Combining Video Streams

[Rugbydman]

Hi

I need some help. I’m a coach. I video our games that take place on a basketball court.
Imagine 1 camera filming from 1 angle then other cameras filming from 1 end and 1 probably filming the game clock.
How can I combine them all together.
Is it possible to choose the window size of each feed?
Is it easy?
How long would it take?
Can it be automated?

Thanks in advance
Darren

 

[ColdCase]

I think you are asking about split screen, where all the videos are sown in separate windows. I don’t know about iMovie, but there are special effects available for FCP that do split screen and PIP kinds of things. You simply set up the screen windows size/position and drag/drop the video into the window you want to show it.

 

[Rugbydman]

I think you are asking about split screen, where all the videos are sown in separate windows. I don’t know about iMovie, but there are special effects available for FCP that do split screen and PIP kinds of things. You simply set up the screen windows size/position and drag/drop the video into the window you want to show it.

Yeah I think that’s what I want
How do the videos sync to the same exact time?
What’s FCP/

 

[iluvmacs99]

Hi

I need some help. I’m a coach. I video our games that take place on a basketball court.
Imagine 1 camera filming from 1 angle then other cameras filming from 1 end and 1 probably filming the game clock.
How can I combine them all together.
Is it possible to choose the window size of each feed?
Is it easy?
How long would it take?
Can it be automated?

Thanks in advance
Darren

What you need is picture in picture (PIP) with iMovie. iMovie will also do split screen as well. It's pretty intuitive and iMovie is a free software, whereas Final Cut Pro (FCP) is a paid software. I think in your case, it would be a split screen of 2 camera angles and a PIP (Picture In Picture) of the game clock.

How to create picture In Picture (PIP).
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH22931?locale=en_US

How to create a split screen
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH22930?locale=en_US

 

[ColdCase]

How do the videos sync to the same exact time?

Each camera records a timecode along with the recording. The pros using multiple cameras will sync up the clock on the cameras so its easier to edit later. Manually you can place the videos on your movie project time line in three tracks, and nudge the videos forward and backward till they line up the way you want.

 

[Rugbydman]

Thanks for all your help I’ll try iMovie first

 

[Rugbydman]

great adding a 2nd camera feed looks easy via split screen or pip but how do I get all 3

also is possible to resize split screen windows?

 

[iluvmacs99]

great adding a 2nd camera feed looks easy via split screen or pip but how do I get all 3

also is possible to resize split screen windows?

I think this is a good easy tutorial for you to do what I think you want. This kid is making a music video with multiple PIP with iMovie. You can adapt his techniques for your project.. Not the greatest how-to-video, but I think you will get some inspirations from it.

Basically, you can create a new project and get 1st and 2nd camera feed combined and then export it to a movie file. Re-import this file into iMovie and create a new project and then use the combined 1st and 2nd camera feed and then add the 3rd camera feed in pip or split and then export again as the final movie. The kid's approach is better as you can customize the PIP size for each camera feed, but you need to export / feed. 3 feeds = 3 exports plus 1 final export. So be prepared to have a lot of coffee set aside unless you have a really fast computer with a dedicated graphics card.

However, if you do have a powerful computer with a lot of cores, a lot of RAM (more than 8Gb standard) and a dedicated GPU like a Radeon RX555, RX560, RX570, RX580 or Radeon Vega with at least 4Gb of ram or preferably 8Gb of ram, then Davinci Resolve, like FCPX (Final Cut Pro X) would be a much easier solution than iMovie. But Davince Resolve, while a free software like iMovie, is very resource intensive. My Mac Pro with RX580 is the only thing I have in the arsenal to do something like this below. If you don't have this, then iMovie is your best bet. Hope this helps.

 

[kohlson]

Hopefully you'll get what you are trying to accomplish for, but expectations should be set. There are several hours of "learning curve" here, and then each "game" will comprise of 3 streams) will probably take 1-3 hours of editing (likely longer), then an hour or so of export (based on a 48 minute game). And if you're uploading to YouTube or the like, another hour. Yes, some of this time you won't need to be doing anything (like when the video is exporting, or uploading) but each of those tasks has a learning curve. Video is just big and heavyweight. If it's something you (or one of the parents or other interested parties) has an interest in, then it's a great way to learn.
Note that in more advanced editors like FCPX or Resolve, you can burn in the timecode and reset it (such as when the second half starts). Way more efficient/faster than bringing in a third track of a video just showing he clock. And, you can use the method Apple recommends:iMovie for Mac: Create a split-screen effect - Apple Supporthttps://support.apple.com/kb/PH22930?

Sync the camera clips to tip-off, which presumably each camera can see.

I understand the importance of the game clock with respect to the game (Go Warriors!). But adding a 3rd camera feed to this makes things pretty complicated for iMovie, and even FCPX and Resolve. If you can live without "official time" I think you could be close within a second. If there's a way to use (the time code instead of the official clock video, that would really speed things up.

If you figure out a way to automate this, contact me - we'll be millionaires together!

 

[Rugbydman]

Awesome thank you so much I’ll report back when we next have training camp when I can all the video streams