4k or not to 4k

[Mazdaman323lx]

Quick question , Is there any point recording a flight in 4k if you are only going to upload it to youtube or facebook.
I know , I have a expensive drone but only a 1080p tv and laptop. So just stick to 1080?

 

[maintenanceguy]

I recorded my first couple of videos in 4k and then realized out how much more processing power and time is required to edit and upload videos. Everything has been in 1080p since.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Quick question , Is there any point recording a flight in 4k if you are only going to upload it to youtube or facebook.
I know , I have a expensive drone but only a 1080p tv and laptop. So just stick to 1080?

If you can manage 2K that will work to your benefit as that is the sweet spot for most that have a wide screen monitor which for many is the norm now , plus many of us watch the YT on the large screen Tv and 1080 is just not good enough and looks rough. I can always tell 1080 footage and 2k but I cannot always tell 2k and 4k as they are very similar.

So fly in 4K and upload 2K and your set up pretty nicely.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly you Mavic in the Rain and Float on Water.

 

[Heindrich1988]

Quick question , Is there any point recording a flight in 4k if you are only going to upload it to youtube or facebook.
I know , I have a expensive drone but only a 1080p tv and laptop. So just stick to 1080?

Well... you might upgrade your TV or computer setup in the future. Also, if you're sharing with others, YouTube does support 4K video. So, why not shoot in 4K and "future-proof" your videos?

 

[Gkinghrn]

4k will let you zoom in more with less degradation compared to 1080 - I always film 4k...

 

[Johnmcl7]

Although I don't have a PC or TV that supports 4K I still record in 4K to maximise the quality for uploading to online sites, to give more scope for cropping and the clips may be played on other people's 4K devices and in future I may have a 4K device.

 

[old man mavic]

if you are not going to be putting videos on social media , and you are happy with the resolution you get on playback on your equipment ,then its does not really matter if you only record in 1080p, i have found for my equipment and the fact i dont post videos ,then 1080p 30fps is more than adequate for me

 

[brett8883]

Quick question , Is there any point recording a flight in 4k if you are only going to upload it to youtube or facebook.
I know , I have a expensive drone but only a 1080p tv and laptop. So just stick to 1080?

Recording in 4k will always look better than 1080p even if viewing on a smaller monitor or rendering in 1080p, it’s a big difference too.

Testing this should be easy and seeing the difference won’t be hard.

Downsampling improves sharpness, reduces noise, and improves aliasing artifacts over recording in the playback resolution.

 

[Skybuyer]

The old adage, "Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" applies. Like many I thought that 1080p resolution on YouTube was good enough, but even on my FHD monitor 4k HD on YouTube looks siginificantly better.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

I post process my videos in FCPX. I record in 4k so that I have the option to zoom in for field of view panning, stabilization, fish eye removal, leveling the horizon, and lateral transformation for clip blending; without much loss.

 

[StantonZ]

I was just going to "like" the second post and leave it at that, but...
Specific to the OP question: there is no benefit to recording in 4k if all you are really going to do is post on social media...and you are talking to someone who was an early adopter of 4k/UHD and watches (commercial) entertainment in 4k whenever I can. The additional disk space alone isn't worth it for what you are trying to do.

 

[Lastrexking]

4K, more room for cropping. That said, I don’t know anyone with a 4K tv...

 

[brett8883]

4K, more room for cropping. That said, I don’t know anyone with a 4K tv...

Nearly all new TVs are 4k now.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

I already have a 1 tb hdd nearly full of drone recordings . StantonZ makes a very valid point. 4k will quadruple the video file size . Still I'm gonna try a 4k shoot today and see the difference .Brett8883 how do you downsize 4k ? and is it done before or after editing. Apologies for my lack of knowledge on this subject and thanks for your replies all

 

[Umberto]

I go for 2k7 because of editing limitations on my hardware. On my 2016 laptop ( I7, 16GB mem, fast SSD, NVIDIA Quadro M1000M) editing (hitfilm or Davinci) until 2K7 is quit fluid. 4K becomes really slow. And actulaly... I don't notice the difference on my 4K screen playing back 2k7 or 4 K from youtube

 

[nathankw]

Remember that you only get the 100mbps data rate at 4k.
At 1080 and 2.7k it's much lower (about 40mbps I believe).

So even if you end up downressing to 1080 you're still getting a higher quality image shooting in 4k.

Of course - for you the quality of 40mbps 1080 may be enough - in which case stick with that.
But recognize you could be getting a better 1080 image.

 

[brett8883]

I already have a 1 tb hdd nearly full of drone recordings . StantonZ makes a very valid point. 4k will quadruple the video file size . Still I'm gonna try a 4k shoot today and see the difference .Brett8883 how do you downsize 4k ? and is it done before or after editing. Apologies for my lack of knowledge on this subject and thanks for your replies all

I know what you mean about storage space. The trick is be vigilant about only keeping the really good stuff and getting rid of video you haven’t used after awhile.

Playing a 4k video on lower resolution screen will doensample automatically or encoding the video to a lower resolution will also do it. Exporting your 4k video from your editor at 1080p is downsampling. Or you could use a program like handbrake to re-encode the original video to a lower resolution before editing.

You have to weigh the benefits of better quality video vs your storage capacity, that’s why they even give you the option of 1080p, but your question was if there’s a benefit to 4k and the answer is a resounding yes

 

[theDRONEranger]

The advice of using HANDBRAKE to convert the 4K H265 to different encoding is a plus! Many households these days have a 4K television capable of playing your favorite memories. If you wish, you may certainly upload to YT @ the 1080 rate. But, I might also suggest many persons dabbling in videography/photography these days are going at a little behind the times. What I refer to is the home laptop/desk computer. To obtain optimal results in post production, I would recommend having a system capable of doing so. Many systems can easily be updated by simply adding RAM, some need replacement. Many machines come standard with only 8 MB RAM. Most video production recommend a minimum of 16-32. Also, make sure your monitor is able to view at higher resolutions as well. More RAM reduces possible video drag.

Numerous post production programs are available, but the top 2 I recommend are either Adobe Premiere Elements 2029 or 2121 and DaVinci Resolve 16 (stable). Adobe will cost about $100 (but usually you can find package deal of the PE with the Photoshop Elements for $100, and NO CLOUD REQUIRED), Resolve is free with higher learning curve (usually for more experienced).

 

[StantonZ]

You have to weigh the benefits of better quality video vs your storage capacity, that’s why they even give you the option of 1080p, but your question was if there’s a benefit to 4k and the answer is a resounding yes

Not for the screen sizes he is using. I even have a hard time distinguishing between HD and 4k on 65" OLED...which is why I have switched to 1080p for all my drone videos.

 

[DanMan32]

It should be noticeable on a 65" screen, but that also depends on how close you're viewing and how good your eyes are.

That is, actual 4k being displayed and not 4k downconverted.