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Shooting professional-quality videos at home have never been easier. The technology behind smartphone cameras and editing software is constantly improving and even content creators are beginning to consider it as a workable alternative.
However, while having a smartphone with an excellent camera is wonderful, video production techniques will certainly be needed to create the best result. But with a little effort and some small things to consider, you can ensure that the video you record with your smartphone is worth watching. So, here are some quick tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your smartphone’s video capabilities.
Table of Contents
Never forget to clean your lens
This tip may sound unnecessary, but this is one of the most important things to do when you want to start shooting to get the best result. Prior to shooting any footage using your smartphone, make sure the camera’s vision isn’t impeded and give it a good wipe. The ideal cleaning wipes for this purpose are moistened cleaning wipes, but if you’re in a hurry then a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth will do.
Shoot your videos in landscape
Nothing spoils beautiful footage like two black vertical bars running down both sides. To avoid making this rookie error, make sure to record in landscape mode rather than portrait mode. This is because landscape mode not only improves your video’s overall aesthetic appeal, but also makes it more enjoyable to watch on devices with larger screens. It also allows you to capture more in your video without having to move your camera around too much.
Set up your phone appropriately
Almost all contemporary smartphones are capable of taking excellent video, but it’s worth double-checking the settings to ensure you’re set to go. It’s up to you to choose your resolution, although full HD (1080p) is usually a decent place to start because it’ll look good and won’t eat up too much of your phone’s capacity. You can go as high as 4K if your phone supports it which will feature a better-quality video end result. Nonetheless, going low until 720p is still appropriate if your smartphone is on the older side and cannot handle any heavy editing properly.
Good lighting is necessary
As smartphone cameras have smaller lenses and sensors, proper illumination has a significant impact on your videos. Shoot your video in a brightly lit setting if possible as this will assist your video to avoid any unwanted shadows and fuzzy regions. Furthermore, you should avoid pointing the phone’s camera at any bright light sources, as this can result in overexposed footage with lens distortion.
Keep in mind that the lighting should be consistent and steady as most image sensors in smartphones may not immediately react to any significant variations in the lighting. If you have troubleshooting with the light, try experimenting with back-lighting and white balance options if your phone or app supports them.
Image stabilization
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Electronic and optical video stabilisation are some of the most recent advancements in the smartphone market. In general, if you’re shooting handheld, it reduces any handshake to a bare minimum. However, if you would have to move frequently to follow a subject or need to orbit around a person or object, you’re better off investing in an actual stabilizer that functions well with your phone.
With your phone connected to the stabilizer, you’ll be able to take full advantage of your phone’s video capabilities. This tip will give you a clean, cinematic image that you wouldn’t be able to achieve by just shooting handheld regardless of how steady your grip is.
Edit your clips
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Some people are happy to simply share raw footage on social media sites, whereas others may prefer to spend hours creating something that looks like it was shot with a more professional camera. It will take a lot of trial and error to find the perfect workflow, but the end result will be worth it.
Light video editing, such as cutting the duration of the movie or adding several simple filters, can just be done in your smartphone’s own pictures app. But if you want to achieve something more complicated, it’s best for you to experiment with a variety of video-editing software in your laptop or PC. Editing on your laptop would give you more control and detailed overview on what to add on your video to further enhance it.
Use angles to your advantage
Experimenting with various angles is a terrific method to increase the cinematic elements of your video. Imagine how you should capture the moment in a more interesting way than simply filming everything from a close standing position.
There are countless ways to explore with angles, so ponder about how much you can enhance the situation. You may always redo specific items from different perspectives then merge them together with a video editor.