GoPro Hero9 Editing Software

[Blakey]

Hey all,

I'm running a GoPro Hero9 on my MTB. I'm just cruising the hills and forest trails of the southeast of England, so nothing fancy, and I'm no pro rider. I take footage most days I ride (which is most days) but 90% of the time I just bin it. I'm fine with that.

When I do hit something that I want to keep I'm struggling with decent video creation software. I've tried:

1. GoPro Quik
   Decent if used on the iPad. But my iPad is old and has very limited space. This is great if I want to create a 1-minute highlight of a lone downhill, but if I have an hour's footage I can't fit it onto the iPad so I can't use this software. It does have cool overlays like speedo and GPS overlay.
2. Windows 10 Photos
   Free software! Semi-decent for what I'm after, but it lacks a certain level of flexibility. Examples: I can't easily get rid of the background noise (no one wants to hear me blowing snot out of my nose or grunting when I land one of my 3" jumps). I can't slow down one part of a bit of film whilst keeping the rest full speed. No extras like GoPro's cool speedo and GPS overlays.

I have heard That Davinci Resolve is sweet. A quick google and it looks awesome. It's also £250. I was more looking for something which is either free (I appreciate this won't awesome) or at least more in the <£50 sort of range.

Any suggestions? Or should I just accept that Photos is pretty decent for the price (free) and be done with it?

Cheers!
Blakey

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

on my mac I just use iMovie.
on my PC I use a basic sony vegas (I think it was about £30?) which is really good..

 

[Blakey]

on my mac I just use iMovie.
on my PC I use a basic sony vegas (I think it was about £30?) which is really good..

This? Sony Vegas

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

This? Sony Vegas

I think so, my version is so old im running it on XP - still a solid software, my son uses it for doing gaming vids and he has the up to date one.

 

[Mikerb]

This? Sony Vegas

no....that is an ancient version. Current version is 17 and it is no longer called Sony Vegas. It is now called Movie Studio ( by Magix). Best option is Movie Studio Platinum ( dont bother with the suite version). I am using V15...I did not see any benefit in upgrading to 16 or 17!.
You can check how Movie Studio performs on my YT channel ( mikerbwind). My current Gopro is Hero 7 Black so videos on the channel from the last 2 years or so are with that camera.

( Sony Vegas software was bought out by Magix who then further developed it)

 

[Rahr85]

I have heard That Davinci Resolve is sweet. A quick google and it looks awesome. It's also £250. I was more looking for something which is either free (I appreciate this won't awesome) or at least more in the <£50 sort of range.

Any suggestions? Or should I just accept that Photos is pretty decent for the price (free) and be done with it?

Davinci resolve is useable free (the full studio is the one that costs money), that's what i've been using to chop together badly edited videos from my go pro. but make sure you play about with the output settings to get something that youtube doesn't then compress into a blobby mess.

Also be aware of the limitations of your pc if wanting to encode/edit in 4k or 5k.

 

[Blakey]

Davinci resolve is useable free (the full studio is the one that costs money), that's what i've been using to chop together badly edited videos from my go pro. but make sure you play about with the output settings to get something that youtube doesn't then compress into a blobby mess.

Also be aware of the limitations of your pc if wanting to encode/edit in 4k or 5k.

Do you have a Link?

Cheers
Blakey

 

[Blakey]

no....that is an ancient version. Current version is 17 and it is no longer called Sony Vegas. It is now called Movie Studio ( by Magix). Best option is Movie Studio Platinum ( dont bother with the suite version). I am using V15...I did not see any benefit in upgrading to 16 or 17!.
You can check how Movie Studio performs on my YT channel ( mikerbwind). My current Gopro is Hero 7 Black so videos on the channel from the last 2 years or so are with that camera.

( Sony Vegas software was bought out by Magix who then further developed it)

Liking the vids!!

How ling and how much effort to produce a 5 minute video using MovieStudio Platinum? And does the music come with or are you adding sound tracks from your personal collection somehow?

That software is in my price range. I’m wondering how steep the learning curve is and how intuitive?

I’m an amateur video producer only creating clips for me and family and occasionally sharing with buddies. No plans to have my own YouTube channel. Yet.

Cheers!

 

[Rahr85]

Do you have a Link?

Cheers
Blakey

DaVinci Resolve 17 | Blackmagic Design it just requires registering.

as for royalty free music you can get quite a lot on youtube under the youtube studio if you have a channel. You can always have the channel but keep everything unlisted to only share with people you want to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglWa8dF8PO7g9p8v61A_pw all i'm ever really doing with mine is loading up a bunch of clips and trying to cut them into shorter pieces. There is scope to really polish it in so many different ways and transition/fade/picture in picture etc to your heart's content. Personally my videos are really there as a record for my own use but might be useful to someone just seeing where they can go. Maybe when i get a bit more time to edit and feel confident speaking to the camera i will build on it.

 

[Djwwestwood]

I use this on my iPad LumaFusion - LumaTouch like you I don’t have much space , so I use a portable drive connected to my iPad

 

[Mikerb]

Liking the vids!!

How ling and how much effort to produce a 5 minute video using MovieStudio Platinum? And does the music come with or are you adding sound tracks from your personal collection somehow?

That software is in my price range. I’m wondering how steep the learning curve is and how intuitive?

I’m an amateur video producer only creating clips for me and family and occasionally sharing with buddies. No plans to have my own YouTube channel. Yet.

Cheers!

It really does not take a lot of time to learn the basic editing techniques and you can add more to your repertoire over time. Once you have the basics you will have learnt how to edit in practically any editing suite since they all use the same basic formats.

If I am going to do a video without commentary I add background music. Adding music can be a bit of a minefield with lots of people not understanding the terminology. Royalty Free music is not free as the name seems to suggest. In general all music subject to copyright has to be paid for each time it is used/viewed, or the owner may offer unlimited use in return for a single fee with a proviso it is for personal use only.
I use a category of music copyright called " creative commons" which is an alternative to standard copyright. My YT channel is not monetised, ( ie I get no income from it) but it does have adverts, and the revenue income from that goes to the music artist. I add a credit to the artist as well as the hosting site ( jamendo.com) for the artist at the end of the video.

Although not expensive Movie Studio is in fact a full Non Linear Editing Suite ( NLE), lacking only some of the most advanced functions which are available in its more expensive "Pro" version.

It will accept virtually any format of photo or video so the first step is to upload all the resources you intend to use. Video clips, photos, music tracks, audio tracks etc. You then transfer your clips etc to a timeline..........the timeline can consist just a video track and its associated audio track............but you can add additional video and audio tracks, for example a music track or a recorded audio track.
You then edit, clip , join, as required to create a complete video.
There are several additional editing functions that you can experiment with and add to your repertoire at this stage but none are necessary to start with.............for example
colour grading
slowmo/speedup
transitions
special effects
audio volume editing
add a commentary
split screen

When you are happy with the video the last stage is to render it and save it to your hard drive or wherever. You can then share it.....the easiest way to do that is to upload it You Tube and then you just need to give your friends etc the YT video URL.

 

[Blakey]

So much helpful info everyone - thanks!

Here's a related question: Is there a way to get a GoPro9 to NOT record sound? I never use the sound that's recorded on the ride (inane chatter, grunts, wind noise etc) so I always either have to find a way to delete it or accept having it as an annoying background sound.

 

[thebarber]

I'm also looking to edit my vids while away in my van.
I'm using Samsung s7+ so limited
I've just ordered 3x 32gb cards as my last trip I had a card error.
Looking at usb c hard drives now so any suggestions there would be good.
And simple software just chopping and joining mainly.

 

[Tonybro]

DaVinci Resolve 17 | Blackmagic Design it just requires registering.

as for royalty free music you can get quite a lot on youtube under the youtube studio if you have a channel. You can always have the channel but keep everything unlisted to only share with people you want to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCglWa8dF8PO7g9p8v61A_pw all i'm ever really doing with mine is loading up a bunch of clips and trying to cut them into shorter pieces. There is scope to really polish it in so many different ways and transition/fade/picture in picture etc to your heart's content. Personally my videos are really there as a record for my own use but might be useful to someone just seeing where they can go. Maybe when i get a bit more time to edit and feel confident speaking to the camera i will build on it.

Same here, DaVinci Resolve free (still fully featured) and just a channel for my own use and share what and when I want...

 

[Tonybro]

So much helpful info everyone - thanks!

Here's a related question: Is there a way to get a GoPro9 to NOT record sound? I never use the sound that's recorded on the ride (inane chatter, grunts, wind noise etc) so I always either have to find a way to delete it or accept having it as an annoying background sound.

DaVinci Resolve shows the sound as a separate track and I think you can just delete it...

 

[Blakey]

I just went back and looked at some old software licenses and discovered I have a license for Adobe Premiere Elements 12 (back from 2013). I redownloaded it and took a look. It's pretty clunky and not simple to use. But it is pretty fully featured from what I can tell.

Given I already own this, does anyone have enough experience to compare that to the freebies out there like DaVinchi and the cheap options like Movie Studio 17 Plat (currently just £29.99)? Should I just stick with Elements?

Thanks for all the advice and help everyone!

 

[Tonybro]

DaVinci Resolve is a fully-featured professional suite, it is just they have a license for personal use (free). It is pretty complex when you first see it but it does get easier with familiarity.

I also have a license for an early version of Adobe Premier Elements, DaVinci wipes the floor with it!

 

[Blakey]

Windows Photos has a neat ability called "Create Me a Video". It's pretty hit and miss but you can give it a selection of video clips and stills and it will randomly put them together into a roughly 1 minute-long montage for you - in literally a few seconds, complete with soundtrack.

Example: Today's Ride

I know that is pretty lame but it took me literally a minute with one button to build. You can then edit that if you like - but I find if I do you end up being back where you started and just editing the whole thing. And it's clearly got all the background inane chatter and "GoPro - Stop Recording" comments in places.

Does Movie Studio or Davinchi have anything similar - click-and-go?

 

[Blakey]

Minor update: today I found out how to mute any bit of footage you drop into Windows Photos editor, whilst still being able to overlay built-in tunes or custom audio. So that gets rid of my problem with annoying background sounds.

I think I am close to working out how to split a video and slow down parts of it using this software too.

If I can crack that I actually think it probably does everything I need in a really simple(and free) package....

 

[Tim1023]

I do some software demo videos with basic cuts and fades. I've used the open source and free Shotcut. Fairly simple and gets the job done. Can probably do tonnes more than I use it for.

 

[Mikerb]

So much helpful info everyone - thanks!

Here's a related question: Is there a way to get a GoPro9 to NOT record sound? I never use the sound that's recorded on the ride (inane chatter, grunts, wind noise etc) so I always either have to find a way to delete it or accept having it as an annoying background sound.

In Movie Studio you can delete ( or mute) the entire audio track ( ungroup and delete). However the onboard audio track is important because the sound of the bike on the trail says as much as the video footage about the terrain you are riding. In Movie Studio you can set the volume of on board audio and music track audio on a continuous basis. So for example you can reduce the volume to mute for bits of audio you do not want. Because you can adjust the audio of both the onboard and a music track the best approach is to bring the music audio level down when you want the onboard audio to take precedence and do the reverse when you do not want some parts of the onboard audio.

 

[Blakey]

In Movie Studio you can delete ( or mute) the entire audio track ( ungroup and delete). However the onboard audio track is important because the sound of the bike on the trail says as much as the video footage about the terrain you are riding. In Movie Studio you can set the volume of on board audio and music track audio on a continuous basis. So for example you can reduce the volume to mute for bits of audio you do not want. Because you can adjust the audio of both the onboard and a music track the best approach is to bring the music audio level down when you want the onboard audio to take precedence and do the reverse when you do not want some parts of the onboard audio.

That's very professional sounding. But, yes. Good advice.

I'm clearly at the very beginning of a potentially long journey. Just not sure how far down the "professional" route I want to go or have time for...

Again, thanks for the advice and help!