Chapter 14
Working with Aerial Images and Footage
In This Chapter
Moving photos and videos from your drone to your computer
Exploring popular photo and video editing software
Sharing pictures and video online
Capturing photos and videos with your drone takes a lot of up front work. You probably didn’t go to the great lengths of buying a drone and learning how to fly it to capture images and video only to never view them or share them with others, right? That’s what I thought! Your aerial images may be for use in a movie, work documentation, art, or maybe just for documenting memories. Regardless of why you are using your drone to capture all of this information, you need to know how to get your videos and pictures off your drone and edited, shared, catalogued, viewed, or otherwise used!
The task of moving files off your drone and onto a computer is called importing. Regardless of how your drone or camera is configured, this process can be achieved without too much effort. In this chapter you will learn how to access the video and images on your drone and import them to your PC, Mac, or Chromebook. It doesn’t stop there; once images and video are on your computer, you have a handful of options for how to use them.
In this chapter you will review a sampling of photo and video software products that will give you the tools to enhance your images and video, make home movies, and even export your home movies to physical media like DVDs and Blu-Ray©. You will also learn how to share images and video with family, friends, and coworkers using popular internet tools like Dropbox and Google Drive.
Lastly, you will learn how to view your pictures and video on your computer as well as how to stream video and photos to your television from your computer. You can also skip a step and view your photos and video on your television directly from your drone or drone’s camera.
Importing Images and Video
Taking videos and photos off your drone’s camera or your add-on camera and putting them on your computer is a process referred to as importing. Depending on your drone, this process can be done in a number of ways. With some drones, you can actually stream your video or images back to a device while you are flying (the Parrot Drone offers this sort of capability). Other devices have built-in media that cannot be removed, requiring you to plug your drone directly into your computer. The majority of drones and cameras, however, use some sort of removable storage so that your videos and images can be quickly moved to computer and deleted to free up space on the device. This process is called dumping.
If you are using a drone with an integrated camera, refer to your device manual to verify whether your drone uses removable media or you have to plug it into your computer directly. If your drone uses an add-on camera such as a point-and-shoot, action camera, or DSLR, chances are that the camera has removable storage. If you are unsure, refer to your device manual to verify.
Cameras typically come with a data port that allows you to plug your camera directly into your computer using a USB cable. Due to the compact nature of cameras, the USB port on your camera will be smaller than the USB port on your computer. The smaller USB port is referred to as a mini-USB. It doesn’t stop there. There is an even smaller version of the mini-USB, called micro-USB, which is also commonly used with compact cameras.
The cable that is needed to connect popular cameras such as the GoPro or pretty much every point-and-shoot and DSLR camera on the market is a mini- or micro-USB to USB cable like the cables pictured in Figure 14-1. These cables are typically shipped with the camera or drone (if the drone supports it). If your drone doesn’t come with these cables, you can purchase them online at Amazon.com.
Source: Viljo Viitanen/Creative Commons
Figure 14-1: The mini- and micro-USB to USB cable.
To connect your camera to your computer, follow these steps:
Ensure your camera is powered off.
Some cameras can be a little temperamental. Ensuring your camera is off before plugging it into your computer will help you avoid any mishaps.
Locate the USB plug on your camera and plug the USB cable into the camera first.
USB ports on cameras are typically hidden under a cover of sorts to prevent dust, lint, and other foreign materials from entering the USB port(s). Figure 14-2 is a picture of the GoPro USB & HDMI ports and protective cover.
With the camera still powered off, plug it into your computer’s available USB port.
Your computer will likely not detect the camera’s presence because it is powered off.
With your camera connected to your computer, power the camera on.
Once powered on, your camera might indicate that it is connected to your computer. Your computer should also indicate that a camera or removable storage has been connected. This can happen in a number of ways, depending on the type of computer you have and the software that is installed on it. Some computers might open a window containing image and video files. Default photo/video software may load, or a simple icon may appear on your desktop representing your camera’s media contents, as shown in Figure 14-3.
Mark LaFay
Figure 14-2: GoPro USB and HDMI ports.
Mark LaFay
Figure 14-3: MacBook Pro desktop with a camera storage icon.
If your computer has an SD card slot and your camera has a removable SD card, you can also import photos and video from your camera by removing the SD storage card and inserting it into your computer directly.
Once you have verified your camera has been successfully connected to your computer, you are ready to take the next step in moving your images and video from your camera to your computer. There is a good possibility that your computer will load default software for importing, organizing, editing, or otherwise managing photos and video. Some of these popular software tools are covered later in this chapter.
Importing images and video to a Windows machine
With your camera connected to your Windows 8.1 computer and powered on, follow these steps to import images and video to your computer:
- From the Windows desktop, right-click and, from the popup menu that appears, choose New.
Select the option to create a new folder.
A folder appears on the desktop. If you don’t name your folder now, you can do so later by right-clicking the folder and selecting the option to rename it.
Click the Start button located in the bottom left corner of your screen.
The Start menu appears, revealing several options.
Click File Explorer.
A window appears, revealing all media currently available for browsing. Windows treats your external camera like storage device.
- Double-click the icon for your camera to begin navigating through the contents of your aerial camera.
Using your touchpad or mouse, click the file or folder you want to import to your PC. If you would like to import more than one file, press and hold Shift, and then, using your touchpad or mouse, click the files and folders you want to import.
The files will become highlighted indicating their selection.
Click your selection and drag it to the new folder you created on your desktop.
The files will move with your pointer indicating they are being dragged.
Once your pointer is hovering over your destination folder, release your click to drop all of the selected images and videos in their new location on your computer.
The files will be copied to the new location on your computer.
Importing images and video to a Mac
With your camera connected to your Mac and powered on, follow these steps to import images and video:
Press and hold Control and then click your Mac’s desktop.
A dropdown menu appears.
Choose New Folder.
A new folder appears with the name highlighted indicating you can type to rename the folder.
Type the new folder name, and press Return.
The folder name becomes permanent.
You can always rename the folder by right clicking on the folder icon and selecting rename.Locate your camera’s icon on your desktop, and double-click it.
A window appears, revealing the contents of the camera.
Using your touchpad or mouse, click the file or folder you want to import to your Mac.
If you would like to import more than one file, press and hold Shift, and then, using your touch pad or mouse, click the files and folders you want to import.
The files become highlighted, indicating that they are selected.
Using your touchpad or mouse, click your selection and drag it to the new folder you created on your desktop.
The files move with your pointer, indicating they are being dragged.
Once your pointer is hovering over your destination folder, release your click to drop all of the selected images and videos in their new location on your computer.
The files will be copied to the new location on your computer.
Importing images and video to a Chromebook
With your camera connected to your Chromebook and powered on, follow these steps to import images and video to your computer:
Locate the app menu button in the bottom left corner of your shelf, and click it.
The app menu appears, revealing several application options.
Locate the Files application icon and click it.
The Files application will load.
Your camera appears in the list of media options on the left side of the Files window.
Click on the camera in Files to begin browsing its contents.
Holding Shift, click the files you want to import to your Chromebook.
The files become highlighted indicating your selection.
When you finish selecting files, click and drag your selection to the folder that you have designated as the home for your images and videos.
The files are placed in the folder.
If you need a little extra help with your Chromebook, check out my book: Chromebook For Dummies (Wiley), to get a little helping hand!
SD Cards and SD Card Readers
Many of the drones and add-on cameras available today record images and video to a removable storage device called an SD card. SD stands for secure digital and was introduced to the world in 1999. This storage format is fantastic for portable electronics such as phones and cameras because it is compact, non-volatile (meaning it doesn’t require electricity to remember its contents), and high-speed, and now SD cards are available in larger capacities.
SD cards have become the unofficial standard for compact photo and video devices. In fact, the SD association touts that SD cards are used in over 8,000 different devices across 400 brands around the world. That’s a lot of love for SD! The greatest benefit to the drone community is that SD cards are lightweight and easy to swap out. They are also durable and affordable, and as technology continues to grow and expand, SD cards are continuing to shrink. Currently, SD cards come in a standard size as well as mini and micro.
Most drones and action cameras utilize the microSD storage cards while many point and shoot cameras use miniSD cards and standard SD cards. DSLRs are increasingly using standards SD cards almost exclusively.
You can import your images and video from an SD card by inserting your SD card into an SD card slot on your computer, or by using an SD card reader. Most computers accept only standard SD cards, so if you are using a micro or miniSD card, you will need to plug it into a standard SD card adapter. If your computer isn’t equipped with an SD card slot, you must use an SD card reader. SD Card readers are small devices that connect to a computer using a USB cable. SD card readers will give you the option to import from any size SD card which alleviates the need for an SD card converter. Figure 14-4 is a picture of a USB SD card reader that accepts all sizes of SD cards.
Source: King of Hearts/ Creative Commons
Figure 14-4: One-size-fits-all SD card reader.
Importing images and video from an SD card is the same as importing images and video directly from a camera. Start by inserting your SD card into your computer directly or with an SD card reader. Once connected, simply follow the steps outlined in the previous sections.
Digital file storage has come a long way in the last 10 years. SD cards are much more stable than their predecessors. However, SD cards are not immune to failure. Make sure you take care of your SD cards by storing them in cases and try to not touch the metal contact points that are plugged into cameras and computers. When possible, back up the contents of your SD cards even if they aren’t full. That way you are protected in the event of a catastrophic failure of your SD card!
Viewing Images and Video
The greatest hurdle for digital photo and video technology has been processing real-life images, which have an infinite amount of information, into a digital format, which has a finite amount of information. To do this, image processors take the information and begin stripping out bits that may not be detectible by the human eye. This process is called compression. There are a lot of ways to compress photos and videos and the net result is several different types of photo and video file formats. These different file formats require different software to be able to process files using those formats and display their information back to you in the form of a beautiful photo or video on your computer screen.
For the most part, drones and the majority of cameras you might use with your drone save images and video in file formats that don’t require special software to access. That is, your computer’s operating system should be able to open them without any additional software.
Following is a list of widely supported image and video file types:
- Common image file types: JPG/JPEG, TIF/TIFF, PNG, BMP, GIF
- Common video file types: MPG/MPEG, MP4, MOV, WMV, 3GP, AVI
If your drone’s integrated camera or your add-on camera output to different file formats, you may need to use additional software to be able to view or edit the files. Software is covered later in this chapter.
If your camera produces files in one of the listed formats, you should have no major problem viewing the file on your computer. Simply locate the file and double-click it. Your computer launches an image previewer or video player, depending on the file you selected.
Picture Editing Software
A major advantage to digital photography is that you can do quite a bit of editing after the photos have been captured without needing a darkroom or advanced knowledge of how to manipulate film. Editing your photos after they have been captured is called post production, or post for short.
During post you can make minor tweaks to change how bright your image is, or maybe what colors shine through the most. You can even change the shape and size of the image, or do drastic things like cut major parts of the photo, add images from other pictures, apply filters, and do other fancy things.
Most computers today come with some sort of built-in photo editing software that will help you perform minor edits to color and brightness, and maybe the contrast, size, shape, and so on.
High-end photo editing software such as Portrait Professional and Adobe Photoshop gives you the tools you need to doctor your photos the way the professionals do. These tools will give you the ability to edit your photos all the way down to the pixel. But professional tools come at a professional price.
iPhoto
If you have a Mac, you are in luck because your computer comes with a program called iPhoto. iPhoto is a photo management and editing tool. When you plug your drone camera, add-on camera, or SD card into your Apple computer, chances are good that iPhoto will load and give you the option to immediately import your photos. iPhoto also organizes your photos by date. If you would like to organize them yourself, you can do so by creating albums and simply dragging and dropping your imported images into their new home. In addition to the management of your aerial photo collection, iPhoto comes with several tools to edit your photos, shown in Figure 14-5, so they look exactly how you remember them or better. You can save copies of your edits to preserve the originals and easily share the photos from iPhoto with your friends and family via email.
Courtesy of Tucker Krajewski
Figure 14-5: iPhoto rocks the photos!
If you ever want to get your aerial images printed, iPhoto also comes with a book-making feature. This features makes it possible for you to arrange your photos in a book and send it to Apple to be printed. In a week or so you’ll get a book, made by you, filled with your images. Now that is a cool gift for your family and friends, or you.
Chromebook and Pixlr
If you have a Chromebook, you have far fewer options for photo editing than what is readily available on Macs and PCs. But don’t fear, your Chromebook comes with a photo gallery manager that will help you organize your imported photos. In the Chromebook gallery, you can view your images, make minor edits to the photos, and even apply built-in color filters. If you need something a little more high-powered, try Pixlr.
Pixlr is cloud-based photo editing software. Cloud-based means that you don’t need to install anything on your computer, you simply go to the website. If you are on a Chromebook, you can add Pixlr to your Chromebook through the Chromebook app store at no cost. With Pixlr you can easily filter your photos and adjust colors, brightness, and more. Use drawing tools to add in features to your photos or use auto features to make edits like removing red-eye. Figure 14-6 shows Pixlr in all its glory.
Courtesy of Tucker Krajewski
Figure 14-6: Edit photos on Chromebook with Pixlr.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop has become an industry standard for photographers and photo editors around the world. The term “photoshop” is used more often than not to describe the process of editing photos. Photoshop comes with a seemingly limitless number of features giving you the ability to adjust, edit, create, and modify anything and everything in your image. Built-in filters make it possible to add effects, or simplify common photo editing tasks like sharpening photos to remove blur or softening photos by adding blur. Photoshop must be purchased, and it isn’t cheap. But if you are serious about editing your aerial photos, then it will be worth the investment. Figure 14-7 is a picture of Adobe Photoshop.
Courtesy of Tucker Krajewski
Figure 14-7: Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard.
Adobe has recently made Photoshop, as well as their other multimedia tools, available for purchase on a subscription basis. Sign up for Creative Cloud to gain access to Photoshop for a low monthly fee rather than paying a lump sum to use it indefinitely.
Video Editing Software
Similar to photo editing, video editing is a process called post. In post, video is imported to a computer and then loaded into some sort of video editing software where you can cut out pieces of video, combine parts from different video files, remove or add audio, adjust the colors, brightness, and more. You can even add in special effects or animations with video editing software. Video editing software can range in features and functionality and therefore there are several different types of professional software suites that focus on specific things. Some are specifically for working with video where as others might be for creating and using animations. You will need video editing software if you intend to do anything more than simply viewing your aerial video footage.
iMovie
If you have a Mac, you’re in luck because Apple has a free video editing tool called iMovie which is included with almost every Apple computer. iMovie is a basic video editor that gives you the ability to drag and drop your video files into a timeline so that you can align your videos to play one after the other, or you can cut out pieces of your different video files and line the individual video segments in whatever order you desire. iMovie also gives you the ability to edit your soundtrack. Delete the audio in your video files in whole or in part, add sound on top of the existing soundtrack, such as a song or musical score. You can even add sound effects throughout your video. Adjust the colors, brightness, and contrast of your video in whole or in part, add photos, and easily save your new home movie into any number of file formats. iMovie is a great tool for making great home movies. Figure 14-8 is a picture of iMovie. Look out, George Lucas!
Courtesy of Tucker Krajewski
Figure 14-8: Use iMovie to make epic home movies.
If you have an Apple computer, give iMovie a try before spending money on another video editing software.
Adobe Premiere
Adobe has a high-powered video editing tool, called Premiere, that is used by many professional videographers and movie makers around the world. Premiere comes with all sorts of advanced features beyond simple picture manipulation like color, contrast, and brightness. Premiere has numerous advanced features for adding and organizing videos, multi-camera modes, high-end transitions for blending different videos together, slowing down or speeding up video to make video sequences synchronize with audio tracks, and more. Adobe also has other high-end animation software, and audio editing software, all of which integrate seamlessly into Premiere.
If you’re planning to make the next Hollywood hit, or if you’re wanting to take on the local film competition, Adobe Premiere is a great tool to have in your toolbox. Premiere isn’t cheap, but Adobe offers it on a monthly subscription much like their other software products. A word of caution: if you have never used advanced video editing software before, you will definitely need to read some tutorials before you will be able to get up and running with Premiere. Figure 14-9 is a picture of the Adobe Premiere workspace.
Courtesy of Tucker Krajewski
Figure 14-9: Adobe Premiere is serious video editing!
Sharing Pictures and Video Online
Integrated drone cameras and all add-on cameras are going to provide you with great images and videos. With great quality comes big file sizes, however, and big file sizes can be hard to share with your family and friends. You can very easily share your photos and videos over email, however most email services cannot support emails that are over 10 megabytes (MB) in total size. For the most part, the images you capture with your drone’s integrated camera or with your add-on camera will be bigger than 1MB a piece. The videos will be even bigger. This all means that while email may be okay for a photo or four, it isn’t a reasonable option for sharing much more than that. If you want to share videos and images, you will want to use a cloud-based storage solution. “Cloud-based storage solution” is a fancy way to say “a place on the Internet where you can store your files.”
There are several cloud-storage options available to you, but the most popular options are services called Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive. These services offer small storage amounts, usually 5 Gigabytes (GB) or less, for free. If you need much more beyond that, you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee, but it’s nominal at best. You can learn more about these services by visiting them online:
- Dropbox:
www.dropbox.com - Google Drive:
www.google.com/drive - Box:
www.box.com