iMovie and GoPro

So, I got me a new toy (several, actually):  a GoPro Hero 2 HD Motorsports Edition.

I've been getting some driving footage during my commutes to/from work, just to get a feel for how to use the GoPro.  I got about a bit over an hour of footage and only wanted to collect up the footage of my car's exhaust (Subaru Impreza STI).

I tried to use VirtualDub on the Alienware, but VirtualDub doesn't like the .mp4 format that the GoPro utilizes.  I tried to use VideoPad, but and it's conversion tool (converting it to .mpeg) but Windows Media Player doesn't like the conversion.  So, I tried using the tools on my Macbook...bad move.  For one, the Macbook seems to be seriously under-powered when it comes to video editing.  My Macbook also doesn't come with iMovie (using Snow Leopard...the max OS X version it can utilize, which doesn't come with iMovie).  What's funny is that the wife's Macbook DOES have iMovie, and is an actual C2D system, while my Macbook is just a Core Duo system, which came in the first generation Macbooks.  So, next I tried my iMac.  I found that it had iMovie (it is running Mountain Lion).  It also did not bog in the least when it came to creating the montage I had in mind.  It was much easier to use than VirtualDub, as the interface is decently intuitive.

It took awhile to get the video footage from the SD card of my GoPro to the iMac, though...the files were rather large (recorded in 1080p at 30fps), so I went to bed while the files were transferring.  The next day, after work, I began to edit the files, which didn't take all that long.  I took about 8.5 minutes worth of clips and consolidated them, putting in the transitions I wanted.  I then finalized my project at 1080p/30fps, which took about 3 hours to do (went to bed while it was finalizing).  The next day, I reviewed the final product and it was very nice.

I uploaded it to YouTube.  It is here. While it is not raw, there is no music (I wanted to capture the that boxer rumble), as well as no annotations or text comments.  There's no title either.  I'll experiment with all of this sometime soon.

I'll be messing with iMovie a lot more when I get more footage, as I plan to use the GoPro when I have autocross meets and when I ride the motorcycle.  Maybe I'll play with VirtualDub and VideoPad a bit more, but I'm thinking iMovie is the best of the three tools...I do want to try to use the Alienware to edit videos, though, especially when/if I'm not home.  The laptop is my strongest system, so it may just outperform the iMac when using iMovie.

Now, let me tell you about this particular GoPro.

It is NICE!  I bought some accessories with it:  16GB SD card, as well as 2 extra batteries and a wall charger.  The Motorsports Edition comes with a bunch of accessories as well.  It comes with a suction cup mount, which has several bendable joints, including where the camera attaches to it.  It comes with several more permanent mount points (straight and curved) that you can stick to almost anything.  It comes with a back plate that allows sound into the protective case (the standard back plate makes the case water-proof, though).  There's a charging cable that I can use to connect to a computer to download the pictures from the camera, instead of removing the SD card.  That same cable will also charge the battery within 4 hours (provided the camera isn't currently being used).

The camera can take pictures, can be adjusted to take, for example, a picture every second or every 5 seconds (for time lapse vids)...up to a picture every 60 seconds.  It has various HD video configurations or can take VGA video.  It can do up to 60fps with certain HD video settings.  I believe it can take up to 11 megapixel pictures.  The max size of SD card allowed is 16GB.  I can take up to 4 hours of video footage, depending on how I'm using the camera.

The suction cup mount can be used on my motorcycle's fuel tank (that's about the only place it can go, since I've no fairings, although I could mount it on the tail of the bike, if need be).  The tank might be the best mount place, since I've seen much bike video footage that has a LOT of wind noise.  I can purchase several mounting accessories for motorcyling, too (helmet mount or chest-mount straps).

About the only thing I'm worried about is if the suction cup fails if I decide to mount the camera outside the car.  I'm thinking of fashioning a tether, but I don't want a huge dent in my car's aluminum, either.  I'm gonna have to think this through.

I really can't wait to test this thing out some more, but I'm going to have to wait about a month before I can do autocross footage.