Mobile phones have graduated to powerful devices these days. While it is true that mobile phones can still not match the capabilities of a PC, it is equally true that smartphones are not much far behind in capabilities and there are a whole lot of things that you can do with your smartphones. Therefore, when it comes to shooting youtube videos, a lot of people prefer to do it with their mobile phones. And there are many benefits too like being very convenient and cost effective too.
However, we know that phones make it easy and convenient, we also know that smartphones do have some limitations when compared to full fledged videography equipment. Therefore it is important to know the correct techniques to cover those limitations and make the best out of your smartphones. Here in this article, we present you with some important tips and tricks that you must know to shoot perfect videos from your mobile. Read on to know more.
1) Keep It Steady!
One of the most important things that concern videography from smartphones is preventing the video from getting shaky. If you are shooting the video by holding your phone in your hand, it is liable to shake a lot. Do it only if your mobile has a very good image stabilisation feature and also use both hands to hold the phone instead of just one. If your mobile does not have an image stabilisation feature, then you must use a tripod stand instead. If you are ready to invest a little more, we suggest you buy a gimbal stand. A gimbal is lightweight and keeps your devices perfectly steady no matter how much you move them. This also makes it a perfect device to shoot videos by holding smartphones in hand. In case you are in such a situation that you don’t have access to any kind of stand, you can place your mobile with some physical support so that it remains steady.
2) Clear That Lens!
Yes, that’s important. Mobile phones get dirty a lot. We keep them a lot of time in our dirty and sweaty hands and then we also put them anywhere. It is usual for mobile camera lenses to get dirty so remember to clean it before you start shooting.
3) Good Lighting Is The Key!
Good lighting is important in shooting with professional cameras as well, but its importance increases manifold when you’re shooting with your smartphone. Mobile cameras have small lenses and limited light sensing capabilities, therefore prefer to shoot in brightly lit environments otherwise your videos will appear dull and grainy. You can choose to shoot in bright daylight or if you want to shoot indoors, you should consider spending a few bucks on lighting. You can also use some software options to get better results like changing the ISO setting or using the auto ISO option. Mobile cameras also have a tap to focus feature, which you can regularly use to help it focus at the right spot and this also helps adjust the ISO settings automatically according to the area of focus.
4) Choose The Correct Resolution!
Shooting your video in the correct resolution and frame rate is really important to get a good looking footage. The perfect resolution for you to shoot in 1080p. Don’t settle for anything less than that. These days many people are also opting to shoot in 4k. However, it’s not a big deal as most people either don’t watch videos in 4k due or they don’t have a device to play 4k. The benefit attached is that you get your videos ready for the future and they look perfect on the bigger screens as well. But if your mobile doesn’t have the option to shoot in 4k you can avoid it.
5) And The Correct Frame Rate!
Talking about frame rate, always choose to shoot above 24 frames per second, as that rate is just above what our mind perceives as a fluid video. If your mobile has the option to shoot in higher frame rates like 60, 120 or more, then you can also try time lapse and slow motion videos.
6) Mind The Orientation!
Never ignore the orientation in which you shoot videos. And do ignore the vertical orientation! Vertical orientation is only suited for platforms like tik tok and similar short videos sharing apps. If it’s about youtube, then one of the worst things you can do to your video is to shoot it in the vertical orientation. The video looks odd on all the screens, nothing is clearly visible and it distracts the user from everything good that is there in your video. So always remember to shoot your videos in horizontal or landscape orientation.
7) Don’t Forget The Audio!
In making a good youtube video, audio matters as much as the video itself. In fact, some experts would agree that the audio is more important than the video. By the way, the audio is really important. And it is an equally true fact that the built-in microphone of most mobile phones is not good enough to record high quality and background noise free audio. Therefore, it is wise that you consider buying an external microphone that suits your needs and budget.
8) Boost Performance With Pro Apps!
Howsoever good your mobile camera may be, it still can’t match the performance of professional cameras. However, thanks to the vast amount of high functionality apps that are available for the mobile platform, you can boost the performance of your mobile camera with some apps. One such app is Filmic Pro which gives you various functionalities of a professional camera. There are also various other such apps which you can look for and use as per your requirements.
9) How Do You Zoom?
Digital zoom is your enemy as it would cause the image to look grainy. These days most mobile phones also come with the feature of optical zoom, so if your mobile has that feature use that. In case your mobile doesn’t have that feature, try moving closer to the subject. If you have some money, you can also consider buying some additional lenses that can be attached to your mobile camera.
10) It’s Time To Edit Your Footage!
Once you are completed shooting your video, it’s time to edit it to mix all the various footage to form a coherent video and make it look appealing and interesting with texts, images, graphics, animations, transitions and music. While editing on mobile phones is not as convenient and powerful as that on PCs, there are still several apps available that will give you a really good result. You can find several apps for basic editing on various app stores. If you want advanced editing you can try apps like Splice, Filmic Pro, Adobe Premiere Clip and Power Director.
