We are going to show you how to best set up your new GoPro and Nu Grip for a variety of different occasions.....firstly lets look at Underwater Settings.
Check out our latest video below using the underwater settings:
What did we take on the trip in the above video?
This is our kit list:
Nu Grip 4 in 1
GoPro Hero 8 Black
GoPro Hero 7
G-Dome
Underwater housing unit
A set of batteries
256GB Micro SD cards
When preparing our GoPro for a trip we make sure all the batteries are fully charged, ensure the Mini SD cards are clear and the lenses are clean. When we go swimming or anywhere near water we always take Nu Grip with us as it floats. It means we won't lose it in the water and it allows us to get a range of dynamic shots. If we are going deeper than 10m /33ft) we always use a protective dive housing unit for our GoPro.
Settings we use on our GoPro Hero 8 Black for underwater:
Why do we use these settings?
4K at 60 Fps (Frames Per Second)
We always use at least 60Fps so that we can slow the footage down (by 50%) when we edit the videos. This is important as it smooths out any jerky movements whilst swimming underwater. You can see the results in our video of the turtle swimming in a smooth and tranquil way. If you're filming some fish and you only capture 3-4 seconds of good footage, when slowed down by 50%, this will give you 6-8 seconds of slower content.
Although if you are just starting out and don't want to fill up your memory card too quickly you can of course use 2.7K or 1080p. 4K footage produces larger files to work with however it produces the best results.
16:9 Aspect Ratio
4:3 Aspect Ratio doesn't include Hyper-smooth Image Stabilisation which is essential for underwater video.
WIDE Lens
We find the wide lens option gives the best results. Super view lens often gives too much distortion towards the edge of the screen and Linear lens is too narrow.
Hyper smooth Turn: On
Hyper-smooth helps stabilise your footage in the camera and can remove jerky movements. In combination with footage shot at 60Fps the results can look silky smooth.
Flat Colour
We like to colour grade our footage as not every video is shot on the same day or location. By filming in flat colour we can colour grade the footage to have the same colours using Adobe Premiere or DaVinci. Alternatively if you don't feel comfortable colour grading use the GoPro colour setting.
Bit Rate: High
If you plan on uploading your footage to YouTube a higher bit rate will provide better results when YouTube has processed it.
Sharpness: Low
We like to edit our footage and by setting the sharpness to low it gives us a greater range of control in the editing software.
Turn screensaver and Auto OFF to: Never
The reason we want to keep the screen on during underwater filming is often we will be Scuba diving below 10m / 30ft and we will be using the protective housing preventing us to touch the screen. We are then able to see what we are shooting all of the time, this does however reduce battery life.