Go pro advice

[Walteezy]

Hey guys, dunno if this is the right place to put this, but I'm just gonna post it up. When I got into kayak fishing, I bought a go pro. the problem I'm running into is that my pc takes so long to upload and edit and finalize the videos I try to make. I have footage from every time I've been out but can't do much with it because of how slow it is to make a video. Am I the only one who goes through this or could it just be that I need a better computer? What kind of pc's or laptops and video editing programs are all of you guys using? Thanks in advanced!

[FishyRichy]

The obvious choice for any video/audio editing would be a mac...that being said I am not sure if you wanna drop 2-3k on a computer for fishing videos. Editing software takes up a lot of CPU, so if you have anything running in the background it can take ages! If you get a PC with a quad core processor and plenty of virtual memory it would help greatly, and an excellent video card is a must. Even cheap dual core if you use it solely for your media and media editing. I am no pro, but maybe it is a start in your research.

[Walteezy]

Thanks!
Yeah I had been researching and it seems like either I go with a gaming PC since they have quad core processors with tons of virtual memory or I go with an apple. The gaming PC's are cheaper though. Just like you said, I don't really want to drop 2-3k on a Mac just to make short videos of me catching fish. (Although I like watching myself fighting and catching fish! Lol)

[tmfreak]

Not a mac but I do have my own rig set up for gaming, making videos (more videos than gaming recently) etc and can process a long video with flux enabled under an hour. Most of my shorter videos take a few minutes. I do want to upgrade my gpu.. mostly for gaming and multi screen fluidity but components can get pricey. i think i paid around 2k or so. cant remember as i have upgraded my components one by one over the years

Here is my setup:

ROG Maximus V
Intel 4770k 3.9ghz overclocked
16gb ddr3 overclocked
nvidia 660ti overclocked
corsair 800w
128gb (forgot brand) ssd
1tb green caviar hdd

[hookdem]

My advice: take your time dude. The hobby itself can be expensive, add all the accessories and gas and time off and it's a lot. Add video..and it's more time and more money. The good news, you have the cam and the footage, so you can dump the memory cards into a harddrive and get a nice computer when you're ready...and make the epic compilation video at that time. Best part of waiting on tech is you'll get tomorrow's technology at yesterday's prices...if you're patient.

I started on my wife's 2006 MacBook with iMovie...hardly an "editing" machine but it did the job. If you can't wait to get crackin on videos, I'd look into used iMacs as a good platform.

Pro software is just more $, there are free source stuff that will cut and transition footage on the cheap and much easier to use.

[Prof. Salt]

I have an 8-yr old quad core computer and Sony Vegas 10. I have to be careful to occasionally take all my old video files and move them to a portable hard drive, then wipe them from the pc to free up space. You can build up 250GB of video files faster than you could imagine (or maybe I just fish way too much, lol). The other thing I have issues with is how slow my computer uploads the rendered video to YouTube. What takes 12 hours to upload from home can be done within 20 seconds on my office computer. My office computer is a real beast - way better than the home pc!

[mpg2yahoo]

Is not clear from the question what really taking time to make the video. From experience with different software I noted the GoPro Video Editing Software can't read straight from the GoPro capture and needs to convert it first to something that it can use. This process alone is WAY LONG!

I dump the GoPro Editing software to the Recycle Bin just because of that. I prefer Sony Vegas like Prof. Salt, but when I'm in a hurry I just use Windows Movie Maker if I don't want to get fancy.

The upload process to YouTube take long regardless of editing tool. More when you are dealing with large files in 1080p.

Sometimes PC power is not the problem. The problem is the editing tool too.

[My Fishing Buddy]

what Hookem said... x2

[Walteezy]

Thanks for all the advice guys!
Hookdem-yeah, youre right. This can be an expensive hobby. I learned that once I made a deal with a guy for the Hobie PA I got. Adding stuff to that thing was expensive. Not to mention changing all my gear for btb standards. I used to just wade fish and sucked at it. Would get skunked so much, my fiancé started wondering if I was really going fishing. Lol then I got my PA and everything changed. I've caught more fish on my kayak in the last year, than I have my entire life! (Sad, I know)
And I'm not trying to make a martin Scorsese film. I'm just trying to put my gopro clips together to make a short video of my catches. Which is why I'm not trying to spend 2-3k on a PC. And even the used iMacs are expensive! Talk about retaining their value! And free software? I'll take that! Lol

Tmfreak- that looks like a great machine. I was looking at 3.5+ processors like yours and I've read that 16gb ddr3 is pretty much what you would need for ram processing. lately I've been looking at gaming PC's and I'm thinking of leaning towards one of those.

Prof. Salt- that's one of the issues I'm having. My PC is about 8-9 years old but it's not a quad core processor. It's just a dual core. Which is what I think is slowing it down. That and the fact that it is maxed out at 4gb ddr2. So when I go to upload a video from the memory card to the program, it takes forever to upload. Once that's done, I edit it and then finalize the video. That takes another day to process. Don't get me started on YouTube! Lol but you've proven that an older PC would work as long as the processor is big enough. (Oh and you can never fish too much. I wish I could be in the water as much as you!)

Mpg2yahoo- you hit the nail right on the head. I didn't think about go pros program casing it to slow down like that too. Just like you said, I have to convert the file to a readable file for that specific program (gopro editor) to read and then I can edit it. After that, it's gotta finalize everything. So, add a small processor, not enough ram to process, a old video card, AND a program that takes 4 hours to convert/edit/finalize a 3.5 min video of a shark and a Bonita that were caught on a nice day, and you have my first experience at making a video.

All in all, thank you guys for the advice. I will keep researching and take my time in trying to work on my clips. I'm looking at all options at this point from using different programs (Sony Vegas or windows movie maker) and will look at other computers and hopefully hold out for a good deal on something powerful enough so I don't feel like I'm going to shoot myself trying to make a 3 min video.

[MobyYack]

connect the gopro with a usb,,,or use builtin wireless to download the video to your hard drive first

[rattlesnake68]

I stopped using the GoPro editing software. Just couldn't get it to work right on audio and adding music. anyway, I downloaded a free Movie Maker online and have had no problems at all. In fact the editing process was much quicker and easier than GoPro's Editing Studio.

[MobyYack]

send mythman a message he can edit videos superfast

[bass-a-holic]

x2 for Windows Movie Maker

Free download from Microsoft. Its an easy, no frills way to quickly stitch some videos together.