Best GoPro Hero 7 and 8 Underwater Settings

Best GoPro Underwater TimeWarp Settings

Speed your video up to 30x and create an ultra fast version of your dive with TimeWarp. It takes 5 minutes of straight recording time to create a final 10 second video with the 30x option or get 20 seconds of video with 5 minutes of recording time with the 15x option. Keep your battery life in mind when it comes to recording long segments.  

Best GoPro Underwater Time Lapse Settings

Time Lapse takes photos at predesignated intervals and ultimately stitches them together to create a video playback. For the smoothest rendition of underwater scenes, I’d suggest the .5 or 1 second selection for fast moving subjects. If you have a very slow moving subject like a sea star cruising across the sand you can get away with 2 or maybe 5 second intervals but be aware that the camera would need to be held very steady for a decent turn out. It's always best to take more photos (.5 second intervals) for the smoothest playback.  If not, then the fish swimming by will have only been partly recorded and will end up making the video appear a bit "skippy".

Topside scenes can be a different story. Chances are that we have more options to shoot slower moving subjects like the clouds or a sunset.  A 10 second interval works well for a smooth playback of rolling clouds. But be aware, two hours of recording time at the 10 second interval will only render a 20 second final clip!

What Is The Difference Between GoPro Time Lapse, TimeWarp and Video? 

The difference between video vs. TimeWarp is essentially just speed. TimeWarp condenses your video at a faster rate to pack the entire clip into a shorter time.  It's basically like watching it in "fast forward". You can choose how fast to speed it up in the settings menu.

Time Lapse however, is a series of images stiched together to create a video. How many images the GoPro will take in a given time is decided by setting the interval starting at every .5 seconds.

The following video demonstrates the differences between Video, Time lapse and TimeWarp.  I chose to shoot this topside to keep the GoPro Hero 8 on a tripod and shoot the EXACT same scene so that the differences can be as distinct as possible.

Best GoPro Underwater Photo Settings

When it comes to shooting photos with your GoPro, a number of settings could be labeled as 'best' depending on your preferences.  Do you prefer the camera to call the shots?  Would you like to have a file ready to share without having to edit it first?

The newer GoPro models offer RAW plus jpeg which is incredible to have both the RAW file and a ‘no editing needed’ jpeg that is ready to share.

Superphoto allows the camera to choose the best settings to create an image that is enhanced with color, contrast and sharpening for the best detailed final jpeg.

HDR (high dynamic range) blends a series of images taken with what’s called ‘bracketing’.  Bracketing is where the camera shoots a series of images with various exposures each meant for their own shadows or highlights and then blends them together for one final image. It’s not a setting that I’d recommend with the movement involved in underwater photography. 

If you’re up for the challenge, GoPro now has an option to manually set your shutter speed. This could potentially make or break your images.  We all love to have the option to fine tune our content but keep in mind that one setting will not suit all especially if you plan on switching from video to photo during the same dive or if your dive site  consists of bright light AND dark nooks and crannies . Having an external video or focus light could greatly improve your images not only for this specifically but all around with any setting on the GoPro.  Check out the fun and ultra compact Sidekick light for GoPro.

• Lens: Wide
• Output: RAW or SuperPhoto 
• Timer: Off
• Zoom: 1x

ProTune Settings for GoPro Underwater Content

ProTune allows for further customizations beyond the resolution settings. I recommend a number of these to be either on auto or off because of the limitations with touch screen controls underwater. If your GoPro is a waterproof model and you are staying within its required shallow depths, then you may be able to get away with manual settings since you’ll have the ability to change them without a dive housing but for the rest of us, playing it safe for all lighting scenarios is the best.     

It is always recommended to shoot on a low ISO to avoid grain, or noise, in the final image but if your not diving with video lights and your dive site consists of dark caves or even if it’s a cloudy day, a higher ISO is necessary. I find that GoPro’s option to set a range is incredible and can really be customized to one’s preference. 

Custom white balance is a tool that I use in underwater photography on every dive but this is 1) on a system where I can change the white balance underwater if needed and 2) this is for RAW photos.  RAW images are stored as 14bit files which allows for much further editing than 8 bit jpegs.  It might not seem like much but if you want to change the white balance in post process then RAW is necessary.  Please note: You will need certain software to to view the .GPR files.  I recommend the latest version of Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Bridge with Camera RAW. 

The variation of natural, ambient light penetrating the water column changes with your depth underwater. If the GoPro white balance is set too warm, then your shallow content will appear too red. This will be most visible in the bright highlight areas. You should also consider manual white balance only if you can edit your video’s white balance in post production software.  It could be fun to experiment with especially if your dive plan is to spend the majority of your dive around the same depth but at the same time could be a nightmare if you don’t realize that the color is completely wrong when it’s too late.  A good option to avoid this would be shoot on auto white balance and use a red filter that can be removed underwater in shallow depths.