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factor. This section covers editing your movie on a computer loaded with GoPro Studio editing software.

Part 4: The Part of Tens

      The Dummies version of a top ten list will provide insight into fun places to mount your GoPro, professional applications, and making your movies and pictures better by avoiding the pitfalls of using it.

      Icons Used in This Book

      What’s a For Dummies book without icons pointing out great information that’s sure to help you along your way? In this section, I briefly describe the icons used in this book.

       This icon marks a generally interesting and useful fact – something you may want to remember for later use.

       This icon points out helpful suggestions and useful nuggets of information.

       When you see this icon, you know that techie stuff is nearby. If you’re not feeling very techie, feel free to skip it.

       The Warning icon highlights lurking danger. With this icon, I’m telling you to pay attention and proceed with caution.

      Beyond the Book

      Like every For Dummies book, this one comes with a free Cheat Sheet that brings together some of the most commonly needed information for people learning to use, in this case, GoPro cameras. To get the Cheat Sheet, head for www.dummies.com and enter GoPro Cameras For Dummies 2nd Edition Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Part 1

      Getting Started with Your GoPro Camera

      IN THIS PART …

      Understand the GoPro camera.

      See what you need to get started.

      Find the right mount.

      Choose the right accessory.

      Chapter 1

      Getting to Know GoPro

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      ❯❯ Discovering GoPro’s magic

      ❯❯ Finding out what GoPro can do

      ❯❯ Comparing the different models

      ❯❯ Working with the GoPro apps

      You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Good things come in small packages.” Sometimes it’s true, as in the case of a diamond ring. That sparkly rock is small, and many people would agree that it’s good. But a mosquito, which is smaller than a diamond, isn’t good at all, especially on a warm summer evening.

      Small cameras rarely solicit as much disdain as mosquitoes do. Most of us accept the compromise of function for size, understanding that it’s acceptable for a camera to have less quality and fewer features in exchange for traveling well.

      The GoPro, however, shatters that compromise like a rock on a plate-glass window. This pint-size wonder not only fits in the palm of your hand, but also easily mounts anywhere. Put it on a bicycle helmet to capture the rider’s perspective. Mount it on a surfboard and not worry about frying the electronics, thanks to its watertight housing. How about mounting it on an inexpensive remote-control drone (more appropriately known here as a quadcopter) and recording overhead footage and something that was out of the realm of possibility for consumers a few short years ago? (Check local ordinances first so you don’t fly your airship too close to a restricted area or violate privacy and security of others. More on that in Chapter 6.)

      Introducing the GoPro

      The GoPro is a pint-size, consumer-priced camcorder that yields professional results and does lots of cool stuff thanks to its Wi-Fi capability, superior performance, and extreme portability.

      The GoPro doesn’t take up much space, so it’s easy to pack, carry, and mount in interesting places. The most feature-rich model, the HERO5 Black is a shade under 3 inches long, so it would take a bagful of these cameras to occupy the same amount of space as a conventional camcorder. The HERO5 Session and HERO Session are even smaller. Regardless, the diminutive stature of GoPro becomes even more important when you mount several cameras in a confined area and that’s a good thing, because these little guys are often used in bunches.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall” doesn’t apply to the GoPro because it weighs ounces, not pounds. Since the camera is small and lightweight, you can place it almost anywhere with little concern that it will fall because it’s too heavy. Earlier GoPro models captured movie files on an SD card, but because the camera got smaller and lighter with each upgrade, it now uses a petite microSD card (see Figure 1-1) that holds up to 128 GB of pictures and movies.

       FIGURE 1-1: SD (left) and microSD (right) cards.

      Wishing for the existence of such a camera just a mere generation ago was quite a stretch, like wanting a Pegasus in your barn. Fret no more. Your sanity is safe – at least when it comes to the existence of a durable, inexpensive camera that goes anywhere while capturing high definition video and even 3D video. All it takes to accurately capture whatever situation you have in mind is an optional, inexpensive mount.

Use it anywhere

      Just a few years ago, ambitious users who attempted to put an expensive camcorder in a place where it didn’t belong usually didn’t get a compelling piece of work; rather, they often had to pick up the pieces of their smashed cameras. That’s less a worry these days, thanks to the design and durability of the GoPro.

      Beyond being small and well designed, a GoPro can go anyplace you go and mount almost anywhere. Moviemaking has always had the dubious distinction of being a cumbersome endeavor, usually because of the size and weight of the equipment. It’s quite refreshing to have a high-quality camera with ultra-wide optics that fits in the palm of your hand and that has a mount for almost every situation.

Capturing footage in nonconventional places is the GoPro’s job description. The tougher the situation, the more impressive the results. The GoPro is shock-resistant and waterproof, which are good qualities for a camera that can mount on almost anything, moving or otherwise. The next time you’re inspired to mount the camera on Fido for a dog’s-eye view, feel free. Shock your friends and neighbors when you decide to take the camera into the pool to shoot an underwater sequence (see Figure 1-2).

      Photo courtesy of GoPro, Inc.

       FIGURE 1-2: The GoPro HERO5 Black can do a lot in, out, and under the water.

Forget conventional camcorders

      The GoPro doesn’t resemble a conventional camcorder, nor does it behave like one. It looks more like a small square box with a protruding lens than a sleekly designed camcorder. Although you can hold it like a traditional camera, it is equally effective (if not more so) when it’s attached to something.

       Here are some of the qualities that differentiate a GoPro from standard camcorders:

      ❯❯ Size: The current GoPros are quite small compared with most camcorders and significantly smaller than their predecessors.

      ❯❯ Most models don’t have a viewfinder: Though the viewfinder is one of the main parts of a camcorder, only one current GoPro includes a viewing screen. That’s okay because you wouldn’t look through a viewfinder for most situations. The lack of

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