Best Cinematic Settings for GoPro Hero6
Best Cinematic Settings for GoPro Hero6
GoPro Settings:
ALWAYS use Linear view (avoid the classic fish eye GoPro lens distortion look)
Color Profile = Flat (this will allow more color grading in post production, and will give your video more dynamic range)
Add “Crop Bars” on top and bottom of video in post-production - this will automatically give your video a more cinematic and professional look.
GoPro Settings (In Order):
Frame = Linear
Shutter = Auto (auto-compensates for exposure since you cannot adjust aperture)
ISO = (Minimum = 100) (Maximum = 800)
White Balance = Auto (auto-compensates for forests, cloud cover, etc.)
Sharpness = Medium
Color Profile = Flat (Pro-Tune) —> Hit “PT” on the side of GoPro settings
Audio = Medium (Actually picks up a solid amount of sound very clearly when out of the wind)
MY FAVORITE SETTINGS & HELPFUL TIPS
General Rule of Thumb - Shoot Everything @ 120FPS
I shoot almost everything in 120FPS, Linear. This will allow me to set my sequence settings in Premiere Pro to 23.976 frames per second, and slow down my footage by 5 times the normal speed, without having any choppiness.
Downsides to Shooting @ 240FPS
In some circumstances, I will shoot in 240FPS if I really want to capture something in extremely slow-motion, but you have to sacrifice the linear frame for a wide frame, since linear is unfortunately not available in 240FPS.
Better to Use a Gimbal
Although the GoPro does have internal stabilization, I do recommend purchasing a gimbal (I have GoPro’s Karma Grip, but there may be much cheaper alternatives today).
Shoot Time-lapses in 4K Resolution
I shoot all time-lapses in 4K resolution, and usually set at 0.5 or 1 second intervals. The reason i choose to make time-lapses in 4K resolution is because a 4K video is actually separated into 4 separate 1920x1080 rectangles. With such a large video, you are then able to scale up and zoom out in post-production. It also provides an opportunity for you to add some sort of motion to your time-lapses as well.
Have the Correct Micro SD Card:
Ensure that you have the correct micro SD card prior to shooting at the highest frame rates. Once i started to learn more about cameras and filmmaking, I started to understand more about the relationships between high bit rates and high frame rates. Unfortunately, a few months back while Lauren and I were in London, I realized that our GoPro Hero 6 Black shoots in 240FPS. Without loading my two days of work onto an external hard drive, I switched my settings to 240FPS and it completely fried my SD Card and eliminated all memory. Even after days spent researching and downloading data recovery softwares, I could not recover any files as it was due to an input/output error on exit 6.
Rule of Thumb: Get a Micro SD Ultra Extreme Card with 10 Speed (they are actually super cheap now and go for like $50). You will especially need this sort of card if you attempt to shoot at 240FPS…Trust Me.