Quite enjoying the process of editing videos for viewing in my dotage (not so long to go!) I decided to buy a Virb XE, influenced by the additional data collected during flight. It arrived yesterday and I was disappointed to discover that if the Garmin editing software is used (Garmin Virb edit) a GARMIN.Virb watermark overlays the video. Garmin advise this cannot be removed.
Can anyone suggest alternative editing software which will import the Garmin G-metrix?
TIA
Misc.
If you want the features to add flight data easily, you will need to use one of the specialised action cam apps, unfortunately. I can’t help on removing the Garmin logo. Isn’t there an extra-cost version of it? Nobody doing anything serious would put up with a logo.
However most video work is done with a proper video editor, and there is a fair choice, from dirt cheap (say 30 quid) to very expensive (best part of 1k, speaking of PC software). I have used mostly the cheap stuff
and the above are all below 50 quid. You can get the last one, v13 (win7+ and realistically you want 64-bit windows especially for some add-ons) here for peanuts.
Vegas is easy to use; once you “get the paradigm” of video editing 
it works out of the box. Basic editing (import media, drop it onto the timeline, cut most of it out with crossdafes, add subtitles) is really trivial. I now use Vegas Pro 13 which I bought on a special offer for $200; normally it is 3x that. There are loads of tutorials on youtube etc. I also have a couple of Vegas 12 training DVDs, of unknown origin.
You will need a decent computer. A 64 bit OS runs more than 2x faster for rendering, and is required for some plug-ins. I believe most versions of Vegas Platinum come in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and this is something to check.
I believe most “pro amateurs” use Adobe Premiere, the full version, and Mac users use Final Cut Pro.
For decent results with any “action camera” (basically, creating videos which somebody wants to watch more than once) you will need to look into lens correction
If you want to shoot in 4k then the choice of software narrows, and you need a really totally top-end PC, but having seen so many flying videos I think that frankly it matters much more to get the basic job done right, than to produce high resolution crap which anyway cannot be hosted anywhere online.
I hope this helps, even if it isn’t what you asked 
The Mac side tends to use Avid, Premiere, Final Cut Pro and recently Resolve. Resolve is an interesting program as it’s a video color corrector and almost industry standard in that area. Very capable. Few years back they started incorporating video editing into the software, so that you can now both edit and color correct in one single environment. What’s even more bizarre, is that the software is completely free unless you step to Pro model and unlock some features that frankly an amateur doesn’t need. Only drawback is that the learning curve is pretty high – this is a full blown pro program.
I saw Resolve… cannot believe it is free!
Flying movies nearly always need colour correction – I reduce blue about 10% – and contrast which I up about 20%.
Yes, color correction and image control is criminally underused and not well understood in the amateur environment. Another thing Resolve does very well is stabilization. It has a world class tracker, so can offer all levels of expert stabilization.
Many thanks for the replies, amateur is exactly where I am for now. I have been using iMovie (having decided Pro would be overkill for my present skills. Crawl before run comes to mind!
Despite Garmin telling me the watermark could not be removed I found an option to do so, my playing to date shows it is indeed removed. That said the editing capability is somewhat sparse. My present thinking is run the video through Virb Edit and then through iMovie (anyone know what iMovie puts out in terms of resolution framesPS?). Next on my list is to look at colour, or more accurately light. I find in to sun can be problematic.
Maybe I should have a look at Resolve, thanks.
Now if only the weather would play. Sat in a B&B in Oban as I type and it’s hard to believe it will ever be VFR flyable again.
The learning curve on video editing is steeper than on just about any software I use, but it is worth getting something which is not quite at the bottom end because one day you will be able to use the extra features. So long as the program is not full of bugs, as some have been.
I have found serious bugs in Vegas Pro 13 but they are probably specific to my video card (which, for a good reason, is the fastest fanless video card I know of) and the NewblueFX lens correction plug-in, so they won’t get fixed anytime soon. Otherwise the program is great.
As for resolution, what does your camera put out? Normally you edit the project at the same parameters as that, to minimise quality loss. I would imagine most action cams doing 1080P 50fps would be putting out 25mbits/sec; less than that is visibly degrading moving scenes. 24fps is used in most traditional movies for what they regard as desirable effects. See here I like 50fps or 60fps and obviously 50fps needs 20% less storage.
As to the resolution you render the output file at, see here and that is really the answer. If you just want to watch it at home, or you can get top grade web hosting paid for by somebody else then render at 25mbits/sec. Otherwise render at 10-15mbits/sec for uploads to Vimeo or Youtube.
Speaking of Oban, this was shot at 1080P 50fps 25mbits/sec
but you won’t see the decent quality version unless you use the Download option and play it locally, on a really fast PC.
Finally, I would not have moved up from Vegas Platinum 12 (50 quid) if I didn’t need lens correction. v11 and v12 were totally solid, not crashing once in years. But they can’t take most 3rd party plugins or do 4k, but 4k is fairly pointless except for home viewing of own material, IMHO.
NIce video Peter and good that half the screen isn’t taken up with cockpit framing and the back of the pilot’s head. Is that shot with the Sony mentioned in one of your links mounted on a wing inspection cover?
I’m sure a TB20 is a much more stable camera ship than my light wing loading machine but did you use some sort of image stabilisation, either during or post recording? A lot of my footage is quite ‘bouncy’ which rather renders it barely useable.
Yes it was shot with the FDR-1000V. That camera is actually stabilised – in fact I enable the stabilisation deliberately because it reduces the angle of view from a ridiculous 170 degrees to a much less distorted 120 degrees but correction is still needed. The new -3000 has a lot less distortion and has optical stabilisation so it can shoot 4k with stabilisation; I would get it for the reduced distortion alone but would have to re-build my camera assembly because the waterproof housing has changed. For a bit of turbulence, see here – it does move about. All the Go-Pro models (until the latest) are not stabilised and it really shows in all the footage; air or ground. The Sony is also great for ground work (ski videos are really smooth) but doesn’t come with the range of mounting kits; Go-Pro have taken over the market for that.
Hi Peter,
That video is very smooth, how have you got the camera mounted? Could you send a picture of the mounting itself and the camera in position? How good is the battery? Do you start the camera before taking off? Thanks.
