Throughout this guide we have talked about the creative possibilities of full spherical 360 images and video. Shooting in 360 removes the frame and instead puts the viewer at the center of the action and regardless of how you watch it, be it on your mobile, at a desktop or in a headset - it ensures there's something to see and experience from every angle!
But what if you want to make a traditional, non 360 picture or video? Perhaps the platform you are creating for (Instagram for example) does not support 360 or perhaps you just want to create a linear story for your audience... Don't worry there's no need to put your Vuze XR down in favour of your old camera, in fact the 360 camera has a huge advantage here over your action camera, your DSLR, even your mobile phone! The reason is because in 360 you are literally filming everything. From the perfect sunset as it sets over the beach, to the seagulls flying overhead.. Even the look on your face as said seagull dives down and steals the icecream of the bemused family sitting to your left! 360 captures it all. All you need to do is reframe which part of the scene you want to make up your picture or video.
‘Reframing’ (or Overcapture) is exactly that, framing a traditional shot from your existing 360 footage in post production. This creates a huge amount of versatility because you can completely control the field of view and ultimately the direction of your content. Missing that key moment because it was just out of frame or wishing you had captured the perfect reaction of the people next to you never has to be a problem again. Vuze XR puts you in the directors chair so you can decide what makes it into your perfect cut.
‘Reframing’ (or Overcapture) is exactly that, framing a traditional shot from your existing 360 footage in post production. This creates a huge amount of versatility because you can completely control the field of view and ultimately the direction of your content. Missing that key moment because it was just out of frame or wishing you had captured the perfect reaction of the people next to you never has to be a problem again. Vuze XR puts you in the directors chair so you can decide what makes it into your perfect cut.
Director's Cut Example:
Limitless Creativity
Armed only with Vuze XR, some ‘magic’ accessories and your mobile phone you effectively have your very own production crew ready to create amazing cinematic experiences. Whether you're exploring exotic holiday destinations, a budding vlogger in need of the perfect backdrop or just trying to capture the ultimate selfie - as soon as you're done shooting, you can use the Director's Cut feature in the XR app to create a perfectly framed clip from your 360° content and share as traditional HD video to your favorite platforms.
Directors Cut offers limitless creativity and with just a few simple taps, you can trim, crop, and completely control the focus of your video making sure you capture the best bits every time. You can automatically follow objects of interest using the sophisticated AI track this feature and completely adjust the appearance of your shot with exciting filters and effects. When combined with the XR Magic Selfie Stick you can literally create the impossible shot with amazing tiny planet perspectives and dronie self-portraits (without the need for a drone!)
Here is a simple step by step guide to use Director's Cut on your phone (Android or iOS)
Step by step guide
Before we start - make sure you have copied (downloaded) the video content you wish to edit from your XR camera on to your phone.
- Go to gallery
- Select the video you wish to edit
- Click “Edit”
- It's recommended you “Stabilize” your footage first (if required) so you have smooth video to work with.
- Adjust your video as desired (brightness, contrast, highlights etc.) - you can also add effects and audio by selecting relevant options if you wish.
- Then select ‘Directors Cut’
A. First ‘Crop’ your video to give you the desired frame. Certain crops will optimize your video for specific platforms so keep in mind where you plan to publish your video. We suggest you use ‘Vertical’ for stories, ‘Square’ for social media posts and ‘Regular’ for platforms like Facebook or Youtube.
B. Then set the start point of the video. Here you can move around the video by dragging your finger over the screen to view different points from your 360° perspective. You can also choose at what point you want the video to start from by dragging the timeline (the white bar at the bottom of you screen) right or left. Finally you can pinch the screen or use the slider on the right hand side to set the zoom. Once you have the perfect spot, tap the green tick - this will be the starting point of your video. Pro Tip: If you have mounted your camera to a drone to record from the air, be sure to select ‘Flip This’ to correctly orientate the video.
C. Move your video along by moving the timeline or simply tapping on the screen to start and stop your video. When desired you can choose a new perspective or focus point for your video by selecting the ‘Look Here’ option - this will create a keyframe (or keystone depending on your termanology) which is represented by a red dot on the timeline. Now your video will transition from the starting view to the viewpoint of the keyframe. Pro Tip: You can use the ‘Track This’ feature to smoothly follow an object in your video rather than creating keyframes to follow it.
D. You can now keep adding keyframes as you desire to your video. Remember the video will pan from keyframe to keyframe so you can use them to move between focus points or create visual effects like flying in and out of the video. The closer the keyframes are together on the timeline, the quicker the panning transition will be. Pro Tip: You can delete keyframes by holding the red icon on the timeline. After a second a red cross will appear which when tapped on will remove the keyframe from the video.
E. Once you have finished adding keyframes you need to select the end of your video. Again move the timeline or let the video play until you reach the desired point then select ‘Set End’. Choose the final frame view and hit the green tick, then simply select “Finish”. You will be given a final option to select either the fixed frame classic style video you have created or the original, full 360 capture. Hit ‘Contine’ and then select ‘Render’ to create your video! Pro Tip: If you have a compatible Smartphone, you can select ‘Hardware Rendering” in the ‘Phone Settings’ menu to speed up the time it takes to render your video.
And that's it! You have just edited your very own fixed frame creation from full 360 content! We can’t wait to see all your Vuze camera content so send us your best creations and we’ll select a few of our favourites to feature across our social media channels each month.