Editing the 360 video

This software automatically stitches the images from the 2 cameras together to produce a seamless 360 image as soon as the footage is loaded into the programme.

There is then the facility to trim the footage to the desired length and join it to other sections to create a longer video.

I found the tutorials fairly straightforward to say I have no experience at all with video editing. However, the elation at being able to follow the instructions and get my first lot of footage stitched was soon followed by disappointment at the darkness and graininess of it.

I'm not sure what to do really. I think I'll press on and sequence the 2 bits of footage that are the brightest. I want to find suitable music to go with it as well. There's the facility in the software to add titles and credits, so I'll do that too.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of my depth with this.

It's now a couple of days later and I've got a finished video which I've watched in the Google Cardboard VR headset. It's not great, but you sort of get the idea. I got the music from freemusicarchive.org. I had to listen to quite a few before I found it. I started with the search term 'light' and 'ambient' but I didn't find anything. The one I've chosen is quite 'spacey' and I think it suits the experience.

I don't know what to do about improving it or even whether it can be improved. The camera isn't very high spec and filming in low light conditions is always going to be tricky especially if the camera isn't brilliant. I think I'm going to see if I can do anything in Adobe Premiere Pro. That's what seems to be being recommended on the searches I've been doing. I'd like to be able to cut out the tripod and the bike helmet. From what I've seen, it is possible, but I'm aware of time ticking and I'm not sure if getting to grips with Premiere Pro at this stage is an efficient use of time when there is so much more to get written up.

UPDATE - I've decided, after several frustrating and disheartening attempts at editing in Premiere Pro, that I will see if I can find someone who I can pay to do it. I've drafted a job description and sent it to Richard Mulhearn asking if he knows of any of his students who might have the necessary skills.

UPDATE - Richard forwarded it to the moving image lecturer but he couldn't think of anyone to help. Just as I was about to give up, I remembered my husband using Fiverr for a graphic design job, so I thought I'd see if there was anyone on there offering 360 video editing. There was! I sent the footage and soundtrack to him and he said he could turn it round in a week.

UPDATE - Jet (my editor) sent the footage back but it was too bright and the colour contrast was lost. It also looked even more grainy. The footage definitely looks better without the bike helmet even though it looks slightly like a kaleidoscope now when you navigate downwards. I asked him to reduce the brightness a bit and see what improvements he could make to the colour contrast and saturation. I also decided to cut the 1st 2 minutes which are just the 'sitting still' part because it was the grainiest section. Jet tried to sort out the graininess, but he said it made it all very blurry and indistinct. This is how the video looks now.

I watched it in the VR headset and it was OK, still grainy but the colours are quite strong. It really shows how important the camera is for a project like this.