GoPro 360 Digital Action Camera User Guide

: June 14, 2024
: GoPro

Table of Contents

GoPro Player for Mac and Windows
Freeze Frame

GoPro 360 Digital Action Camera User Guide

Learn how to use the advanced editing features under Reframe

GoPro Player for Mac and Windows

With GoPro Player, you can use Reframe to experiment with countless views, choose the best shots, and instantly create cinematic transitions with a click of a keyframe. You can then export a traditional video or photo that you can edit and share to the world! To start working with Keyframes, open the GoPro Player and import your GoPro MAX video, then follow these simple steps:

Use your mouse to click and drag along the timeline to find the spot where you’d like to start your transition.
Set the angle you want, then click [Reframe] to open the keyframe menu.
From here, you’ll see the playhead on the timeline change to blue, and the icon that was once the Reframe button has now changed to Freeze Frame .
Click the [blue playhead] and it will turn into a blue pencil to confirm that you’ve inserted a keyframe.

Pro tip: A keyframe placeholder is kept wherever you place it on the timeline. To delete a keyframe, drag the playhead over it, click the [blue pencil] and then the [red trash can] that appears above the playhead.

Continue to drag along the timeline, looking for your next point of interest.
Set your new angle, then click the [blue playhead] once more to insert another keyframe
You’ll notice a blue dashed line that connects your two keyframes.
Drag the playhead over this line to change your transition type. You can choose between the following options:
- Linear
- Ease In
- Ease Out
- Ease Both
- Jump Cut
You should notice that you also have the option of adding motion blur to your transitions. Motion blur adds a streaking effect to moving objects in your videos, and it really cool to use during keyframes that require fast panning sequences. Feel free to play around with it and see what settings you prefer in your edits.
Move the timeline back to your first keyframe and press [Play] to watch your transition in action.
Once you’re satisfied with your first transition, Repeat the steps mentioned above until you have a buttery smooth edit!

Freeze Frame

You can use Freeze Frame to emphasize a cool shot in your 360 videos. Pause and extend a moment for as long as you want with Freeze Frame, then reframe for an even greater effect.

So you’ve got some great keyframes set up, and you want to freeze a specific shot between keyframes; here’s how you do it:

Find the cool shot in your edit, set it up how you want it and click [Freeze Frame]. Remember that you must first click [Reframe] in order to see the Freeze Frame button appear.
When you click [Freeze Frame], both the white logo and playhead on the timeline turn blue. Click on the [playhead] once more to set your desired time, starting at 3 seconds.

Pro tip: Centralize your Freeze Frame inside of a keyframe transition to get the most out of this feature.

GoPro Player: Render 360 Video

May 6, 2022

Import your .360 files from MAX in the GoPro Player and export them into file types editable in 3rd party software or shareable to the world

GoPro Player
GoPro MAX

GoPro Player can render 360 videos that can be edited and shared on select platforms or render a traditional video with Reframe and cinematic transitions (but not 360 or PowerPano photos). Click here to learn more about Reframe in the GoPro Player.

Rendering your GoPro MAX spherical media

When you open GoPro Player, a Finder window appears so you can locate your .360 video file.
Select [File] > [Export As] > [Desired Option] to render your .360 file. You then have the option to choose amongst three choices of resolutions
- 5.6k
- 4k
- Custom
Once selected, a new window displays various options:

Pro tip: When rendering a 360 video, the projection will be in an equirectangular frame. If you want to export your video under a specific aspect ratio, click [Reframe] and select the 16:9 circle at the top-right corner below the [Export] button.
Select the [Advanced Options] drop-down arrow for the following options:
- Resolution: 5.6k, 4k, Custom
- Codec: H.264, ProRes, HEVC
- Options: World Lock, Horizon Level, Retain GPMF Data
  Optional: The [Custom] resolution option lets you choose your own pixel resolution

Once you’ve made your selections, press the [Next] button to render the video to a saved location. A notification appears when the video is done rendering.
GoPro MAX spherical media

How to render Reframe video using GoPro Player

Once you’re done with your Reframe edit, press the [Export Button] in the upper right corner.
A new window displays your various options:

When rendering a Reframe edit, the projection will be in a GoPro Lens which is a traditional 2D video with a max output resolution of 1080p. You can explore additional options when selecting the [Advanced Options] drop-down arrow. They will have the following options:
- Resolution – 4K (Upscaled),1080p, 720p
- Codec – HEVC, ProRes, H.264
- Options – Horizon Level, World Lock, 360 Audio(Coming soon)
- Bitrate
Once you have your selections down, press the [Next] button to render your video on a saved location.

A notification appear when the video is done rendering.

Advanced Protune Controls Explained

May 10, 2023

Protune gives you more control over recording options. The actual Protune settings available vary depending on your camera model, but may include:

How to access Protune controls
10-Bit Color
Bit Rate
Shutter Speed
EV Comp
White Balance
ISO
Sharpness
Color
Raw Audio
Wind
Reset/Restore

Video Tutorial

How to access Protune controls

In newer GoPro cameras with a touchscreen, Protune settings are located within the Preset settings.
How to access Protune controls

HERO11 Black Mini:
Protune settings can only be changed via Quik. Check out this article for instructions on how to change Protune settings

10-Bit Color (Available on HERO11 Black and HERO11 Black Mini)
10-Bit Color provides over 1-billion shades of color vs 16.7 million of 8-bit. This provides the ability to have more color control during post processing and reduces banding/blocking when color gradients are present in footage.

Bit Rate

Bit Rate is the amount of data that the camera is recording. Using a higher bit rate, adds more information into the video resulting in a higher quality video. Recent GoPro cameras offer High and Standard Bit Rate. If you are going to be post processing your footage, it’s a good idea to use High Bit Rate. High Bit Rate uses more battery and takes up more space on your SD card

Shutter

Shutter is used to customize the shutter speed of the camera. This is generally for more advanced users in specific settings. A faster shutter speed (e.g. 1/480) requires more light to get a quality result. In low-light situations, use a slower shutter speed (e.g. 1/60) and possibly a tripod. Below are some images showing how shutter speed will affect your images.

Below is an example of the shutter set to 1/60 (the shutter is open longer) on a sunny day.
Shutter

Shutter set to 1/480 (shutter open shorter) on a sunny day.
Shutter

Shutter set to Auto
Shutter

EV Comp

Exposure compensation affects the brightness of your video. Adjusting exposure compensation provides manual correction for environments with contrasting light conditions (e.g. snow, car interior, stage w/ spotlights, etc.).

Range is -2 to +2, in 0.5 step increments:

+2.0
+1.5
+1.0
+0.5
+0.0*
-0.5
-1.0
-1.5
-2.0

Below are some images showing how EV Comp can affect your images.

EV Comp set to +2.0
EV Comp

EV Comp set to -2.0
EV Comp

Note: Exposure compensation adjusts brightness within the existing ISO Limit. If brightness has already reached the ISO Limit in a low-light environment, increasing your Exposure compensation has no effect.

White Balance

White Balance adjusts the overall color tone of videos. White Balance values vary by camera. Visit this article for more information on White Balance.

Auto
3000K (for use in warm light, eg. incandescent, sunrise/sunset)
5500K (for use in slightly cool light, eg. cool fluorescent, average daylight)
6500K (for use in cool light, eg. overcast conditions)
CAM RAW
Native

Below are some images showing how White Balance can affect your images.

White Balance set to 2300k during a bright, sunny day

White Balance set to 4000k during a bright, sunny day.

White Balance set to Auto on a bright, sunny day.

White Balance set to 6500k on a bright, sunny day.

iSO:
ISO Min/Max provides more control in varying lighting conditions. A higher ISO Limit will result in brighter footage, but you may experience more digital noise (graininess). A lower ISO Limit will result in darker footage, and delivers reduced digital noise. This setting does not impact shutter speed. ISO settings vary by camera. Check out this article for more information about ISO.

6400: Brighter video in low light, increased image noise.
1600: Moderately bright video in low light, moderate image noise.
400: Darker video in low light, reduced image noise.
Auto (HERO11 Black and HERO11 Black Mini only): Allows the camera to use the lowest ISO possible to provide the best results in low-light situations.

Below are some images showing how ISO can affect your images.

Minimum ISO set to 100 on a bright, sunny day.

Minimum ISO set to 6400 on a bright, sunny day.

Sharpness

Sharpness controls how sharp or soft the video footage. High and Medium Sharpness benefits those who want to limit the amount of sharpening required in post production. Low sharpness is ideal for professionals who prefer more flexibility in post production. Sharpness settings vary by camera

High: Ultra-sharp video.
Medium: Moderately sharp video.
Low: Softer video that allows for more flexibility in post-production.

Below are some images showing how Sharpness can affect your images.

Sharpness set to Low on a bright, sunny day.

Sharpness set to Medium on a bright, sunny day.

Sharpness set to High on a bright, sunny day.

Color

Color allows you to adjust the color profile of your video footage. Color options vary by camera.

Vibrant: Provides a saturated, vibrant feel for those that prefer more “pop” in their colors or don’t wish to do any post processing.
Natural: Provides a realistic representation of colors as you would see with your eyes.
Flat: Provides a neutral color profile that can be color-corrected to better match footage captured with other equipment, offering more flexibility in post production. Flat captures more details in shadows and highlights.

Below are some images showing how Color can affect your images.

Color set to Vibrant on a bright, sunny day.

Color set to Natural on a bright, sunny day.

Color set to Flat on a bright, sunny day

Raw Audio

Raw Audio determines the level of audio processing performed by the camera. High and Medium settings benefit those who want to limit the amount of audio processing required in post production. Low sharpness is ideal for professionals who prefer more flexibility in post production. Raw Audio settings vary by camera.

High: Full audio processing.
Medium: Moderate audio processing.
Low: Minimal audio processing.
Off: No audio RAW track is produced

Wind

Wind settings can help optimize your audio recording based on the amount of wind presen

Off: Always records in Stereo.
On: Always filters out wind and records in Mono using the best microphone possible.
Auto: Automatically filter out excessive wind noise. Camera switches between Stereo and Mono audio recording to get the best audio possible

Reset/Restore

Returns Protune settings to their defaults