What Video Editing Software?

Doomanic

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[humblebrag]I've just bought a Mac M1 [/humblebrag] what video editing software are people using for GoPro footage?
 

VWsurfbum

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I'm using (if i want to do it properly) power director. But that is on my phone after importing from gopro quik.
My mate swears by Adobe Premier pro on his apple, so that maybe worth a look, having never touched an apple mac, i'm not much use on that front.
 

Tubby G

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LumaFusion is far easier to use than some of the epic editing packages, and can also be used on iphone on ipad too. You’ll need minimum of iOS 15 with an M1 processor

It still takes ages to make an edit though, and the ‘free’ music library is a bag of shite

 

dobbyhasfriends

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[humblebrag]I've just bought a Mac M1 [/humblebrag] what video editing software are people using for GoPro footage?
was just about to buy one of these as a laptop or mini.
just use imovie that comes with it, its pretty capable or if you wanna splash, go for final cut. ive had both, imovie is dead easy and FCP is more powerful with tools etc
 

Mikerb

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Movie Studio Platinum..........its a full fat NLE but short of being the Pro version. For music I use Jamendo.com........fine to use virtually any track as long as you dont monetise your channel..........the artist gets any revenue instead.
 

RipGroove

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Movie Studio Platinum..........its a full fat NLE but short of being the Pro version. For music I use Jamendo.com........fine to use virtually any track as long as you dont monetise your channel..........the artist gets any revenue instead.
Slightly off topic but whenever I try to upload some of DJ sets to YouTube (not monetized) most of the tracks labels claim the rights no problem but there's always a few that flat out refuse and simply don't let the video get put up at all which is a massive pain in the ass because you either have to redo the whole set without those tracks or redact the audio while those tracks are playing which simply isn't an option as that just kills the set. I've tried all the methods of disputing the copywriting and stating that the labels can monetize but that never works either.

The funny thing is all these tracks that I get rejected are all on many other YouTube channels already?!!! I have no idea how they can upload the full uninterrupted extended version of a track yet I can't upload half of it as part of a set 😡 For example, Delerium - Silence is all over YouTube but if I try uploading a set with it in my video is taken down.

Oh and on the rare occasion I do edit any video I also use the free version of Davinci Resolve on my gaming PC and it does everything I need no problem.
 
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MasterDabber

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Being a cheapskate I use Shotcut (free) on my Windows laptop. It is available for mac as well I believe. It seems pretty good, at latest for my fairly basic needs.
On the subject of music licences etc... My son was doing a MTB race which I was filming. Around the start/finish area there was music playing over the PA. When I uploaded to youtube it got rejected as they had picked up the music in the background :mad::p
 

Dax

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Slightly off topic but whenever I try to upload some of DJ sets to YouTube (not monetized) most of the tracks labels claim the rights no problem but there's always a few that flat out refuse and simply don't let the video get put up at all which is a massive pain in the ass because you either have to redo the whole set without those tracks or redact the audio while those tracks are playing which simply isn't an option as that just kills the set. I've tried all the methods of disputing the copywriting and stating that the labels can monetize but that never works either.

The funny thing is all these tracks that I get rejected are all on many other YouTube channels already?!!! I have no idea how they can upload the full uninterrupted extended version of a track yet I can't upload half of it as part of a set 😡 For example, Delerium - Silence is all over YouTube but if I try uploading a set with it in my video is taken down.

Oh and on the rare occasion I do edit any video I also use the free version of Davinci Resolve on my gaming PC and it does everything I need no problem.


How does music on YouTube work these days? I know they dropped a bunch of videos I put up years ago because of music copyright, does the monitization let you use stuff now?
 

RipGroove

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How does music on YouTube work these days? I know they dropped a bunch of videos I put up years ago because of music copyright, does the monitization let you use stuff now?
Not in my experience no, my videos are not monetized and I can make all manor of claims of fair use or specifying that the labels can monetize my videos if they want but there are certain labels that just block videos and that's it. Doesn't make any sense because essentially I am creating content they will make money from for free yet they're not interested, who in their right mind turns down free money.

In the past I've had some rejected and actually directly emailed the label and they have actually allowed it but for the most part all my sets got taken down for one or two tracks where the labels just wouldn't budge.

What completely confuses me is how other channels can just post whatever they want. I'm subscribed to several channels that literally all they do is uploaded full 12" versions of popular dance music spanning from the 80's to now and they seem to have no issue with the very same tracks that I cannot upload. I've even pointed this out in appeals to labels but they don't listen, so you'd think maybe it's pretty random if they notice a track and reject it but no, I've tried several sets with the same track in it and they all get rejected.
 
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Mikerb

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Never had a problem with Jamendo using their free download/streaming selection.
There is lots of confusion re copyright and " Royalty free". Royalty free does not mean it is not subject to copyright and you can use such music if you buy a licence ....either per track or a monthly/annual fee.
Copyright can apply worldwide or only in certain territories............depends on the rights bought by the copyright holder. In some cases copyright may be owned by the original artist and they tend not to have the means or maybe the willingness to prevent use of their music. More often music copyright is owned by a record label and they have systems to monitor copyright breaches.
 

Mikerb

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I use Movie Studio which has many features usually only included in Pro versions of non linear editing suites. It takes time to learn all the functionality just like any decent NLE but also has an option to just start with the basics. It is what used to be Sony MS but was bought out by Magix.
 

Amber Valley Guy

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My favourite is Shotcut followed by daVinci Resolve the free version. Shotcut allows you to encode via hardware so it's a lot faster for rendering and way easier to learn/use than Resolve imo and much smaller file sizes in 4k. I think Resolve only has hardware encoding in the paid for version.
 

Dax

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Resolve on iPad Pro. Works really well and very easy to pick up
 

MasterDabber

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After reading this thread I thought I'd give DaVinci Resolve (free version) a try. Up until now I've been using Shotcut and I've been happy with it but thought I'd experiment.
Just had a play around an done some basics including a bit of slo-mo in some of the berms (just to see the effect). Thought it works pretty well but I need to experiment a lot more to get more comfortable. Thought I'd post my first attempt if that's OK.
 

Mikerb

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After reading this thread I thought I'd give DaVinci Resolve (free version) a try. Up until now I've been using Shotcut and I've been happy with it but thought I'd experiment.
Just had a play around an done some basics including a bit of slo-mo in some of the berms (just to see the effect). Thought it works pretty well but I need to experiment a lot more to get more comfortable. Thought I'd post my first attempt if that's OK.
Pretty good.....but I got no audio. Colour could be ramped up a bit. What video settings did you use on the Gopro? What settings for rendering? I ask because the video could be a bit smoother so I wonder if settings were too high for the light availability.
 

MasterDabber

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Pretty good.....but I got no audio. Colour could be ramped up a bit. What video settings did you use on the Gopro? What settings for rendering? I ask because the video could be a bit smoother so I wonder if settings were too high for the light availability.
That's useful. Thanks a lot.
In answer to some of your questions... GoPro 8, settings. Res 4k/30, Superview, Hypersmooth on, Bitrate high, Shuuer Auto,EV Comp 0, Whitebalance 5500K, ISO 100/800,Sharpness High, Colour Gopro, Raw Audio off

Colour I can play with in DaVinci.
Rendering settings... MP4, Codec AVI, 24 fps, Resolution 3840/2160 Ultra HD, Quality restricted 80000kps. Everything else left at default I think.
The audio problem is my bad. I played with the Mixer sliders when editing as I don't like the background trail noise too loud and forgot to bring it up again.
I played with Clip speed to generate fake slo-mo using the Retime Curve which I thought was a rather neat tool. There are two sections of this fake slo-mo.

Hope that makes sense. I've probably forgotten something. Thanks again.
 

Mikerb

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All of this is my personal opinion.....but I have been using a Gopro for both mountain biking and windsurfing ever since Gopro introduced their very first camera capable of anything better than SD!!
I use 2.7k at 50 ( 60) fps almost all the time for mountain biking because the light levels in amongst trees is never very good. It is an action sport where the POV focus is on the upcoming trail so I use a high frame rate, in my case 50 fps which then captures the upcoming trail more clearly. I have Gopro 7 and my preference is to use a setting that has Hyper stabilisation ( any body worn POV e.g chesty is not that stable!) has a 16:9 format capable of supporting linear, wide and superview by selection, and finally uses the ubiquitous H264 codec. ( not all NLEs handle HEVC codec ...e.g 4k....reliably. Hence my choice of the 2.7k/50 fps setting. No proxy rendering is required and files are a mangeable size.
Personally I would only even think about using 4k except in very good light and tripod mounted.
The resolution/frame speed used to video determines how much detail is captured ( use of the sensor) but is also limited by the buffering capability of sensor to processor.........hence if for example action is fast moving and light is not brilliant that can cause quality issues.
When it comes to rendering I render at 1080/50fps..........simply because 99% of the devices used by anyone likely to view my videos ( including me) whether a mobile phone or TV is likely to be limited to 1080 HD. I typically have 4 lines of video, onboard audio, commentary by mic during editing or music, the video clips, and headers/trailers. My rendering for a 10 minute video usually takes about 20 minutes.
Finally, whether on water or in the woods a lot of the detail the video tries to capture has no obvious focus help for the camera ( cross hatches).......hence scrub/grass/braken etc can look blurry.........more so the more you push the resolution.
 
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MasterDabber

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All of this is my personal opinion.....but I have been using a Gopro for both mountain biking and windsurfing ever since Gopro introduced their very first camera capable of anything better than SD!!
I use 2.7k at 50 ( 60) fps almost all the time for mountain biking because the light levels in amongst trees is never very good. It is an action sport where the POV focus is on the upcoming trail so I use a high frame rate, in my case 50 fps which then captures the upcoming trail more clearly. I have Gopro 7 and my preference is to use a setting that has Hyper stabilisation ( any body worn POV e.g chesty is not that stable!) has a 16:9 format capable of supporting linear, wide and superview by selection, and finally uses the ubiquitous H264 codec. ( not all NLEs handle HEVC codec ...e.g 4k....reliably. Hence my choice of the 2.7k/50 fps setting. No proxy rendering is required and files are a mangeable size.
Personally I would only even think about using 4k except in very good light and tripod mounted.
The resolution/frame speed used to video determines how much detail is captured ( use of the sensor) but is also limited by the buffering capability of sensor to processor.........hence if for example action is fast moving and light is not brilliant that can cause quality issues.
When it comes to rendering I render at 1080/50fps..........simply because 99% of the devices used by anyone likely to view my videos ( including me) whether a mobile phone or TV is likely to be limited to 1080 HD. I typically have 4 lines of video, onboard audio, commentary by mic during editing or music, the video clips, and headers/trailers. My rendering for a 10 minute video usually takes about 20 minutes.
Finally, whether on water or in the woods a lot of the detail the video tries to capture has no obvious focus help for the camera ( cross hatches).......hence scrub/grass/braken etc can look blurry.........more so the more you push the resolution.
Thanks @Mikerb Always interesting to get another perspective. Have you got any examples of your ride video I could see?
 

MasterDabber

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I'm looking for software for editing my GoPro videos. I used to use Lightworks, and liked it, but it doesn't do 4k without buying the pro version. Since the pro version is $24/month, and I edit videos about once every 5 years, that's not worth the price. I tried Davinci Resolve 18, but when I import my vids, they all show up as Media Offline. I've tried about a dozen "fixes" for this, then gave up on that software.

Can anybody suggest decent video editing software?

BTW, I'm using a PC, and would prefer free, or at least a one time purchase prices, as opposed to a subscription price.
You say you've tried various fixes and presumably this won't be anything you haven't tries? DaVinci Resolve Media Offline Fix [Solved]

As I said earlier in this thread, I've recently moved from Shotcut to DaVinci Resolve (freebie version) and I've been steadily playing with it and getting more familiar. However, as DaVinci isn't working for you, you could try Shotcut.... I thought it was pretty good.
 

Bear-uk

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I'm looking for software for editing my GoPro videos. I used to use Lightworks, and liked it, but it doesn't do 4k without buying the pro version. Since the pro version is $24/month, and I edit videos about once every 5 years, that's not worth the price. I tried Davinci Resolve 18, but when I import my vids, they all show up as Media Offline. I've tried about a dozen "fixes" for this, then gave up on that software.

Can anybody suggest decent video editing software?

BTW, I'm using a PC, and would prefer free, or at least a one time purchase prices, as opposed to a subscription price.
DaVinchi can't find the video files, hence the media offline message.
Check your settings and see what folder DaVinchi is looking in.
Either alter that to where your files are or put your files into the one where DaVinchi thinks they are.
 

Mikerb

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Not free ( but then what do you ever get decent for free?!!).....I use Movie Studio. A very comprehensive full editing suite that continues to provide automatic updates and fixes. No subscription, just a one off payment. It used to be owned by Sony but was bought out by Magix. About £35 for 2024 version £45 for 2025 version Movie Studio Platinum, a bout £55/£60 for the suite.
 

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