Ease Your 360 Editing Headaches : Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 User Review – VR Video Editor

The new Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 is your complete 360 video editing suite that includes incredibly easy-to-use tools to edit immersive 360-degree VR videos, by far the fastest and most flexible 360 video editor. The PowerDirector 15 suite has tools for trimming and compiling 360 videos, adding titles, special effects, transitions, and animating effects. Once the editing is done, your 360 videos can immediately be uploaded and shared on Facebook and YouTube 360 videos.

A brand new module called the “View Designer” has been added to the PowerDirector 15. This is the function that enables the option of converting 360-degree videos footage to regular 16:9 widescreen standard 2D videos. Imagine you are the director of a movie and you are able to utilize a virtual camera by panning and focusing on where you want the audience to see in the 360 video. You can dynamically pan through different fields of view, as if the footages were shot with multiple cameras covering all possible angles, and you get to pick the best footage to use without having to retake shots over and over again.

The PowerDirector 15 base software ($70 USD) includes these 360-degree video tools. But you wish to be more advanced in your 360 video editing, you can add Cyberlink’s ColorDirector 5 ($130) which means you can now color grade objects, adjust the lighting anywhere in your 360 video footage.

The PowerDirector 15 is possibly by far the most user-friendly piece of software to edit your 360 video footages. This software makes it super easy to create spectacular new 360 degree videos using the same intuitive design tools but in a new perspective on film making.

The package does not performing any stitching, so before you can start editing 360 videos, you must convert your 360 video file into equirectangular view. There are several consumer-grade 360 cameras in the market currently.

These cameras are equipped with a set of dual lens, each capturing footages from 180° to 235°. When combining these two videos, you will get a 360 video as output. This processing is commonly referred to as video stitching.

How to Create and Edit 360 Videos in PowerDirector 15

Step 1:

Take a 360-degree video with your 360 camera.

Step 2:

The 360 footage will appear like the below image, which is the resulting video prior to stitching. Since every camera has a different lens configuration, so before you can start editing 360 videos with PowerDirector 15, you must first stitch the video together as instructed by the camera manufacturer.

Step 3: Stitching 360 Video

Again, each camera manufacturer will have a set of instruction on how you can stitch footages shot with their camera. Here is some simple guide from these camera makers on how to import equirectangular 360s shot with their cameras.

Once the videos are stitched, you will get a video in “equirectangular mode” like the below picture. This format is like a typical flat world map where the poles appear distorted, and objects at or near the equator appear normal.

Equirectangular Mode

Step 4:

Import the equirectangular format video into PowerDirector 15. Now you are ready to edit the 360 footage with basic trim/cut timeline to advanced editing such as adding titles, animated PiP objects….etc.

Best Software for Editing 360 Videos

PowerDirector 15 includes 360 video editing modules that utilize their timeline editing function. In this guide, you will learn the basic functions of the timeline on how to editing 360 footages on the PowerDirector timeline such as basic trim, cut, and adding transitions between clips.

Step 1: Importing

To import 360, when entering PowerDirector 15 360-degree editing mode you would want select 360 Editor upon launch.

To import 360-degree video footages, select the Import Media button located on the upper left side of the screen and then import the video file from the assigned folder. Or simply, you can drag and drop the file directly into the Media Library.

Step 2: Adding 360 Video Footage to Timeline

To insert 360 video footage onto the timeline, drag and drop from Media Room to the Timeline.

Notice that there are four pairs of numbers above the timeline. These represent from left to right hour : minute : second : Frame, which displays the time span of the video. Feel free to scale up the timeline by mousing over the timeline panel where the numbers are, then left mouse click and hold, and drag to scale.

If you wish to insert a second 360 video footage, you can also drag and drop the footage insert into empty space right after the first clip.

Click on the blue 360° icon below the display to switch between 360° mode and flat mode

Step 3: Trimming and Cutting Timeline Footage

PowerDirector provides several ways to trim you 360 video clips.

1. Trim on Timeline

On the timeline from the end of the clip, place the cursor by the bottom right-hand side of the clop until the control handle appear as two opposing arrows. Then drag left to trim.

On the timeline from the star of the clip, place the cursor at the bottom left-hand side until the arrows appear, and drag to trim from the beginning of the clip.

2.Using the Trim Tool

You may also utilize the Trim Tool for a more precise trimming. First and foremost, clip on the timeline clip and clip on the scissor icon to launch to Trim Tool interface.

This is where you can move the cursor along the timeline over where you wish to edit, and then select Mark In or Mark Out to trim from the beginning or end of the clip.

Mark in

Mark out

Look to the right-hand side of the window, you will be able to preview and alter the clip’s duration in position and out the position of the clip.
Once satisfied with the trimming, click the OK button to return to Timeline.

3. Splitting a clip

To separate the 360 video footage into separate clips, move the cursor to the point on the digits you wish to split and left click.

Then click on the left and right icon or use hot-key CTRL+T to split the video.

Step 4: Add Transitions

To generate a smoother transition between each clip, you can add a transition by click on the icon located on the left side of the screen. This will enable you to enter the Transition Room.

Here you can pick the transition of your choice and drag to place between the two clip on the timeline.