From Footage to Film: The Ultimate Free GoPro HD Video Editing Guide

The Free and Easy Way to Edit GoPro HD Videos

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

One of the best benefits of GoPro HD videos is that they are encoded in an MPEG4 formats. There are a lot of different options for editing these files but they cost money. Depending on your situation though, you may be able to edit your files with a program that is free and easy to use.

• Things to Consider When Editing Your GoPro HD Videos
• Choosing the Right Software Package for Your Go Pro project

Things to Consider When Editing Your GoPro HD Videos

If you are thinking about using one of the free GoPro HD video editors, you should take the following points into consideration.

1. All videos shot with GoPro HD will be in an MP4 format

This means you will need to find software that is will be able to import these kinds of files. Make sure you look up the specifications for all of the programs you consider to make sure the one you pick can handle the GoPro format.

2. Consider what kind of editing you are going to do with the file

Most free programs make it really easy to do basic editing, but you are going to need to pay for a program if you want to do any heavy duty editing. Make sure you carefully read the features before you download it to make sure you have what you are need to complete your editing. Also, some programs are only free for personal use, so if you need a program for business purposes you are probably going to have to pay a fee.

3. Consider the output formats

You will need to check out the different output formats that are available with the free software. If you plan to share the video over social media, make sure that the editing software includes that as an option. If you would like to burn the video to a DVD, make sure that the program is capable of writing to a disc.

Choosing the Right Software Package for Your GoPro Project

Once you are through considering these different points, you can start looking at the different free and easy editing software available. Here are a few suggestions based on how much editing you want to do.

1 Just the Basics

There are more options available if you only need to do basic editing, like cutting the length of the video, joining different parts together, or adding music. The following are three of the best programs to handle basic video editing of MP4 files.

• Windows Movie Maker is a basic Windows program that makes it really easy to manage basic editing, like adding music to one of your favorite videos.
• VLC Media Player is a neat little open-source program that works across different platforms for very basic use.
• Animoto is great for joining together several different videos, although only the Lite account is free and has a number of restrictions.

2 A Robust Program

If you want something robust and effective, the best option is Wondershare Filmora. It lets you do more than just basic editing, allowing you to work with a number of different video formats. Once you download it, you will find that it is very user-friendly from the onset. Best of all, you can share videos from the program, something that the basic editors won’t let you do without paying for that ability.

Magix Movie Edit Pro 2015 Plus excels in areas of advanced features, formats supported and attractive interface. However, it loses points for slow rendering performance and some complexity in the interface. The low price makes the exchange worth it for many users.

Conclusion

GoPro HD videos are an incredibly popular format, but it is a bit more of a challenge to find a free editing program that will work with these files. Many free or lite versions of packages let you do very basic editing, but they come with a lot of restrictions and want you to spend money to upgrade it. If you want something that’s easy to use and performs well, Wondershare Filmora is an ideal choice.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

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