Multi-angle recording - questions

Gear & Tools Talk šŸ’» Hardware, Software & Recording
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I spent way too much time today figuring out how to do multi-angle videos, using 2 or more phones or other recording devices. I would like to get a bit further than where I got to, so if anyone has any input please feel free to share. I am using iMovie, the free video software that comes with iPhones. I am willing to buy a separate app / software if itā€™s reasonably priced and has a few more features.

I was able to vary the view (picture in picture, split screen horizontal or vertical, and cutaway to the 2nd video on its own), but I could not show just the 1st video on its own. (It shows for a couple seconds at the end only because I trimmed the end of the 2nd video.) I would like to be able to show both of the videos separately whenever I want, and have some more subtle transitions between different views, or maybe just when a picture-in-picture is added (eg have the little pic in pic fly in). I would also like to use a 3rd camera for another angle. Ideally I would like to be able to do a zoom out (or zoom in), something like Sebastian did on Goinā€™ Down Slow. I think that may have required a 2nd person doing the recording though.

I know that the video views arenā€™t that great. I need to get a phone stand I think rather than tying my iPhones off on music stands, and I need to tidy up the background! I just wanted to see what I could do with iMovie though.

I was happy to finally figure out how to import video into Reaper so that I could use the audio from my condenser mic recording vs the mic on the iPhone.

I recorded a short piece, Walkin Easy Blues from Justinā€™s Solo Blues Guitar course, for this multi-angle video attempt.

The flying pinky on my fretting hand needs work. I also know that the position of my picking hand is not correct, but thatā€™s how Iā€™ve been doing it since I taught myself to finger pick nearly 50 years ago and as long as it works for me I have no plans to invest any time in re-learning the correct way :slight_smile:

Mari

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Hi Mari,
I have absolutely no idea about all that video stuff,ā€¦

But the only thing I want to add,ā€¦I want to see your head. :smile:

Other than thatā€¦, great video loved watching it :sunglasses: :sunglasses: and great play :sunglasses: :clap: :bouquet:

Greetings,ā€¦

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To do more serious video editing you will need to get familiar with other software. Iā€™m using Adobe After Effects but there are other more affordable tools that would allow you to cut the footage, past parts of footage into the timeline and sync it all with externally recorded audio.

Other thing that I have noticed is the transitions are sometimes very short and disrupting overall flow. I would avoid any picture in picture or split screen experiments (unless this is instructional video). If this is a performance piece it is better go full screen, here is an example what I mean.

Btw., very well played :slight_smile:.

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Youā€™ve probably reached the extent of what you can do on iMovie. You need to start looking at a proper video editing suite e.g. Adobe Premiere or something similar, that allows you to have multiple tracks/swim lanesā€¦however the approach to switching between full screen for videos is actually pretty much the same i.e. you cut out the video section from the video you donā€™t want to see. Similarly with a full suite you can bring in as many video tracks and angles as you like, add more complicated transitions and also import your audio from elsewhere. (and most modern apps will allow you to sync it automatically as well across multiple video tracks).

Iā€™ll be honest and say it can be a sink for time compared to using something like iMovie but thatā€™s how you get better results. You will certainly be able to do the zoom in effect (without another person) if you use a video suite app.

You could also look at OBS (online broadcaster) which is more for live but it also handles one shot recording and is very easy to add in multiple cameras and audio sources. Again itā€™s not the easiest solution to understand to start with but comes with some nice automation tools to switch between cameras etc.

You probably want to look at getting a cheap standalone camera or web camera so you can add some additional angles.

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I ended up going down the path with Movavi Video Suite which is around Ā£80 for Windows Version and Ā£72 for Mac Version lifetime subscription plus 20% off if you subscribe to their newsletter. Iā€™ve found it to do what it says on the tin and auto sync has worked well for me. The only pain with it is when you start it up it has pop ups advertising its latest add ons or newer versions discount. As with most of them you can try it out for free to see if it works for you.

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Mari, firstly watching you play that Walkin Easy Blues does remind me that 2 years ago I was making good progress, before following other paths. Sounded great and is tempting.

Just to be clear, are your questions focused on video editing post recording or how to record with two cameras concurrently to produce the video?

If the latter then you can do that with OBS. I have made a video with my webcam and phone, but it was a static setup. I think there are ways to programme in changes to the layout and perhaps even a way to control that manually.

If the former then you can do quite a lot with Reaper. I made this video with all editing done in Reaper. It was 4 clips recorded one after the other and then dropped into Reaper but would work equally as well to take each video from the phones and edit the video in Reaper afterwards. As per usual there are some Kenny Gioia videos to get you going. Not as good a user interface as a Video Editor programme, but I got the job done.

@Helen0609 posted up a reply in another topic and mentioned a free video editor that was working well for her future daughter-in-law: https://www.capcut.com/ Iā€™ve not looked at it, having bought a Video Editor but maybe worth a look.

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For free options, check out Kdenlive for a relatively simple to use, but powerful, video editor.

If you need something more capable/professional but, necessarily, much more complex: DaVinci Resolve.

Cheers,

Keith

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You need @Kasperā€™s babe magnet :wink:

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I thought that was some nice playing!

On the multicam, Iā€™ve only experimented with it a little bit. What I know so far is that you can record on any camera or phone, record audio separately ideally (e.g. in DAW or with a better microphone), and make sure all videos have audio recording on.

In a decent video editor with multicam features it will sync all the clips by their audio and replace the camera audio with the quality audio recording. So I recorded in DAW and exported for the highest quality WAV.

I use CyberLink PowerDirector. Similar to what @Socio says about Movavi it NAGS at times for be to upgrade even though Iā€™ve paid for it. But Adobe is so expensive for an amateur at home. I tried Corel but it didnā€™t sync the audio properly.

Most of these video editors have a free trial, you would want one that has multicam editing as a feature.

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Hi Mari Vegas Studio is great for purposes of video editing, Camtasia a but more limited but also should do the trick

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Thanks for all the input everyone (and playing comments as well :slight_smile: )

@roger_holland this is why I need a video editor with more than 2 cameras, then (maybe) Iā€™ll include a video shot with my smiling face lol

@RadekSiechowicz I definitely know that the transitions are short and disruptive. With this video I just wanted to test out everything I could find to do using iMovie. That YouTube video you shared has some massively excellent playing!

@Rossco01 the relatively simple iMovie was itself a massive sink time for me yesterday, altogether I spent almost 4 hours figuring it out :exploding_head: . Any further videos I do in iMovie wonā€™t take any time at all though. Iā€™ve been reluctant to look into that OBS because when you all start talking about it it sounds too techie for me. I will add it to my list of potentials to try though. Re cameras, I actually have 4 decent iPhones to use (2 XRs, and 2 iPhone 13s), as we just upgraded our phones, and I also have the webcam, so I should be good for cameras.

@Socio another one to add into the list, thank you!

@DavidP my questions are on video editing post recording. I used Reaper to sync the audio from my AI with the 2 camera videos. I did 3 claps at the beginning of the recording and then it was relatively easy to sync everything together. I didnā€™t figure out any video editing capabilities in Reaper though. You say ā€˜I made this video with all editing done in Reaperā€™. What video are you talking about? Thereā€™s no link. And what Video Editor did you buy?

@Majik simple is what Iā€™m hoping for, so I will definitely check that one out.

@brianlarsen I wasnā€™t looking for a new recorder, just a tripod, but that Magnet looks very interesting and it is now on my wish list!

@jkahn Iā€™m looking for an inexpensive option and so I can deal with lengthy advertising intros to achieve that goal :slight_smile:

@adi_mrok 2 more Iā€™ve never heard of, thanks!

Thanks again everyone, I now have a lengthy list of software to try out. Plus a Magnet to buy, when I wasnā€™t looking for a recording tool, I was looking for a video editor ā€¦

Simple is the first key for me, and inexpensive is second. To demonstrate my need for simplicity -
To make this recording I set up 2 iPhones to record video, using cords to attach them to music stands at odd angles (ie music stand pointed towards me and down), and set up condenser mic for recording audio. I recorded the piece in one-take. All is good. Put everything away. Checked videos. Realized I did not hit record on one of the iPhones. Decided to try recording the 2nd video by playing along. I recorded that one in two takes. Checked videos, and everything looked good. Put everything away again. Did you realize that when you do a slow-mo video the first couple seconds play back at regular speed? So then I realized that I hit slow-mo record on one of the videos!!! Cripes. Got both cameras out again and recorded one last time. In about 43 takes :frowning: I repeat - simplicity is key for me, as I can muck even that up!

:slight_smile:

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Ooops, copied the link and then never pasted, go figure ā€¦ Saturday Afternoon Rock n Roll - YouTube

I bought Corel Ultimate Studio. As per JKā€™s comment I did struggle with syncing different clips with a master audio. I got it right in the end but was easier to do it on the project above in Reaper manually.

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It is necessary to go by trial and error to figure out what works for you. Great that you can assess what works and what not, this will speed you up significantly.

Glad you enjoyed Brandon Acker, Iā€™m big fan of his works :).

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Thanks for the info, David. And thatā€™s a nice rock and roll clip!

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Multi-angle videos are cool :slight_smile:

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Hi Mari,

First of all nice playing. :slight_smile: Youā€™ve got a nice feel.

I know there have already been a lot of replies, but maybe I can add a few more suggestions. :grinning:

For what you want as a result, I believe the free Davinci Resolve version is a really great option. Youā€™ll need to create 2 time lines, a dynamic zoom and thatā€™s it.
Probably the first time it will take you a a few hours, but once youā€™ll get the hang of it, it should go quickly.

Did you consider those Ring lights as stands for your phones?
They are not expensive and have several proā€™s. They are adjustable in height, they have a holder for your phone, and they have a white light, which could come in handy when filming on a cloudier day or at night.

Keep us posted on the results.

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Mari

I have absolutely nothing to add on the video production and editing side as much has been said and many suggestions made, But I just had to listen to the recording as I am currently refining both the first and second Solo Blues course ā€œsongsā€ while learning the third (parallel to Fingerstyle Blues Handbook by David Hamburger - working on first 5 exercises/songs/tracks). Anyway thought you did a grand job and a little more fluid than I am at the moment. Very useful to see the different angles and hand shots, so I can see why youā€™re pursuing that. Surprised @adi_mrok didnā€™t mention your thumb but guess youā€™re not about to change :rofl: Nice share !
:sunglasses:

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Thanks @Sebastian_Dewulf-Ortega . Iā€™ve started looking at the two free editors, Kdenlive and DaVinci Resolve, and they both look very similar . I found some good tutorials on DaVinci Resolve so I will be trying that one. If I have questions I will reach out to you, thanks. And thanks for mentioning ring light stands, never heard of them but they might be a good choice for phone stands.

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Thanks @TheMadman_tobyjenner , I hope to see your version at some point. Iā€™ve got to get on to some more pieces in that course as well, I got distracted with something else after I learned this one. And re hand positioning I think my 50 years comment was too much for @adi_mrok to bother commenting on!! Sorry Adrian lol

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Hi Mari,

Thanks to your post you went and put ideas into my head. I ended up taken a previous single camera shot video of a fingerstyle song and adding some transitions to the video zooming into focus on my picking hand and then panning the short up the fretboard to focus on my fretting hand before zooming back out again. It actually worked out reasonably well, so I may give it a go on my next video on my learning log that I post to get feedback on my developing techniques.

Oh and you done a great job on the Walkin Easy Blues. I enjoyed it very much. Maybe worth posting it on the challenge page?

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