Do consider rotating and doing a pan/crop in Vegas to fill the frame. The clips are HD, yes, so you should be able to crop a bit to fill the frame without losing too much quality.

It sucks about your footage. Before I take my system underwater I always do some test footage topside to ensure my settings are correct and my lens cap is off.

Your system may not allow you to preview topside but maybe there is something you can build into your prep checklist to avoid the error in the future. Also don't overlook the possibility of going back for that second "once in a lifetime" trip. You never know where life takes you!

If the project is going to end up on a standard definition DVD, you should be able to zoom pretty far (cropping off the top and bottom of your vertical picture) and still come out okay. Maybe not zoom until the width fills the screen, but perhaps close to it.

To fill in the empty parts on the left and right (if you don't zoom in to fill the screen), consider putting a related still photo or scan of a map or similar graphic on a lower track, maybe darken it a bit or blur it. Another way is to put a second copy of your main video on a lower track, zoom that one all the way to fill the width of the screen, then darken it or blur it.

If I have "portrait" mode photos in a video project, I usually keep the full shot as is (assuming I want everything in the photo), apply a white border to it so it "looks" like a photo, zoom out a bit so the borders fit within the screen, and display it over top of some related photo or graphic background that does fill the screen. I don't try to hide that it's a vertical photo -- I just make it feel more like a photo.

Thanks for the tip re a *checklist* Kimberly but believe you me, after this experience checking for correct lens orientation before mounting the camera onto my helmet is burnt permanently into my brain LOL. What, with riding 400km plus to get to this particular mountain pass (Timmelsjoch) and arriving hot with nerves on edge of what was to come, the check got pushed aside but won't get repeated in the future believe you me.

I'll try the Pan/Crop method if only to remove vast areas of sky as opposed to the beautiful landscape that should have been recorded has the lens been set to landscape orientation :-( ............who knows, it might add a bit of drama with only the road and mad crazy hairpin bends in the scene. As to going back again and re-shooting...........I don't think my nerves will take it. :-)

Edit: thanks for the suggestions Tim........um, well worth considering. Who knows, I might create a masterpiece after all.

Since a shorter video is always better a longer one, and an even shorter video is even better, you could consider rotating without cropping, then placing 2 or three different scenes side by side running simultaneously. Use it sparingly as it will probably tire out the audience to see all the hairpin turns three at a time. However, when used it should add quite a bit of drama to the trip. You might try finding scenes that compliment each other, like three left turns all at once, maybe with the timing slightly staggered. You could also try having the left image show a left turn, the right show a right, while the middle continues straight, showing the audience the effect of making all three choices at once. I'd avoid doing this too often as it will probably be a bit gut-, or at least eye-wrenching.

Hey what a great idea Chienworks........viewers might even be fooled into thinking that I meant to record that way LOL. Not sure how I would set that up on the timeline though so a bit of guidance would be appreciated and maybe a still image to better understand the set up.

As for setting it up on the timeline, you could try several picture-in-picture effects of different sizes. You will need several vide tracks available to create a PIP effect so you may be limited by the VMS version you are running. Watch some tutorials on YouTube and you'll get the idea.

Another way to create a PIP effect is to download the NewBlue Video Essentials pack. There are four packs each containing about 10 effects. I don't remember which contains the PIP effect but you can look at each pack on the NewBlue website and figure this out. Then apply the NewBlue effect and you will quickly see how a PIP works. Once you understand the basic idea, you can manually create your own PIPs. Or you can trial the NewBlue and maybe even buy it if you like it.

Put the three clips on three separate tracks. Use Pan/Crop to rotate them 90 degrees. Use Track Motion on the left & right clips to move them to the left & right sides of the frame.

Thanks once again Kimberly and Chienworks, much appreciated.

OK, just completed a short 'test' video to see how this would all work out and I have to say that...........well I'm not displeased at all. I seem to have manufactured a silk purse out of a pigs ear so thanks to those that contributed.

Just one more question regarding this. Following the moving of the clips to left, centre or right as needed using Track Motion what happens is that any title I have before the video also gets rotated into the incorrect orientation. Am I assuming correctly that this is as a result of the title frame and video frame snapping together i.e. one is effecting the other and if so which button in the Options menu do I need to disable as there are several snapping options available in that menu? Thanks.

Track motion affects all events on the track.
Place your titles on a new track above the video track.