The GoPro is an unbelievably powerful camera for great value, but for some reason the footage doesn't quite seem to look like any of those unbelievable shots you've seen in the ads. Unfortunately the factory GoPro settings can only take you so far. By understanding how to fully unlock the GoPro and understanding it's different settings you can take your footage to a whole new level.
In this article we are going to be showing you our exact settings and explaining each one to help you understand how the camera works to really make your GoPro footage pop!
So before we begin you are going to need to enable "Pro Mode" . This essentially unlocks all of the camera settings which are going to need to change. To do this simply swipe down from the top, then swipe right and change "controls" from easy to pro. You are also going to want the video mode to be on "highest quality".
Now we are ready to start changing some settings! It's important to know the function of each setting so you can adjust to various situations.
RESOLUTION
The resolution of the image is basically how big the image is. Higher resolution = better quality but also will take up a lot more space and depending on your laptop be very slow to edit.. We don't usually tend to film anything above 4k as 5.6k takes up lots of space, and for Instagram, YouTube etc. you don't really need anything more than 4k.
FRAME PER SECOND
The frames per second determines how much you can slow your footage down. Depending on which Anti Flicker mode you are in your frame rate options may vary.
NTSC = 60Hz PAL = 50Hz
NTSC frame rates:
24 fps = No slowmotion
60 fps = 40% slowmotion
120 fps = 20% slowmotion
240 fps = 10% slowmotion
PAL frame rates:
25 = No slowmotion
50 = 50% slowmotion
100 = 25% slowmotion
200 = 12.5% slowmotion
The 2 different modes may seem a little confusing, but if you are in doubt just stick to whatever the GoPro offers you!
LENS
The lens setting allows you to change how wide the GoPro can see.
Hyperview (widest)
Superview
Wide
Linear
Linear + Horizon Lock (narrowest)
It's important to always consider how far away your subject is. If you are very close use a wider Lens setting. If you are far away use a narrower Lens setting to avoid the subject looking tiny!
HYPERSMOOTH
This one probably doesn't need much explaining. The higher the Hypersmooth, the more stable your footage will be.
10 BIT
10 Bit increases the amount of colours you GoPro can capture. If you do any colour grading (which we would recommend), 10 bits colour allows you to really tweak the colours of the footage without them falling apart and looking grainy.
BIT RATE
Bit rate determines how much information is written in each video file. We'd recommend always having the bit rate set to high for best quality.
SHUTTER
If you are just starting out we'd recommend leaving this on auto, however if you purchase some ND filters you can achieve some really awesome looking motion blur (to make the rider look as if they are going very fast) To achieve natural motion blur you need to have the shutter speed set to 4 x the frame rate.
24 fps = 1/120
60 fps = 1/240
120 fps = 1/480
240 fps = 1/960
WHITE BALANCE
White balance determines how warm (orange) or cool (blue) the video is. For wakeboarding we always have this set to 5500K
SHARPNESS
We always have our sharpness set to low.
COLOR
The color setting changes how saturated your footage looks straight out of the camera. We have ours set to low and then add the colours in during editing.
Spend some time playing around and seeing what each of these different settings do and you will be well on your way to mastering the GoPro.
OUR PRESETS
STANDARD (For vlogging & off water clips)
Resolution: 4K
FPS: 25
Lens: Superview (this can change depending on situation and desired look)
HyperSmooth: Auto Boost
10 Bit: On
Bit Rate: High
Shutter: Auto
White Balance: 5500K
Sharpness: Low
Color: Flat
WATER (For most riding clips)
Resolution: 4K
FPS: 50
Lens: Wide (this can change depending on situation and desired look)
HyperSmooth: Auto Boost
10 Bit: On
Bit Rate: High
Shutter: 200
White Balance: 5500K
Sharpness: Low
Color: Flat
SLOWMOTION (Only used for specific shots)
Resolution: 2.7K
FPS: 200
Lens: Wide
HyperSmooth: Auto Boost
10 Bit: N/A
Bit Rate: High
Shutter: 800
White Balance: 5500K
Sharpness: Low
Color: Flat
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