GoPro + Export Workflow Help

Hi all,

I want to preface this by saying I am doing many things wrong, so please, critique mercilessly.

I've been able to cobble projects together with Premiere but I could really use some help with my workflow. I shoot outdoor videos on a pair of GoPros. The files I shoot & work with currently look like:

MP4
4000 wide x 3000 tall
23.98 fps
99788 kbps
189 kbps audio bitrate, stereo 48k

After I add my first clip to the sequence, I go in and change the Sequence Settings size to 2560 x 1440, which is what I like my final file size to be. I shoot larger, because my thought is that if I plan to zoom in (which I do often) I can do so without exceeding 100% of those original recordings, so I don’t need to add pixels.

I combine videos from both cameras (the only difference I can see between the video clips is the data rate, which is around 77000 kbps on the older GoPro) in the timeline, then add some photos, transitions, an adjustment layer to color grade / Lumetri, and a few “graphics” for text on the top layers. Each video is about 20 minutes.

This is where it gets hairy…

When I export, I bump the fps up to 60. Reason being, YouTube allows for more bit depth and seems to have fewer artifacts from it’s compression process when I upload at 60 as opposed to 23.98.

I do not use max bitrate (my target bitrate is 30).
I DO use max render, since I am scaling down.

In the past, I have been able to export a 20 minute video like this in about 5 hours. However, recently the exports have had sections where the audio completely drops out for half a second, ruining the export.

Last night I did this same thing, and the “estimated” time to export was 20 hours, and sure enough after 8 hours it was only at 30% completion. So… I know I am doing things wrong, and I need help, please – with shooting, editing and exporting to improve this overall workflow.  

Thank you.