Import and Align 360 Video in Kdenlive

Editing 360-degree immersive video in Kdenlive involves importing standard equirectangular footage and utilizing specialized spherical video effects to adjust, align, and stabilize the field of view. This article provides a direct guide on how Kdenlive processes 360-degree media, how to import your files, and how to use built-in tools to align and orient your immersive footage for a seamless viewing experience.

Importing 360-Degree Footage

Kdenlive treats 360-degree video files like standard video clips during the import process. Most modern 360-degree cameras shoot in an “equirectangular” format (a flat, 2:1 aspect ratio projection of the spherical space).

  1. Create a Project: Start a new project with a resolution that matches your source footage (typically 4K or 5K equirectangular formats, such as 3840x1920 or 5760x2880).
  2. Add Clip to Project Bin: Drag and drop your stitched 360-degree video file (usually in MP4 or MOV format) into the Kdenlive Project Bin.
  3. Add to Timeline: Drag the clip from the Project Bin onto your video track on the timeline.

Aligning the Footage (Yaw, Pitch, and Roll)

When shooting 360 video, the camera’s default forward-facing direction might not match your desired starting viewpoint. Kdenlive uses the VR360 suite of effects to correct alignment, level the horizon, and change the default center of the video.

To align your footage:

  1. Go to the Effects tab and search for VR360 Equirectangular to Perspective or VR360 Equirectangular to Stereo (depending on your output goal).
  2. Apply the effect to your timeline clip.
  3. Use the effect parameters to adjust the sphere:
    • Yaw: Rotates the camera view horizontally (left and right). Use this to choose what the viewer sees first.
    • Pitch: Tilts the view vertically (up and down) to fix camera tilting.
    • Roll: Rotates the camera circularly (clockwise or counter-clockwise) to level a crooked horizon.

Reframing 360 Video for Flat 2D Delivery

If your goal is to turn 360-degree footage into a standard flat (perspective) video, Kdenlive allows you to “reframe” the shot by animating virtual camera movements.

  1. Apply the VR360 Equirectangular to Perspective effect. This transforms the warped equirectangular view into a standard flat view.
  2. Adjust the FoV (Field of View) parameter to zoom in or out, simulating different camera lenses.
  3. Enable Keyframes on the Yaw, Pitch, and Roll parameters.
  4. Move along the timeline and adjust the angles to track subjects, pan smoothly, or create dynamic camera movements within the 360-degree sphere.

Exporting 360-Degree Video

To export the video so that platforms like YouTube or VLC recognize it as interactive 360-degree footage, you must preserve the equirectangular projection and inject spatial metadata.

  1. Go to Render (Ctrl + Return).
  2. Choose a high-quality H.264 or HEVC profile that supports the high resolution of your source footage.
  3. Render the file.
  4. Note on Metadata: Because Kdenlive does not always write 360-degree spatial metadata directly into the exported file, you may need to run the rendered video through an external tool, such as the Google Spatial Media Metadata Injector, before uploading it online.