Video footage colour grading and editing

VizIt · Aug 2, 2019

Hey folks.
I've had my MP for a while now and been using Premiere Elements for editing video footage. Results have been ok but I'd like to start doing a little more professional output and matching clips etc.
What are people using for editing footage, and how do you approach colour grading and adjustments etc ?

Thanks

londondronepilot · Aug 2, 2019

VizIt said:
Hey folks.
I've had my MP for a while now and been using Premiere Elements for editing video footage. Results have been ok but I'd like to start doing a little more professional output and matching clips etc.
What are people using for editing footage, and how do you approach colour grading and adjustments etc ?

Thanks

I watch Youtube tutorials etc. great way to learn.

cyeung · Aug 2, 2019

I use DaVinci Resolve. That will get you started in the colour grading world. I got by on the free version for almost a year before pulling the trigger on the full version, which is a one-time charge and will get you the future versions too.

waylander · Aug 2, 2019

Hi There

I use PowerDirector 16 and PhotoDirector 8, you can get both of them for a free trial, in fact you can get the whole suit as a trial version or just buy PowerDirector for video editing.
Their complete package is cheaper than Photo Shop, and more or less has the same features, but you pay only once, non of this yearly subscription stuff ( which I think is a rip off ).

AVS4YOU also has various editors for both Vision and sound, not as good as PowerDirector but non the less good gear.
The AVS4YOU video formatting and conversion software will allow you to change almost any format to almost any other, I use it a lot.

What you have to consider is that all this software comes with a hefty learning curve, especially Photo Shop ( but there are endless Youtube editorials to teach you how to do use all the different makes of Editor.

In the end you must consider whether or not you are hoping to be a professional Video/Photographer, Photo Shop is used by some of the worlds leading film and photographers, do you need it, PowerDirector comes at a much lower cost and is nearly as good, and some of the AVS4YOU suits are free.

There are many more, I mention these because I have them or have used them

I'm not in any way paid to promote or endorse these products, like cyeung I have used DaVinci Resolve too, its good, its what you get used to and familiar with.

Good luck with your choice
Waylander

ecutech · Aug 2, 2019

Cant beat lightroom imo

VizIt · Aug 2, 2019

ecutech said:
Cant beat lightroom imo

for video ????

I use Lightroom for stills and is great

ecutech · Aug 2, 2019

Wasn't wearing my glasses! You can use lightroom for video yes. For video i use PP mainly with magic bullet and a few other plugins. For stills i use lightroom.
Sorry for confusion!

Dale D · Aug 2, 2019

After 4 years of evolution, for stills, Photoshop CC (yes I bit the bullet and pay for the photography package but very expensive). I do all my timelapse using Nikon D750 intervalomer and processing with Gunther Wegner's LRTimelapse.com. For Motion Timelapse (and this takes a steep learning curve of about a year) I use Dynamic Perception with Sapphire 3 axis motion bundle

Dynamic Perception

.
For video- using Adobe Premiere Pro. For music, musicbed.com
So this is a major hobby for me and I do spend a lot of $ for it unfortunately.
Here is an example I have published in this forum previously-14 minutes combining drone, timelapse, stills, OsmoAction, iPhone video, etc.

Dkcoats · Aug 2, 2019

I'm really impressed - and I am, in all modesty, a pretty good (formerly pro) photographer (video, not so much). Some of your images are wall-hangers. You have a great eye. Thanks for posting this. Lovely work.

Dale D · Aug 2, 2019

Dkcoats said:
I'm really impressed - and I am, in all modesty, a pretty good (formerly pro) photographer (video, not so much). Some of your images are wall-hangers. You have a great eye. Thanks for posting this. Lovely work.

Many thanks for your plaudits!!! It was an intensive photo workshop and I learned a lot on the Iceland Photo Tours trip.

bushie · Aug 3, 2019

cyeung said:
I use DaVinci Resolve. That will get you started in the colour grading world. I got by on the free version for almost a year before pulling the trigger on the full version, which is a one-time charge and will get you the future versions too.

Another vote for Davinci

I have used Premier in the past but don't like there charging scheme and as I am on a pension have to watch the money.

The free version of Davinci is a huge program and will do me for a long time. After almost a year of regular use I am still finding new features, and then they bring out a new version with even more.

billjohnsonstories · Sep 15, 2019

Nice work Dale. I like the way you are combining multiple sources of images into one video. I'm new to the drone and your example shows what can be done. Thanks for sharing.

Citizen Flier · Sep 17, 2019

Dale D said:
After 4 years of evolution, for stills, Photoshop CC (yes I bit the bullet and pay for the photography package but very expensive). I do all my timelapse using Nikon D750 intervalomer and processing with Gunther Wegner's LRTimelapse.com. For Motion Timelapse (and this takes a steep learning curve of about a year) I use Dynamic Perception with Sapphire 3 axis motion bundle
Dynamic Perception
.
For video- using Adobe Premiere Pro. For music, musicbed.com
So this is a major hobby for me and I do spend a lot of $ for it unfortunately.
Here is an example I have published in this forum previously-14 minutes combining drone, timelapse, stills, OsmoAction, iPhone video, etc.

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Excellent video & stills. Not judging here, but I read that much of the well known iceland locations are parks and are NFZ. But many locations are ok. Looks like you flew directly over people & popular locations. Were these legal flight zones? Any friction from other visitors?

EDIT: I forwarded your video to a friend who was recently in Iceland. Apparently some of the locations you flew are NFZ's. Perhaps these areas were legal at the time you flew there. But there were groups of tourist directly below your path. If drone pilots flagrantly violate posted rules, then we may all become subject to greater restrictions.

Where I live in Marin County almost everything that I have photographed for years (land photos -not drone) are in NFZ's. Very frustrating now that I finally have a sky cam.