GoPro Settings?

galaga187

E*POWAH Master
Apr 15, 2018
805
604
Wroughton
24fps is favoured by film enthusiasts as better replicating motion blur to give a sense of movement or speed. Personally I prefer a much more detailed image for POV footage. POV is a different perspective than the usual 3rd party camera positions in film. As far as resolution goes I think 4k asks too much of the camera in less than ideal conditions....and mtb is already very challenging for video. There are lots of elements in Woodlands that provide very little opportunity for the camera to deliver sharp focus, very little within the frame is constant and light is variable.
Agreed - another consideration with 24fps is to get motion blur without blowing out the highlights the use of an ND filter is sometimes required but Hypersmooth does not work so well with ND Filters as it needs sharp frames. I’ve not tested this personally yet.
 

Ushtang

Active member
Sep 14, 2020
111
138
USA
Yes, I am using 24fps to give the footage a more 'film' like look to it. I'm trying to emulate the look of content on MTB channels on YouTube I frequent as I feel these videos are more immersive which is what I am going for rather than video quality detail.

I've tested the ND filters on the GoPro 9 and you are right. I think due to slow shutter speed you would need to apply when shooting at 24fps to induce natural motion blur, I have observed that Hypersmooth does not work as well and the video is quite unstable.
 
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Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,540
5,030
Weymouth
Yes, I am using 24fps to give the footage a more 'film' like look to it. I'm trying to emulate the look of content on MTB channels on YouTube I frequent as I feel these videos are more immersive which is what I am going for rather than video quality detail.

I've tested the ND filters on the GoPro 9 and you are right. I think due to slow shutter speed you would need to apply when shooting at 24fps to induce natural motion blur, I have observed that Hypersmooth does not work as well and the video is quite unstable.
Yes but even without those problems there is a big difference between shooting POV...which is rarely used in films........and a 3rd party camera perspective. That 3rd party camera is also invariably tripod mounted and stabilisation is achieved due to the fixed camera mount or a very complex gimbal arrangement. Hypersmooth is digital stabilisation....very effective but as stated a bove can only work with sharp frames...and crops the frame.
 

Ushtang

Active member
Sep 14, 2020
111
138
USA
Are you saying POV should not be shot at 24fps? Lots of MTB channels have POV riding footage shot at 24fps.


in this video, the content creator briefly talks about why his POV footage is shot at 24fps. Skip to the 5:44 mark


Besides, it isn’t the frame rate that messes up Hypersmooth. Hypersmooth is not as stable in low light. In addition, even in bright lighting conditions, if you are using an ND filter, applying the 180 rule, and setting your shutter speed to double your frame rate in order to get natural motion blur in your footage(1/50 @ 24fps), Hypersmooth doesn’t like the slow shutter speed and will not work as well.

But those are about the only settings that mess up Hypersmooth I believe and not frame rate alone.
 
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GrandPaBrogan

⚡ eGeezer ⚡
Oct 5, 2019
1,329
2,068
New Zealand
Just purchased the GoPro 9 to use with a Chestmount. What is your favourite setting to get the best quality on your Pro's?
Here's a couple of Hero7 Black vids I made some time ago. I was going to make a series of videos that would also involve videos of my grandchildren riding their bikes (hence the style of the intro), but then YouTube went all ballistic about 'child-content' and so it put me off the project and I decided to flag it altogether.

There might be something you can glean from it... but please bear in mind that my findings are subjective. I relegated the videos to 'Unlisted' but you might be able to playback right here in this forum page - but make sure you change the settings to highest resolution for clarity so the subtle differences can be seen. Cheers.


 

net wurker

E*POWAH Master
Sep 30, 2019
185
237
Huntsville, AL USA
I have a Hero 8 black, shoot at 1080 @ 30fps, -5 ev comp, pro tune on...superview. I render the 1080 footage as 4K, though. This makes you tube stream it with the superior VP09 codec, instead of streaming it with the AVC codec.

 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,540
5,030
Weymouth
I have never seen any reason to use protune settings on my Windsurfing Gopro footage but I admit mountain biking especially in forests does present different challenges that are often difficult to fix by grading in post. So I decided to try out the setting suggestions in one of the videos earlier in this thread.
I use the Hero 7 and my resolution is 2.7k shot at 50fps with Superview frame format. I rode yesterday on forest trails. It was cold but with a clear blue sky and sunshine. By 1pm ( UK GMT) the sun is already pretty low in the sky, so it was a particularly challenging environment for Gopro.
I set protune as follows:-
EV -1, White balance 5500, ISO max 3200, Sharpness medium, Colour Flat, RAW audio high, wind off.

I was pleased with the result. Colours were very natural/true to life. They could be a little further saturated in post edit if you prefer a bit more technocolour! Contrast management was really good. Nothing was blown out and the scene only became a little dark when it was in fact pretty dark!

I was sufficiently impressed to decide to keep to these settings, at least for the winter months when the sun ( if there is any) is low and the light is harsh. I may experiment to modify them a little for warmer and less harsh light in the summer.

I have not yet finished editing the video but will provide a link to my YT channel ( called "mikerbwind" ) when it is if anyone is interested.
 

Tobers

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2020
140
309
England
I use a Hero8. I am usually at 1080p wide, in a chest mount. I find this gives me the best balance for stabilisation and file sizes. I don’t worry about frame rate or ISO - I just let the camera sort that out.

I only record in short-ish bursts. Nobody wants to view 30 mins of a POV shot (unless it is an epic 30 min descent).

You should also consider the sound on your videos. Endless wind noise is massively annoying for viewers. Gopro sound is generally appalling. It’s even worse if you are narrating your ride. On the Hero8 I use a media mod which provides me with a mic in socket. Into that, I plug a Rode Wireless Go II receiver. This comes with two transmitters with wind baffles. I clip one onto my rucksack strap, and if I’m riding with a pal I clip the other to them. This provides really good sound without excessive wind noise, picking up conversation and ambient sound really well.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Sometimes it helps to have a drone as well. When shooting with a drone (which has no sound pickup for obvious reasons), sync the video/audio with your Gopro by setting both Gopro and drone to record, point the drone at yourself, and clap. You can then sync the motion of the clap on the drone with the sound on the video and have everything nicely syned.
 

#lazy

E*POWAH BOSS
Oct 1, 2019
1,406
1,535
Surrey
I use a Hero8. I am usually at 1080p wide, in a chest mount. I find this gives me the best balance for stabilisation and file sizes. I don’t worry about frame rate or ISO - I just let the camera sort that out.

I only record in short-ish bursts. Nobody wants to view 30 mins of a POV shot (unless it is an epic 30 min descent).

You should also consider the sound on your videos. Endless wind noise is massively annoying for viewers. Gopro sound is generally appalling. It’s even worse if you are narrating your ride. On the Hero8 I use a media mod which provides me with a mic in socket. Into that, I plug a Rode Wireless Go II receiver. This comes with two transmitters with wind baffles. I clip one onto my rucksack strap, and if I’m riding with a pal I clip the other to them. This provides really good sound without excessive wind noise, picking up conversation and ambient sound really well.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Sometimes it helps to have a drone as well. When shooting with a drone (which has no sound pickup for obvious reasons), sync the video/audio with your Gopro by setting both Gopro and drone to record, point the drone at yourself, and clap. You can then sync the motion of the clap on the drone with the sound on the video and have everything nicely syned.
Another quality film , you should spend a day at fort bill dh , that be be epic !
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,540
5,030
Weymouth
What setting for mixed lighting when riding through a forest? shadows one second then bright sunlight the next...this blows out the highlights.

EV comp? metering?
EV -1, White balance 5500, ISO max 3200, Sharpness medium, Colour Flat, RAW audio high, wind off.
 

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