The BEST GoPro Settings for LOW LIGHT & Indoors | Hero 13, Hero 12 & older
Summary
TLDRThis tutorial offers insights on optimizing GoPro footage in low light scenarios. It advises setting up a custom preset, avoiding HDR profiles, and choosing 4K resolution over 5.3K for better image quality. The importance of frame rate, shutter speed, and ISO adjustment for optimal exposure is emphasized. Tips include using natural light, embracing the darkness for a natural look, and considering additional light sources. The video also touches on stabilization challenges in low light and the use of tripods or gimbals for better results.
Takeaways
- 📸 GoPros are not naturally strong in low light conditions, but with the right settings, good footage can still be achieved.
- 🔧 Creating a custom preset for low light conditions allows for quick adjustments when needed.
- 📹 The GoPro Hero 12, used in the video, has settings applicable to most GoPro models for low light filming.
- 🎥 An HDR profile is not suitable for low light; the standard profile should be used instead.
- 📊 In low light, a resolution of 4K is recommended over the maximum 5.3k for better image quality.
- 🔁 A lower frame rate, like 24 or 25 fps, is better in low light as it allows more time for light exposure.
- 📉 Manually setting exposure is crucial; the key factors are shutter speed, ISO, and aperture (though the latter is fixed on GoPros).
- 🕰 For optimal motion blur and stabilization, the shutter speed should be double the frame rate, but this can introduce blur.
- 🔩 Using a tripod or gimbal is recommended for stabilization in low light conditions to counteract the limitations of electronic stabilization.
- 🌐 Adjusting ISO carefully is key to balancing brightness and image noise; values above 1600 can significantly degrade quality.
- 📈 For indoor shooting, make use of available natural light and consider additional light sources to enhance the scene.
Q & A
What is the main challenge when shooting with a GoPro in low light conditions?
-The main challenge is that GoPros, including the GoPro Hero 12, are not optimized for low light conditions, which can result in poor image quality due to increased noise and artifacts.
How does creating a custom preset for low light conditions help when using a GoPro?
-Creating a custom preset allows you to optimize and save specific settings for low light conditions, so you can quickly apply them when needed without having to adjust settings each time.
Why is the HDR profile not recommended for low light situations with a GoPro?
-The HDR profile is designed for situations with mixed lighting, but it can negatively impact image quality in low light by not being able to effectively reduce noise, which is a common issue in such conditions.
What resolution is suggested for shooting with a GoPro in low light conditions?
-A resolution of 4K is recommended over the maximum 5.3K because GoPros handle noise reduction better at 4K, resulting in significantly better image quality in low light.
How does frame rate affect low light shooting with a GoPro, and what frame rate is recommended?
-High frame rates can lead to less light being captured per frame, which is detrimental in low light. A frame rate of 24 frames per second is recommended, or 25 for the PAL region, to allow more time for light exposure.
What is the ideal shutter speed setting for low light conditions on a GoPro?
-The ideal shutter speed in low light should be as slow as possible to allow more light to hit the sensor. It is suggested to set the shutter speed to one forty-eighth of a second at 24 frames per second or one fiftieth of a second at 25 frames per second.
How does ISO value impact image quality in low light with a GoPro, and what ISO range is recommended?
-A higher ISO value makes the image brighter but also increases noise. Up to ISO 400, the image quality is good, while above 800 noise becomes noticeable. It's recommended to keep the ISO value as low as possible, with 800 being quite usable and 1600 showing strong noise.
What role does the electronic stabilization play in low light conditions, and how can it be optimized?
-Electronic stabilization can be less effective in low light due to the need for sharp images to work well. Using a tripod or a gimbal is recommended for optimal stabilization. If movement is required, increasing the shutter speed to at least 1/96 or 1/100 can help, though it may reduce image brightness.
What are some additional tips for enhancing low light footage with a GoPro?
-Tips include using available light effectively, such as positioning subjects near windows for natural light, accepting that low light shots may appear darker, and bringing additional light sources if necessary.
Why is it important to set the BitRate to high and consider a 10-Bit depth when shooting with a GoPro in low light?
-A high BitRate ensures that as much data as possible is saved, improving image quality. A 10-Bit depth is advantageous for color grading, providing more flexibility and slightly improving dynamic range, although it's not specifically beneficial in low light conditions.
What is the significance of setting Anti-Flicker to 50 Hz for PAL region users when shooting in low light?
-Setting Anti-Flicker to 50 Hz helps to avoid flickering issues with artificial light sources, which is particularly important when shooting at 25 frames per second, the standard frame rate for the PAL region.
Outlines
📹 Optimizing GoPro for Low Light Conditions
The paragraph discusses how to achieve better video footage with a GoPro in low light scenarios, such as indoors or at dusk. It emphasizes the importance of adjusting the camera's settings, including creating a custom preset for low light. The author explains that while the GoPro Hero 12 is used as an example, the advice is applicable to most GoPro models. The settings to be adjusted include using the standard profile instead of HDR, selecting an aspect ratio, and choosing appropriate resolution and frame rate. The resolution is recommended to be set at 4K instead of the maximum 5.3k for better low light performance, and a frame rate of 24 or 25 frames per second is suggested. The paragraph also covers the use of Wide lens setting, Hypersmooth stabilization, and the importance of manual exposure settings, including shutter speed and ISO value, to optimize image quality in low light.
🔍 Advanced Settings for Low Light Video Quality
This paragraph delves deeper into the technical aspects of shooting in low light with a GoPro, focusing on the manual settings for shutter speed and ISO. It explains the filmmaking rule of setting shutter speed to twice the frame rate to achieve optimal motion blur and how this affects stabilization. The author advises using a tripod or a gimbal for stabilization in low light conditions and discusses the trade-off between image quality and stabilization when adjusting shutter speed. The paragraph also covers additional settings such as EV Compensation, White Balance, ISO value adjustments, and the choice between different color profiles. The author recommends setting a lower ISO for better image quality and suggests using medium sharpness in low light. The importance of high BitRate and 10-Bit color depth for better image quality and color grading potential is highlighted. The paragraph concludes with practical tips for shooting in low light, including using available light, adjusting exposure for the environment, and considering dynamic range when shooting indoors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Low Light
💡GoPro Hero 12
💡Preset
💡HDR Profile
💡Resolution
💡Frame Rate
💡Shutter Speed
💡ISO
💡Hypersmooth Stabilization
💡Protune Settings
💡Bit Rate
Highlights
Shooting in low light is not a strength of GoPro cameras, but with the right settings, good footage can still be achieved.
Creating a custom preset for low light conditions allows for quick adjustments when needed.
HDR profile is not suitable for low-light conditions and can negatively impact image quality.
Using the standard profile and adjusting resolution and frame rate is crucial for low light settings.
A resolution of 4K is recommended over 5.3K for better low light performance on GoPro Hero12.
A frame rate of 24 or 25 frames per second is optimal for low light conditions to allow more light capture.
Lens setting 'Wide' is suggested for low light shots, and Hypersmooth stabilization is recommended.
Manual exposure settings are essential for low light, focusing on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Shutter speed should be as slow as possible in low light to maximize light capture.
The optimal shutter speed in low light is twice the frame rate to minimize motion blur.
Using a tripod or gimbal is recommended for stabilization when shooting in low light without much motion.
Higher ISO values can lead to brighter images but also increase image noise, so they should be set as low as possible.
ISO values between 400 and 800 are generally good for low light, while values above 1600 introduce significant noise.
Adjusting ISO Maximum is a quick way to change brightness in low light settings.
Sharpness set to medium can yield better results in low light due to noise and compression.
Natural color profile is preferred over flat or vibrant for low light shooting to maintain detail and color accuracy.
Setting BitRate to high ensures the best possible image quality by saving more data.
10-Bit color depth is advantageous for color grading and allows for the use of the Log profile.
Anti-Flicker set to 50 Hz is recommended for PAL regions to avoid flickering issues with artificial light.
Utilizing available light, such as natural light from windows, can enhance low light indoor shots.
Accepting a darker exposure can add to the low light aesthetic and avoid overexposing night shots.
Additional light sources like RGB lights can be used to improve low light conditions.
Maintaining a high dynamic range is important to avoid blown-out windows in shots with both indoor and outdoor light.
Transcripts
Yes, it's true. Shooting in low light is not one of the great strengths of a GoPro. But today I'm
going to show you how you can still get good footage with a GoPro in low light conditions,
such as indoors or in the evening. As you can imagine, this requires us to take a very close
look at the settings of the GoPro. So I open the settings menu and create a new preset for
shots in low light. This way, I only have to make the changes to the settings once, and then I can
just activate the low light preset when needed. If the settings menu on your GoPro looks different,
this is generally not a problem. I am using a GoPro Hero 12 today, but most of what I will
say today can be applied to most other GoPro models. To create a new preset, tap on the plus
in the presets menu and select Video. We are not changing the settings for the moment. I'll just
call my preset Custom. There would also be the designation Indoor. Interestingly enough, Low
Light does not exist. By tapping the settings icon here on the right, we can now edit our new preset.
An HDR profile is well suited for situations with difficult lighting conditions, that is,
when there are very bright and very dark areas in the same image. However,
it is not suitable for low-light conditions and will have a negative impact on the image quality
in these situations. You should therefore do without it and use the standard profile.
Here you can select the aspect ratio you need. And the next two settings are especially
important. The settings for resolution and frame rate. The GoPro Hero12 allows you to
shoot at a maximum resolution of 5.3k. Normally, you'll get the best possible
image quality with your GoPro at this resolution. However, that's not true in low-light conditions.
That has to do with the way a GoPro reduces image noise in low light. So in low light,
you should use a resolution of 4K. The results are significantly better than in
5.3K. The right frame rate is also of great importance. A high frame rate usually leads
to particularly smooth and natural-looking shots. However, a lot of frames per second
have to be captured. There is therefore little time to expose the individual frame. The camera
can only capture very little light for the individual frame. For this reason,
high frame rates in low light are a big disadvantage. I would therefore recommend
a frame rate of 24. For all those living in the PAL region, that would be 25 frames per second.
Under Lens you can choose the setting that best suits your shot, I use Wide. I set the Hypersmooth
stabilization to on. We'll discuss the topic of stabilization in more detail in a moment.
But first we need to talk about exposure settings.
To get the best possible results in low light, we should set the exposure completely manually. This
can be done using the Protune settings. You should know that the brightness of a shot, that is,
the exposure, basically depends on 3 factors: the aperture, the shutter speed and the ISO.
The aperture is the size of the opening inside your lens through which light passes. On a GoPro
the aperture cannot be changed, so this value is not important for us today. The shutter
speed determines the duration of the exposure time, that is how long the light can fall on the
sensor. We can control this value on the GoPro. In low light conditions the shutter speed should
be as slow as possible to capture as much light as possible. The last factor is the ISO value.
This value determines how sensitively the camera reacts to light. The higher the ISO value, the
brighter the image because the camera reacts more sensitively to the incident light. Unfortunately,
if the ISO value is too high, image noise and artifacts are generated - the image becomes
brighter but the image quality decreases. By the way, these exposure basics are not
only valid for a GoPro but basically for any camera. You should also know that a GoPro has a
very small sensor, which has its advantages, but is a clear disadvantage in low light.
Now let's look at the Protune settings in detail.
As explained earlier, the shutter speed determines the duration of the exposure and should therefore
be as slow as possible. The shutter speed does not only affect the brightness of the image but
also the motion blur. A longer exposure results in more motion blur. Fast movements will blur more.
Basically, there is a rule in filmmaking for the optimal amount of motion blur: The shutter speed
should be exactly twice as high as the frame rate. At a frame rate of 25 frames per second,
the shutter speed should be one fiftieth of a second; at 24 frames per second, it should be
one forty-eighth of a second. So in low light, I manually set my Shutter Speed to one by 48 or
one by 50. To get even more light, you could also set your Shutter Speed to the value of
your frame rate, so one by twenty-four or one by twenty-five - but you'll get way too much motion
blur - your shot will look very strange, especially if there's a lot of motion. So,
such a low shutter speed is only useful if your shot doesn't contain much motion. For example,
in a talking head shot like this one, it would hardly be noticeable.
Now you should know that there is an important disadvantage when we manually set the shutter
speed to one fiftieth or one forty-eighth. Due to the resulting motion blur, which in
theory would actually be optimal, the electronic stabilization of your GoPro can no longer work as
efficiently. The electronic image stabilization needs very sharp images in order to work well.
For this reason, unsightly stutters could occur despite the hypersmooth stabilization. Therefore,
it would be optimal if you use the camera on a tripod. If you want to use your GoPro frequently
in low light and also want to move around, I would even recommend a gimbal. If you do not want to use
a gimbal and still need a well-stabilised shot with a lot of movement in low light,
you will need to increase the shutter speed. For a well-stabilized shot, this should be at least
at 1/96 or 1/100 but, this will make your shot darker and you will need a higher ISO value, which
in turn will have a negative effect on the image quality. You will therefore have to decide between
better image quality or a better stabilization. As always, I've put some links in the video
description for you, in case you're interested in what tripods or gimbals I use.
Now let's take a look at the remaining settings. EV Compensation is not available because we set
the Shutter Speed manually. I leave the White Balance on the GoPro mostly on Auto - the
automatic of the GoPro usually works very well - However, a manual White Balance would have
quite some advantages. On very long shots, the automatic could change the White Balance for
no clear reason, which could ruin your shot. Also, the artificial light may be difficult
for the camera to interpret, which can then lead to strange skin tones. The correct value
for White Balance in Low Light depends on the color temperature of your light source.
The ISO value is especially important for shooting in Low Light. As mentioned earlier,
a higher ISO value leads to a brighter image, but also to more image noise. Therefore, the goal
should be to set the ISO as low as possible. Since we have set the Shutter Speed manually, we can now
use the ISO value to change the brightness of the image. For this I set ISO Minimum to 100 and then
change the brightness of the image by setting ISO Maximum. Generally you should remember:
Up to an ISO value of 400, the image quality is good. Above 800 you can clearly see image noise,
even if GoPro has managed to improve the image quality slightly at higher ISO values. 800 is
therefore quite usable. From 1600, a strong image noise can already be seen. 3200 can actually no
longer be used. So I adjust the exposure in LOW Light through ISO Maximum. To do this faster,
I create a shortcut for ISO Maximum - so I always have quick access to the ISO value in this
preset. Another shortcut for the shutter speed would also be useful for our low light preset.
I normally use a sharpness of LOW on the GoPro and then add sharpness in post. But in low light,
probably due to a combination of image noise and compression you get better
results with a sharpness of medium. I would not recommend High, however.
As Color I use Natural. I'm not a big fan of the flat color profile. The compression causes details
to be lost in areas with little contrast. Vibrant leads to the typical GoPro colors. Especially in
low light, I don't think it's that interesting. And there are a few more settings in the settings
menu that you should pay attention to. For this, swipe down from the top edge and open
the preferences menu. Under Video, you'll find a few more settings that are important today.
You should set the BitRate to high - this is the only way to ensure that as much data as possible
is saved and the best possible image quality is achieved. I usually use a Bit-Depth of 10-Bit,
which is particularly advantageous if you want to color grade your footage. A 10-Bit
color depth also allows you to activate the Log profile. Log, with its very flat color profile,
primarily provides more flexibility when color grading, but also slightly improves the dynamic
range. However, Log doesn't have any particular advantages in low light conditions, and you have
to color grade all your footage - I would rather avoid it. If you live in the PAL region, that is,
in most countries outside the US and Canada, you should set Anti-Flicker to 50 Hz. This allows for
a frame rate of 25 frames per second and helps to avoid flickering issues with artificial light.
With this, we have optimally set up our GoPro. Now I would like to give you a
few simple tips for shooting in low light: When shooting indoors, use the available
light as best as possible. That means, if it is still bright outside, place your subject
near the window and use the natural light as a light source. This usually gives better
results than the artificial light in the room. Also, keep in mind that a low light shot can
also look like a low light shot. So you can expose your shot a bit darker. It's normal
for a night shot to look very dark overall. And of course you can bring additional light sources
yourself. This RGB light here, for example, is not expensive and can easily be taken anywhere.
Especially for indoor shots, you should also pay attention to a high dynamic range. If it's
relatively dark in the room, but there's still daylight outside, your windows might
burn out completely when they're in the frame - such a shot won't look good. Avoid such a
situation if possible or adjust your exposure accordingly, always if that makes sense.
Let's summarize the most important things:
Use a low frame rate, for example 24 or 25 frames per second.
Manually set the shutter speed to twice the frame rate, that is, to one forty-eighth of a second
when shooting at 24 frames per second. Adjust the exposure using ISO-Maximum,
whereby the image quality will drop sharply, especially above 1600.
Don't forget that the stabilization won't work as well in low light.
And that's it for today. If the video was helpful for you, give me a Like as
feedback. There will be more GoPro Tutorials to come. So stay tuned and see you next time!
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