Follow the aurora chasing on Instagram @jamenpercy GoPro settings were: 30s 800ISO, Nightlapse mode. To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com
Hey Jamen, amazing footage! Just wondering what you did to edit the video? The snow looks ultra clean, and the colors are fantastic. Surely it's not just straight from the GoPro.
Hi hunts, I used adobe after effects to do all post editing. Inside the program I used colour adjustments to get the white balance better, as all the snow video was totally blue originally from the gopro. Hope this helps :)
thats a nice video... now im heading to Kiruna for 3 days and then to tromso fr another 3 days... could you please share the place where you saw the northern lights in tromso ?
Great video man. Im heading down to Stewart Island, New Zealand next week and my trip coincides with a new moon so im hoping the aurora australis comes out! Ill be shooting with my Hero 4 Silver edition.
Nice one Ryan, I've never had a chance to do the Southern lights but Steward Island seems the best place in the Southern Hemisphere to view them. Hope you get clear skies! Good luck!
Really nice video ! Did you retouched it because i took myself a timelapse of nothern lights with a go pro hero 11 in night mode, and I can barely see them. Thank you for your answer!
+SuprXer0 Hi SuprZer0, the best time is now, the sun is at a high aurora phases and will be slowly declining over the next 2 years, then will enter a minimum phase for about 5 years and wont be strong again until about 2023. Sooner the better! You can Google 'Cycle 24' for more info and diagrams.
Wow! Awesome video! Do you think I can capture the northern lights with a Xiaomi Yi? And how about fisheye correction, will the footage keep the quality? Thank you so much for encouraging me!
Hugo Terpstra hi Hugo! The fisheye correction seems not to degrade the quality much, especially at 4K. This wasn’t corrected though, I kept the distortion to add the side effect. I haven’t personally used the Xiaomi Yi but if it’s a recent model I would imagine it could do this or better, just make sure to maximize shutter time (30s). This is the hero4, so old technology these days, the current GoPro would be even better.
Amazing video! But how did you keep the battery alive during the time-lapse? Even a full-frame camera drains battery extremely fast under such temperature!
Hi Oliver, thanks! I kept the battery alive with another battery plugged into the go pros USB port. Just a standard iPhone charging type of battery, works like a treat! Hope this helps.
Hi Maryann, I actually just had it on the ground pointing up! I was on a wharf so I was already above the sea level. Any tripod will usually do, try and find a wind break if the wind it that intense.
Hello, amazing video!! I'm also going to Tromso next week and need to buy a gopro.. please, could you suggest which one, gopro hero3 or gopro hero4, to buy ?
Hi Pratistha, thanks for the praise :) I recommend the Hero4 definitely over the 3 for capturing the aurora. The 4 has low light capabilities where the 3 does not. Good luck!
+RainyDayGallery1 Thanks! I filmed everything on the go pro Hero4 with the video, so the realtime footage is all 4K 30fps. The timelapes are just the timelapse/nightlapse mode. Happy shooting!
Cool video!! i'm chasing Aurora in this upcoming October in Iceland and your VDO inspires me. Do you have any tips for shooting it with Go Pro ? like ISO or any setting, please feel free to advise. I'm so new to this Go Pro. Thanks!!
Punasri Thongsirikul Thanks Punasri! For the GoPro make sure to have at least one extra battery source as it will die fast in the cold temperatures. Also a sturdy tripod is useful - and practice/test and do your setup indoors because when its -20 and gale-force winds its hard to remember settings! ISO 800, 30s exposures, Nightlapse mode and you are good! I will also be in Iceland for the last week of October and fist half of November, any more questions drop me a line.
Jamen Percy sure, many thanks for your tip. I checked and the weather will be only 4-9 celsius. it'd be better for me since I can't stay outside in that very cold wind :) I have Go Pro Hero 4 Silver and still learning to use it.Normally how long you'll take Vdo at a place ? an hour ? ^_^
Punasri Thongsirikul Cool, Iceland can be unpredictable with weather so be prepared as any wind will make it feel much colder (wind chill factor) For this above timelapse which is about 8 seconds of footage I had the go pro recording for an hour in the one spot - hence why you will need an extra battery charger plugged in during its filming. Remember you can't touch the GoPro once it has started otherwise you will ruin the timelapse continuity. Best of luck with the aurora :)
Amazing video...:-) makes me jealous saw a Aurora Boreal yesterday but my gopro was dead :-( what did you use to edit yor movie, especially the part at the beginning with the writing?
Jamen Percy Ok cool many thanks... did you also use after effect to edit your videos...sorry i'm beginning with this..i'm asking you because i spent 10 hours editing my movies on the gopro studio before i got a crash of the app causing a damage to the project. I wasn't able to open it again : error invalid project file. i started twice and lost my work again. So i don't trust the gopro studio anymore! I'm looking for a new software to edit the video... thanks for your help
angelusvii Hey mate, I use After Effects because I know it fairly well and it has a good broad range of tools especially for timelapse, but other software people also use is Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premier. Sorry to hear about the corruption with your file, happens to the best of us!
Hi Jamen- love the video. I was in Tromsø March 12-16 and saw an amazing display but couldn't capture with my GoPro Hero 3+ unfortunately. I am compiling a video from our trip and was wondering if I could use your aurora footage in my compilation (with credit for your work of course) please let me know! Thanks :)
natalielinnea Hi Natalie, yes the Hero4 is the first GoPro to be able to capture dark long exposures like the aurora well. Sure thing about the footage, if you message me your email address I'll send it to you. I also have other footage captured with my 5D if you want that also just let me know.Example here: www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-8908279-stock-footage-aurora-borealis-northern-lights-at-ersfjordbotn-in-norway-troms.html?src=gallery/2-DStvFjWx4AAUmAWISunw:1:62
Hi Jamen, great job with this video! Will a simple power bank work? Read that you "kept the battery alive with another battery plugged into the gopro's USB port. Just a standard iPhone charging type of battery."
Great video! Do you think I can do this with my GoPro hero 3+ black at 24fps time lapse or do u recommend getting the 4 as I'm going to Alaska in April and want to be ready
+Riff Strum Hi Riff, unfortunately not possible with the GoPro3+, it does not have good noise reduction levels as the hero4 sensor they improved dramatically for dark situations. Also its not actually video mode that recorded the aurora, its done in nightlapse which is 30s exposure images all joined together. I don't think the hero3+ has this feature. Sorry to say. If you can upgrade before you go :)
+Matias Segura It was the Black version, and both Black and Silver should be able to get teh milky way on a clear dark night with no moon. Might need to pump the exposure up a bit in post though.
Hi Elia, unfortunately the nightlapse and low light abilities were introduced at the Hero4, so the Hero3+ would really struggle to get decent captures. It would probably be too grainy :( Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
I'm taking my Wife to Iceland for her birthday next March in 2018. Cannot wait to shoot and experience the Aurora! I have a GoPro Hero 4 Black, any advice for a newbie like me??
Wow it's just amazing.I will visit Iceland soon and I am going to buy GoPro because I really want to film the northern lights. The problem is that I don't understand anything about GoPro so I'm afraid I won't be able to film the northern lights.Do I need to do something with the setting to film the northern lights? Or just push "play" or whatever and it will film it?
You cant film the Aurora Borealis. You have to take a timelapse. That means that you will have to take photos and play them at 30 fps to make a video. You set your camera/gopro to a long shutter speed to let in more light. I think something like 30 sek and 800 iso is what he used. And you put the intervalometer (Time Lapse mode) to 35 sek and let the camera do the work. Later you can import all the photos to gopro studio and edit it. (as you want to bring out the colors of the Aurora Borealis). Then you export it. Thats the last step. And now you have a awesome video. If you have any other questions just ask me here :) Btw i am sorry for my English i am a Norwegian.
Hi Dana, yes as Alexander said, it will be in NIGHTLAPSE mode, with 30 sec exposures at 800 ISO. The only thing you will need is a small extra battery source plugged into its USB. It can be just a simple phone battery charger.
I am no gopro expert i have a gopro hero 2 that i never use anymore. On my timlapses i never go over 8 sec exposure to avoid wasing out the nordenlights but if you are just going to show it to friends i think it will be fine. Just aske if there is anything more you are wondering. Good luck -Alexander
how long did it take you to capture the Aurora footage? I was just in Alaska Fairbanks to chase the lights but we had bad weather so they only appeared 30 seconds to a minute tops... How long do the presentations generally last? Hard to tell since most videos on youtube have been edited. Cheers from Los Angeles.
nice video! what were the other settings like sharpness, white balance, interval, protune, color? i want to know because i' m going to Kittila in february
+xxXHighTensionXxx Hi there, i honestly cant remember the other settings but i don't think I changed them at all from the defaults. Interval would have been the shortest possible to make it smooth.
Hi mbelha, each frame of the video had to be a long exposure (30s) to capture enough light and then compiled into a video, I added some Inbetween frames to smooth it over in After Effects.
+Jamen Percy Lovely video. So the aurora image we see in the video, was your Pro4 using the video or photo setting to capture this ? I fly out on Friday, just got a Pro4 today. So trying to figure out what to set it to for our trips into the wilderness in Reykjavik.
How long does it take to having this half minute time lapse? I have also shoot for 1.5 hr but the time lapse video is not smooth as yours? (around 150 photos in footage)
Do you think its possible to capture it with in iPhoneX? Its obvious that i wont get the quality of your video, but at least something? is it possible?
Hi Emanuel, I haven't tried the iPhone X yet, you will need to do a 30s exposure at an ISO of at least 800. Not sure if you can get these manual features in the standard OS, you might be able to with an app. After that you might need to bump the light a little to equal this exposure. If the aurora is big and strong you might get lucky though.
i have a gopro hero3 black edition and im heading heading to norway next week, what settings do you suggest i use for my hero3 to best capture the northern lights? I know it doesn't have all the capabilities of the Hero4, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Because this video was unreal. thanks!
+jjoohhnnttt Hi mate, there should be a timelapse feature on the Hero3, you want to use this and set the longest exposures as possible, I think the longest is 30s, then you want to put the ISO up to its highest level also, I think that is 800. It will be grainy but give it a shot!
+Jing Xia Hi Jing, You can use any sort of tripod or in my case I just had it on the ground which was wooden. However do not put it on snow because the heat of the gopro battery will melt and it will move and possibly get wet. Also take note, the Hero3+ isn't as good as the hero4 for night shots so it might be grainier than this video.
+joaquin Garcia Personally I would go for pictures timelapse for the aurora, because you can do some high level post production on the frames in Adobe Lightroom (then export them and bring them into a video editing software as frames) and have more specific options to do with photography over video editing software which would be needed for the video timelapse.
+paul lambie Hi Paul, yes it can as I made this video with the GoPro Hero 4 Black, if you max the settings to 30s Nightlapse at 800 ISO you should be able to get the same results as here. Good luck!
for how long did u run this video though? All night? or was this a short period? 30seconds is alot of exposure in real time,, so should u be prepared to shoot video like this all night or?
hi, may i know how you take the video of the northern light? because it is not visible when my gopro is in video mode. and the northern light i take was green,how can i take the light is in cyan? thank you :)
Hi Tien, with the GoPro you need to put it in nightlapse mode (long exposure timelapse) so it is taking 30s exposures at 800ISO. Then join all of the frames together in Adobe After Effects or a similar video editting software.
+Jamen Percy saw them the first night!! Slightly cloudy but still amazing to see. Hoping for slightly clearer skies Tonight! Took a short time lapse, gonna post the video up soon
+elegantvodka Yes you will need a tripod as the camera cannot move at all during the series of pictures. Even the smallest nudge will ruin the continuity.
+Jing Xia No I actually didn't use any housing because it was so cold I needed to plug an extra battery power in via the USB in the camera, I suggest you do the same if you are going to do timelapse otherwise the batteries die real quick.
Daniel Lee Hi Daniel, yes you will most definitely need an extra battery source. For this I used this www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Compact-Lipstick-Sized-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B005QI1A8C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426455026&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+battery And just plugged it in through the USB. The timelapse ran for about 45 minutes, so it is essential. It will always take about 20 minutes to find the best spot and wait for activity can be hours so take extra power. All the best!
@@suriya2711 as in the time between shots. You want to take 30s shot pictures one after the other with minimal time inbetween them. If you leave a gap inbetween the shots then the timelapse wont be as smooth.
You cant film the Aurora Borealis. You have to take a timelapse. That means that you will have to take photos and play them at 30 fps to make a video. You set your camera/gopro to a long shutter speed to let in more light. I think something like 30 sek and 800 iso is what he used. And you put the intervalometer (Time Lapse mode) to 35 sek and let the camera do the work. Later you can import all the photos to gopro studio and edit it. (as you want to bring out the colors of the Aurora Borealis). Then you export it. Thats the last step. And now you have a awesome video. If you have any other questions just ask me here :) Btw i am sorry for my English i am a Norwegian.
Hi Jamen Percy, My fiancé and I travelled to Northern Europe this past mid Oct, and we are kindly asking for your permission if we can use 6-8 seconds of your clip of the Northern Lights in our "Save the Date" video for our upcoming video-invitation that we are going to send to our families and friends online via RU-vid. Hoping for your kind consideration. Thanks, MK
I got hero 5 as well based on your comment of session not recording the night lapse :).. I am planning to go to Norway next year in October/Nov for northern lights so i am taking all the cameras i can which perform well at night :D
Hi Mitul, I'm actually not sure, i haven't tested the sessions as all. If it has a Nightlapse moe I would suspect its the same hardware and would be fine.
BlackBlueBracer Hi mate, the setting was 30s expsoures in nightlaspe mode and at the highest ISO setting which if I remember was 800. This quality of results only works on the new GoPro Hero4.
Hi Kathy, I have tested directly but I don't think it will be able to get near the same quality unfortunately. The Hero4 had a big step up in terms of low light capabilities.
Hi Ricky, I'm not sure if this camera can as I haven't tried it. After a very brief look at specs it seems like it doesn't have a long exposure or night mode or option ISO levels so I would expect it might not be robust enough to do the low light conditions.
I haven't tried any others, I would be worried as its not a common feature for action cameras to have - unless its stated specifically for the camera. Look for things like 'high ISO' option or night mode, long exposure. Now that GoPro have released a new Hero5 you might be able to get a Hero4 cheaply.
