best software for gopro editing?

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Phantom experts,
Trying to get a handle on the best software for editing gopro videos. I've used the free go pro editor and... I guess you get what you pay for. Id like to upgrade and need ideas from the experienced editors out there. Any other suggestions on the best software to edit your videos? Please advise.
Zackspar
 
Well it kind of depends on whether you're PC or Mac.
People on PC prefer Vegas or Adobe Premiere (the later of which has a handy warp-stabilizer)
on the Mac there's also Premiere, as well as Final Cut Pro X. (and iMovie too I suppose).

just be sure to trancode the GoPro movies first using GoPro Cineform, the standard GoPro codec doesn't play back smoothly on computers or within editing apps (unless the video's been transcoded)
 
justsomeguy said:
Gizmo3000 said:
just be sure to trancode the GoPro movies first using GoPro Cineform, the standard GoPro codec doesn't play back smoothly on computers or within editing apps (unless the video's been transcoded)

This is simply not true.

The raw MP4s right out of the camera play back smoothly on my computer in WMP, VLC, QuickTime or Premiere Pro.

The only time things will slow down is when viewing previews in PP after I have color corrected, sharpened, reduced noise and also applied warp stabilizer in Premiere.

I guess I should have elaborated more.
yes, you're right they play back smoothly in general. (tho not always if you scrub back and forth or jump around)

But the h.264 codec the GoPro records in is not ideal for editing , so it's ideal to trancode with Cineform Studio or others to another codec prior to editing. Premiere and Final Cut have options to transcode on import, which is why it might seem to work ok in them.
 
justsomeguy said:
Gizmo3000 said:
Premiere and Final Cut have options to transcode on import, which is why it might seem to work ok in them.

Incorrect again.

I do not transcode on import in PP.

The videos play smoothly when I scrub back and forth or jump around in WMP, VLC, QT and PP.

If your computer is high spec, it could play the raw file fairly smoothly. I'll be honest here, my best computer can just play the raw file, so long as I don't skip or change size etc, from then it just lags etc lol

If I wanna check the raw footage, I usually adjust the size of the video down. Same deal if I've made any changes to the video and try watching the preview, I might get a few seconds before it lags etc

I did stop past a local computer store yesterday actually to get a start on a quote for a new "video-processing" based computer mainly for my gopro videos.

What's the specs on your computer JSG?
 
If recording in protune there are more advantages to transcoding to cineform, cineform is much faster at basic colour grading using lossless metadata it allows you to make adjustments that wont effect playback or rendering speed too much compared to using other methods for the same image adjustments. If you have a fast setup and record without protune then working directly with the MP4 files is fine but much better off using cineform with protune.

In terms of software other then gopro studio within windows premiere pro or Sony Vegas are the 2 most popular options. Cineform v2.0 is as good or better then most of the other cheaper or free options but for the next level premiere pro will do anyhting you jeed and for a cheaper option its worth checking out Sony Vegas studio.
 
justsomeguy said:
Gizmo3000 said:
Premiere and Final Cut have options to transcode on import, which is why it might seem to work ok in them.

Incorrect again.

I do not transcode on import in PP.

The videos play smoothly when I scrub back and forth or jump around in WMP, VLC, QT and PP.

Ok,. maybe I should have elaborated even more so you can stop trying to tell me I'm incorrect

Have you tried editing go pro footage shot at 2.7k protune?

In "general" most computers and editing apps choke while trying to edit raw GoPro footage shot at high resolution and/or frame rate, because the codec is NOT suited for editing and it taxes the system too much.
That is specifically why even GoPro's very own software, Cienform, requires you to transcode before editing

So now let me put the nail in the coffin on this subject
taken from GoPro's own website:

http://gopro.com/support/articles/why-d ... orm-format

All consumer‐level cameras and many professional‐level cameras record in highly compressed video formats designed to capture large amounts of data very quickly and save that data onto an SD card or other portable media format in as small a file as possible. This is great for recording a lot of data onto a small space, but these compression formats are not designed nor optimized for maintaining image quality during editing or color correction processes. Because these formats are so compressed, they often require an ultra powerful computer to decode (playback) the files without performance degradation (choppy playback or dropped frames).
Because of this, many professional filmmakers and consumer‐level videographers use what is called a Digital Intermediate (DI). A DI is an exact copy of the data from the original video file saved in a file format that is specifically optimized for higher image quality and fast playback on modern computer systems. This makes for a much better editing experience.
The GoPro CineForm format (or codec) is the Digital Intermediate (DI) used in all GoPro Studio workflows and is one of the best in the industry—used by indie filmmakers and Hollywood studios alike.
Ultimately, GoPro CineForm files are better for editing than camera source files. They improve on image quality and playback speed, as well as provide the Active MetadataTM architecture required to enable the real‐time image development and enhancement features available in GoPro Studio’s EDIT Room.
 
You can only try to help people so much Gizmo :)

I thought it was a well known fact amongst GoPro users that the recording format in not friendly for Play Back (unless using something like VLC which can play most everything) and it certainly isn't a friendly format for editing.

Convert it first in GoPro Cineform, the latest version of which has a handy feature to remove Fisheye, or use something like MPeg Streamclip which is a free App.

Many people find one editor good for doing certain things and another for others and will import and export between them. Programs like Magic Bullet give a real professional finish but are way out of my budget.
 
Gents if you have a GoPro then download the GoPro Studio 2.0 free, check out their website.

Current Camera Software: HD2.08.12.222.WIFI.R56.00 Release Date: 1/8/2013 Changes: Improved 3D sync, increased software update reliability.

Works well with sample templates and soundtracks, quickest way is to use the template to your timeline using that soundtrack.
 
All,
Thank you for the insight....seems my problem fixed itself after I got a gimble. Originally the video was broken up. After I used the gimble it was much smoother and much easier to edit on go pros program. It is nice to know there are other options but right now I'm in just starting mode and don't have 200 to throw down on a copy of the latest/greatest video editor...perhaps after I become a professional AP..lol
zackspar
 
justsomeguy said:
Gizmo3000 said:
just be sure to trancode the GoPro movies first using GoPro Cineform, the standard GoPro codec doesn't play back smoothly on computers or within editing apps (unless the video's been transcoded)

This is simply not true.

The raw MP4s right out of the camera play back smoothly on my computer in WMP, VLC, QuickTime or Premiere Pro.

The only time things will slow down is when viewing previews in PP after I have color corrected, sharpened, reduced noise and also applied warp stabilizer in Premiere.
How did you get premiere? I mean is there any cheap way? Because it cost so much money I cant afford it in any way :evil: :x
 
All the stuff you guys say, can we try and elaborate :)

If I have some raw 1080 recrded gopro 3 stuff. Should I then:

1- Run it through cineform and edit it in cineform
2- Run it through cineform but use another video editor?
3- Not use cineform at all? The adobe CS 6 trial seemed to handle my videos ok. I guess a cheaper editor as sony vegas should do it aswell.

Anyway now I just tried the program. It went from approx. 600mb to 6,5gb avi file. Is this what you "pro´s" do? And then edit in some video editor? Because I definitely lost some quality in the video by doing that when I compare it in two video players, side by side. Though I also have small probs running the videos in trial cs6 but it aint impossible
 
simonthk said:
All the stuff you guys say, can we try and elaborate :)

If I have some raw 1080 recrded gopro 3 stuff. Should I then:

1- Run it through cineform and edit it in cineform
2- Run it through cineform but use another video editor?
3- Not use cineform at all? The adobe CS 6 trial seemed to handle my videos ok. I guess a cheaper editor as sony vegas should do it aswell.

Anyway now I just tried the program. It went from approx. 600mb to 6,5gb avi file. Is this what you "pro´s" do? And then edit in some video editor? Because I definitely lost some quality in the video by doing that when I compare it in two video players, side by side. Though I also have small probs running the videos in trial cs6 but it aint impossible

I'd like to hear the answer to this. I've been using Premiere Elements 11 to edit straight out of the GoPro (Hero3 Silver) and the quality of the videos is meh. I heard today that it might be better to run through Cineform Studio first...

...but I'm not sure the "process" for getting it through Studio in a way that then allows me to edit it in Premiere and keep high quality.

Anyone got a good step-by-step post process?

Thanks!
 
I have a basic Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM.

I copy the raw video file from my GoPro to my hard drive.

I edit in either iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Usually FCP.

I can scrub and edit in a VERY acceptable manner without hiccups.

So my workflow does NOT include any conversions.

Maybe I just get lucky! I don't do any color correction or other stuff besides titles and transitions.
 
I start it in Cineform, crop and WB on Cineform, while still open I edit the AVI in After Effects where I denoise and color grade.
The AE plugins I use are Neat Video, Synthetic Aperture and Color Ghears.

The Changes you make in AE will show in your open video in Cineform. After I export from Cineform I do the final edit in Premier Pro.

That said, you can do it all in Cineform and get decent results for free.
 
Try Cyberlink PowerDirector.

I have a 6 year old computer with decent specs for that time. Cyberlink was the only editing program that I could work with 1080p 60fps raw video footage without any stuttering in the time line sequence. Adobe premier was just unusable.
 

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