joining go pro video chapters - does it normally take this long?

[boo201]

I just started recording DD's games on gopro, and as those of you with gopro's know, it breaks up the recording into chapters. I'm using Microsoft Video Editor to join the files into a single recording, and it's literally taking 24+ hours to do so. Is that normal? If it matters, I'm using a cheap laptop I paid maybe $300 a few years ago, but upgraded the memory to 16gb. Do I need to be using different software or upgrading my computer?

 

[Josh Greer]

Rendering a video (the process of generating the final production) is generally the most system and time intensive process (second to uploading depending on your internet speed). But if all you are doing is joining these files together, I recommend a free program called MP4Joiner: https://www.mp4joiner.org/en/
For making clips of single videos, we recommend VLC Player: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/
And for more extensive edits, we recommend Adobe Premiere Pro or Elements. We use Pro. It is more expensive, but allows us to batch render multiple videos. We let them run overnight.

 

[newnin]

Upgrade the computer. I also just switched to the VSDC editor from the discontinued GoPro editing software and so far it has been good. But there is a huge difference between my 10 year old home machine and when I render on my work machine.

 

[rslaubaugh]

If you are looking for a good free video editor that's easy to use but has the basic features you need I would recommend OpenShot Video Editor. works on windows, mac or linux!

 

[wheresmycar]

$300 laptop? You need a new computer.

For a 1080p 90 minute Go Pro video at 30 fps, it takes about 1 hour to render the chapters into a single video file. I am using an 9 year old desktop, but it was a higher end system at the time.

CPU: Intel i7 3770k
Memory: 16GB Ram
Graphics card: GTX 980-ti 6GB (upgraded about 6 years ago.)

I am running Windows 10, and using Adobe Premier Elements for video editing.

If you decide to get a new PC, look at gaming systems with a graphics card, as this will shorten rendering times vs a CPU only system.

 

[efastball]

Rendering a video (the process of generating the final production) is generally the most system and time intensive process

But if all you are doing is joining these files together, I recommend a free program called MP4Joiner: https://www.mp4joiner.org/en/

Josh has the right idea. If you edit or change or re-render, this takes a long time and it 'changes' the video, the bitrate, everything.

If you just 'join' the files together, it's much faster.

But, if you need a good excuse to get a new laptop anyway, go for it.