GoPro Fusion: Archiving Strategies at DVinfo.net

John C. Chu · August 5th, 2019, 12:14 PM

Love the amazing GoPro Fusion but the rendered - stitched 5.6k ProRes files are huge.

Considering the time it took to stitch the files on a Mac Pro with a RX580 video card, it seems sad and wasteful to only keep the original files and toss the rendered and stitched ProRes files.

After a few days-sessions of recording, I already have over 400 gigs of files.

I guess the equation changes if computers get much powerful where restitching is a non issue---but lots to think about for me.

:)

Thoughts?

Seth Bloombaum · August 5th, 2019, 05:01 PM

Yes, those files *are* huge!

I am currently using a two-stage process; making edit decisions using 4k MP4 files, then, only stitching the minimum clip durations in 5.6k (or 5.2 for 30p) Prores.

So, my projects don’t have as huge a storage footprint as they might! Other gains include responsive performance from Premiere on a laptop, and easy quick-renders for review in a headset.

At the cost of this two-step process. Your mileage may vary, mine is based on short-form docs, tours, and experiments.

Of course hard drives are cheap and always getting cheaper. Another workflow I’m in involves multiple hour-long 1080-30p ProRes 422 recordings. There, I’ve moved archiving over to Atomos-compatible cartridge SSD drives.

John C. Chu · August 6th, 2019, 03:43 AM

I think that a great idea and strategy to only render portion of the clips as needed.

I bought a 2TB bare drive for $50 yesterday which I use with a eSATA dock. (Normally I buy a bare drive every 2-3 months to offload files.)

I guess I need to be realistic---how often do I ever go back to these files? I'm just being a pack-rat, but with video. These hobbies are expensive.

And I thought backing up 4K video was bad. :). I have to readjust my patience as a single GoPro Fusion 5.6k Prores clip can be larger than some of my complete Final Cut Pro X projects with original 1080p mp4 media and copying over SATA takes time too.

August 5th, 2019, 12:14 PM	#1
John C. Chu Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Rego Park , NYC Posts: 665	GoPro Fusion: Archiving Strategies Love the amazing GoPro Fusion but the rendered - stitched 5.6k ProRes files are huge. Considering the time it took to stitch the files on a Mac Pro with a RX580 video card, it seems sad and wasteful to only keep the original files and toss the rendered and stitched ProRes files. After a few days-sessions of recording, I already have over 400 gigs of files. I guess the equation changes if computers get much powerful where restitching is a non issue---but lots to think about for me. :) Thoughts? Last edited by John C. Chu; August 5th, 2019 at 03:57 PM.

August 5th, 2019, 05:01 PM	#2
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: GoPro Fusion: Archiving Strategies Yes, those files are huge! I am currently using a two-stage process; making edit decisions using 4k MP4 files, then, only stitching the minimum clip durations in 5.6k (or 5.2 for 30p) Prores. So, my projects don’t have as huge a storage footprint as they might! Other gains include responsive performance from Premiere on a laptop, and easy quick-renders for review in a headset. At the cost of this two-step process. Your mileage may vary, mine is based on short-form docs, tours, and experiments. Of course hard drives are cheap and always getting cheaper. Another workflow I’m in involves multiple hour-long 1080-30p ProRes 422 recordings. There, I’ve moved archiving over to Atomos-compatible cartridge SSD drives. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

August 6th, 2019, 03:43 AM	#3
John C. Chu Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Rego Park , NYC Posts: 665	Re: GoPro Fusion: Archiving Strategies I think that a great idea and strategy to only render portion of the clips as needed. I bought a 2TB bare drive for $50 yesterday which I use with a eSATA dock. (Normally I buy a bare drive every 2-3 months to offload files.) I guess I need to be realistic---how often do I ever go back to these files? I'm just being a pack-rat, but with video. These hobbies are expensive. And I thought backing up 4K video was bad. :). I have to readjust my patience as a single GoPro Fusion 5.6k Prores clip can be larger than some of my complete Final Cut Pro X projects with original 1080p mp4 media and copying over SATA takes time too. Last edited by John C. Chu; August 6th, 2019 at 04:21 AM.