- The Inventory
Create an HD Fly-Through Video Tour in Google Earth Pro
In January, Google decided to make Google Earth Pro free for everyone —that means we can all make use of features that previously cost $400 a year, and one of those features is the ability to record HD video of your tours. From floating along the Grand Canyon to zooming into your local neighborhood, here's how to record your own fly-throughs using the software.
Related Content
First of all you need to download the Google Earth Pro software to your system. When you get to the login dialog, which pops up right away, enter your email address as your username and GEPFREE as the license key. You should then be into Google Earth Pro and all its features, including HD video tours.
Recording movies
There are a few different ways to approach this: The most straightforward is to click Tools , then Movie Maker , then Create Movie . The software then records all of the movements you make, in real time, until you click the Stop Recording button. Use the keyboard and mouse to move around, and your movements are recorded, it's as simple as that (the arrow keys, plus Shift and Ctrl/Cmd cover most of the navigation).
The Live mouse and keyboard navigation option needs to be checked in the Movie Maker dialog if you want to create fly-throughs in this way. Other options enable you to set the video quality (up to 1920 x 1080 HD), the video format, and the video file output location. When the recording is finished, you can view it straight away.
Creating tours
If you want to plan your fly-through in advance, you need to create a tour. You'll see the A saved tour option in the Movie Maker dialog. This is easily done: Head to all of the places you want to include en route, and set a placemark at each one via the Add Placemark button on the toolbar. It helps if you keep them organized in a single folder, and you can untick the placemarks if you don't want the yellow pins to be visible in your video.
Then, select the Record a Tour button on the toolbar. Click on the record button that pops up (hide the program's Tour Guide panel if you can't see it) and double-click each of your placemarks in turn at your own pace. Hit the record button again, and your tour is created. Use the floppy disc icon to save it, and it will become available in the Movie Maker dialog. as well as the sidebar to the left.
You don't have to stick to the placemarks—the tour will record any manual movements you make with the keyboard and the mouse too—but it's a simple way of jumping between particular points and views that you find interesting. The more placemarks you use, the more control you have over each step and camera position of your finished fly-through.
Tour settings
So, you can record your video freestyle, or use a preset tour, or even launch the recording in manual mode and then pick from your placemarks as you go along—it's up to you. The software also lets you create tours from paths (such as driving routes). Your finished recording will be in the specified location for you to use as you wish.
There are a few more options available if you click Tools and then Options (it's under Google Earth and Preferences on a Mac), then open up the Touring tab. You can set how quickly the tour moves between different points, and how long it waits before moving on, as well as various other features.
Google Earth Pro is a complex piece of software and there's a lot to explore, but those are the basics of recording fly-throughs. You can now experiment with tours, placemarks, paths and lines as you wish to get the best results. The audio button (on the record tour pop-up) lets you add a narration via your computer's microphone if you want to talk your viewers through the action. Check out the Help Center for more pointers.
Advertisement
Google Earth Tour Guide: 14 Virtual Tours You'll Want to Check Out
Here are some of the best Google Earth virtual tours available. Travel to the world's most exotic places from your couch!
For ages, Google Earth has remained the go-to service for browsing our globe. You can use this app to visit all corners of the planet from the comfort of your living room. In 2017, Google Earth was also completely overhauled to add more features. This overhaul included additional Google virtual tours to the world's most remote and amazing places.
Here are the best Google Maps tours that are available on Google Earth.
1. Life in the Ocean Deep
With Life in the Ocean Deep, you can discover mysterious sea creatures with the help of renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough. This Google tour takes you on a journey through the many quirky yet breathtaking creatures that inhabit our oceans, like glow-in-the-dark jellyfish and giant crabs.
Assisting this Google Earth tour are a series of videos and underwater maps.
2. UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Looking to dive into the past? Follow this Google Maps virtual tour as it briefs you on thirty historic landmarks that were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The tour includes but is not limited to, India's Taj Mahal, Cambodia's Towers of Angkor Wat, and Spain's Catedral de Sevilla.
If you're dreaming of traveling, don't forget to plan your itineraries with these smart travel planning apps .
3. This is Home
Sometimes home is where the heart is, even if that home is very far away. With This is Home, Google lets you visit traditional homes from around the world. You'll even get to know about the history behind each of these places and get a glimpse inside the unique structures with Google Street View.
For instance, Jordan's House of Hair is a string of tents constructed from the hair of camels and other animals. It's located in the middle of the desert, but some of the other houses on this tour are located in even more far-flung regions than that.
4. Stop and Smell the Flowers
Stop and Smell the Flowers is a Google virtual tour that takes you on a journey through some of the most breathtaking botanical gardens and arboretums around the world. This tour highlights a total of eleven places, ranging from countries like Russia, Sweden, and Canada, to the Netherlands.
If you're into gardening, then this one is for you.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca
Every year, many thousands of Muslims embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city for practitioners of the Islamic faith. Google's virtual tour lets you learn about this practice, from landing at the Hajj Terminal Jeddah Airport to the final destination of Masjid al-Haram.
6. Global Flea Markets
Have you ever had an interest in bustling flea markets? Experience them yourself with this Google Maps virtual tour. This tour walks you through nine of the most iconic markets worldwide, such as France's Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, India's Anjuna Flea Market, and London's Portobello Market.
While we're still on the subject: If you want to plan a dream vacation, here are some easy ways that you can travel more cheaply .
7. Colorful Street Fests & Carnivals
Being a land of diverse cultures and societies, the world is laden with numerous festivals. The most vibrant of them are covered in a Google Maps tour.
This tour features eight of the biggest celebrations from around the globe. These celebrations include the large-scale food fight La Tomatina in Spain, Holi in India, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
8. Comic Geek Destinations
Unleash your inner geek with this virtual tour that takes you on a trip through a bunch of iconic comic book spots. Comic Geek Destinations curates a total of ten locations known for appearing in various fictional universes. One of these locations is the Parkwood Estate. It was a mansion used by X-Men's Professor Xavier for his school of "Gifted Youngsters."
If you feel like doing some light reading after this tour, here are the best ways to read comics online for free .
9. Iconic Film Locations in the Mediterranean
Are you more of a movie buff than a comic book aficionado? Try out this tour featuring iconic film locations in the Mediterranean.
In this tour, you can travel to each selected landmark where a movie scene has been shot. If you don't want to use Google Earth to find these spots, however, here's how to track down your favorite film locations using websites.
10. International Year of the Reef
Coral reefs have been in peril for many decades now due to the threat of global warming. To raise awareness on this issue, a Google Maps virtual tour was set up to help familiarize the public with the basics.
With the International Year of the Reef, you can see how these marvelous underwater colonies are formed over millions of years. Each chapter in the tour also discusses fundamental topics like coral reef diversity. Additionally, it includes video highlights and subaqueous street view images.
11. In Mandela's Footsteps
Sometimes you can take a virtual walk through history. In Mandela's Footsteps lets you follow the journey of the legendary political leader and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
This tour highlights the places that played a critical role in Mandela's life. For example, there's a page devoted to the University of Fort Hare. It was one of the first institutions in the region that allowed non-white people to study for a post-secondary degree.
12. Reading the ABCs from Space
Perhaps one of the most intriguing virtual tours available on Google Earth is Reading the ABCs from Space. Developed by NASA, this tour consists of twenty-six chapters that reveal locations on the planet that form an alphabet from space.
Our personal favorite is the letter "J" off the coast of Australia, which is made up of a coral reef.
If space is your jam, here are great resources to learn all about Mars .
13. The Beautiful Game
If you're in a World Cup spirit, you might want to check out The Beautiful Game. This Google Earth tour takes you on a trip through some of the planet's most unforgettable soccer destinations. The destinations include the Allianz Arena in Munich, Barcelona's Camp Nou, and Old Trafford in England.
14. National Parks of the United States
Looking for natural wonders closer to home? Especially ones that will help you appreciate the great outdoors?
If so, then you need to check out the National Parks of the United States. It's a virtual tour that will take you on a journey through the most pristine areas of wilderness from coast to coast, ranging from Acadia National Park to Denali.
Use a Google Tour to Visit the World
While all of these virtual tours are absolutely amazing, we've barely scratched the surface in just how many there are. If you go deep-diving through the archives, you'll also find that the tours are divided into subcategories like nature, culture, education, and street view. The best thing about the tours is that they're entirely free. A reliable, high-bandwidth connection to view them is a must, however.
For those that want to dig deeper into this app, it might surprise you to learn that Google Earth is an offshoot of Google Maps. With that in mind, take some time to understand how Google Maps works .
Stuck at home and long to go outside? Here are a few more virtual outdoors tours you can do from home and live sightseeing webcams you can stream .
Three Reliable Ways to Record Google Earth Tour as Videos
Can you imagine the scene that you can tour all over the world only with some clicks on your computer? In the past, this idea might seem crazy and unpractical. But now things have changed a lot since you can make it come true by virtue of an application called Google Earth.
Google Earth is an awesome map application that lets you float into space and zoom back into any location on this planet. It enables you to visit any famous place, review fantastic building and start a wonderful tour in detail without costing pennies. People like you may wonder to know how to record Google Earth videos from one location to another in 3D/2D view. That’s why we write this post to offer three reliable workarounds to capture Google Earth videos with ease. Now keep reading to pick out the most suitable one for you.
Record Google Earth Video with RecMaster [Recommended Way]
It’s suitable for Google Earth on web, mobile and Google Earth Pro on Desktop. RecMaster , an easy screen recorder for Mac and Windows, is a comprehensive screen recording tool that is capable of much more than simply recording Google Earth tour video on your screen. It packs versatile features that can fulfill merely all your Google Earth recording needs. You can launch a Google Earth screen recording with various recording modes, choose several output formats for the recording file, annotate the screen in real-time, edit the recorded file, and much more. The intuitive interface and handy settings can make your Google Earth recordings at one go.
How to capture Google Earth tour video with RecMaster 1. Download and install the program. Get one copy of the software either by downloading it from its official website or by virtue of the provided download-button below. After that follow the wizard to finish the installation steps.
2. Set-up the recording mode. Once you’ve completed the installation, switch to Google Earth and open up RecMaster where you’ll see several recording modes for you. As for Google Earth capture, you’re suggested to choose from Full screen and Custom area modes. Here the latter on is the recommended mode because it can only detect the map region without showing other bothering area.
3. Configure the settings. Once you decide the recording mode you will navigate to the new interface, allowing you to make configuration on the settings of the recording. You can set up the video format, video quality, involved audio source, webcam and more. When everything is done, be ready to get started!
4. Press REC button to start recording and it will initiate a 3-second countdown to give you time for recording preparation. Now you can proceed to your demonstration and you can utilize the annotation tool to make any real-time marks. 5. To end the recording process, hit the Stop button from the floating bar. It doesn’t matter if you include some unwanted clips in the recorded video since you can cut them out with the help of the editor.
Now you can optionally view this video on your computer even the internet is not connected.
Record Google Earth Tour with Online Screen Recorder – Screencast-O-Matic
It’s suitable for Google Earth on web, and Google Earth Pro on Desktop. If you prefer a lightweight screen recorder to carry out Google Earth recording task, Screencast-O-Matic is the best bet for you. As a free online screen recorder , it requires no local installation and it’s advantageous for Google Earth web version recording. Besides, you can record Google Earth video as MP4, AVI and FLV format with your narration. The pity is that the limited recording time is 15 minutes for basic user.
How to capture Google Earth video with Screencast-O-Matic 1. Launch the Recorder. Go to the web page of Screencast-O-Matic. If you use it for the first time, you need to download its launcher to save it completely on your computer. After a few seconds, the recording toolbar will appear automatically. 2. Make configuration on size, recording mode and audio source. You can choose to create Google Earth videos as 1080p or 720p only with your narration. For more settings choices, please move to the Preferences icon.
3. Record the Earth video. Open your web browser to stream and initiate Google Earth for recording. After you’ve done that, start recording by clicking on the Rec button.
4. Save recordings. Click the Stop button to pause the recording and then press the Done button to save the recordings. Now you can edit the video file by adding captions and save video file as any wanted format.
The whole process is very simple but it relies too much on the internet status and the video can only be recorded with microphone sound with time up to 15 minutes.
Record Google Earth Video with Google Earth Pro
It’s suitable for Google Earth Pro on Desktop.
In the past you have to pay for $399 per year to use the Google Earth Pro desktop version, but now you don’t have to purchase it anymore since it’s free for everyone. You can use this basic recording function of Google Earth Pro to capture any tour happening on this software. Moreover, it also provides some extra functions like record audio from microphone and utilizes advanced drawing and measuring tools to provide accurate imagery videos. Although the file can only be saved as KMZ (the unique format of this software) , many people still prefer to leverage this tool.
How to save Google Earth video with Google Earth Pro 1. Download Google Earth Pro from its official website and keep it running on your computer. 2. Click Add Tour or in the ribbon over the globe and then click Record.
3. Move to any place you desire to tour or proceed to the panel at left-hand below “Places” and then click a placemark to travel that area. 4. When you are done recording, go ahead to click Stop . Now you can tab the icon as below to give expressive name and description to your video and save it to local drive.
Attention: Google allows you to record Google Earth only for personal use. You cannot distribute those videos publicly in television or movie without Google’s written permission.
Conclusion Here are three ways to record Google Earth video for the offline viewing. Considering the high flexibility and compatibility, we recommend you to try the RecMaster for any Google Earth recording activity.
Screen recording made easy.
Record every moment on your PC or Mac within few clicks.
How to Screen Record KissCartoon Episodes?
How to Screen Record hianime.to?
How to Record Screen at 9:16 Aspect Ratio?
How to Screen Record aniWatch Episodes?
How to Screen Record 4Anime Episodes?
How to Screen Record Funimation Before Moving to Crunchyroll Subscription?
How to Record Crunchyroll on Windows 10/11?
How to Screen Record Aniwave Anime Videos? (Formerly 9Anime)
Best Anime Streaming Services of 2024 [with Guide to Record & Download]
How to Record Chamet Videos on PC: Step-by-Step Guide
[Solved] PowerDirector Screen Recorder Isn’t Picking up Audio
How to Download Online Songs on a PC?
How to Record Screen with Webcam on Windows and Mac: A Comprehensive Guide
How to Record Snapchat Videos? [on Windows/Mac/iOS/Android]
How to Record Full Gaming Screen on Desktop
RecMaster is professional screen recording software which offers different kinds of recording modes. RecMaster is professional screen recording of recording modes.
--> Free Trial --> MacOS X 10.11 or above --> Free Trial --> window 10/8/7 -->