GoPro 9 BEST Underwater Settings
Hey, in todays post i will introduce the settings that i like to use when filming underwater videos with the gopro hero 9 black!
GoPro Hero 9 Black Settings For Underwater Videos
Now let me explain why i use these settings in a little detail!
Once you get used to using these settings you may want to tweak them slightly to your liking. Lets start with the resolution!
Resolution/Frame Rate: 4K/60 - Ideally you want to set the resolution to the highest that your pc/mobile can handle. 60 frames per second (FPS) is sufficient in most situation as it gives you enough frames for slow motion if you need it later when editing!
A little about Frame Rates:
If you film at the native 24 frames or 30 frames of gopro, you will not be able to make your clips slow motion due to insufficient frames.
If you film in 60FPS, it can be slowed down to 30 frames giving you 2x slow motion.
So essentially you can double the length of your clip. If a shark passes by your gopro in 3 seconds, you can slow it down to 6 seconds.
If your planning on filming a super slow motion from the start then you can go for higher frame rates like 120 or 240FPS. The Gopro hero 9 black allows for filming in 2.7k/120fps and 1080/240fps so this might be the best settings if you have plenty of space in your memory card and have a good pc for editing. However if you increase the frame rate to 240 make sure you are recording in plenty of light!
With the Gopro Hero 9 Black your able to film in 5k/30fps. However i dont recommend this too much for underwater as you cannot switch the footage to slow motion even if you want to and 5k is not used that widely as of now.
4k is great but most youtube videos/instagram videos will be seen in 1080p so if your low on storage/dont have a high end pc for editing then shooting in 1080/60fps is completely fine!
New post update: 10 GoPro underwater Tips to get the best looking videos in 2022
Using the settings in this post and the tips from my new post, you should be able to get better looking underwater footage with the gopro!
Shutter Auto - In an ideal world its best not to have the shutter on auto, however lighting and subjects constantly change underwater and you cannot change the settings when underwater so i have it set to auto.
Ev Comp -0.5 - I find that the gopro has a tendancy on blowing out the highlights a little too much. I set the evcomp to -0.5 to tone down on the highlights on days when it is sunny. 0 should be fine on cloudy days!
WB 5k/Native - Red colours are lost when filming in water so i like to have the white balance on a slightly warmer colour than usual.
ISO Min/Max - I try to keep the ISO values at 100 to reduce grain and noise in my GoPro Video. If its a overcast day id recommend increasing the max iso to around 400.
Sharpness Low/Med - Its easy to increase sharpness in post production but more difficult to reduce it so i recommend shooting in low/medium.
If the footage needs sharpening, editing softwares such as davinci resolve will do a great job at making your footage look crisp and sharp.
Colour Gopro/Flat - Shooting in GoPro colour gives a saturated and appealing look straight out of the gopro.
If you dont plan on colour grading your footage then this setting is completely fine.
However, if you are planning on colour grading your footage then shooting in flat mode will give you a lot more flexibility in post production.
If you know how to colour grade or want to learn how to grade then i would reccommend shooting in flat mode.
Here is an example of a before and after colour grading flat gopro footage.
Flat GoPro footage on the left, Graded GoPro footage on the right.
Below is a colour grading tutorial i made if you want more information on grading!
If you would prefer this guide in video form then below is a video i made on the settings i use for my gopro hero 9 black underwater.
The video might be a little more detailed and has some examples of gopro footage taken with these settings so please take a look if you would like!
And finally here is a video i created with gopro footage shot mostly with the above settings and colour graded in davinci resolve!
Thanks for reading all the way through, if you have any thoughts or questions please let me know in the comments below! Hearts on the post and comments are much appreciated :)
Recommended post: 10 GoPro underwater Tips to get the best looking videos in 2022
Using the settings in this post and the tips from my new post, you should be able to get better looking underwater footage with the gopro!
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