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Cameras and formats

Racecraft works with footage from any modern action camera. This page covers what we've tested most, what file types and codecs to use, and the few things that are likely to cause issues.

Cameras we see most

The dominant cameras among Racecraft riders, in rough order:

  • GoPro Hero series — the default in downhill. Anything from a Hero 8 onward works well; older models work but are more likely to produce footage that's harder to align.
  • DJI Osmo Action — works well, similar to GoPro for our purposes.
  • Insta360 — the standard "flat" output (after the companion app's reframe) works. Raw 360 footage is not what Racecraft expects; reframe to a fixed view first.
  • Phone cameras — supported, but with caveats. A handheld phone on a downhill run is rare and usually too unstable to align well. A phone on a chest mount is workable.

If your camera produces a standard video file, it's worth a try. Contact us if you're using something we haven't listed and want a sanity check.

File formats

Accepted:

  • .mp4 (most action cameras default to this)
  • .mov (some GoPros and most iPhone footage)
  • .hevc / H.265 contained in either

What to avoid:

  • raw 360 files (reframe first)
  • proxy formats from editing software (use the original or a re-export)
  • DRM-protected files

Resolution and frame rate

Recommended:

  • 1080p or higher at 60 fps

Higher is fine — 4K 60 works, 4K 120 works. The trade-off is upload size, not analysis quality. For most tracks 1080p60 is the sweet spot.

Lower than 1080p30 still works but produces less precise alignment. If you have a choice, don't drop below 1080p60.

Settings to keep consistent

The single biggest factor in alignment quality is using the same camera setup across runs in the same session. That means:

  • same camera
  • same mount and orientation
  • same field-of-view setting (wide vs linear etc.)
  • same resolution and frame rate

Mixing settings across runs in the same session still works — the alignment is robust — but it's working harder. Set your camera once at the top of the track and leave it.

Stabilization

Most action-camera stabilization (HyperSmooth, RockSteady, similar) helps. It removes vibration noise that doesn't reflect real motion. Keep it on if your camera has it.

The exception is stabilization that crops aggressively or warps the field of view differently across runs — if your camera's "max" stabilization mode is doing that, the standard mode is usually a better choice.

File size and length

A typical downhill run is 1–6 minutes. At 1080p60 that's a few hundred MB; at 4K it's larger. There's no hard upload size limit for most users, but larger files take proportionally longer to upload and process.

For convenience: aim for one file per run, and trim long pre-run / post-run footage in the camera companion app before uploading.

What if my footage won't process?

Most processing failures fall into one of these:

  • the file is corrupt — partial recording, interrupted save, SD card error. Re-pull the file from the SD card if possible, or re-record the run.
  • the codec is unusual — older or non-standard codecs sometimes trip processing. Re-encoding to standard H.264 mp4 in a video editor is the workaround.
  • the file is multi-lap — Racecraft expects one lap per run. Trim to one continuous descent.

If a file looks fine and still fails, contact support with the camera model and the original filename.