electronic solution to tame the motors.

I appreciate you seeing the results for what they are. You are among a handful of people that would understand and appreciate what is shown. I'm actually at a crossroad for what to do next, the concept could be applied across several platforms for improving their results. Anything to reduce post stab efforts....
 
Very smooth Rich. And without any stabilising is exceptional. Another big reason why it looks good is simple = the vertical is fixed. There is an issue with film perspective and reality perspective. They swap over between the human eye and film. Between reel and real. For example place yourself where the solo is and move your head the reality is the vertical is always vertical and the same for the horizontal obviously so it is always fixed never changes no matter your angle now in film the roll is reversed you become fixed and the horizontal and vertical shift around you, this is reel. So you need to swing it back to real and you do this by keeping you vertical true on all camera angles. This is what a jib does in filming and why those shots always look good. even on a dutch angle shot = verticle s verticle. Now a solo for me is the same as a jib just much bigger and better. Follow the perspective rules in post-production and you can’t go wrong and is half the battle won .

This is a clip I did for a discussion on a video forum discussing camera angles showing the issue.
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There is an issue with film perspective and reality perspective. They swap over between the human eye and film. Between reel and real.
I do understand the perspective aspect, orbiting shots tend to show less motion blur to the primary object that is somewhat fixed in the perspective. Looking past the reel to the real of the moving background is the other aspect the eye is overlooking in this example. My effort is strictly a mechanical perspective, as it seems I am short a gene or two on the creative and corrective eye perspective for post editing. I have little interesting in pursuing gene therapy to fix those short comings at present....;)

Really I've taken this off topic by posting the clip here, was just excited Erik was within ear shot and wanted to show him my current results. He's been a friendly critic to my (crazy) endeavor to reduce vibes over the last year or so...

On topic however, this clip was shot around 11AM in full Texas sun using only a ND4 with a max ISO of 400 setting, EV0.0. The effort of the orbit, from my perspective, is to show a full influence of the various light and shadows on the sensor as I change the reference angle. It is intended to demonstrate the impact of my mech-vibe reduction endeavor and reducing the need to over filter to subdue the images.

I truly appreciate your input and perspective. I learn from every conversation.
 
It’s the same with with me Rich on the soslo tech side i have a lot to learn that’s why i am here. everyone has their strong leanings. Color grading and settings and stabilising are all related to getting the best out of your image. color grading gopro footage is bit like choosing a nice color paint for your walls but you only have one heavy spotlight in the room. No ambient light makes the scene look harsh so this is the real issue with gopro images = the shadows are very dark even on best settings. This I think is the limitations of the sensor because if you do comparisons with other sport cams like ele elite with the sony sensor you still have same issue. you won’t have this issue with bigger sensor sony cams. there are ways to improve this in post but it requires compositing and not just colour correcting and grading. The go pro lens distortion well that’s just crazy, fun and cool yes, real NO.
 
Color grading and settings and stabilising are all related to getting the best out of your image. color grading gopro footage is bit like choosing a nice color paint for your walls but you only have one heavy spotlight in the room. No ambient light makes the scene look harsh so this is the real issue with gopro images = the shadows are very dark even on best settings. This I think is the limitations of the sensor because if you do comparisons with other sport cams like ele elite with the sony sensor you still have same issue. you won’t have this issue with bigger sensor sony cams. there are ways to improve this in post but it requires compositing and not just colour correcting and grading.
Performing an orbit type shot is asking a lot from any camera and post editing efforts. The GP transitions very well through the changing light. Color shift in the same can be tamed by selecting a specific WB and/or choosing FLAT color profile. It's mainly in the post editing where the epic is found. I marvel at those that have editing skills.

For the size and price, the Solo/GP package captures very good imagery to those that don't have a 20X budget. Weekend warriors, like myself, get what's to be expected for the level of commitment to the endeavor. Aerial imagery is complex, it's truly a hit or miss effort.
 
The GoPro H4B with a 3.83 lens does pretty good work despite being yesterday's technology. I recently went the way of the 3.83 lens and I will never go back to fish eye ever again! I'm done with that distortion. At the same time, I taught myself how to use Lightroom and started taking photos in flat. native. I may never go back to GoPro color mode ever again either!

This is pano of 7 photos stitched together and developed in Lightroom from a storm passing by yesterday around sunset. GP 4 black, 3.83 lens, flat color, native white balance, ev comp 0, and an ND16 polarizer filter from 375ft at about 10 minutes prior to sunset. This would never happen if shot in gopro color with a stock lens. I feel like my camera has been reborn. I must thank one of my neighbors for talking me into the cost of lightroom.

Storm.jpg
 

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