Adobe Premiere is a high-performance application that uses professional video creator features, but even beginners can do editing VR contents by following the steps in this article. The software used was Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017. In this post, I’d like to walk through the editing process of videos recorded by using 360 camera ( Samsung Gear 360 1st version ) on Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017.

* 360 VR videos used in this post are featuring our friend SXSW 2017 artist “New Portals”. Learn more about “New Portals” from Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud or Youtube.

Goal

• Sync VR video & then separate recorded audio.
• Create and edit title into video.

Display the characters, such as title and lyrics, in the video.

• Fade out the title in the video.

Soften the impression of how the title disappears.

• Trim the clip and export the video.

Extract the part you want to use and export the video.

• Preview with VR video function.

Watch preview video of full 360 degree sphere during editing.

Using Adobe Premiere can be intimidating with all the unfamiliar tools and functions, especially for beginners. Despite the available information on the Internet, it’s not easy to get used to the software. In this article, I will explain the process with as much details as possible.

1. First step: the Project File

Create a new Project file. The Project file contains the videos, audio, and the settings of the profile. In the Project File, you can edit the video and audio, then export it as a movie. Some people assume that by opening a video file, they could save it directly. But in fact, Premiere makes a project file which users then export to a movie file.

There are two ways to create a Project File:

1. Choose “New Project” on the Start screen that appears when Adobe Premiere Pro starts up.
2. In the application, choose File > New > Project

Then, enter a project name and click “OK”.

1. Choose New Project on the Start screen.
2. Enter project name and click “OK”

2. Understanding the Workspace.

Mastering Adobe Premiere Pro mostly involves understanding the Project File and the Workspace. Fifty percent of your skills are used in the Workspace.

1. Project Panel(Material box)

The Project Panel is where all materials are imported (video clips, audio clips, graphics, etc.) Editing of the materials also happens in the Project Panel. All elements in this panel are called “Clips.”

I imported the VR video shot using Gear 360 and the separately recorded audio.

2. Monitor Panel(Sub monitor, display of Material panel)

This panel shows the preview of the video and audio files and allows some basic editing.

3. Timeline Panel(Main work desk)

This panel is where you do the bulk of the editing including synthesizing the video, audio, and other materials. Materials can be imported by drag and drop.

4. Tool box(Work tools)

Tools for editing in the timeline panels.

5. Program Monitor(Main monitor, display of Timeline panel)

Shows a preview of the video while you edit the project. You can also confirm the complete video before exporting it to movie format.

Now, let’s try and see how it goes!

3. Import materials to the Project Panel

-Edit at the Project panel-

To start editing, you need to import all materials used for the project. Just drag and drop the files from your computer to the Project Panel. The materials should appear in the Project Window.

4. Creating the Sequence

-Edit at the Project panel-

If you are a beginner, I recommend that you remember the “Import File” and this “Create Sequence” functions.

Sequence is created in the Project panel.

1. To create a Sequence, click on the “New item” button in the Project Panel, then select “Sequence” from the menu.
2. Settings

・Editing Mode : select “Custom”

・Video > Frame Size : Enter the same number of video size. It’s shown in the info of the video file.

・Pixel Aspect Ratio : Select “Square Pixels(1.0)”. If you forget this setting, the video will be trimmed or deformed.

・Fields : Select “Progressive scan”.

・Video Previews : Confirm that width and height are same as the “Frame Size” of the video. If not, click “Reset” to adjust the video size. There is a possibility of exporting the video in different sizes, if you miss this setting.

・VR Properties > Projection : Select “Equirectangular”. VR video mode will not be enabled, if you forget this setting.

3. Click “OK” to close the Sequence setting.
4. The Sequence will now appear in the Project Window. Click to select the Sequence. The Timeline Panel shows the tracks of both the video and audio. This Sequence in the Timeline Panel will enable you to edit the project by putting materials in the tracks.

Congratulations on getting this far, let’s continue on to the next steps.

5. Synchronize Clips in 3 seconds.

-Edit at the Timeline panel-

Premiere provides a method for synchronizing audio and video where users can sync the audio and video which has been recorded separately. You can do this method in just 3 seconds if you master the process below:

1. Click the Sequence in the Project panel to show timelines of that.
2. Drag video material from the Project panel to the Timeline panel.

The Timeline panel has tracks in group by video and audio. The video shot by Gear 360 includes the audio recorded by microphone of the camera, thus the video clip will use each track video and audio.

3. Drag Audio materials from the Project panel to the Timeline panel. This is just an audio file, and thus the audio clip uses only an audio track. Now you’re ready to synchronize them.
4. Select the timeline of the Video by click, push Shift key on your keyboard and select the audio clip as well. The Video clip links movie and audio track, and thus if you select either of these, the other track will be selected automatically.
5. Right click(or control＋click) on those tracks and select “Synchronize” from the menu.
6. Select “Audio” on the dialog and click “OK”. Then the tracks move to synchronize.

Synchronize method has finished but there is one more step.

The timeline has 2 Audio, and if this stays on, both audio files will play and it sounds uncomfortable. One audio needs to be off.

First, Unlink the video that linked movie and audio. Then make this audio track unavailable to play.

7. Right click(or control＋click) on the video track linked with an audio track and select “Unlink” from the menu.
8. Click the audio track that unlinked with a video track and select “Enable” to uncheck from the menu.

Thereby, the camera audio becomes unavailable to play.

9. Click Play icon of the Program monitor to confirm the synchronization and audio.

6. Improve the experience. Making Titles on the Video.

-Edit at the Tools Panel, the Program Monitor, the Timeline Panel, and the Essential Graphics Window-

You can create titles easily with the method below.
In this example, I’ll create a title at the beginning of a song in the video.

1. Select the Type tool from the Tool Panel.
2. Type text on the Program Monitor directly. Type in the red textbox. The Text track is added in a blank video track automatically.
3. Open the Essential Graphics Window from Menu bar > Window.
4. It allows you to change text size, text color, font and create shadow at the Essential Graphics Window.
5. Select the Selection tool from the Tool Panel. The textbox in the Program Monitor color changed to blue.
6. Click and drag to change the text position.
7. Click end of the Text track in the Timeline panel, pull out the track sideways to adjust the display time.

Now you have created a title in the Video. Let’s play the video in the Program panel to confirm how it goes!

7. Fade is the most basic of basics of Video editing.

-Edit at the Timeline panel-

This is a method to make the title fade away.
If the title vanishes while you are watching the video, it looks uncomfortable.
“Fade” is common method to soften the impression as things disappear in the video.

1. Select the title track in the Timeline panel.
2. Set the indicator on the point you want to start fade the title.
3. Click the Keyframe icon to create a keyframe on the point on the title track.

If you can’t find the keyframe icon, expand track heights until the icon appears on the track.(Drag gray line in the border of tracks to expand a track.)

4. A keyframe will now appear on the point on the title track. If not, confirm the title track is selected.
5. Set the indicator on the point you want to finish fading the title.
6. Click the Keyframe icon to create a keyframe on the point on the title track.
7. Other keyframes will now appear on the point on the title track.
8. Drag the keyframe(Created at 6) to the bottom of the track.

The position of the keyframe shows the opacity. The first position of a keyframe shows the opacity is at 100%. As the slider goes down, the opacity will go down as well.

9. Put the indicator back to start, play the video once more to check on your work.

The keyframe can move right and left as well, and thus you can adjust timing of fade.

8. VR video

-Edit at the Monitor panel (Program monitor/Source Monitor)-

“Equirectangular” is the projection type used in 360 video. InstaVR will map the video back onto a sphere to create 360 space.
The video is plain originally, thus you need to edit on the plain video material.
However Premiere has new functions to watch preview videos of full 360 degree sphere during editing.
Same method for the Program monitor and Source Monitor.

1. Show video and right click on the Monitor panel , select VR video > Enable

※ If you cannot select the VR Video, please check the Sequence settings. Select “Equirectangular” of VR video in the settings to activate the VR video.

2. Now You can watch the Monitor panel as 360 video.

– There is another way to switch the video function.

Use the VR button on the Monitor panel to switch the plain video and 360 video.

1. With the VR video enabled, click “+”icon in the Monitor panel lower right.
2. Drag VR button from the Button Editor to the bottom blue square.
3. Click “OK” to close. Now the VR Button is added on the Monitor panel.

9. Extract and export the video.

-Work on the Program monitor-

Extract the part you want to use and export the video file.

1. Set the indicator in the Program monitor on the point you want to start the video.
2. Click ”｛” icon. Now the start position of the video is fixed.
3. Move the indicator to the point you want to end the video.
4. Click ”｝” icon. Now the end position of the video is fixed.

-The start and the end position enclose a gray box.
-These points can move after set the position to extract.

Now let’s proceed to export the video.

This setting depends on a device from which you want to watch on, thus please see this article for more your information.

1. Select File > Export > Media from the menu bar of Premiere Pro on your Mac.
2. Export Setting :

・Format : I’ll recommend that you select “H.264”. H.264 since is an industry standard for video compression, the process of converting digital video into a format that takes up less capacity when it is stored or transmitted.

・Preset : Choose preset to whichever media you want to show the video. The size is changed automatically depending on what you choose.

Once done, click “Match Source” button in the Basic Video Setting. If you forget this setting, the video will be trimmed or deformed.

・Click the Output name colored blue, it allows you to change the name and destination from which to save the file. Without changing the name and destination, it will be generally saved in same folder of the Project file.

・Check “Video Is VR” in Video > VR video.

・Click “Export”.

Let’s play the completed video!

10. GoPro VR Player

This is a desktop application to play 360 video.

Download GoPro VR Player (free) 

The complete video can’t be played on a 360 setting as it is.
However, the GoPro VR Player will enable you to play 360 video easily.
Just drag and drop the video files from your computer to the Player.

Now you are all set.

Now you’re all set to make a VR app with the InstaVR!