My GoPro Hero Camera

Jason R. Rich is an accomplished author, journalist, and photographer, as well as an avid traveler. Some of his recently published digital photography-related books include iPad and iPhone Digital Photography Tips and Tricks (Que) and How to Do Everything Digital Photography (McGraw-Hill). For Que, he also created the Using Your GoPro Hero3+: Learn To Shoot Better Photos and Videos video course, and has written numerous other books about the iPhone, iPad, interactive entertainment, and the Internet.   As a photographer, his work continues to appear in conjunction with his articles published in major daily newspapers, national magazines, and online, as well as within his various books. He also works with professional actors, models, and recording artists developing their portfolios and taking their headshots, and continues to pursue travel and animal photography.   Through his work as an enrichment lecturer, he often offers digital photography workshops and classes aboard cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises Lines, and Celebrity Cruise Lines, as well as through Adult Education programs in the New England area.   Please follow Jason Rich at www.jasonrich.com, on Twitter (@JasonRich7), or on Instagram (@JasonRich7).

Chapter 1  Overview of the GoPro Cameras   3
Understanding the Skill and Art of Digital Photography   5
Choosing the Right GoPro Camera for You 6
What You Should Know About Digital Camera Resolution 7
Understand the Basics About HD Video Resolution 7
Comparing GoPro Camera Models 9
The GoPro Hero Is Ideal for Beginners 13
The GoPro Hero3+ Is a Full-Featured Camera 14
The GoPro Hero4 Offers Cutting-Edge Functionality 15
Using Housings to Protect Your Camera 16
Taking Better Shots Using Mounts 19
Making Better Use of Camera Features Using Accessories 21
The GoPro App Has Several Uses 22
The GoPro Studio Software Offers Professional Video-Editing Tools 24
Gathering Your GoPro Equipment 25
Chapter 2  Getting Started with Your GoPro Camera   27
Overviewing the GoPro Camera’s Body 28
The Front of the Camera 29
The Back of the Camera 30
The Right Side of the Camera 31
The Left Side of the Camera 34
The Top of the Camera 34
The Bottom of the Camera 35
Exploring the LCD Status Screen 36
Your GoPro Camera’s Menu Hierarchy 40
Status Lights Provide Useful Information About Your Camera 43
Setting Up the Camera for the First Time 44
Insert Battery and SD Card 44
Prepare the Camera 45
Customize Settings 47
Updating Your Camera’s Operating System 50
Update Using the GoPro Mobile App 51
Update the Hero4 Using GoPro Studio Software 52
Updating the Operating System Manually 54
Chapter 3  Overview of GoPro Camera Housings   57
Inserting and Removing Your Camera from a Housing 59
Remove the Camera 60
Insert the Camera into a Housing 62
Keeping Your Housing Clean 63
Using the Appropriate Backdoor for a Housing 65
Swap the Housing’s Backdoor 70
Discovering Your Housing Options 71
Standard Housing 71
Skeleton Housing 72
Dive Housing 74
Blackout Housing 74
The Frame Housing 75
Dual Hero System Housing 77
Third-Party Camera Housings 77
Chapter 4  Overview of GoPro Camera Mounts   81
Preplan Your Shots and Choose the Best Equipment 82
Attaching the Camera Housing to a Mount 84
Use the Quick Release Buckle and Thumb Screw 85
Use a Quick-Release Anti-Vibration Locking Plug 87
Overview of Popular GoPro Mounts 88
Finding and Purchasing Third-Party Mounts and Accessories 96
Chapter 5  Must-Have GoPro Camera Accessories   101
Remotely Control Your Camera with the Smart Remote 101
Charge the Smart Remote’s Battery 103
Pair the Smart Remote with Your Hero4 Camera 106
Using the Smart Remote with Your Camera 108
Control Your Camera with the Smart Remote 109
Adjusting Settings with the Touch BacPac 111
Give Your Camera a Power Boost with the Battery BacPac 117
Chapter 6  Choosing the Best Memory Cards for Your GoPro Camera 119
Picking the Right Memory Card Speed Class 120
Selecting a Memory Card’s Storage Capacity 121
Shopping for and Using microSD Memory Cards 123
Insert a Memory Card into Your Camera 124
Format a microSD Memory Card Using a Hero4 126
Understanding Memory Card-Related Error Messages   129
Chapter 7  Keeping Your Batteries Charged   131
Tracking Battery Life 133
Saving Money Using Compatible GoPro Batteries 134
Increasing Battery Life While Shooting 136
Insert a Battery into Your Hero4 137
Chapter 8  Shooting High-Resolution Photos   141
Taking Pictures with Your GoPro 142
Single shooting mode 144
Continuous Shooting Mode 145
Night Shooting Mode 146
Burst Shooting Mode 147
Time Lapse Shooting Mode   148
Night Lapse Shooting Mode 149
Knowing When to Use the Protune Feature 150
Adjusting White Balance 151
Adjusting Color 151
Adjusting ISO Limit 152
Adjusting Sharpness 152
Adjusting EV Comp 153
Switching Between Shooting Modes 153
Switch Camera Modes Directly from the Camera 154
Switch Shooting Modes Using the LCD Touch BacPac Display 157
Switch Shooting Modes Using the GoPro Smart Remote 159
Switch Shooting Modes Using the GoPro App 160
Chapter 9  10 Strategies for Taking Professional-Quality Digital Pictures 165
Preparation Is Essential 166
Choosing an Interesting Subject 167
Shoot Action from a First- or Third-Person Perspective 169
Take Interesting Pictures of People 170
Capture the Perfect Selfie   171
Photographing Animals and Pets 172
Capture a Fast-Moving Subject 172
Take Great Pictures of Your Child’s Event 173
Shoot Visually Interesting Objects   174
Take Vivid Underwater Photos 175
Setting Your Camera to the Best Mode for Your Shooting Situation 176
Take Advantage of Burst shooting mode 177
Don’t Forget About Your Hero4’s Multi-Shot Options 177
When Turning On Protune Can Benefit You   178
Shooting Resolution Considerations 179
Using a Viewfinder with Your Camera When Taking Photos 180
Selecting the Most Appropriate Housing and Mount 181
Paying Attention to Your Primary Light Source 182
Using the Rule of Thirds When Framing Your Shots 183
Choosing a Visually Interesting Shooting Perspective 185
Properly Handling Low-Light Situations 186
Editing Your Digital Photos After They’ve Been Shot 186
Chapter 10  Shooting HD Video   189
Using Available HD Video Option 190
Shooting Video with Your GoPro   192
Video Shooting Mode 196
Video+Photo Shooting Mode 198
Looping Video Mode 199
Taking Advantage of Hero4’s Hilight Tagging 200
Create a Tag from the Smart Remote 201
Create a Tag from the GoPro App 201
Shooting Time Lapse Video 202
Capture Time Lapse Video 203
Time Lapse Video Shooting Strategies 205
Enhancing Video Quality with Protune 205
Adjusting White Balance 207
Adjusting Color 207
Adjusting ISO Limit 207
Adjusting Sharpness 208
Adjusting EV Comp 208
Switching Between Video-Related Shooting Modes 209
Switch Video-Related Shooting Modes Directly from the Camera 210
Switch Video Shooting Modes Using the LCD Touch BacPac Display 213
Switch Between Video Shooting Modes Using the GoPro Smart Remote 215
Switch Shooting Modes Using the GoPro App 215
Chapter 11  Capturing Sound and Using Artificial Light While Shooting Video 221
Using Your Camera’s Built-in Microphone to Record Audio 222
Connecting an External Microphone to Your Camera 225
Choosing a Microphone 226
Adding Sound Effects and Music to Your Video Projects 228
Using External Lighting Options 230
Choosing the Best Continuous Lighting Solution 232
Chapter 12  Adjusting the Camera’s Setup Menu Options   235
Getting Acquainted with the Setup Menu Options 236
Resetting Your Camera 242
Accessing the Setup Menu 243
Access the Setup Menu Directly from the Camera 244
Access the Setup Menu Using the LCD Touch BacPac Display 246
Access the Setup Menu Using the Smart Remote 247
Access the Setup Menu Using the GoPro App 248
Chapter 13  10 Strategies for Shooting Awesome HD Video 251
Preplanning Is Essential 252
Having the Right Equipment at Your Disposal 253
Gather Your Equipment 254
Choosing the Best Shooting Resolution 256
Selecting the Best Frames Per Second (FPS) Rate 259
Deciding Which Field of View (FOV) Option to Use 259
Deciding the Best Way to Shoot Your Subject 261
Using Lighting to Your Advantage 264
Handling Camera Movement 265
Tagging Your Best Shots as You Shoot 267
Shooting Plenty of Raw Footage 268
Chapter 14  Troubleshooting Camera-Related Problems and Overcoming Common Shooting Mistakes   271
Troubleshooting Camera-Related Problems 272
The Camera Won’t Turn On 272
The Camera Is On, but Unresponsive 274
The Camera Won’t Connect with the GoPro App or Smart Remote 276
Clear Up Lens Fog 278
Reset Your Camera Name and Password 279
The Status Screen Says No SD, Full, or SD ERR 280
The File Repair Icon Appears on the Status Screen 281
The Camera Has Overheated and the Temperature Icon Displays on the Status Screen 281
Water Spots Have Formed on the Housing 282
Video Playback Is Choppy on the Computer 282
Video Doesn’t Play Back Properly Using the GoPro App   282
The Camera Is Off, but the Blue Status Lights Are Flashing 283
The Menus on Your Camera Are Different from This Book 283
The Computer Doesn’t Recognize Your Connected Camera 284
The Camera Is Physically Damaged 284
Overcoming Common Shooting Problems 286
Your Photos or Videos Are Overexposed 286
Video Playback Is Too Shaky 288
The Camera Mount You’re Using Won’t Maintain Its Position 288
Low Light Photos or Video Are Blurry or Under-Exposed 289
Photos or Videos Have Excessive Fishesye 289
The Colors in Photos or Video Aren’t as Vibrant as They Should Be 290
The Memory Card Fills Up Too Fast When I’m Shooting 291
Recover Deleted Photos or Video 291
The Memory Card Is Full, but I Want to Keep Shooting 292
Improve Poor Audio Quality 292
Wind Noise Is Ruining the Audio 293
Seeking Out Creative Inspiration 293
Chapter 15  Using the GoPro Mobile App 297
Getting Started with the App 298
Install the GoPro App 299
Pair the GoPro App with Your GoPro Hero4 301
Taking Control of Your Camera Using the GoPro App 307
Navigating the App Settings Menu 308
Accessing Your My GoPro Album 309
Transfer Photos or Video from the Memory Card to the GoPro App 310
Controlling Your Camera from the GoPro App 314
Adjusting the Hero4’s Settings from the App 316
Optional GoPro Mobile Apps 321
10 – Fast GoPro & DJI Phantom Video Sharing with Music 321
Prizmia for GoPro 321
Lab for GoPro 322
Chapter 16  Using the GoPro Studio Software 325
Understanding the Video Editor’s Role 327
Getting Started 328
Download GoPro Studio 330
Run GoPro Studio 331
Getting to Know GoPro Studio’s Layout 333
Transferring Raw Video to Your Computer 335
Transfer Content to Your Computer 335
Beginning the Editing Process 337
Select and Convert Clips 338
Edit Your Video 340
What’s Possible During the Editing Process 343
Enhancing Flawed Video Footage 345
Considering Sound 346
Saving, Exporting, and Sharing Your Video Projects 346
Video Editing Tips to Make Your Videos Better 347
Considering Other Editing Software Options 349
Chapter 17  Sharing Your Photos and Videos   353
Sharing Photos via Email 355
Sharing Photos Using a Cloud-Based Service 357
Sharing Photos and Videos Using Social Media 359
Sharing with Facebook 361
Upload A Photo To Facebook 362
Sharing with Twitter and Instagram 364
Tweet Photos from the Twitter App 366
Tweet Photos from the Photos App 368
Publish A Photo On Instagram From Your iPhone/iPad   371
Publishing Videos on YouTube 375
Upload and Publish a Video on YouTube 377
Sharing Photos and Videos via the GoPro Channel 380
Access the GoPro Channel 381
Sharing to the GoPro Channel 382
Upload to the GoPro Channel 382
Other Ways to Showcase Your Photos and Videos 384
Ways to Showcase Photos 384
Ways to Showcase Video 385
That’s a Wrap!    386
Index   387