I have searched and haven't found exactly what i'm after. The reason for this post is that video files straight out of my GoPro look stunning and yet my finished output files seem to lack some quality compared the originals Before i start spending hours aditing my videos i'd like to nail down the process of importing a good quality file and exporting the same file preserving the highest amount of quality i can.

I'm new to video editing and have a couple of questions, first i'll explain my goals:


1. To be able to edit my GoPro videos using PD10 or PD11 and save them, on my computer in the highest quality possible.

2. To also save a duplicate of each video in a format that i can upload to YouTube, again in the highest quality YouTube will allow.


I've done quite a bit of reading but still can't seem to nail it down completley, so far this is my workflow:

Current example test clip (Info obtained from MediaInfo):

Source: GoPro Hero2 (i'll be using a Hero3 from now on though)
Format: MPEG-4
Frame Rate: 50fps
Resolution: 1280x720
Duration: 19secs
Overal Bit Rate: 15.2Mbps
Bit Rate: 14.6MB
Codec ID: avc1
File Size: 35MB
Scan: Progressive

So, my current and probably incorrect workflow is ths:

1. Import RAW file from camera to computer

2. Convert RAW file to .AVI using GoPro's Cineform software (I've read that doing this increases the files size thus giving PD more to work with?)

The file now looks like this:

Format: avi
Frame Rate: 50fps
Resolution: 1280x720
Duration: 19secs
Overal Bit Rate: 106Mbps
Bit Rate: 1536Kbps
Codec ID: 1
File Size: 245MiB (<----------- what is 'MiB'?)
Scan: Progressive

3. Import clip to Powerdirector 10 (I may buy PD11 if all is well) and for the purpose of this text i'm not doing any editing.

2. This is where i come unstuck, i need to produce this clip twice, once for storage and playback on the computer preserving the highest quality i can and once for optimum high quality upload to YouTube.


So, my questions are:

1. What format will produce the highest quality for saving and preserving the original high quality of the clip on my computer?

2. What format will produce the highest quality for saving and uploading to YouTube?
I've read that YouTube does not like 1080p @ 60fps so should i stick to shooting in 1080p or 720p @ 30fps or should i shoot at 1080p @60fps and convert the file to a lower fps using PD? Most of my videos are motorcycle related so would like to shoot in 60fps as long as any 30fps conversion in PD does not ruin the quality too much.

3. Is the aim of the game to end up with an output file size similar to that of the input file?

4. Should i be aiming to to create/choose an export profile in PD that closely matches my input file?

5. Powerdirectors Intelligent SVRT does not seem to work with my clip after i've converted it to .AVI, (it says no profiles found) this normal?

6. I've read about people shhoting at 35Mbps using ProTune, what setting is that on the camera, Protune RAW?

As said i'm new to this so please do point out where i'm going wrong. I'll provide any other info required, just ask. Also I've not got a problem creating custom PD export files if needed.

Thanks :