SexLikeReal Reveals Its Mastering Techniques
We are happy to provide all VR content producers with complete details about how to build top-quality rigs and post production of VR videos. The Rib-cage GoPro6 stereo camera rig with 220º Entaniya lenses and a gimbal is used to produce StasyQVR 180 videos.
Note that we also master their Insta360 Pro videos and cut it in half for 180° footage which is preferred by most of the viewers. And we also master a huge amount of content to produce the ultimate final VR video.
Also consider using the Z CAM K1 Pro. It is even better for doing post production in Mistika. Our mastering is done with Mistika Ultima, which is the integral suite for Mistika VR. This software reliably provides perfect alignments and rendering of VR footage.
There are plenty of helpful tutorials online about how to use it, such as https://vimeo.com/267809289. The SLR video editors will be happy to answer any specific questions about how do we do things. We can also do mastering for you, as a service.
There are are some basic rules:
1. No pixels should be cut out of the raw footage; this is so you preserve camera's resolution to the fullest extent. If the cameras are in the landscape position we recover the part of the image covered by the lens of the nearby camera with the relevant image of that camera.
2. Videos should be perfectly aligned. There should be absolutely no vertical misalignment - meaning all objects should fit perfectly when vertical. Horizontal alignment is set with the focal plane first. In this first image you can see how the focal plane is set on the staircase. This is how it looks: https://i.imgur.com/BFiADyk.jpg (the focal plane is set on the staircase), https://i.imgur.com/QC9o01X.jpg
3. Make sure to set the focal plane in respect to the object of most interest for each episode of the video. Put it between both extremes, but never on the extreme - for example, putting it on the back wall would mean that if a girl is very close and it would be hard for your eyes to adjust. It should be right behind the girl - if you set it on the wall you will lose a lot of stereo depth. That way the viewers’ eyes naturally see that object at its best. People don’t realise this, but it has a significant impact on the comfort of the viewer. Each camera rig requires its own setup for alignments.
4. Make sure big items like fridge, walls or shelves that are supposed to be straight are also straight in VR and of a realistic scale.
5. Don't include large CGI elements like logos, and don't put it on the edges, but instead put them top or bottom. We do it in a few different ways: Variant 1 - StasyQ, Variant 2 - SexBabesVR.
Avoid high contrast elements like white on black background as these generate a significant screen-door effect (SDE) on the current generation of headsets.
6. It's always best to employ proper lighting on the set. In post-production we base the final colors on natural skin tones. This generally means turning up the reds, and down the blues.
7. We interpolate older 30FPS material up to 60FPS with server FFmpeg. Mistika did not provide desired quality with their Twixtor plugin interpolation.
This is a command line:
ffmpeg -i INPUT.mp4 -vcodec libx265 -acodec copy -crf 20 -filter:v "minterpolate='fps=59.94:mi_mode=mci:mc_mode=aobmc:me_mode=bidir:vsbmc=1'" -f mp4 -preset:v slow OUTPUT.mp4
We wanted to create a tutorial on this, but we simply have no time for that right now. You can also check VR video fundamentals explained.
Next week we will be unrolling 5K/6K streaming on Oculus Go and Snapdragon phones via the SLR app.
If you like what we do follow us on https://twitter.com/sexlikereal and check out SLR Premium with 2,000 videos and 30 monthly releases.
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Did you enjoy reading this blog post? Do you have a good understanding of how it all works? Apply for a job with SexLikeReal and help bring the world of VR to life!
SLR fans who have joined the company have turned out to be our best employees. We’re a positive, happy company and we all enjoy the work we do.
Mail us at careers@sexlikereal.com with your CV and a few lines about what motivates you when it comes to joining SLR. We are greatly expanding into the VR ecosystem and we’re excited about getting talented people to come and work hand-in-hand with us.
