Pro Why Not 4K

[GregS]

I see so many great videos posted in these forums that were recorded in 720p, or 1080p. Why not 4K? Is it because it's too demanding for the computer to render, or a slow micro SD card, or just didn't bother to change the settings?
The videos would look so much more vibrant and clear if in 4K.
Why?

 

[zeusfl]

I see so many great videos posted in these forums that were recorded in 720p, or 1080p. Why not 4K? Is it because it's too demanding for the computer to render, or a slow micro SD card, or just didn't bother to change the settings?
The videos would look so much more vibrant and clear if in 4K.
Why?

Well. I always render in 4K. Probably to answer, as you mention 4K is very intensive to render and editing, demanding a good computer with a good GPU. Also, the free software like Resolve, free version only renders in HD. If you want the 4K version you need the studio version that is $300

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

The videos in the forums are posted to youtube, vimeo or other host sites, then the link is posted in the forum. The only reasons, i can think, why they don't upload 4k vids is for the following couple reasons.

Maybe they don't like having to wait for a long upload to the host site? Maybe.
Maybe their computer gets bogged down a bit and re-rendering the video is too slow?
Applying LUTs, color Grading and other ehancements makes the processing of the 4k final result a lot slower? So they just create a lower res project to do all their post work.

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[dronertv]

If viewing on Youtube you may be watching a lower resolution than what was uploaded. Depending on your settings, YouTube will choose different resolutions based on your device and internet speed. If using a mobile device, your provider may also limit the max resolution you can view.

 

[Saladshooter]

Also, the free software like Resolve, free version only renders in HD. If you want the 4K version you need the studio version that is $300

Even the free version of DaVinci Resolve 17 exports in 4k. Here is the output from a short video I did a couple of days ago.

 

[Saladshooter]

If you take the time to produce a video that someone might enjoy..... why not upload it in a resolution that shows it off..... it will scale down automatically for those with lesser displays and bandwidth on most platforms.

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

Lets say someone emailed a vid or put it on a google drive for you to get it, then you downloaded it to your computer and uploaded it to a video host site. Because of the size limitations of sending videos from one person to another, via e-mail or google drive type products, the videos may be downsized.

 

[Dave Maine]

4K is great if you have a display that will handle it, and are sitting quite close to the screen. The increased resolution lends a sparkling clarity to the presentation. However, no other aspect of the video is changed by using 4K. Color, contrast, and dynamic range are exactly the same as for lesser resolutions. These are controlled by the other image controls (cinema-d, cinema-v) etc.

 

[Dale D]

I see so many great videos posted in these forums that were recorded in 720p, or 1080p. Why not 4K? Is it because it's too demanding for the computer to render, or a slow micro SD card, or just didn't bother to change the settings?
The videos would look so much more vibrant and clear if in 4K.
Why?

I have actually gotten to be somewhat of a purist when viewing videos. The very first thin I do is to try to increase the resolution of the You Tube to 2160. If the limit is below 1080p I simply do not continue watching. 720p and lower is unwatchable for me now.

 

[Kywon McCain]

Well I mean, I just found an SD card out of some broken toy drone in a dumpster. The only reason why I wasn't recording and taking pictures in 4k was because I didn't have an SD card.

 

[Yaros]

the free software like Resolve, free version only renders in HD. If you want the 4K version you need the studio version that is $300

Maybe back then when you posted the reply it still couldn't render 4K, but I'm using the free version of resolve and rendering 4K 60FPS no problem! I guess times change

 

[snowghost]

Even the free version of DaVinci Resolve 17 exports in 4k. Here is the output from a short video I did a couple of days ago.

View attachment 134596

That's not true 4k--4096 x 2160 is.

 

[Saladshooter]

That's not true 4k--4096 x 2160 is.

It is the accepted 4k resolution for most TVs and preserves the 16:9 format. Your are correct that it isn't truly 4k.

 

[GregS]

Well. I always render in 4K. Probably to answer, as you mention 4K is very intensive to render and editing, demanding a good computer with a good GPU. Also, the free software like Resolve, free version only renders in HD. If you want the 4K version you need the studio version that is $300

I can certainly understand not spending the $300, but it kind of defeats the purpose of what these drones offer in clarity. Must be a video editing program out there that is free; or close to free. I always go for the 4k videos.

 

[BigAl07]

I can certainly understand not spending the $300, but it kind of defeats the purpose of what these drones offer in clarity. Must be a video editing program out there that is free; or close to free. I always go for the 4k videos.

I've been doing this for several years and to date, I would estimate I have rendered in 4K maybe half a dozen times. While 4K is becoming more and more prevalent and useful keep in mind that up until recently 4K was only viewable on the latest and greatest viewing devices. I'd say most newer viewing devices can now support 4K (and some higher) but that's not been the case up until the last year or so.

Also 4K is only possible if your equipment and ISP can handle it. Where I live (very rural area) we still have ISP issues and most content is "throttled down" so 4K was pretty much pointless. That's changing but not as quickly as we would like.

A few years ago I shot some footage for The Travel Channel and the first thing the director told me was, "Do NOT shoot in 4K. We are processing this in the field and don't have the time or equipment to process 4K so shoot at 1080 and we'll be good to go."

 

[snowghost]

I've been doing this for several years and to date, I would estimate I have rendered in 4K maybe half a dozen times. While 4K is becoming more and more prevalent and useful keep in mind that up until recently 4K was only viewable on the latest and greatest viewing devices. I'd say most newer viewing devices can now support 4K (and some higher) but that's not been the case up until the last year or so.

Also 4K is only possible if your equipment and ISP can handle it. Where I live (very rural area) we still have ISP issues and most content is "throttled down" so 4K was pretty much pointless. That's changing but not as quickly as we would like.

A few years ago I shot some footage for The Travel Channel and the first thing the director told me was, "Do NOT shoot in 4K. We are processing this in the field and don't have the time or equipment to process 4K so shoot at 1080 and we'll be good to go."

I shoot in full 4k as I have no issue rendering plus if I want to zoom in post, the extra resolution helps.

 

[GregS]

If viewing on Youtube you may be watching a lower resolution than what was uploaded. Depending on your settings, YouTube will choose different resolutions based on your device and internet speed. If using a mobile device, your provider may also limit the max resolution you can view.

I post many videos to YouTube. Always in 4k. It takes a while for YouTube to render to 4k. When I open my video's, I always have to click on that little gear at the lower right and change from 720p to 4k. My laptop and Desktop computers are not fancy or high end. I dont do color grading since video from my P4P or Mavic Pro is pretty much perfect as to what I see originally. Personal thing, but I like what my eyes see, not what a computer enhances.

 

[zeusfl]

I record now at 5.1K or 5.3K depending on the drone and rendering in the same resolution. The extra zoom for cropping or zoom effect is priceless. It will take more resources but the outcome is excellent.

 

[Rigsby01]

I like to know how to post a video on here, I have a few nice ones but not got a clue how to get them from my tablet or laptop to here sorry but I am 70 and not up on this computer stuff any he.p or tips would be good.

 

[zeusfl]

I like to know how to post a video on here, I have a few nice ones but not got a clue how to get them from my tablet or laptop to here sorry but I am 70 and not up on this computer stuff any he.p or tips would be good.

Uploading the video to youtube and sharing the link here.