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Automated video and sound editing software can make any bumbling idiot into an extreme sports movie star. Improvements to mobile devices and digital cameras have made it easier to capture video, but editing footage still requires significant expertise and time.
Visit any surf break, mountain bike trail, or ski resort and you’ll see people diligently filming their best moves, worst falls, and a lot of tedium in between using smartphones and action cameras such as a GoPro. Startup Shred Video has developed technology that tries to edit collections of such footage into short, slick, and shareable movies at the push of a button. The company’s software uses algorithms that analyse and edit or remix video and music to try and make short movies in the style of those produced by extreme sports brands to show off the exploits of their sponsored athletes. The final results are generally two minutes long or less. The company’s software is available to download for Apple computers.
Shred CEO Mike Allen says the company wants to be something like the video equivalent of Instagram, which by providing photo filters made it easy for anyone to make their mobile snaps more interesting to other people. However, because producing video is more complex, Shred has had to develop more sophisticated technology, he says. “It takes more than a sepia filter to make video great, it takes curation, pacing, synchronized audio and video,” said Allen, launching his company at an event held by the YCombinator accelerator program on Wednesday. Software isn’t capable of creative decisions, but Allen says the relatively formulaic structure of extreme sports videos is within its grasp.
Shred’s software sets out to make movies that begin with slow moving, establishing shots, for example showing the beach or ski slope at the start of a trip; transition to highlights of the adrenaline pumping action; and then wind down with more shots of scenery and people at the end. “That formula still works even though you’re not doing the most extreme backflips,” says Allen. The software selects footage to use by looking at time stamps and the pattern of acceleration in the frame. It can also shorten and remix any song provided by the user, using algorithms that can identify and edit the different musical parts of a track. The software aims to play the intro to a song during the establishing footage, and then switch to the chorus or a more up tempo section just as the action begins. Cuts between clips are all made on the beat. Last year, users of Facebook and Google’s social network, Google+, were offered automatically generated “year in review” movies combining both photos and video. They used music but didn’t let you choose it, and didn’t appear to remix it to fit the visuals.
Google’s Photos service automatically creates movies for, say, vacations and allows you to choose from a menu of music and some visual filters, but it is not focused on action footage. Allen concedes that his more ambitious software doesn’t always get it right the first time, but says that it makes it easy enough to provide quick feedback—for example to include or leave out some footage. A slick 2.5-minute video Allen made of a surf trip with friends took less than five minutes of work to produce from a collection of more than six gigabytes of raw footage, he says.
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You know how in horror movies they sometimes find videos that preview horrifying encounters but that end just before they get to the best part and so you don’t really know what happened to the screaming and kicking victim? Well, this just about sums up the footage below. The video, posted online by the Russian Geographical Society just a couple of days ago, documents a close encounter between a GoPro camera and a terribly hungry bear. Needless to say, the camera is the victim and the bear the assailant.
Apparently, wildlife researchers with the Society planted the camera on the bank of a lake in the South Kamchatka Sanctuary hoping to spy on bears fishing in the area. Unfortunately, one of the animals spotted it and decided to investigate / eat it. The footage starts with the bear running towards the camera. Then there’s a close-up view of the inside of the animal’s mouth, sharp teeth and all, after which everything goes dark. We can only assume a bite was all it took to destroy the camera. Then again, maybe the bear simply picked it up and turned it off, annoyed at the thought that somebody was trying to spy on him, possibly even steal his fishing techniques. After all, bears are terribly talented at catching fish and so it makes sense that some folks would very much like to learn their tricks….
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The GoPro Hero 5 was supposed to come out in October this year but the American camcorder company based in San Mateo, California has decided to push it back to next year, claiming that it plans to incorporate more new ground-breaking features to the device to officially make it the most powerful videography equipment in the world when it comes out in 2016.
Apparently, it was also a market strategy for GoPro as the company unveiled its GoPro Hero LCD in June followed by the GoPro Hero 4 Session last month, details the Christian Post. The GoPro Hero 4 Session is petite and shaped like a tiny transparent cube featuring miniature circuit boards in a very tiny assembly, describes the Day Herald. The unit is said to be waterproof and it has various elements that are carefully arranged so that the GoPro Hero 4 Session can produce awesome wide-angle videos.
According to GoPro, the GoPro Hero 4 Session is 50% smaller and 40% lighter than its predecessor GoPro Hero 4 models.
It seems that GoPro is looking to make its future devices smaller and smaller and word has it that GoPro Hero 5 will also come out at only 50% of the weight and size of GoPro Hero 4. This means that GoPro Hero 5 will approximate the size and weight of the GoPro Hero 4 Session. As to what would be the major physical differences, it would be up for people to really find out when the device is officially released to the market next year.
But based on its reported features and specifications, the GoPro Hero 5 will be like no other action cameras that GoPro or any other manufacturer has come up with. Most powerful action camera ever GoPro Hero 5 is reportedly set to take the mantle as the world’s most powerful videography equipment when it finally launches early next year. The official release date of the action camera was pushed back to next year in order to allow for unprecedented upgrades to the device. Apparently, GoPro wants to live up to the hype that the Hero 5 has established since late last year. The company wants the device to become the best action camera that it has come up with upon its roll out by next year.
While others may think of it as a lofty ambition, it is actually a major goal for GoPro because the company is optimistic that it can meet consumer expectations given its credentials with the launch of the ground-breaking GoPro Hero camcorders in the past couple of years. As has previously been reported, the delay in the launch in the latest action camera from GoPro is to buy the company some time to incorporate more new technologies to the device and make it really the best there is when it comes out in the retail markets next year.
The GoPro Hero 5 is reportedly waterproof and is said to be functional underwater up to a depth of 60 meters, which would enable it to deliver better underwater recording capabilities no other videography equipment out in the market today can match.
If latest rumors are true that the GoPro Hero 5 will come out with a price cheaper than its predecessor, then the American camcorder manufacturing company will also be ushering a ground-breaking strategy that has never been employed by anybody in the market before. It has always been the norm in the tech industry that whenever a new device comes out of the market, it is normally priced higher than its predecessor. That is quite understandable considering the upgrades and improvements that manufacturers usually include into the latest models of their devices compared to the ones they have succeeded.
Wildcard Bruno Santos makes the drop look easy for his fifth GoPro Challenge submission. Wildcard Bruno Santos (BRA) took out Jeep Leader Adriano de Souza (BRA) in Round 3 in his quest for the Billabong Pro Tahiti win. The Brazilian is keeping his head in tune hunting a GoPro Challenge win with yet another entry from Teahupo’o.
MORE FROM TAHITI Recap: Round 1, Heats 1-8; Round 1, Heats 9-12 & Round 2; Round 3, Heats 1-8 Watch: Condensed Heats, Excellent Rides Heat Analyzer Full Results GoPro Challenge: Tahiti The Vans Pro Junior resumed on the East Coast at Virginia Beach, but it was the Californian’s who stood out on Day 4. The Aussie charger reflects on his recent competitive mojo and the approach he takes when competing on one of the world’s most dangerous Another lay day in Tahiti as WSL commentators talk Title race, heats to come and the Surfline Forecast. Ronnie Blakey, Peter Mel and Ross Williams discuss the rough starts of Kelly Slater and Gabriel Medina in 2015. Nicollo Porcella appears in another angle as he stumbles down the face and goes over the falls at Teahupoo. Video by Raipona Pua….
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Yen Palec | Aug 20, 2015 03:11 AM EDT Fotokite Phi is a new quadcopter that does not require too much technical know-how to be operated. It has a GoPro camera and retractable leash that makes it very easy to be operated unlike most drones and quadcopters currently out on the market.
Designed by Perspective Robotics AG and funded through crowdfunding website Indiegogo, Fotokite Phi follows in the same breath as its professional version commonly used by well-known media outlets such as the British Broadcasting Corporation. One glaring difference the Fotokite Phi offers is its retractable leash and instead of integrating a built-in camera the quadcopters uses either a GoPro Hero3 or a GoPro Hero4 camera. The Fotokite Phi is designed to be very portable. The quadcopters can be folded and can fit inside a tube roughly the size of a whiskey bottle, according to CNet . It also weighs less with just a little over 350 grams.
The quadcopters has a camera housing that can hold the GoPro camera. Users can setup the camera housing to look down for overhead shots. There is also a button located at its back which turns both the quadcopters and GoPro camera on. The retractable leash of the Fotokite Phi which can be extended up to 26 feet has its own processor and sensors that allow its users to fully control the quadcopters by pressing and holding a button or moving the leash towards the direction the user wants to go. According to Tech Crunch , the Fotokite Phi will be released within the first few months of 2016. It can be pre-ordered in Indiegogo for $349….
The GoPro cameras have image stabilization, but it is not perfect. The Slick stabilizer has a motor on each of the three axes driven by micro controllers. The motors keep the GoPro leveled regardless of the kind of terrain you’re moving on. The difference becomes incredible obvious when watching footage of a GoPro and a GoPro with Slick side-by-side.
The Slick Stabilizer is also water-proof and can be directly attached on the standard GoPro mount. The added weight is 0.66lbs and the removable battery supports 2 hours of stabilization. The Slick Stabilizer is available as Late early Bird perk on IndiGoGo for $209. The final retail price will be $229 when shipping in March of 2016. The team behind Slick worked 2 years on the stabilizer. They took the inspiration from 3D gimbals mounted on drones. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Back to Top | Read the Latest Stories Luigi Lugmayr Luigi Lugmayr (Google+) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into vibrant technology magazine. Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com. …
Just to continue that shake up feeling we’re not going to discuss the models in the usual descending order, and we’re not going to go into the specifications in intricate detail. The point of this article is to help you make the decision on which model to buy. To do this we’ve gone through reviews from the Top Internet Reviewers, and looked at buyers reviews and reactions since the product went on sale.
For the people thinking:
“Ah! I’m even more confused. Now we have two HERO4 models, a HERO3+ model, a HERO3 model, and a HERO which should be a GoPro HERO4…but it’s not.”
Relax! it has complicated things a little, but the HERO3+ Silver and the HERO3 White are between the HERO4 SILVER and the new HERO entry level. This means that the cameras haven’t been directly superseded by the new HERO4 (as is usually the case) and we’ll discuss that in separate article.
GoPro themselves have always been able to play the high specification card, but with the capacity of the cameras currently moving faster than the market for viewing such high resolution material it would make sense to focus on the best (read: most realistic) specification for the mainstream user. For now that seems to be the GoPro 4 SILVER.
With everything the old GoPro HERO3+ Black edition had, plus the addition of a new integrated touchscreen, the HERO4 SILVER has possibly become the new market leader, at least for users looking for a top class specification and maximum user-friendliness. The introduction of the screen has given it two major advantages:
The screen alone sets it apart, and when you consider the 20% lower price tag for theGoPro HERO4 SILVER compared to the current price for theGoPro HERO4 BLACK it makes it even more tempting.
But what of you’re on the fence between the GoPro HERO4 SILVER and the GoPro HERO4 BLACK…
The one thing that may sway your decision on whether to plump for the BLACK is the 120 FPS (Frames Per Second) available at 1080p. For lovers of slow motion this can be seen as a real bonus, and it’s likely to be used more often than the higher resolutions of 2.7K and 4K.
For people who decide to stay with the SILVER, 60 FPS at 1080 p is still a very respectable option, and based on your own post-production ability it can still produce excellent results.
Realistically the two cameras aren’t comparable. The new GoPro HERO offers an entry-level alternative at a great price for people wanting to get into the sports camera market on a low budget.
If you were to consider a different GoPro to the HERO4 SILVER you should be looking at the 3+, not the new HERO.
To recap, we’re not drawing parallels with other sports cameras. This is just for people who have already decided on GoPro. Check out one of our other articles if you still need to make the decision “Which action camera?” and not “Which GoPro?”.
Start by asking yourself the following questions.
STEP 1
If the answer is “yes” to all of the STEP 1 questions, and you can put the time into getting the best out of 4K footage, then you can certainly consider a GoPro 4 Black.
If the answer is “no” to any of those questions, then consider whether you want to make that investment or it’s better to leave the GoPro HERO4 BLACKalone.
STEP 2
If the answer is “yes” to STEP 2 questions, then the GoPro HERO4 SILVER is properly worth the extra money for you.
NOTE: If you fall somewhere in between STEP2 and the next STEP 3 then you may want to look for the GoPro HERO3+ Silver Edition or the GoPro HERO3 White Edition which are selling for really at competitive prices on Amazon right now.
STEP 3
The new HERO is one for you.
If you were wondering when all the cameras were introduced you can find information on each GoPro update in this article
For more information check out the articles below from some of the Top Internet Reviewers.
The 2014 GoPro’s In-Depth Review – DC Rainmaker
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/ Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:45:00 -0800
The camera itself (duh) – The battery for the camera – A mini-USB cable – An underwater case rated to 40m/131ft – An alternate/secondary door for the case that allows for better audio – A small stack of GoPro stickers – A small quick-start guide and other paper junk – A flat adhesive mount – A curved adhesive ….. But, when it comes to playback, it might be played back at 30FPS, which then results in that one-second moment of action taking 4 seconds to play back.
Review: GoPro Hero 4 Black brings high frame rates to high …
http://appleinsider.com/ Mon, 27 Oct 2014 10:09:18 -0700
Finally, the Hero 4 Black, GoPro’s flagship and the camera under review, carries over the same small form factor for which the company is known, but doubles high-resolution frame rates to 120fps for 1080p and 30fps for 4K.
When it comes to GoPro’s new Hero4 camera, silver is the …
http://www.engadget.com/ Wed, 19 Nov 2014 07:00:00 -0800
Recently though, GoPro changed things up a bit, releasing a new “Hero” entry-level camera (note, no “4”) while introducing the Hero4 in Silver and Black editions ($400 and $500, respectively). Another first was that the Black wasn’t just the Silver with a few more features or camera modes. The Silver …. Get better reviews from people who actually have this product! write a reviewsee all reviews →. No one has started a discussion about this product yet. Why not be the …
GoPro Hero4 Silver review | Digital Trends
http://www.ecoustics.com/ Sat, 01 Nov 2014 22:00:14 -0700
If you choose 1080, you get the option of something called SuperView. This feature lets you capture a bit more of the sky and ground by taking a 4:3 aspect ratio shot and, as GoPro puts it, “dynamically stretching” it to a 16:9 …
This classic design remains a favorite for people riding motocross, mountain bike and many other helmet wearers. The shape harps back to the original concept of helmet-cams, as they were considered before the onslaught of GoPro et Al. The whole feel of the Drift GHOST-S is rugged, and that should certainly appeal to the rugged kind of users that it is aimed at. The Drift doesn’t have the exterior case required by many sports action cameras to protect them from the elements, and waterproofing is good to a depth of 3 meters. If you’re just reading specifications 3 meters might not sound like much, but we’re guessing that if you asked every person you know the last time they swam to this depth or beyond, no-one would be surprised by the answers. So apart from diving clubs, this is no deal-breaker. Unless you’re unfortunate enough to drop it over the drink it’s a non-issue, and in reality you’re more likely to drop it over something hard, so the 2 meter shock resistance is much more important.
Keeping on the subject of protection, everything you need to get to is safely protected behind the rear cap. The SD card slot, HDMI output, USB port, and the battery access are all situated here; there’s also an input for an external microphone, but that’s maybe more of a ‘nice to have’ than something of real use. The cap is secured by a screw with a large rotating head which works well until either cold fingers or glove hands become an obstacle. But Drift have thought of this, and a mount included with the package doubles to serve as a tool for loosening/tightening the large finger screw.
One advantage of this platform is the ability to rotate the lens through 300 degrees. This means less easier image alignment, made even easier with the LCD screen, and the camera placed on a good stable base as often as possible.
Among the other plus’ are:
It’s obvious from the list that, whilst the worlds eyes were on the competition, the team at Drift Innovation have been beavering away. 2015 is going to be tough with all the “Me-Too” major manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon, so it’s good to see a real hard-core/grass-roots player still keeping it real.
Here’s a selection of the best reviews we’ve found around the web.
Drift Ghost S hands-on – Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/ Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:26:00 -0800
Drift Innovation has been making action cameras for some time now. Today sees its latest offering — the Ghost S — hit stores globally. What’s new this time? Well there’s the usual assortment of video improvements: 1080p at …
Drift Industries Announces New, Faster Ghost-S … – Review
http://reviews.mtbr.com/ Wed, 20 Nov 2013 03:09:58 -0800
Meet the new Ghost-S, the latest POV HD video camera from Drift Innovations. The Ghost-S builds on the previous HD Ghost platform with a better lens, a new Sony CMOS sensor, more speed and improved battery life …
Drift Ghost S Helmet Camera … – CycleTechReview
http://cycletechreview.com/ Sat, 14 Jun 2014 06:38:40 -0700
However, just like bikes, not all cameras are created equal and the Drift Ghost S makes claim to be the best helmet camera (or action camera, as they are also known) for cyclists. Go Pro may be the best known brand in the …
Tested: Drift Ghost-S Action Camera – Flow Mountain Bike
http://flowmountainbike.com/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:15:28 -0800
However, the Drift Ghost-S is a fresh camera with a different approach on life and we think it’s definitely worth consideration. It’s water-proof, without the need of extra casing; has an in-built LCD, so you can review your shots …
If possible, charging the batteries off the camera rather than by USB is preferable. Completely flattening the GoPro battery before recharge is good practice and will not only improve battery performance when using the camera, it will also increase the overall length of the batteries life. If not using an official charger be sure to check the voltage and current ratings of aftermarket chargers, as the charging rates will affect battery life.
With so much going on in such a small box, the battery life of the Hero 3 is probably one of its weakest points. All the high resolutions and frame rates require a high amount of processing power, whilst the reduction in size compared to the Hero 2 means that the battery capacity has actually decreased. Increases in technology are undoubtedly enhancing the possibilities of reducing overall camera size; however coupling battery technology with the pace of camera technology has always been difficult for manufacturers. On top of the optical technology, there is also now the Wi-Fi built-in as opposed to the original Wi-Fi backpack, which had its own battery source.
Maximizing battery life is always easier if you have a better understanding of the equipment and the different functional modes of your GoPro. Because of this standby mode is probably the best one to understand.
GoPro Battery life in standby mode can be up to 6 hours. The standby mode starts after the camera has been idle for 5 minutes in any state other than recording. Once in standby there is no apparent difference on the screen, however a delay of about 1 second is noticeable if you press the record button. Bear this in mind if you’re standing waiting to film or a photo of somebody passing as you may miss the moment you’ve been waiting for… by about 1 second. People having used the HD Hero 2 will know that there is a time setting for the standby mode, but this is not yet the case for the Hero 3. So despite the comfort of knowing that if you forget the camera will always turn itself off, during a day those 5 minutes each time can easily add up to half an hour or more of use so be aware.
Wi-Fi ON and the APP: Reduction in battery life of up to 20%.
Wi-Fi ON and the Remote: Reduction in battery life of up to 10%.
With the Wi-Fi switched on for use with the APP the camera generates its own wireless hotspot, so it has to do this on top of all the normal camera operation. Twenty % is a fair amount so it is worth considering how long you are going to be using it for and whether it is easier to push the button on the camera rather than the button on your phone. This could really be more dependent on where the camera is positioned.
The time limit seems to stand-up better using the remote, but really without fully understanding the different protocols GoPro use we do not have a technical reason but it is certainly a good thing to know if using the phone APP is one of your habits. A suggestion would be to use the phone APP to ensure that the camera is framed correctly and then take over with the remote, or just click off the Wi-Fi if you need to get a full day’s use out of the camera. For those who do not know, holding down the Wi-Fi button until the blue light has blinked seven times, confirms that the Wi-Fi is off.
Using a higher frame rate (fps) has quite a large effect on battery life, as do the higher resolutions due to amount of processing required to transfer everything to the SD card. The intensity of the processing can also be noticed by the length of time the camera takes to become ready for action again after recording has been stopped. This is down to the transfer time.
If you want to know more about Lithium batteries used in portable devices, try this article.
Choosing the correct GoPro settings is what makes the difference between success and failure.
Part 1 of this article will help you choose “GoTo” settings that you can rely on whenever you pull out your GoPro, and explain why they are suitable. It’s always better to start from something that you know and understand before exploring all the many features and settings that your camera has to offer. Get the choice of these three nailed and then start playing with other options when you have some time to spare.
Part 2 briefly covers several other settings that are worth checking out.
If at the end of the article you decide that you would like to explore settings in more depth, you can either grab our Free pdf explaining Resolution, Field Of View and Frames Per Second, or you can get a copy of our recommended resource the Project GoPro eBook which covers a variety of GoPro skills in greater depth.
Probably the most versatile setting you can choose.
Pros:
At 1080p this provides the best HD quality that the major of screen manufacturer systematically support at a reasonable price, and with the least hassle. Why the least hassle? 2.7K and 4K are without doubt major break-throughs, but they come at a price. At 1080p, and with 60 frames per second, you’re already going to start capturing a large amount of data. That data has to be transformed and stored very rapidly; at this setting everything should cope well both during filming, and as importantly during editing. The high setting will start to complicate things, especially if your editing equipment has limited resources.
If your GoPro has a habit of switching OFF when recording on this setting either make sure the Protune is switched OFF, change the frame rate to 30fps, or use the setting below.
Great for giving a more focused, enclosed feeling. Sometimes having a Wide angle can take the edge of your film; literally(*).
Use this setting if:
Reducing the Field Of View in the GoPro settings also reduces the amount of data being transformed, hence reducing the risk of the camera blocking and heating, without affecting picture quality.
(*)The Wide angle occasionally creates warping or ‘aliasing’ around the edges of the image. This isn’t the classic goldfish bowl optics of a ActionSports camera; this is a technical issue concerning data transfer, where the rate of information becomes too high and the camera process starts throwing away bits of information to keep up with pace.
This GoPro setting produces a nice clean “classic” feel with exceptional quality. You may feel the need to do some dynamic stretching during editing, or you may find you can reframe to suit proportions, but the quality should stand up to it. There’s no real need to do this, and the lack of aliasing with this setting makes for a very crisp video.
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If you do decide that you really want a masterclass on GoPro Settings we recommend the ProjectGoPro eBook that will cover everything you need in detail.
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See Explaining SD Cards And Classes to avoid the pitfalls that some manufacturers lure you into…
For a FULL LIST of resolution setting and their attributes check out the GoPro Picture Quality.
To set your camera this depends on your region. For the States it’s NTSC, and most Europeans have PAL. There are regions with SECAM and MESECAM, but if you are in doubt check.
The obvious differences that you will see are in the frame rates when setting your filming mode. NTSC works in multiples of 30, whilst PAL has multiples of 25. This is to take into account the difference in power standards between America (60 Hz) and Europe (50 Hz). To give a more visual example, anyone who has landed at night in a plane may have noticed that the lights below on the main roads appear to ripple of flicker; this is the effect of the electricity cycling over a distance. Choose the wrong settings in your editing software and you may get the same type of flicker.
Leave it on 12 MP wide. After transferring to your computer, you can crop, zoom, or re-frame during post-production. The GoPro effectively just scales the frame size down by cropping internally, so you may as well do this yourself and have the choice of re-positioning the frame as you want it. Unless you are looking to squeeze in more photos on your SD card then there is no real reason to change mode.
During the day: Put it on auto and it will give your footage a consistent look. If you think the colors look flat and the picture not very sharp when you look at the film, that’s good, that’s what it’s meant to do, don’t be alarmed. In reality, things are not extra sharp and colors are not over vibrant; most consumer cameras add this digitally. Professional ones spend their time gathering as much information as possible allowing the editor to make better color correction and sharpness during post-production.
At night: Switch it off. It creates ‘noise’ and that ruins the extra detail you’re getting.
There are two ways of capturing photos whilst recording video; either pressing the power/mode button at any time during video recording, or setting the camera to take a photo every 5, 10, 30, or 60 seconds during video recording.
The photos will match the aspect ratio in whatever mode you are filming at the time. The results will not be the same quality as a 12 MP photo but they will be as good as high-resolution video screen grab, so depending on intended use afterwards (photo on the wall, or photo in a video) you may want to think about which mode to use; a specific photo mode will be better if you’re intending to hang it in the office.
Changing the GoPro settings to loop video footage.
What’s that I hear you say! I can change GoPro settings to use it like a security camera; if you plug the camera into a power source and leave it running you can set the time so that you always have the last ‘X’ number of minutes that you filmed. The only difference being that a security camera would do this for 24 or 48 hours and your GoPro will do this for 10, 20, 30 minutes, etc.
If you’d rather just watch some video to get you rolling, try this:
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Need a masterclass on GoPro Settings? We recommend the ProjectGoPro eBook that will cover everything you need in detail.
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Follow the link if you would like to find out more about different GoPro settings and models.
D-GUYZ was created some years ago by a group of mountain biker friends from the East of France. We are a “Riders Collective ” with all levels of rider.
Our philosophy: sport, nature, pleasure and Ride of course !
We practice extreme sport but essentially MTB Downhill, Freeride, Enduro and more recently Snowscoot!
This year we have some sponsors, our principal one being “Bikelab” MTB mechanics and suspension specialists, and “Custom Racing” who make our shirts.
This season we proposing some co-operative contracts for the development of our Team with the brand Transition. Year by year D-GUYZ have grown and try to become bigger every season.
Next season we’ll be proposing a new cooperatives, for bikes and clothing, with new riders and new partners to aid the best riders in our region.
The founders of the collective are huge fans of MTB and communication graphics (photos, videos, clothing creations…)
But how to remain stylish when you get off your bike???
D-GUYZ found the solution in it’s streetwear collection!
Our brand is still in it’s infancy, but beware; we’re working on this in every season…before, during and after our mtb session!
The D-GUYZ brand sponsored four riders this year to give hem a leg up, and in return they produced some great photo and editing opportunities; Alexis Collart (1 of the 4) making some quality video this year.
The youngest of the riders, Antoine Ringenbach, aka “Teen Talent” produced somme great work this season (http://www.zapiks.fr/teen-talent.html), and in this video he hooked a freeride back flip…at only 13!
Whatever you do with your GoPro you’ll need a few basic supporting items on top of the mounting systems. Your GoPro is generating a whole lot of data and you are going to need to understand how to handle it and how to process it. Here we discuss video editing software formats and editing suite options. If you need information on products that hold the data such as SD cards, computers, tablets and such like, check out some of our other posts. For now here is a few basics on the data itself and the things that you will need to deal with to get the ball rolling…
Understanding video formats can be a nightmare for many people, but we’ll try to run through a few basic ideas to clear the way and hopefully ease compatibility issues depending on the intended final use.
GoPro stores its data in MP4 format in order to retain a suitably small file size. This means that an SD card can generally outlasts the battery autonomy whilst retaining excellent image quality. You really don’t need to know any more than that, but if you do…here it is. If you don’t, then read the video software reviews instead.
MP4 is an abbreviation of MPEG-4, sometimes referred to as MPEG-4 AVC, which stands for Advanced Video Coding. As the name suggests, this is a format for working with video files. The MPEG™ refers to Motion Pictures Expert Group who set the industry standards for digital audio and video. Several versions have been published since 1999 and the present version issued in 2003 seems to be standing the test of time and has now been widely adopted for video streaming in web applications. MP4 works by compressing the files without losing any of the quality, as MP3 technology does for music and audio files.
The MP4 is a container format, which allows a combination of audio, video, subtitles and still images to be held in a unique file. It also allows for advanced content such as 3D graphics, menus and user interactivity. When converting other formats to the MP4 format, any unnecessary information, unseen to the viewer, is stripped out, leaving the files a more manageable size. This gives higher bit rates and better streaming.
As a side note, don’t be confused by the format M4A which is just an audio version of MP4 and will play in most MP4 players; so don’t try to fix it if you see this format and have no video…there isn’t any.
AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. This is a multimedia container format and was first released by software giant Microsoft in 1992. It is a general purpose container and was adopted early on by many software manufacturers, hence the regular need to make the conversion from MP4 to AVI as compatibility is high for editing suites.
The container file carries data ‘chunks’ in an uncompressed format whilst in the editing software. Before importing and after exporting the files are generally reduced in size using a CODEC (COmpressor-DECompressor), which is often where the end user may see the systems short-comings. Despite high compatibility, a lack of standardization has lead to a plethora of CODECs and if the player/computer you’re using doesn’t possess the one required the playback will be either nonexistent, missing either video or audio, or the video and audio will be out of sync.
That said, in most modern editing software this isn’t the issue it used to be 10 years ago. The output to DVD and the ever increasing popular MP4 for web purposes means that, for now, the need to scratch your head whilst choosing the output format is generally just a distant memory. However, the battle over the best web format isn’t finished, so we’re sure to revisit this subject in the future.
Yes, there are a number of registered CODEC’s but most equipment/software manufacturers seem to have a preference for either:
MPEG-4 Part 10 (more commonly known as H.264 and probably familiar to most people)
MPEG-4 Part2
More and more editing suite manufacturers are building in direct compatibility with MP4 meaning no conversion on the importing side. This is great news and we’d like to hear from long-term users of products in this category.
The GoPro team supply some ‘free’ software in the shape of the CineForm Software Download. Most people have done little more on the GoPro website than watch the video of the week and check out the goodies. However, a browse through the support tab will enlighten you to software updates, as well as a user-friendly software interface for you to convert, edit, and apply a few post-production clean-ups.
Even if you intend to buy a more complete editing suite, the first thing to do is get this installed on your computer. Having tried several of the freebie converters out there, we can confirm that in order to keep the quality at the level of the original, look no further than this. You also require it as an interface to update your camera. They’ve done a great job, you undoubtedly pay for it in the price of the camera, so it’s a no-brainer; use it!
OK, the CineForm does the basics, but you’re more the Steve Spielberg type and the craving to express yourself is becoming ever stronger. What are the options?
That’s down to budget and OS. Don’t over-estimate the power of your system because you’ll get frustrated as it blows a gasket trying to keep up with the heavy rendering processes involved in all those tempting features the editing suites offer. And certainly don’t over-estimate your own ability; you get what you’re paying for in expensive software, and you have to be savvy and know how to use it. Overspend and you’ll probably never use more than half of the products real power.
The most attractive films don’t use dozens of spiraling 3D transitions between clips. They have well-toned colors, direct exchanges between one shot and another, occasional basic fades. Titles can be more fun, and something with a creative titling package is money well spent as your imagination can run riot somewhat. Stabilizers are also a good option, and very often a necessity for ‘rescuing’ sports footage.
The expensive gear will allow you to get incredibly fine, balanced, deep colors and straighten warped edges and bent corners. If you’re posting for your mates on YouTube, no-one’s going to notice; don’t waste the money!
Check out some of the other posts in the Editing or Software Review Categories to see Video Editing Software Reviews.
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WHY:
Hero 3’s run pretty hot; we can’t yet comment for the 3+. Having squeezed the size down and put even more pressure on the battery (which is often the source of the heat), there are no real surprises. So what are your options if this is a concern for you?
Before doing a little analysis, be clear that this subject is discussed in the manual so it is a known issue under certain conditions and the camera has a mechanism to deal with it. So does it concern you because you don’t want your head to catch fire, or do you believe it to be the root of a bigger problem?
Just concerned because it feels damn hot? Normally there is a temperature indicator that will flash if the camera is beginning to over-heat. If you see this it’s probably time to switch it off for a while; and not just left on standby….completely off. On standby it’s still consuming, and if it’s consuming it’s heating.
Did the camera shut itself down, and it felt hot when you checked out what was happening? Maybe you should run a dry test and leave it running on the bar whilst you survey the LCD display. Find out if it’s just shutting off or you’re getting an overheat indicator before it switches off. If you didn’t see the indicator then you maybe you’re reading too much into the fact that it was hot and you should look elsewhere…try software level or card problems.
What conditions are you using it in? Out on the beach with a full waterproof housing, or in sub-zero on the north face of the Eiger? Clearly climate and enclosure are going to have an impact and, without stating the obvious, leaving it on the beach in full sunlight isn’t going to help. Try keeping it in the cool bag with your drinks when you’re not using it, and if you’re not surfing the pipe for 1h30 solid, give it a rest between runs.
If you’re in the snow, bury it for five minutes.
More seriously, aside from GoPro Lab’s possible issues, have you bought any aftermarket batteries or chargers. The standard battery already has a big job on, and we see that search results throw up cheaper batteries that have a higher mAH. It would be foolish of us to say any given battery is a good or bad choice without knowing fabrication details, but in the wider scheme, different maximum mAH and different charging currents can give similar batteries different output capacity curves. Some suppliers/manufacturers will manage this well and some will cream of the top off cheap imports. The results could be a little bit like “over-clocking” a home computer; your on-line gaming performs better, but the boost in performance results in riskier operating conditions.
As the battery is generally the cause of the heat (aided maybe by the processor) we would recommend charging either out of the camera or in the camera from a suitable wall usb charger rather than computer usb. And give it full cycles by letting it become fully discharged before giving it a full charge. Do not be tempted to give short boost charges just because it’s Li-ion. Those who had issues straight out of the box, finding that the battery life was poor until going through three or more full charge cycles will already understand this. Bear it in mind and maybe test it out yourself and noting any performance differences along the way.
We’ve not yet seen a heat-sink aluminium door on the market, and maybe this could be an option, but in the meantime just be kinder to your camera and set it up with a 120 second auto switch off setting…or you could ride faster to cool it down!
If you’re puzzled by all the GoPro camera models on the market and can’t decide whether to go for the new GoPro 4 or get a bargain on previous models, here’s an older post covering some of those older models.
Well its looks smaller! But that’s only the case. So why pay the extra money for the 3+, especially if I’m just upgrading?
There are a few features that could be interesting:
Bottom line for us is…we wouldn’t update from a 3 Black to a 3+ black, but would certainly consider it if we were sporting a Silver or White, and your Christmas list had a hole in it. Or maybe scoop up an Original Black Edition at a bargain price whilst stocks last.
Mr GoPro, if you’re listening, we still think the original Black is capable of so much more, hence the 3+ and not the GoPro Hero 4. Please let us have a software upgrade and leave the “oh look! We simply must buy a new one” stuff to iPhone users. We might buy the smaller case though, that’s cute 😉
…is the top of the range GoPro camera model (whether you go + or not, it’s still Black, Silver, White). It is Wi-Fi enabled, and has a 12-mega-pixel image sensor with 2 x better low-light performance than the previous range. It has a 6-element wide angle aspherical lens and can support up to 4K resolution video. It can also capture 2.7K, 1440p, 1080p, 960p, 720p and 480p video up to an impressive 240 fps (depending on resolution) for high-speed action and impressive slow motion playback. The Black Edition includes the Wi-Fi Remote in the price.
It has a micro HDMI output, a microphone/composite video port, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB cards. Other features include video looping, Protune capabilities, manual white balance, and time-lapse recording. Impressively it also supports continuous photo shooting and burst photography at up to 30 fps. Picture in video is a feature which lets you simultaneously record video while shooting photos at 5, 10, 30 and 60 second intervals. A GoPro app is now available which facilitates live video preview and remote camera control via a smartphone or tablet.
Still can’t decide? Lets move to some other GoPro camera models.
…which replaces the HD HERO 2, is a Wi-Fi enabled action camera with an 11-mega-pixel image sensor and a wide angle aspherical lens. Like its predecessor, the HD HERO 2, it also comes with a waterproof housing that can protect the camera to a depth rating of 197’ (60 m). It also captures up to Full HD 1920 x 1080p video at 30 fps, and supports several other recording resolutions and frame rates. Compatible with the LCD Touch BacPac, the Battery BacPac and the Wi-Fi Remote, it shares most of it’s brothers pedigree. The video looping, Protune capabilities, manual white balance, and time-lapse recording are also there, whilst the burst shooting is down to 10 fps.
The Silver Edition has most things that your TV resolution can cope with at the moment so it remains an excellent buy, and colors are well contrasted. Low light and rapid changes in light have always been the culprit of sudden drops in image quality and the HERO 3 range shows in remarkable step up in handling this issue. It’s worth noting that the lens of the Silver Edition still remains a step below the specification of the Black Edition. Check out the video here to see the differences between the HERO 3 Black Edition and the older HD HERO 2, especially with low light inside the tunnel. There is also a short version of this video, plus Parts 2 and 3 of the descent that can be found on our YouTube Channel or on the Team Videos page. The HERO 3 footage undoubtedly gives better detail, noticed particularly when looking directly at surfaces like snow, but the color can look a little drained. In reality this is a none issue as it can be dealt with in post-production, however we’ve purposely not treated any of the footage here with post-production filters or changes in back-light so that you can see the raw difference.
…an updated original HD HERO, has nothing on its spec to be embarrassed about and with a significant cost difference to its Silver and Black brothers, it can still deliver 1080 HD quality results. Smaller, lighter than the original and now equipped with the new lens to reduce distortion you’re getting a good all round deal if your budget won’t stretch further. If you become a demi-god when it comes to killer angles and awesome editing, the audience may be too involved with the video to notice differences in quality, and certainly for some web-based applications the resolution is sufficient.
If you want eat dry bread for a few months so you can save up enough to enjoy the top spec GoPro HERO 3: Black Edition, then dry bread it is.Otherwise, buying one of the other GoPro camera models is still a great option!