GoPro Hero 7 Black - scuba diving and editing

[mrscarnival]

I was open water certified 7 years ago, but only get to dive 3 or 4 times a year, if lucky. I have a Sealife 1000 camera, but have upgraded to a GoPro Hero 7 Black a few weeks ago and plan on using next month while on a Caribbean cruise (Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Curacao).  I'm looking for video edit software and/or app for my MacBook Air and iPad, nothing fancy and easy to learn. Any recommendations? Have read nothing but bad reviews for GoPro Quik.

 

If you dive, and use a GoPro any tips? Appreciate any help!

 

Thank you

[NOLA Diver]

I have just started using a GoPro underwater. Definitely get a housing for it. The super suit housing will allow you to take it deeper while protecting the water proof integrity. Red filters are a must for underwater use, to bring back some of the color. There are flip filters available that attach to the housing. 

 https://www.backscatter.com/FLIP7-Three-Filter-Kit-with-SHALLOW-DIVE-DEEP-Filters-for-GoPro-3-3-4-5-6-7 

 

I just used this setup and really liked it. Also get a handle or tray of some kind to make handling the GoPro easier. Hope this helps.

I used I Movie on my Mac to edit the video. 

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by NOLA Diver
Added more information.

[Laszlo]

On 9/15/2019 at 12:17 PM, mrscarnival said:

I was open water certified 7 years ago, but only get to dive 3 or 4 times a year, if lucky. I have a Sealife 1000 camera, but have upgraded to a GoPro Hero 7 Black a few weeks ago and plan on using next month while on a Caribbean cruise (Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Curacao).  I'm looking for video edit software and/or app for my MacBook Air and iPad, nothing fancy and easy to learn. Any recommendations? Have read nothing but bad reviews for GoPro Quik.

 

If you dive, and use a GoPro any tips? Appreciate any help!

 

Thank you

iMovie, it couldn't get much easier. I'm guess you'll be shooting 4K? I would do some test before you leave. Not sure how they AIR will handle those large files

 

All done in iMovie

 

 

[mrscarnival]

Thank all of you for your responses, tips and suggestions, I'm going to look at each of the editing apps and/or programs you use.   

[Laszlo]

On 9/17/2019 at 10:07 PM, mrscarnival said:

Thank all of you for your responses, tips and suggestions, I'm going to look at each of the editing apps and/or programs you use.   

 

You do realize if you have a MBA Air iMovie should already be installed

[Sean_B]

So, a few things to consider here, based on my experience with GoPro:

 

1. You're going to need a Supersuit when you dive deeper than 10m. Don't cheap out and buy a 3rd party Suit, because if it fails you have no recourse with GoPro.
2. Make sure you're using a memory card from this list. I would recommend the Samsung EVO Select cards.
3. Make sure your camera is tethered to your BC or at least your wrist.
4. The Hero7 Black records using the HEVC codec, which is essentially a super-compressed mp4 file (sometimes referred to as x.265, whereas the older cameras used x.264). This is going to cause some issues if you try to edit with your MBP Air because you won't have enough processor or RAM to handle those x.265 files. In order to help with this, I would suggest you do some Googling on using proxy files for editing.
5. My most-recommended editing program is DaVinci Resolve, which has a paid version and a free version. The free version is going to be more than enough for your needs. It's a world-class editing program.
6. Are you interested in colour correcting your footage in post, or just want the camera do it? If you want to correct, shoot using the Flat colour profile and set your white balance to Native. If you're not interested in doing any colour work in post, then shoot using the GoPro colour profile and set your WB to Auto (or adjust it to one of the settings).
7. Did you know the Hero8 Black will be announced on 1 Oct? It might be an option for you if you're interested in returning your Hero7 and waiting for the 8.
8. You will need a red dive filter when you get deeper than about 20-25 feet. Don't cheap out here; make sure you get a quality filter. PolarPro and GoPro both sell excellent quality filters.

I'm one of the senior members of r/GoPro on Reddit, which is an excellent resource for info on GoPro cameras.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Sean_B

[stevec999]

I have moved to doing all my editing on my iPad when traveling. I tried several different programs and decided on LumaFusion. It is $30 but has high end features and runs really well on my iPad Pro. With iOS 13 (iPadOS)you can use external herd disks. With out a laptop my load will be lighter next trip.

[Sean_B]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:46 PM, stevec999 said:

I have moved to doing all my editing on my iPad when traveling. I tried several different programs and decided on LumaFusion.

Probably the best money I've ever spent on an editing program. So simple to use.

I do the majority of my editing on a beast of a Windows machine using Resolve, but when I'm on the go, LumaFusion is absolutely my go-to NLE. Our first cruise isn't until Oct 2020, but I'm not taking a laptop. MyPassport and my iPad are all I'm going to use to churn out content for my family ashore.