How GoPro is Targeting Superusers

GoPro added a slew of new features last week that some have called past due, but that give the users of the HERO7, HERO8 Black and GoProMax more options than ever before. 

The update to GoPro Labs was announced at CES 2021 last week, targeting those who want to get the most out of their cameras with features like motion triggers, dash cam support, 360-degree motion detection, improved live-streaming access, and more. 

"GoPro Labs brings (to HERO8 Black users) some of the features that have been testing out like ReelSteady GO Optimization, QR codes for camera control, and more ways to personalize your GoPro," Brack Nelson, marketing manager of Incrementors SEO Services, said in an email to Lifewire. 

GoPro Labs Meant for Superusers

Nelson said GoPro Labs allows "superusers" to experience some of the experimental features being handled by the world’s top engineers. The update supports HERO9 Black, HERO8 Black, HERO7 Black and GoPro MAX, which Lifewire named among the best action cameras available on the market.

Photographers such as Sean van der Westhuizen seemed excited about the support for older versions of the GoPro. Previously, only the HERO9 Black could access GoPro Labs. 

Nelson said he feels that anyone using GoPro Labs is a superuser. 

"ReelSteady GO (a standalone video stabilization app for your GoPro) optimizes in-camera rolling for corrections to (help with) stabilization," he explained. "New QR code controls enabled features like wake-up timer for remote start capture and more." 

Users, like Chris Jackson, find the QR codes much more useful. Jackson said on Twitter that GoPro Labs "is super easy to use thanks to custom QR Codes."

Nelson added that, with the new updates, photographers can customize their GoPro experience more than ever. For example, a photographer could shoot a time-lapse of a construction site, but only have it record during daylight hours, and there also are a number of other detailed camera controls. 

More From GoPro

With the features that were launched last week, GoPro customers “can push the boundaries of their camera’s capabilities,” according to a press release from GoPro. 

Nelson said some of the new features, including motion detection, timers, settings, and more, had been released when the HERO9 Black was released in the fall, and provide more camera personalization and versatility to the other models. 

GoPro Labs launched last May to give some of the more advanced GoPro users, the gurus and superusers, more features to play with on the HERO9. 

GoPro Labs technical fellow David Newman said in a statement that users will be most excited for the motion detection on HERO9 Black and MAX. 

"From experimenters and free-thinkers to nature videographers and FPV [first person view] pilots, GoPro Labs enables users to push GoPro camera versatility even further," he said in the release.

"We’ve matched the motion detection capabilities to support all video modes across all cameras and made improvements to the sensibility range. This means 360-degree motion detection is supported on MAX, which will be huge for nature photographers."

Additional features include camera motion triggers, which allow the camera to record only when in motion; USB power triggers, which enable dashcam capabilities; motion detection enhancements, which includes 360-degree motion detection; and single-setting/one-button mode, which locks out other camera modes and is designed for simplified use, among other new features.