I found some old drone footage that I shot a couple of years ago using my DJI Mini 2 drone. I was out at Magnolia Bluff on a moderately windy summer day not really paying attention to anything or I would have shot more footage of the hawks that were flying around.
I stitched them together using the cross dissolve transition between the videos.
Each video has the vibrance effect added to it to pump up the color.
I’m really loving the FCP on the iPad. Being able to use the Apple Pencil makes editing so easy.
The jog wheel is another feature that makes editing easy. Moving through video one frame at a time is amazing.
Some video of geese in flight shot on my Pixel 8 Pro. The cameras continue to amaze me. Being able to point and shoot with this quality is a treat.
I used a ShiftCam Pro Grip to help steady the phone. It’s a nice bit of gear that I picked up this year. If you are not familiar with this phone grip I would suggest checking them out https://shiftcam.com
The Pro Grip is great for controlling my phone with one hand. It has a hand strap that is well padded. The Pro Grip lets me focus on my subject instead of worrying about dropping my phone. It reminds me of the grip I had for my Sunshine Yellow Lumia 1020.
While the ShiftCam seems to be geared more towards the iPhone it does work with Android devices.
All of the videos were edited in Final Cut Pro for iPad. I used standard titles and the Cross Dissolve transition between each video.The music in the background is from FCP while all of the honker noises were captured with the 8 Pro.
I’m still learning how to use the app but believe that I am getting better with each video.
So, I looked through all the files for the project and started adding favorites and keywords and trying to scrub through the videos to see what I’m going to use and what I really don’t like about each shot. It’s a lot harder than it looks. I tried to have enough keywords so that I could find exactly what I’m looking for in the videos.
I also don’t remember having shot that much video. It has been a couple of years, but I really spaced that. It also made me think about how much space all these videos and pictures are taking up. I think I need to have them organized better. I also need to go through them and eliminate the ones that I don’t like.
The process has made me look at the shots and think about how they can all tie together. There should be some logic to the video not just a hodgepodge of different things. I’m trying to figure out what it is I’m trying to say in the video and why I want to say it. I’m trying to figure out how to organize my thoughts or maybe storyboard my ideas to have some logical progression. So, this has ended up being a good exercise.
The amount of time that is involved with this makes me appreciate what others who do this on a weekly basis go through. I’m just trying to do one little project and it seems like it’s taking me forever. How long does someone making a 15, or 17, or 30-minute video every week invest? I can see how it becomes a full-time job.
Yesterday, I thought the video I end up with might not be the same length as the original, but after looking at all the footage I have, it might be close.
It’s also nice looking back and the videos I took and thinking about why a shot was interesting at the time. Seeing the subject and how it was captured by the drone’s camera. Seeing how some shots changed because of height or coming at it from a different angle. It’s been an exercise in self-awareness.
So that’s where I’m going to end for tonight. I have a lot of work ahead, but I’m also motivated to get it done and to see how things turn out. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to finish this project. I’m hoping not too long but I’m trying to give myself time, so I don’t rush it and end up with a video that I don’t l like.
OK, so I’m trying to figure out how to determine whether I’ve succeeded in my bet.
I mean, how do I judge whether I have become fluent with the Final Cut Pro for iPad app?
I guess the only way that I can judge of that for myself is to look at what I’ve done previously and then see how/if I improve.
What I think I’m going to do is take one of the first videos that I did on the Final Cut Pro for Mac version and see what I create by using the same video files but doing everything on the iPad version.
Is that a good method to judge this by?
I don’t know.
It’s definitely not very scientific.
I already have the mindset that the video is not good and can be improved on.
BUT….
It does, however, allow me to focus on the:
1) 60 plus hours of drone video I’ve shot over this past year and not used.
2) look at all the photographs I’ve taken and not used.
Evansville Wildlife Area
AND
3) look at what I’ve spent time on over the last year with no real purpose.
I’m hoping that it helps me focus and that’s something I desperately need. I tend to move from project to project instead of giving one project all my attention. I’ve never been diagnosed but I really think I have ADHD.
Magnolia Bluff
I tend to get interested in something, learn about it, play with it for a while, then get bored with it and move on to the next bright shiny object. Like somehow this thing will fill a need or make me feel better and I do for a while but then I’m right back to looking for the next thing and the next thing after that. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to start doing one thing well instead of a lot of things half assed (pardon my language).
So, with that in mind I’ve gone over the last few videos that I’ve done with Final Cut Pro for Mac and have chosen three where I like the content, but don’t like the final product. Now I just have to figure out which one I want to focus on and go with that.
Lake Leota
I hope to have that decision made by tomorrow’s blog. I will then upload that video to my YouTube channel so that it’s available for anyone to see. Then I’m going to start working with the same files but on the iPad version of Final Cut Pro and see what I can come up with.
I’d like to give a thank you to anyone who is reading this, and I hope that you find the journey interesting.
That’s it for now though I have a lot of work ahead of me.
My Final Cut Pro 