# How to make a highlight video from GoPro footage

Source: https://rawclip.online/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage (updated 2026-10-13)

## Short answer

Copy the MP4 files from the GoPro card with a card reader, keeping every chapter of each recording, and upload them to RawClip without trimming or sorting anything. The analysis finds the best moments across all clips and then offers several highlight lengths based on how much usable action it found. You pick one, and the finished video comes back in 4K and 1080p.

## What you need

- A GoPro HERO camera (HERO9 to HERO13 Black or the entry-level HERO) and its microSD card
- A card reader or the USB-C cable that came with the camera
- A computer with a browser and a steady internet connection
- Or a Google account, if the clips are already in a Google Drive folder

## Step by step

### 1. Copy the clips off the card

Put the microSD card into a card reader and open the DCIM folder. The GoPro manual describes exactly this route for moving media to a computer. Next to each video you may find .LRV and .THM files; your operating system often hides them. They are a low-resolution proxy and a thumbnail used by the [Quik app](https://rawclip.online/glossary/gopro-quik), so leave them on the card and copy only the MP4 files.

If a newer computer refuses to play a clip, it is usually because HERO cameras record [HEVC](https://rawclip.online/glossary/h-265-hevc). That does not matter for the upload, but GoPro offers the free GoPro Player if you want to preview the files first.

### 2. Keep every chapter together

GoPro cuts long recordings into [chapter files](https://rawclip.online/glossary/chaptered-video-files) and this cannot be switched off. In GX010123.MP4 and GX020123.MP4 the two digits after GX are the chapter and the last four digits are the recording, so both files belong to one take. HERO11 and HERO12 make chapters of about 12 GB on cards of 64 GB or more and about 4 GB on smaller cards.

Upload all chapters. A missing one leaves a gap exactly where a long run or a dive may have its best seconds.

### 3. Upload the MP4 files from your computer

Create a new highlight in RawClip, give it a name and drop the whole set of MP4 files onto the upload area. There is no need to delete the boring clips, trim the start of each take or put anything in order first: deciding what is worth keeping is the analysis step, not yours.

Footage from more than one camera can go into the same highlight. A helmet GoPro, a chest GoPro and a few phone clips from the same day are uploaded together and edited as one story.

![RawClip upload screen listing GoPro chapter files such as GX010231.MP4 and GX020231.MP4 with their sizes, lengths and a Finish upload button](https://rawclip.online/images/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage/upload.webp)

### 4. Or paste a Google Drive link instead

If the clips already sit in Google Drive, switch the source to Google Drive link and paste the address of the folder. In Drive, open Share and set General access to "Anyone with the link" first, otherwise RawClip cannot see the files. Subfolders count too, up to 1,000 videos per link.

![RawClip source switch set to Google Drive link with a shared folder address pasted into the field and a Check link button](https://rawclip.online/images/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage/drive-link.webp)

### 5. Check the list of videos from the link

RawClip reads the folder and lists every video with its size and length, grouped by subfolder. The .LRV proxies and .THM thumbnails a GoPro leaves behind are skipped automatically and shown separately, so you can see why they are not counted. Untick anything that should not be in the edit and start the download; RawClip copies the files from Drive on its own server.

![RawClip link review screen with GoPro videos found in a shared Google Drive folder, ticked for download, and the skipped LRV and THM files listed with the reason](https://rawclip.online/images/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage/drive-review.webp)

### 6. Finish the upload and pay

Press Finish upload when every file shows Done. The price is set by the total length of footage, never by the number of files: $9.90 for up to 1 hour, $19.90 for up to 6 hours, $39.90 for up to 12 hours, $79.90 for up to 24 hours. Orders under 1h of footage are processed first and paid later: you watch a watermarked 480p preview and pay only to unlock the 4K and 1080p files.

After payment the analysis starts by itself. You can close the tab; RawClip emails you when it is time to choose the length.

### 7. Pick the length the analysis offers

The choose screen shows how many highlight moments were found and a list of quality levels, from Best only to Everything. Each level states how many clips it keeps and roughly how long the video will be. The range is built from your footage, so a long trip with lots of action offers both a tight cut and a much longer one, while a short session offers fewer options.

Switch the generated soundtrack on or off here as well. For 3 days after the highlight is ready you can re-cut it to another length or switch the music on or off without a new upload: the first 3 re-cuts are free, each one after that is $2.90.

![RawClip choose screen showing the number of highlights found and quality levels with clip counts and estimated video lengths](https://rawclip.online/images/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage/choose.webp)

### 8. Download the GoPro highlight

When the render is finished, the result page plays the video and offers a 4K file and a 1080p file, plus a share link. Finished highlights stay downloadable for 14 days. Your raw footage is kept for 3 days after the highlight is ready, so you can re-cut it with another length or soundtrack, and is then deleted automatically, free demo orders included.

![RawClip result page with the finished GoPro highlight player and buttons to download it in 4K or 1080p or copy a share link](https://rawclip.online/images/guides/how-to-make-a-highlight-video-from-gopro-footage/result.webp)

## Common mistakes

- **A run that stops halfway** One chapter of that recording was not copied. Look for a file with the same last four digits and the next chapter number, and add it to the order.
- **Only tiny files arrived** Those are the [LRV proxies](https://rawclip.online/glossary/lrv-file), not the real videos. Copy the MP4 files from the same folder instead.
- **Flat, grey colours in the result** Clips filmed in [GP-Log](https://rawclip.online/glossary/gp-log) are meant to be graded and look washed out as they are. Use a normal colour profile when you want footage that looks finished straight from the camera.
- **A mix of vertical and wide clips** If any clip is horizontal, the whole highlight is horizontal and vertical clips sit in the middle with black bars. Film everything in one orientation.

## Doing it by hand vs with RawClip

Quik and a desktop editor give you a timeline; RawClip gives you a finished cut. Which one fits depends on how much of the footage you want to watch yourself.

| | By hand | With RawClip |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chapter files | Placed on the timeline one after another by hand | Read as separate clips and ordered by recording time |
| Finding the moments | Scrub every take and mark in and out points | Analysis scores the moments across all files |
| Length | Whatever is left after your cuts | Chosen from options calculated from your footage |
| Creative control | Full: speed ramps, titles, colour grading | Length and music only |
| What you pay | Your time, plus a subscription for some apps | Per order, by footage length: $9.90 for up to 1 hour, $19.90 for up to 6 hours, $39.90 for up to 12 hours, $79.90 for up to 24 hours |

Edit by hand when the video is a project you care about shot by shot. Send the clips to RawClip when the card is full, the trip is over and nobody is going to sit through the raw takes.

## FAQ

### Do I need to join GoPro chapter files first?

No. Upload them as separate files. They are ordered by recording time, so the chapters of one take follow each other.

### Does it work with HyperSmooth and 5.3K footage?

Yes. Stabilised clips and 5.3K or 4K HEVC files from recent HERO cameras are read as they are.

### How much GoPro footage can one order take?

One order takes up to 24 hours of footage, priced by total length and starting at $9.90.

### Can I send the clips as a Google Drive folder?

Yes. Share the folder with "Anyone with the link", paste the link when you create the highlight and RawClip downloads the videos itself, skipping the LRV and THM files.

## Sources

- [GoPro: HERO13 Black specifications](https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras/learn/hero13black/CHDHX-131-master.html)
- [GoPro: camera file naming convention](https://community.gopro.com/s/article/GoPro-Camera-File-Naming-Convention?language=en_US)
- [GoPro: camera file chaptering information](https://community.gopro.com/s/article/GoPro-Camera-File-Chaptering-Information?language=en_US)
- [Google Drive Help: share files from Google Drive](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494822?hl=en)