TECH TIP TUESDAY #21 GOPRO QUICK STORIES

GoPro recently released the #quickstories feature within the Capture app. While not without some minor bugs, I think it's the best thing #GoPro has done for a while. It solves the problem of having captured all that footage, but now you have to edit it. For sure, it won't do a better job than you will, but if you're constantly collecting footage, and it's just sitting around until you "get time", QuickStories makes sure you at least have something. It's also pretty convenient because you can do all the editing on your phone, and gives you options for sharing on all the social media platforms. The video posted here was a quick early morning snorkelling session with little to no editing. I took advantage of the Hero5 waterproof design which means no housing is needed for shallow dives underwater!

Before we get into the app, here are a few shooting tips to get the best out of the process:

  • shoot short clips; this helps with allowing the app to automatically choose clips (see further on regarding "Smart Cuts")
  • take pics as well as video
  • use the slow motion settings (720p/240FPS) to break up the clip. The app automatically slows it down for you
  • before you sync your media to your phone, go through and delete stuff you won't use. Otherwise it takes longer to sync, and you then have to edit it out of your video.

QuickStories works by syncing recent footage off your #Hero5 camera to your phone. The app then automatically cuts the clips and photos together with music into an instant video. If you want, you can just stop there and you're all done!! However, there are options to edit each piece of media if you need to (eg crop or change the length of an individual clip, overlay text, change playback speed, rotate images etc). Note, I found that it was best to trim clips with "Smart Cuts" off. I'm not sure how the app chooses the best place to cut, but I got the best results selecting trim points manually.

GoPro Quick Story Edit

There are also 25 "filters" which changes the music, transitions and graphics of your final video. The filter used in this video was fairly minimalist, but some of the filters allow you to add a lot more effects in your video.

GoPro Quick Story Filters

Although each "filter" has a default music track, you can select a separate track from the fairly extensive collection of tracks from the GoPro library, or you can import your own.

GoPro Quick Story Music

Some of the filters are way over the top with effects, and each one takes about 10 seconds to apply, so to save you some time, these are our recommended ones to start with:

  • Grammy- upbeat music, mid tempo beat, lyrics; minimal filter effects, subtle fade transitions
  • Raw- folksy relaxed music, no lyrics, great track; very minimal effects (picture in picture), no transition effects
  • Light- folksy relaxed music, no lyrics, great track; blur/sepia transition between clips, lens flare effect on some clips. Recommended for a slightly artistic, but not too over-the-top clip
  • Swell- relaxed ukulele music, no lyrics; clips shown as polaroids on a timber board, zoom transition, minimal effects. Recommended for casual/family based footage
  • Action- atmospheric electronic music with synthesiser, lyrics; top sliding and fading transitions, minimal filter effects

Bonus Recommendation

  • Dandy- good for a laugh. Old time piano music with projector click in background. Black and white/antique film effect on clips

The main settings tab has a few more editing options:

  • Duration- this allows you to specify the length of the clip, with the app suggesting cut locations to work best with the music track selected
  • Aspect- cinema or square
  • Music start- select a specific point in the music track to start at
  • Filter- this applies Instagram style filters to the video
  • Font- changes the font of text overlay
  • Pallette- assumingly changes some colours in the clip, but I didn't notice any difference using it
  • Outro on- remove the GoPro branding from the end of your clip

On your next outing, keep the tips regarding shooting in mind, and have a go at making a Quick Story. It's pretty fun, and instead of your clips sitting around in storage, you'll get a nice video to share with mates, colleagues, or customers.

You can purchase the GoPro Hero 5 Black from gopro.com, and the GoPro app (which has the QuickStories feature) can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or iOS Apple Store
.
.
.
.
.
#spotx_ #fishing #marlin #billfish #boat #trolling #lures #tuna #gamefishing #HD #underwater #underwaterphotography #ocean #hooked #offshore #marine #fish #mahimahi #wahoo #tagrelease #techtiptuesday #research #science #coral #seagrass