Top 7 Best GoPro Video Editors for Mac

Have you ever used or seen small box-type cameras for recording videos? Well, those are called action cameras. Action cameras are compact go. They were basically made to shoot sports or any other activities videos. They are mountable on many surfaces so you can record freely during any activity. Many of them provide 4K videos at 60 fps or higher to provide crisp video quality or low resolution at 120 or 240 fps to record smooth slow-mo videos. Most of them are waterproof and have good video stabilization so you can record any sports hassle-free.

There are many action camera companies out there in the market but the one ruling the market at the moment is GoPro. It has some best action camera models with dozens of amazing features. It can also record in RAW format and GoPro max can also shoot 360 videos.

GoPro gives amazing results but sometimes videos aren't up to your expectations and need a little bit of refinement. From sharpening to speed ramping there are many ways to enhance your GoPro videos. And for this purpose, you need a good video editing software which has all these features plus it also supports RAW and 360 video files. Here we have mentioned some noteworthy video editing softwares for you.

Wondershare - Filmora :

 It is available for both Windows and Mac.

If you are looking for professional and easy-to-use software to edit your GoPro videos then Filmora Video Editor can be the right choice for you. It has many cool features to enhance your action cam footage. From stabilization to color grading to fish eye effect all can be done in this software. It has a simple and attractive UI.

It has hundreds of effects and cool transitions. It is a paid video editor which also provides a free version to check and practice your skills on. But the main disadvantage of the free version is that it leaves a watermark on export. If you don't want to invest money in the beginning, till then you can practice on the free version and once you are satisfied with your skills then you can upgrade to a pro version.

Pricing: Wondershare Filmora offers three different plans. Monthly one at $9.99/a month, Yearly one at $69.99, and perpetual license for $79.99 where you can own the software's specific version for perpetual. It also provides an educational plan for students and teachers.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

~ Steps:

Import: Open "Filmora" then select the desired aspect ratio and click "New Project' to start editing. Click on the "Import panel" to import media files.

Edit: Drag and drop the clips to add them to the timeline. Drop the clips above or below to add them in layers. Click the top-left icon of the timeline to add layers. Select a clip and you will see a bunch of tools appear on the top bar of the timeline, use them to perform basic editing tasks like split, crop, speed ramping, keyframing, e.t.c.

Double-click on a clip to open its properties. . Click the blue "Ok" button to move back to the previous window.

Select the “Video” icon to transform the clip or to do motion tracking, stabilization, chroma-key, Masking, e.t.c.

 Select the “Audio” icon to apply effects and enhance your audio.

 Select the “Color” icon to do color correction and grading.

 Select the “3D LUT” option to import a new customized lut.

 Select the “Animation” icon to add preset animations or make custom animations by using keyframes.

 Select the “Speed” icon to adjust the speed of the clip or to do speed ramping.

Click the blue “OK” button below to go back to the previous window.

Effects: On the horizontal bar at the top-left corner of the screen, all the effects, transitions, title present, and stock library are located. Drag and drop to apply them. 

Export: Click the blue "Export" button to open export window, choose the desired settings than click "Export". and don't forget to save the project if you want to edit it again.

Free GoPro Video Editors for Mac:

If you are tight on budget but still want a professional video editor to edit your GoPro videos then here I have mentioned some free but powerful video editors. Whether you are a beginner or a professional content creator, these free softwares can get your job done.

Blackmagic - Davinchi Resolve:

 It is available for both Windows and Mac.

Whether you are a freelance video editor or an industry-level filmmaker, if you want to step up your game and stand out from your competition then you need a powerful video editor to help you out and Davinchi Resolve can be the right choice for you. From sports vlogging using action cams to Hollywood filmmaking using Red cinema cameras, Davinchi Resolve can handle and edit all this footage easily and smoothly. It is even used in the making of several Hollywood projects including Marvels's feature films.

It is one of the best color grading software available in the market. It has advanced color grading tools that can help color grade your GoPro raw videos easily as raw videos look dull but provide greater flexibility. It is a timeline-based editor but its Fusion and Color grading panel provides a Node-based editing system which is hard to use but provides great flexibility once mastered.

Resolve has 6 different pages to deal with different editing parts:

"Edit" and "Cut" pages to deal with simple editing tasks. Its "Fusion" page allows users to do VFX and 3D compositing. The "Color Grading" page has all the professional grading tools. While the "Fairlight" page is designed to edit and enhance audio. And the "Deliver" page to export your files.

All these features are available for free without even giving a watermark. Although it has a studio version that provides some additional features to get more out of this amazing software.

The free version has almost everything a professional video editor needs. but you can purchase the Studio version to get some really juicy features to enhance your video editing experience. It includes the Davinci neural engine, stereoscopic 3D tools, Dolby atmos audio mastering,e.t.c.

Pricing: Studio version is available at $ 295 for a lifetime license and with free updates.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

~ Steps:

Import: Open "Davinci Resolve'. Select a previously saved project or press "New project" to start a new one. Click "File" >> "Import" >> "Media" to import files or press "CTRL + I".

Edit: Drag and drop files to add them to the timeline Use the tools present above the timeline to trim, cut or move your clips. Click the "Inspector" icon on the top-right corner of the window to open the Inspector tab. Here you will find the properties of all the clips, audio, transitions, effects, e.t.c. There are different editing tabs at the bottom of the window.

In the "Fusion" window, click "Nodes" to open the Node screen. Import a clip or use it from the editor timeline. Usually, a clip will have two nodes connected through a line. Above the nodes panel, different types of nodes are available. Drag any node in the panel and connect it through lines. or add a "merge" node to connect nodes.

Its color grading panel also has Node based editing system.

Effects: Click "Effects Library" then select any effect and drop it in the timeline to apply it. You can change its properties in the "Inspector" panel.

Click the diamond icon on the right side of the property to start keyframing then change the value of that property to add keyframes at desired time period.

Export: Open the "Deliver" window, choose the desired settings then click "Add to Render Queue" to start exporting.

FXhome - Hitfilm Express:

 It is available on Windows, Mac and Linux also.

If you are looking for a free but powerful video editor to edit your GoPro clips then Hitfilm Express can be the right choice for you. It is a free timeline-based editing software with professional-grade VFX tools. It is a timeline-based editor where you can add dozens of audio, videos, and text layers.

 It has a composite shot sequence where you can do complex editing like editing 3D videos and elements, lights e.t.c. It has physic-base behaviors and effects also to enhance 3D compositing. For professional-level editing almost most of the effects and properties have keyframing options. It has different workspace modes to suit your editing needs.

 It can also edit 360 videos recorded from your GoPro max. It has a "GoPro Lens Reframe" effect to adjust your 360 clips, but some 360 toolkits can only be available when you purchase Hitfilm pro or buy a 360 toolkit add-on. Similarly, you can purchase more add-ons according to your editing needs or you can purchase Hitfilm Pro to gain access to all add-ons and features. But can use these pro features for free but without exporting as exporting with a paid effect can give a watermark.

Hitfilm Pro:

Although Hitfilm express doesn't give a watermark on export, but to use more features like 3D composition, LUTs, e.t.c you need to purchase add-ons, there are over 30+ add-ons available to purchase which you can purchase depending on your needs, but if you want to get all the features than its better to get your hands on Hitfilm Pro.

Pricing: Available for purchase at £ 309 or $ 388 for a lifetime license. With 12 months of free updates. It has 3 seat license which means It can run on 3 PCs simultaneously.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

~ Steps:

Import: Open "Hitfilm", Select "New Project" to open a blank project then click "open" to open an existing file or click "new" to create a new project. Then set project settings on pop-up then and click "ok".

Then click the "Media" tab on the top-left corner of the screen. Then select the "Import" button to import videos, images, audio, or 3d models. You can also import previously made composite shots.

Edit: Drag and drop media files from the media tab to the timeline. or click the "New" tab to create a "Composite shot" or a solid plane layer. Right-click on the left side of the timeline to insert or delete layers. On the left side of the timeline, you will find some basic tools located on the vertical bar to do simple tasks.

In the "Viewer" tab, on the left side of the playback screen, you can find tools for masking and adding text.

In the "Controls" tab, you can adjust the properties of clips and other features related to the clip like masking, track, blend, transform, e.t.c.

Create a "Composite shot" to do complex editing like 3D compositing. Or select multiple layers then right-click and select "make Composite shot" to combine them for easy editing. Double-click the composite shot to open its contents.

Effects: From the "Effects" tab drag and drop effects on the clip to add them. Some effects can be added as layers which can affect all the layers beneath it. Properties of these effects can be adjusted in the "Control" tab.

To do keyframing, Click the circle icon on the left side of the property to start keyframing then change the values of that property to add keyframes at desired time period.

Export: Click the "Export" icon then "Export now" located at the top right side of the timeline to open the export window. The export will start automatically.

Shotcut:

 It is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.

If you are making videos from your GoPro or mobile phone just for fun that doesn't require much editing then you can look for a free and simple video editor and "Shotcut" can be the right choice for this purpose.

 It is a free and open-source video editor with many cool features to get your hands on. It doesn't have any pro version. It is simple and easy to use but takes some time to understand. It supports multi-track timeline editing. It has a basic timeline design but you can customize your timeline to meet your editing needs. It has some good color grading options, you can also import your color luts. It has many cool features and effects. It supports 360 video editing and also has a few 360 video filters. It has audio effects also.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

~ Steps:

Import: Open "Shot Cut" then click the "Open Files" button on the top-left corner of the window to import files.

Edit: Drag and drop clips on an empty timeline panel to add tracks and drag the clip from corners to trim them. Right-click on the left side of the timeline to add a video or an audio track. You will find a bunch of tools above the timeline to do some basic tasks.

You can choose from 6 different workspace designs (available in the top-right corner of the window) to suit your editing styles.

On top of the window, you will see a bunch of icons like Timeline, filter, project, and properties. e.t.c. In the properties tab, you can change the aspect ratio and speed of the clip.

Effects: Click the “Filters” icon on top of the window to open the filters menu, Click “+” above it to add filters. Double click a filter to add it to the selected clip, then click the filter to open its properties menu. You can also add text from here.

Click the “Keyframes” icon on top of the window to open the Keyframes window. Select the "clock" icon on the filters to start keyframing then change the values at a specific time to add keyframes. Click the “Timeline” icon to go back to the previous window.

Export: Click the "Export" button on the top of the screen. Select a preset or click the “Advanced” button to change export settings then click "Export File".

Paid GoPro Video Editor for Mac:

If you are a professional athlete or a vlogger using GoPro for all of your contents and want to invest some money on paid video editors to improve your content. Then here we have mentioned some paid video editors worthy of your investment.

Apple - Final Cut Pro:

 It is available for Mac only.

If you are an Apple enthusiastic person and want everything Apple, then why look for any other video editor when you can have a powerful video editor "Final cut pro" made by Apple. It is a paid but professional software that can raise your GoPro videos to the next level. Whether it's a 360 video or a RAW file recorded from your GoPro or from the RED cinema camera, all can be edited smoothly inside Final Cut Pro. It has dozens of useful features that a professional video editor looks for like 3D tracking, Motion Graphics, Color Grading, Audio Mixing, Multi-cam editing e.t.c.

Pricing: It is a one-time purchase software available at $ 299.9 for a lifetime license and all its future updates can be downloaded free of cost.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

Import: Open "Final Cut Pro" then click the "Files" button on the top-left corner of the screen, then select "Project" to create a new project. In the "Files" menu, click "import" then "media" to import your media files. Here most of the work is done with Keyboard commands.

Edit: Drag and Drop clips on the timeline. In the viewer panel, press "I" and "O" to add input and output points then drag the clip to add only a specific part of the clip. Press "Cmd + B" to split the clip at the desired location. Or add the clips above to add the layer.

Click the "Text" icon on the top-left corner of the screen to open the text page. Choose from presets or import your own Text presets and drag them to the timeline. Click the text to open "Text Editor" on the left side of the screen.

Select multiple clips then Right-click and select "New Compound Clip" to combine them. Double-click the compound clip to edit its components.

Effects: Click 2 icons on the top-right side of the timeline to open the effects and transition panel. Drag and drop on the clip to use them. You can change their properties in the "Effects editor" tab located in the same place as "Text Editor".

In the editor tab, click the diamond icon beside any property to start keyframing, then change its property to add keyframes at the desired time.

Press "Cmd + 6" to open the Color Grading tab, here you can color grade your clips.

Export: To export the edited video. Click "File" >> "Share" >> "Master file" to open export window. Choose the desired settings then click "Next" then "Save" to export the video.

Adobe - Premiere Pro:

 It is available for both Windows and Mac.

Whether you are a content creator or not, if you use a DSLR or an action camera for the first time, then maybe the output wouldn't meet your expectations. In order to make it good, you need a video editor. And if you will ask your gathering about a good video editor, most of them will recommend you Adobe Premiere Pro, because it is such a versatile and well-known software available in the market. It is a subscription-based video editor.

 It is an industry-level software with many professional and advanced features. From beginner video editing to film compositing, all can be done in this software. Whether you have a 360 video or a 4K video in Raw format recorded from your GoPro, just import it into premiere pro and start editing. It has a downloadable "GoPro FX Reframe" plugin to edit your 360 videos. It has different panels designed to deal with specific parts of post-production such as the Effects panel, Graphics panel, Sound panel, Colour Grading panel, e.t.c.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

Pricing: It is cloud-based software, therefore it can't be purchased one time. It has a monthly subscription starting at $ 20.99/month. It includes "premiere rush" mobile video editor and 100 GB of cloud storage within the plan. It also has a "Creative cloud All apps" plan that includes all 30+ Softwares + 100Gb cloud storage along with premiere pro for $ 54.99 only. All plans also include Behance (adobe creative community), Adobe Fonts, and Adobe stock assets for free. Adobe also provides educational access at a much discounted price.

~ Steps:

Import: Open "Premiere Pro". Click "New Project" to start with then Click the "Files" button on the top-left corner of the window then select the "Import files" button to import files. Or press "CTRL + I" to import files or drag your files from their location to premiere pro.

Edit: Drag and Drop the files to add them to the timeline. Drop a file above a clip to add as a layer. or drop over a clip to overwrite it. On the right side of the timeline, you can find a bunch of tools to do basic edits like trimming, splitting, speed ramping, masking, or adding text.

In the "Effects Control" tab you can transform the selected clip or change its properties.

Select multiple clips then right-click and select "make Nested clip" to combine them into a single clip for easy editing.

Slide between 8 different workspace styles designed for specific post-production tasks by clicking the buttons available on the top of the window.

Effects: Go to the "Effects" panel on the bottom-left window to apply an effect or transitions. Here you can find all audio, video, 2D, and 3D effects. Drag and Drop on a clip to apply it. Change the properties of these effects in the "Effects Control" panel.

To color grade, your clips move to the "Color" workspace. Here you will find all the color grading features: correction, curves, color wheels, creative tab, e.t.c. To import a LUT click the "creative tab" then click "Browse" to import a LUT.

Export: To Export go to the "Files" tab on top of the screen then select the "Export" button to open the export tab. Select the desired settings then click "Export".

Power Director 365 :

 It is available for both Windows and Mac.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly video editor that is powerful enough to edit your GoPro videos like a content creator then Power director can be the right choice for you. It has many unique and useful features. It has different plugins and design centers to do specific post-production tasks like Ad designer, Multicam editor, AI style plugins, e.t.c.

 It also has a separate action cam center to fix or enhance action cam videos. IT also has chapter and subtitle rooms to add subtitles and chapters for your Youtube videos or films. It also has a vast stock and preset library to speed up your project.

Pricing: It has a subscription plan which is available at $69/year. It is now available at 30% off till 22^nd May,2022.

~ Features:

~ Cons:

~ Steps:

Import: Open Power director and a pop-up will appear, select desired aspect ratio then click "Full mode" to open the software. Or select 360 aspect ratio if you want to edit 360 videos.

Click the "Import Media" icon below the Files tab in the top-left corner of the window to import files or press "CTRL + Q" to import files.

Edit: Drag and drop files to add them to any desired layer in the timeline. Click the icon on the top left corner of the timeline to add layers. When you select a clip in the timeline, some tools appear on the top timeline. Select any specific tool to edit your selected clip. Or click the "Plugins" button on the top-left of the window to open a specific designer tab.

Double-click on the clip to open 'PIP designer". Here you will find all the editing tools to edit or animate your clip.

After selecting a clip, in the "Plugins" menu click the "Action Camera Center" button to open an edit tab, Here you can fix your GoPro videos.

Effects: On the top-left corner of the window in a vertical bar you will find all the effects material lile Project library, titles, effects, transitions, overlays, e.t.c. Simply just drag and drop them on the timeline to use them. Here you can also do audio mixing and add subtitles and chapters.

Double click a clip or an overlay element to open the designer window. Here you can customize the clips and overlays to enhance your project.

Export: Click the blue "Produce" button on top of the screen to export your edited file. Select the desired mode and file format and add an export destination, then click "Start" to start exporting.

Which One Should I Choose Free or Paid GoPro Video Editor?

You can choose free or paid softwares depending on your requirements and budget. If a free software meets your requirements then stay on it otherwise move towards a paid alternative. If you have a GoPro and you make videos just for fun then use a free and simple video editor. Even if you are an experienced video editor, I would recommend you to go for free video editors which I have mentioned above as they are quite powerful and professional software but if you are harvesting a good amount of money from this field then you can upgrade to pro versions of these free softwares or get a paid software from start. As almost all of these softwares are professional and can get your job done, so it’s better to choose one, which is comfortable for you to work on.

FAQs about GoPro Video Editing:

Yes, GoPro has its own video editor "Quik". It is available on mobile phones and desktops both. It is simple and easy to use. It provides basic features to edit your video. But the main disadvantage of this desktop software is that it supports only GoPro videos, you can't import files from other devices. Although this isn't the issue with Quik mobile app, here you can import videos from other devices also.

It was basically made for recording sports and action videos. But as the market is revolutionized and new models are released it has covered a wide range of the video industry like vlogging, travel and cooking videos e.t.c. As new models of GoPros are waterproof, you can get some amazing underwater shots for your Instagram.

GoPro export files in popular file format MP4. MP4 is the most common file format and is supported by almost all the video editors. While it is efficient and takes less storage but isn't supported in many devices.

 You can transfer your GoPro files through 3 methods: