Discussion: Map on video

Hey! Need some help with technical stuff...

Due to the pandemic, my club received some extra funding from the government(I assume) and we got 3 new Go Pros to use for analysing and other cool stuff. Main target use for the cameras is to have a camera man run behind whoever is being filmed and then post the video online with the map linked on the video with synced gps track. How do I do that? How do I add the map+gps track on to the video?

The way I do it:
- use a gps as your run the course and use the gopro to get footage
- import the gpx file into 2D rerun
- then use OBS to record the 2D rerun as it runs in real time
- overlay the gopro footage and the 2D rerun file which is cropped
- optional (i rotate each leg so they are facing the top of the screen)



Result can look something like this ^

An other alternative is mapflixer https://routegadget.net/mapflixer/
here is some examples of typical output:

https://youtu.be/YblHJ9HEWGc
https://youtu.be/OnKjWjIyfpQ
https://youtu.be/VxTMW4ik4Nw

Note, you can edit gpx track at map.routegadget.net to make it match our map perfectly before making the video.

you can also use the site (without mapflixer app) to open 1 to 3 local video files+gpx files + map images and play them sync'ed head-to-head. No processing or uploading needed, so you can usually play it straight from camera's sd card right after the run.

^ thats probably faster and easier once you know how to do it, i just never knew the names of the right programs and so I ghetto-ed it

That's a bizarre reason to receive funding.

Hope I never have anyone run behind me with a camera in an event (at least a bush one). I'm sure they/I/the audience would be sorely disappointed/bored as I go around in circles somewhere in the vicinity of control sites. Plus it'd really put me off.

@tRicky definitely not so good when you run off the map :-)

Well I was still on the map technically, but the E course rather than my course.

Then there is the old rgmapvideo app/wrapper
https://youtu.be/aSlIDeA-XAM

difficult to set up, does that stabilization but it is not needed with modern cameras, and it supports only 720p.

I think 2d rerun has some dedicated headcam video functionality too. Noting wrong with Runner99's ghetto methods, actually if you have video editing skills you can make what you want by going that screen capture video overlay way. Like recording the map part using google earth in 3D view and anything. Output of my hacks doesn't really tick the cool box. But that gpx editing/correcting functionality is useful to make tracks match maps, no matter which way you go with the actual video production.

Thank you @Runner99 and @Jagge, I will try and see which one works best!

Probably a stupid question/idea but, would it be better to mount the GoPro not on your head so that the view would be where you are going all the time and not have it point to the ground when you look to figure where to place your feet? Don't know if it would work but it might make the view of the terrain much better.

A chest mount could work but without a gimbal, the best you can do is usually just use a GoPro 7 or higher with the inbuilt "stable mode" or whatever. But experimenting usually is the best to find out...

I once started, but never really finished, writing a simple tool that would work on Linux (https://github.com/bluefeet32/videomap).
The ultimate solution I landed on was to go back to where I had a Windows computer.

I found that chest mount gives a good view of interactions with the map, but shows a lot of the arms and is otherwise much less interesting to watch, because some head movement shows where the runner is looking/thinking. I think the problem in the Edmonton example above is that the FOV is much too narrow.

I have experimented a lot with stabilization, which is important to making the videos watchable for more than a few seconds. The built-in stabilization with new GoPros is not great but maybe good enough, and it does cost you some FOV. In a club situation, this may still be your best option for easy workflow. It can help to use a 4:3 mode.

Our plan is to always have the camera on the runner behind so we get a better view of the terrain and of the focused runner's head movement(when are they looking at the map, when further ahead)

I would use a gimbal for that, if the runner behind is just dedicated to filming and not reading / running. The footage would be much clearer imo.

If thats not in ur budget then the Hero 7 stabilization can be seen in my video, and if ur ok with the looking up / down at the map that can be good enough.