Last week I had the opportunity to present an incredibly fun topic to the DC/MD/VA Creative Professionals user group… GoPro Cameras, Quadcopters, and Adobe Creative Cloud. Thanks to everyone who attended. This topic is a personal interest of mine, and I had a great time. There were great questions and great conversations all around.
For those who weren’t able to attend, here’s a video of the full 2-hour presentation. The audio quality isn’t perfect, but you can still catch most of it:
My slides are available here:
Attribution: I included some images from the GoPro photo of the day gallery.
Here are a few quick links for getting started with Adobe Creative Cloud for producing video and photography content:
- Check out the Take Flight Into the Adobe Creative Cloud series on Adobe TV
- Learn how to create panoramas in Photoshop
- Learn how to use Adobe Camera RAW as a non destructive filter in Adobe Photoshop CC
- Learn about Adaptive Wide Angle correction in Adobe Photoshop CC
- Learn about Lens Correction for GoPro Hero 3 cameras
- Learn how to get started with Adobe Lightroom
- Learn how to get started with Adobe Photoshop
- Learn how to get started with Adobe Premiere
- Learn how to get started with Adobe AfterEffects
- Learn more about color grading with Adobe SpeedGrade
For those who were asking about my copter rig, here are the details on what I am flying:
- Copter: DJI Phantom
- Gimbal: Beholder Lite (details on my configuration - definitely requires some tuning)
- FPV: KumbaCam - Great for a remote viewfinder, though the GoPro feed flickers when in time lapse photography mode. I put it on a tripod at eye level so I can quickly glance between LOS and FPV viewing (FPV = First Person View). I use this as a remote viewfinder, not a primary flight mechanism, and never go beyond line-of-sight.
- Case: Nanuk 940 - perfect size to fit the Phantom
- Batteries - get lots of extras b/c you won’t want to stop flying!
- Camera: GoPro Hero 3 Black
Without the gimbal and FPV, you’ll get about 12-15 mins of battery per flight. With the gimbal and FPV, I get about 7-8 minutes per flight… I’m currently researching options to extend battery life & flight time.
You can definitely get bigger copters with a heavier lift capacity, but this configuration is great for getting started, and is designed specifically for the GoPro. Then, use Creative Cloud to polish your images and video.