I have a GoPro silver video camera and GoPro's video program, GoPro Studio. I also recently purchased PD 13.

First of all, I'm pretty much a rank amateur with video other than I've fooled around for several years with Microsoft Movie Maker.

So, in the Studio help file, it says:

Using GoPro Studio with 3rd Party Applications
In this advanced workflow, you convert your camera source files into GoPro CineForm files, use GoPro Studio to add color effects, adjust framing and other settings, then use those same GoPro CineForm files in other 3rd party applications for further editing or processing. This workflow requires another video editing or compositing application to be installed on your computer. Some of the popular professional applications are Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer and Sony Vegas. GoPro CineForm files are also compatible with various consumer-level products, such as iMovie, Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Movie Studio Platinum and Windows Movie Maker.
NOTE: GoPro CineForm files are saved as standard AVI and MOV files so applications that support those file formats should be able to use GoPro CineForm files.

Now, I know that I could never load those GoPro files (.mp4) into MovieMaker but they load fine in PD. I just purchased a very fast Dell- super fast with a large SSD boot drive, 24 gigs of ram, a fast video card, the fastest CPU offered by Dell, etc.


So, if PD can handle editing .mp4 files, is there any reason to follow the advice of GoPro to first convert the files their CineForm, which according to that help file are saved as AVI and MOV files?

That is, it seems my computer is plenty powerful enough to handle .mp4 files, but is there also an issue with quality, such that the quality is improved if first converted to CineForm?

Well, the following is what the Studio help file gives as a reason to first convert to CineForm.

Why Convert to the GoPro CineForm Format?
The first step in any GoPro Studio workflow is to convert your source files into the GoPro CineForm format. This is very important and there are several reasons to do this.
All consumer-level cameras and many professional-level cameras record in highly compressed video formats designed to capture large amounts of data very quickly and save that data onto an SD card or other portable media format in as small a file as possible. This is great for recording large amounts of data onto a small space, but these compression formats are not designed nor optimized for maintaining image quality during editing or color correction processes. Because these formats are so compressed, they often require an ultra powerful computer to decode (playback) the files without performance degradation (choppy playback or dropped frames).
Because of this, many professional filmmakers and consumer-level videographers use what is called a Digital Intermediate (DI). A DI is an exact copy of the data from the original video file saved in a file format that is specifically optimized for higher image quality and fast playback on modern computer systems. This makes for a much better editing experience.
The GoPro CineForm format (or codec) is the Digital Intermediate (DI) used in all GoPro Studio workflows and is one of the best in the industry—used by indie filmmakers and Hollywood studios alike. It has been standardized by SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) as the VC-5 codec.
Ultimately, GoPro CineForm files are better for editing than camera source files. They improve on image quality and playback speed, as well as provide the Active MetadataTM architecture required to enable the real-time image development and enhancement features available in GoPro Studio’s EDIT Room.

So, as long as my computer can handle the editing and doesn't seem to be choking on the .mp4 files, I should skip first converting to CineForm? It would be nice to skip that process.
Joe