Informations about the quality of geolocated videos published on Kinomap

In order to control the quality of the content available on the app, the Kinomap teams have implemented a quality rating system for geolocated videos uploaded by content creators.

Videos are classified into four quality levels: unsuitable, medium, good, and excellent.

Here, we explain how video quality is determined, offer tips on how to optimize it, and discuss the implications.

Technical criteria

Technical criteria relating to filming and rendering are taken directly into account when assessing video quality. 

It should be noted that these criteria are evolving, with significant improvements, in camera hardware and software and related accessories, having been made in recent years and even months.

The technical criteria listed here are in addition to basic criteria related to overall image quality, such as: 

• sensor resolution and performance

• cleanliness and quality of the lens and optics

• color grading

• focus and image sharpness

In the most extreme cases, these basic criteria alone can be grounds for exclusion.
See also the article on the specifications of videos available on Kinomap.
 

Example of sharpness that may justify exclusion criteria, frequently observed with digitally stabilized action cameras in low-light conditions.

Optimal framing:

The main purpose of the videos offered on Kinomap is immersion. The rules are different from those recommended for artistic photography or documentary video (considering the rule of thirds, for example). 

The framing of videos offered on Kinomap should therefore be as close as possible to a situation that gives the impression of a realistic image, especially since data related to user’s training and progress can be added to your video as overlay by the application.

Here are some important guidelines:

• Keep the horizon line in the center of the image: avoid pointing the camera towards the sky or the ground on flat terrain, as this can also lead to a distorted horizon line if you use wide angles.

Examples of poor horizon alignment in the frame, to be avoided.

• Keep the horizon line flat and straight, aligned with the top and bottom edges of the image (tolerance observed during turns in cycling).

Examples of distorted or slanted horizons, to avoid.

• Place the vanishing lines (the direction of movement) in the central area of the image.

• Prefer shots taken at the height of the participant's head or slightly above, and avoid placing the camera too low on the bike or boat, or holding it below the chest when filming running. Feel free to use mounting systems that allow you to raise the camera.This helps immersion by providing a more natural view on the environment, avoiding reflections, and limiting obstructions.

Exposure and brightness:

Action cameras allow you to adjust settings and obtain an image that is as close to reality as possible, depending on environmental conditions.

Pay particular attention to ISO, shutter speed, and aperture (for some cameras, this setting is fixed, or can be modified with additional lenses), not to mention white balance. Certain additional modes and settings (HDR, Adaptive Tone, Pure Video, etc.) also allow you to achieve very satisfactory results when conditions are changing (for example, in the woods where you quickly alternate between shaded areas and direct sunlight).

Additional equipment, such as ND or PL filters, or even hoodies to protect the lens from the sun, can help improve the quality of your images.

The final result should give you optimal exposure and colors, avoiding areas that are too bright or “burned out,” such as a sky that turns white, or, conversely, areas that are too dark and where nothing can be distinguished (the details of the shaded areas are obscured by a black mass).
 

Example of overexposed and underexposed images

Limited distortion:

Don't overuse wide angles! Distorted images, which make straight lines appear curved or elongate elements at the edges of the image, should be avoided. Such images also give a false impression of speed and blurring, which makes immersion difficult due to an unrealistic environment, especially in urban or wooded areas.

Be careful with certain lenses or FOV settings that finally offer limited adjustment options (cropping and reframing)  in post-production if they are combined with low resolutions.
 

Examples of images distorted by the use of wide angles

Overlaying graphics or text:

Adding elements to the image like speed or progress data, logos, titles, captions, or anything else is undesirable. They can mess with the app's training screen and might not show up for the right amount of time depending on the playback mode.
 

Example of images with overlays

Obstructions in the foreground:

Keep the foreground clear. The foreground is defined by elements that are in close proximity to the camera and do not blend into the landscape. They could be considered as the subject of a sequence. Mind that on Kinomap, the subject is the environement. You can follow a training partner, but let them stay a few meters ahead so that they don't obstruct the view and become the sole subject of your video, detracting from the environment and landscape.

They should not obstruct the center of your frame or cut off the horizon.

More specifically, keep the center and top of your frame clear, and avoid filming elements that:

• occupy a large proportion of the width in the lower part (more than half of the frame)

• or a medium proportion in the central part below the horizon (more than ⅙ of the frame)

• cut off the horizon in the central part of your frame

The guide below shows you the spaces that should preferably be kept clear.

In summary:

• avoid at all costs the upper central chevron (red filter in the examples above)

• avoid subjects that occupy a significant portion of the image's height at the edges (yellow filter in the examples above) as much as possible

• if you have one, try to place the subject in the lower central part of the image (green filter in the examples above)

Stabilization and steady framing:

Images must be digitally or mechanically stabilized to avoid shaking, distortion, or small unwanted movements. Also avoid excessive, rapid, jerky, and repeated camera movements.

Please note: failure to comply with this criterion will automatically disqualify a video from being rated as good or excellent.

Continuous movement:

Keep moving: cut out the preparation phases and avoid filming periods of immobility.

Please note: failure to comply with this criterion will automatically disqualify a video from being considered for excellent quality.

If you cut out stationary phases during editing, be sure to also cut the associated GPX file. Discover KVRouite, a free tool powered by Kinomap that makes this easy to do, while also improving the quality and accuracy of all or part of your GPX file.

Note that a video shot in a single sequence, without cuts, is more desirable than a video with cuts. However, a video with cuts, if they are synchronized with the GPS track and do not remove any movement (only periods of immobility), is more desirable than a video containing periods of immobility.

Weather and environment:

Favorable weather conditions providing good light and clarity to the image and landscape elements, as well as attractive environments conducive to escapism, are to be preferred.

Particular attention is paid to clutter and sky color and light.

Quality Index assessment

In addition to certain exclusions specified above, such as basic criteria (including, among others, sharpness and clean optics), continuous movement, and stabilization, a video is:

• Excellent if it fully meets at least 7 of the 8 criteria

• Good if it fully meets 5 to 6 criteria

• Medium if it fully meets 3 to 4 criteria

• Unsuitable if it meets fewer than 3 criteria, or presents grounds for exclusion, or cannot be used on indoor training equipment (unsuitable speed, vehicle inconsistent with the simulated activity), etc

Reminder of technical criteria:

• Optimal framing

• Exposure and brightness

• Distortion

• Overlays

• Obstructions in the foreground

• Stabilization

• Continuous movement

• Weather and environment

Note that content creators have more room for improvement than the technical criteria outlined here.

The overall image quality of videos can make a difference, beyond this indexing based on objective criteria.

In post-production, they can pay particular attention to color grading and contrast, taking care to remain realistic. For example, excessive saturation, which can be exacerbated by the settings of certain screens, will have the opposite effect to that desired, giving an impression of excessive and unnatural adjustment and detracting from the user's immersive experience.

Modifications such as cropping or using third-party software can also correct hardware defects, such as horizon locking, which can be achieved with software such as Gyroflow, or editing software that further improves stabilization (DaVinci Resolve, Capcut, etc.).

Before filming, remember to adjust the settings to the conditions of the day, as they can also greatly improve the quality of your videos (white balance, ISO, shutter speed, etc.).

We therefore encourage content creators to consider the following points: filming accessories such as polarizing filters, neutral density filters, mechanical stabilizers, post-processing with stabilization, cropping or image enhancement (noise reduction, etc.), but also choosing their filming equipment carefully, taking into account key criteria such as sensor size, optical parameters such as focal length, field of view, and other calibration data and settings.

Composition and framing (whether or not to follow a subject, camera height and orientation), as well as all the elements that will help them create immersion, must also be taken into account: sound quality if the preferred training mode is discovery mode, choice of locations and times of day/season for filming (e.g., the sun positioned at the meridian rather than in the axis of the lens, presence of snow in a landscape, encounters with wildlife, etc.).
Sometimes it's a matter of making choices to target a specific audience: for example, some users like it when the video follows a protagonist (be careful not to obstruct the view in the foreground), while others prefer to have an empty field of view; some are particularly fond of seaside locations, others of mountain landscapes, etc. 

Although we won't go into detail here, sound may also be a particular consideration for discovery mode, when the video is played at its original speed in the Kinomap app.

While care can be taken during filming with additional microphones or windshields, post-production processing can also reduce background noise such as wind and engines, or isolate or remove voices to avoid exposing conversations, for example.

Tools such as Kinodiraptor, also developed by one of our content creators, Kotetsu, or Ultimate Vocal Remover, or specific functions in editing software such as Da Vinci Resolve or Cap Cut, can be used to achieve very satisfactory results.

Once published on Kinomap, a video must also be edited and indexed in a consistent and attractive manner in order to retain users' attention and allow them to better evaluate your content before even deciding to try it.

This specific point will be the subject of a future article.
 

Implications related to quality level

• Videos of unsuitable quality may not be published on the Kinomap app

• Medium quality videos are published on Kinomap app, but cannot be featured by Kinomap in the weekly selections, playlists edited by Kinomap, multiplayer event sessions, new releases sections, challenges, etc

• Good and excellent quality videos are eligible for promotion in all sections or selections of the app, such as challenges, multiplayer sessions, various automatic and personalized suggestions, or selections by Kinomap