How To Edit GoPro Videos 2021.
GoPro makes arguably the best action cameras on the market, which isn’t surprising considering they invented the product category. However, no matter how good the camera is, you still need to edit your footage to get a beautiful product that your audience will love.
So, if you’re wondering how to edit GoPro videos, here are some of the best apps and resources you can use to create amazing footage.
Edit GoPro Videos Directly in the App
So you’ve recorded your GoPro footage and are now ready to edit it. You don’t have to go far for this! The GoPro App (Android and iOS) for smartphones has a very simple yet fast and powerful video editor built into it.
It guides you through every step of standard editing. If you don’t know much about video editing or don’t care, this is the best option for you.
Use an Advanced Mobile Editor
The GoPro Editor is great if you don’t have the time or skills to edit properly. It allows you to quickly share your adventures with your social media followers while adding some attitude and flavor with automatic music and videos.
It’s cool, but pretty limited. The good news is that you can get advanced mobile video editors that give you more control. For example, LumaFusion for iOS offers almost the same editing capabilities as desktop video editors. On Android, apps like Adobe Premiere Rush provide much more than the GoPro app, with a very intuitive touch interface.
These two apps are just our top picks for each respective mobile platform, but you’re really spoiled for choice these days.
- iMovie has a mobile version for iOS that pretty much has all the features of the macOS edition whistle. In fact, you can run your project on your iPhone or iPad and then easily port it to the macOS version. The best? iMovie is completely free!
- PowerDirector is a highly rated free video editor for Android. However, many of the best features are hidden behind the premium subscription model.
- FilmoraGo is a great choice for users with little video editing experience. It has versions for Android and iOS. The great thing about this app is that it is highly optimized and gives you everything from music to special effects in one package.
Move Your Footage to a Computer
Mobile video editors have come a long way, but there is still no replacement for suitable desktop video editing packages. This means that you will have to transfer your footage to this computer if you want to work with it there.
With GoPro cameras, you have two main ways to do this. The first is to remove the SD card from the camera and insert it into your computer’s SD card reader. Many laptops have them already built in, but on most desktops you will need to use a USB card reader. If you’ve transferred the footage to your smartphone, you can upload it to the cloud and then upload it to your computer.
Some newer GoPro cameras can also upload footage directly to GoPro cloud storage. If you choose to pay for it, that is.
The Best Computer Video Editors for GoPro Footage
Now that you have your GoPro footage on your computer, you need a good video editor to process it. There are many options for desktop operating systems, but we have a few suggestions that are best for both beginners and those looking for more powerful packages.
- On Windows, Linux and Mac, you should try the free open source OpenShot video editor. It’s pretty newbie friendly, costs nothing, and works on multiple operating systems.
- If you’re willing to spend some money on a subscription, then Adobe Premiere Pro is a great option. choice for editing GoPro videos. It is an industry standard package, has a lot of support stuff built in, and can do whatever you want from an editing standpoint.
- Adobe also offers Premiere Elements, which you can buy for a one-off price. It’s much more limited, but it’s designed to allow beginners to create something that rivals a professional product. Just with less creative freedom. However, Premiere Elements 2020 includes action-camera-specific features such as color grading, lens distortion removal, and assistance in trimming clips for optimal action.
- On macOS, you can simply get started with the free included iMovie app. We’ve got a great guide for you, so if you have a Mac, check out What is iMovie? Getting Started Guide. Apple’s Final Cut Pro is the best video editor for macOS you can buy, but of course it’s pretty expensive.
- If you don’t want to spend money and you do If you want a professional-grade editor, DaVinci Resolve is your best bet. Its free version has everything you will ever need and it works on Windows, Mac and Linux. Lots of video editors are switching from Premiere to Resolve. Its Pro version has the same price as Final Cut Pro and is a one-time purchase.
Resources for Stock Video and Audio
Your GoPro footage is great! However, a complete project may require more than just what you have filmed. This is why any GoPro video editor should be aware of additional resources. Maybe you need some nice music or a cool video clip to link scenes together or create an intro.
The good news is that the internet is full of great resources that you can use in your project. Some of them won’t cost you money, some will be free. They all come with specific licenses that define what you are allowed to use them for, regardless of price.
Since there are so many of them, we’ve taken the liberty of putting together separate articles that list great sites for media creators.
If you’re looking for video clips, head over to the Top 10 Free Video Sources on the Internet for resources for both amateurs and professionals.
Sound effects are often overlooked, but getting your project right can make a big difference. If you need a little bit of power and noise in your video, check out the Top 10 Websites for Free Sound Effects.
No GoPro video is complete without a good mood-setting soundtrack, but the songs included in the stock app are limited and overused. If you want fresh beats, head over to The 7 Best Places to Find Free Ambient Music .
The Basic Process of Editing a GoPro Video
So now we’ve covered everything you need to edit GoPro videos, but the last piece of the puzzle is your workflow . This is the sequence of events from which you plan to shoot to the final video. There is no one-size-fits-all video editing workflow, but to give you a rough guide on how you could do it, we’ve created some helpful tutorials that might help.
- Follow these 6 Beginner Video Editing Tips to get the best video quality every time.
- This Adobe Premiere Beginner’s Guide includes video editing tips for Adobe Premiere, but also standard guidelines that you should follow regardless of the software you are using.
If you follow these basic tutorials, you should have a pretty decent GoPro video in the end. Otherwise, it all depends on your personal creativity and, of course, on the quality of your footage. If the stars match, your GoPro video could be the next viral sensation!
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How To Edit GoPro Videos
How To Edit GoPro Videos 2021