Native Video Support

We are happy to announce that the Desktop Uploader and mapillary_tools now have native support for uploading video files in GoPro and CAMM formats enabling denser capture and easier workflows.

Video capture allows for a much higher framerate than timelapse images and is now the recommended method of capture when you’re using moving vehicles like a car or bicycle. Video also creates more overlap between frames which enables Structure from Motion to generate better 3D reconstructions of the environment which is important to accurately estimate the location of objects. Mapillary can now process video files natively and sample them automatically for both regular and time lapse videos (for example to show one frame every 3 meters).

GoPro Video

We’ve added support for uploading videos taken on GoPro’s popular line of action cameras and 360 cameras (including the Hero and MAX line of cameras). These cameras output .mp4 and .360 video files which Mapillary now natively supports. For example, take a look at our updated guide for capturing with the GoPro MAX (our recommended consumer 360° camera). We recommend different capture settings depending on whether you’re capturing by car, bicycle, or walking:

• 🚗 When driving, we recommend shooting 360 video at 24 frames per second and 5.6K resolution
• 🚲 When biking, use 360 time lapse video at an interval of 0.5 seconds and 5.6K resolution
• 🚶 When walking, use 360 time lapse photos (one frame every 2 seconds) and 16MP resolution

CAMM (Camera Motion Metadata Spec) video

The CAMM format is a standard developed by Google that links movement and location information with mp4 files. It has emerged as a popular format for 360º camera manufacturers (particularly higher-end cameras) providing support for Google Street View uploads.

Just like with GoPro formats, you can now upload CAMM format videos from cameras like Ricoh Theta X or Insta360 Pro2 directly with the desktop uploader or via the command line in mapillary_tools.

More Desktop Uploader Enhancements

In addition to native GoPro and CAMM video support the desktop uploader has incorporated a number of other usability enhancements:

Upload images and videos together

Multiple file formats are now supported in the same session. If you have videos from your Theta X camera and images from your GoPro action camera, you can upload both data types at the same time. You can also add additional files before uploading with the new “Add more files” button (or just drag and drop them in).

Multi file & folder support

We’re also making it easier to choose exactly what you want to upload. With the latest update you can now select any number of individual files to upload or drag and drop whole folders. Everything will be visible on the map and uploaded within the same session. You can now also choose to upload files directly from SD cards: no need to copy files to a hard drive, just plug in the SD card and start uploading.

Let us know what you think of these latest changes and discuss this post on the forum.