I would say that sooner or later most of us
want to use a GoPro underwater, whether it is for diving, snorkeling, jumping or just
on a simple vacation by the sea. Today I'm going to tell you how I would set
up a GoPro for underwater shooting. I'll show you this using a GoPro Hero 8. But almost everything I'm saying today basically
applies to all other versions of the GoPro as well. In addition to the settings, I'll give you
some general tips for optimal underwater recordings. And in case you're new here: my name is Werner,
I live in Italy and on this channel I'm doing tutorials and reviews on filmmaking, GoPro
and also on other consumer cameras. And in any case you will see a lot of beautiful
images of nature on this channel. Consider subscribing if you are interested
in these topics and have fun with this video. When it comes to camera settings, it is important
to remember that there is not the one perfect setting that is optimal for all situations
and for all preferences. So today I will also try to explain the differences
and advantages and disadvantages of the different possible settings. On the Hero 8, you can set presets for different
situations. For this reason, I will start by creating
a new preset for underwater recordings. But that's already the biggest difference
to older versions like the Hero 7, at least when it comes to the settings for underwater
shots. If you want to set up your camera optimally,
you have to first think about the right resolution and frame rate. These two settings should generally be considered
together, as the possible settings for the frame rate depend on the resolution. As far as the resolution is concerned I would
generally choose 4K for underwater recordings. The GoPro offers the best quality and most
importantly, you can crop the image better in Post if necessary. For example, if you capture an interesting
animal and want to enlarge it in post, then it is an advantage if you have chosen the
best possible resolution. I would only deviate from 4K if your PC has
difficulties with processing the files. It is a bit more difficult now to choose the
right frame rate. Normally I shoot all my videos in 25 frames
per second. 25 because I live in the PAL region. In the States that would be 24 frames per
second. These low frame rates create a very cinematic
look. This tutorial here was also shot with 25 frames
per second. But for underwater recordings I would deviate
from these frame rates and choose a higher frame rate. A higher frame rate of 60 frames per second
looks much more fluid and therefore creates a more realistic and natural look, and I think
that such a look is better suited to capture the underwater world. The combination of 4K and 60 frames per second
has a number of advantages. You get the best possible image quality, you
can crop the image in post. You'll get wonderfully natural looking shots
and if you want to use individual clips for a bigger project, such as a travel video,
you can create slow motion at 40% when your project is created using 24 frames per second. Slow motion can be advantageous under certain
circumstances. It helps to stabilize the clip and if you
were only able to create a very short clip of an interesting moment, perhaps a special
fish, for example, you can use slow motion to extend the shot. Unfortunately the combination of 4K and 60
frames per second also has a number of disadvantages: The GoPro in this case uses the HEVC codec. This is basically no problem. But you need a fast computer to playback and
process the files smoothly. If this is a problem in your case, you could
use 2.7K/60 as an alternative. On the Hero 8, the improved stabilisation
methods High and Boost are also not available in 4K/60. However, in my opinion, these do not play
such a decisive role when shooting underwater. Another important disadvantage of a high frame
rate is that it is not as suitable for low light situations. This can become a problem especially if you
use your GoPro for example for diving and want to shoot in very deep waters. It can get really dark and you should consider
using a lower frame rate. 30 frames per second would be a good compromise. The result looks more fluid than with 24 frames
per second and the GoPro gets more light. Now let's look at the other settings. As digital lens or field of view I use wide. There are hardly any straight lines under
water. The distortion of the GoPro Fish Eye Lens
is almost not noticeable. In my eyes, there is therefore hardly any
need to use linear, since this would also lead to a crop. I know that some people like Superview for
underwater shots. In the case of Superview, the GoPro uses the
entire 4:3 sensor and then stretches the left and right edges to get a 16:9 image. This increases the field of view at the top
and bottom. Basically this is an interesting option. However, Superview is not available in 4K/60. There is also a very strong distortion at
the edges, which sometimes looks a bit strange when shooting underwater, especially when
the camera is moving sideways. I leave the hypersmooth stabilisation at ON. High and Boost are not available in 4K/60,
as mentioned. As for the Protune settings, I always use
the BitRate standard. I am aware that a high bitrate should generally
be better. However, I have made several comparisons,
even in low light and with color grading, and could not see any visible differences. However, the files will be much larger if
you set the bitrate to high. I leave Shutter on Auto. I set Exposure Value Compensation to -0.5.This
way you prevent bright areas in the image from burning out. This can also happen when shooting underwater,
for example when the water surface is visible at the top of the image or the sun is shining
on objects. As for the white balance, I must say that
the GoPro's automatic white balance actually works quite well underwater. One has to consider that this special environment
is very demanding for the camera's automatic. In fact, in certain cases the result is not
perfect. It can also happen that the automatic changes
the white balance during the recording, which could ruin your shot. To prevent this, you could set the white balance
to native. This will fix the white balance and the camera
will store more information for adjusting the white balance in post. This means that you still have to adjust the
white balance in post, but there is more room for adjustment than with the automatic setting. So if you're willing to correct the white
balance in post and always want the best possible result, choose native. In all other cases use the automatic white
balance. The ISO value determines how sensitively the
sensor reacts to incident light. The higher the ISO value, the brighter the
image will be. However, a high ISO value also causes noise
and therefore reduces the image quality. With a GoPro, the image noise is clearly visible
from an ISO value of 800. For this reason I set ISO minimum to 100 and
ISO maximum to 400. If you dive very deep and it gets very dark,
even 800 can still lead to an acceptable image. From 1600 on I think the image is no longer
usable. I always set the sharpness to LOW. High leads to a very sharp image. However, it doesn’t mean that more details
are captured. Instead, the camera adds digital sharpness. The result does not look very professional
and not very cinematic. You can also add sharpness at any time when
editing. If you don't want to edit your videos and
LOW looks too soft for you, you can also use medium. In terms of color, the GoPro setting creates
a nice saturated and contrasty look. If you want a little more flexibility in post
and want to grade the colors yourself, you can set the color to flat. Flat results in an unsaturated image with
low contrast. Therefore, if I want to achieve the best results,
I use flat and adjust the colours in post. If I want to use the clips directly, I use
Color GoPro. Apart from the settings, I would like to give
you some general tips for your underwater recordings with a GoPro. Normally you try to keep the camera as steady
as possible for a good shot or create some interesting camera movements as stable as
possible. Under water this automatism seems to be disabled. There is always something new to discover,
fishes move fast, so you move the camera very fast back and forth. The result are often bad and shaky shots. Therefore try to keep the camera as steady
as possible even under water and make slow camera movements here as well. It is clear that certain accessories such
as fins are of great help to achieve a smooth forward movement. As for the GoPro accessories, I usually use
such a simple Floating Hand Grip as a mount. This one comes with an accessories kit. It floats and the yellow color makes it easy
to find in the water in case the GoPro should fall out of your hand. But there are of course also better standalone
versions like the handler by GoPro. You can also use a waterproof pole, which
is more suitable if you want to film yourself, for example. If you want to dive deeper you should purchase
an additional protective housing. With this you can dive up to 60 meters deep
and you can also mount filters that give you better and more saturated colors for your
underwater shots. For these and other accessories that are useful
for shooting underwater, you can find links in the video description. If you want to change the settings underwater,
for example when diving, you basically have the problem that the touch screen cannot be
used. However, certain settings can be adjusted
using the front screen. To do this, press the Mode and the Shutter
button simultaneously. A small menu appears on the front screen. Depending on the version of your GoPro, you
can change different settings here. On the Hero 8, for example, you can change
the preset. You should also keep in mind that the light
is crucial also for the quality of your underwater recordings. So you will get better shots with your GoPro
in shallow water with good light than in very deep water with little light. Of course, it's clear that you might be able
to take more interesting shots in deeper areas. So Let's recap the most important statements
of this video in a few sentences: About the settings:
4K for the best quality and 60 frames per second for the most natural looking shots. 30 frames per second if there is little light. Wide as Field of View. Hypersmooth on
Under Protune Bitrate Standard, Shutter Auto, Exposure Value Compensation -0.5, White Balance
Auto or Native if you want to adjust the colors in post, ISO Min 100, ISO Max 400, Sharpness
Low, Color GoPro or Flat if you want to color grade your videos afterwards. Also, make sure to keep the camera steady,
use a good hand grip that floats and don't forget that light will be the deciding factor
for good shots even when shooting underwater . And that's it for today. If the video was interesting for you, give
me a Like as feedback and see you next time!
