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7 ways to get professional quality videos from your smartphone

Smartphones with a big camera and the ability to record high definition videos are no longer hard to find, they are everywhere. Professional video content creators are discovering that using their mobile phones to record videos has several significant advantages:
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Mobile phones are ubiquitous, and we almost always have our phones with us. Quick and spontaneous capture of video content does not require loading with large video cameras when an unexpected opportunity presents itself.

Many applications are available for iOS (Apple) and Android (Google) mobile devices that extend the functionality of the video camera, provide sophisticated editing and digital effects capabilities, and provide a way to upload finished videos for immediate distribution and viewing.

Perhaps most importantly, as phones have become more capable, video entrepreneurs are discovering that entering corporate cinema is also much more affordable.

However, while it's nice to have a smartphone with an amazing camera, using poor video technique is likely to result in a poor video product. Just because you have a very expensive hammer, with all the features that money can buy, does not guarantee that you will build a magnificent house without practice and good video technique.

Your video doesn't have to be perfect, but by following these seven tips, shooting a great video with your smartphone will be easy and the footage will look fantastic!

 Good lighting is critical

Proper lighting has a big impact on smartphone cameras because they have smaller image sensors and lenses. Try as much as possible to record your video in well-lit areas. This will help avoid unnecessary shadows and grainy areas in your video.

Rather, you should also be careful not to point the camera directly at bright light sources, which will cause unusable overexposed images and lens flare. Lighting must be stable and stable; Image sensors in most smartphones don't react to dramatic changes in lighting very quickly.



If the light continues to hinder your video recording, try working with the back light and white balance settings if your phone or app provides them. Most phones also offer "touch focus" in case your camera focuses on the wrong area of ​​your composition.

 After focusing on the most important aspect of the video, the automatic exposure control will have an easier time making small adjustments if the lighting condition begins to change.

stay stable

Smartphone Video Stabilizer: If you don't want your video footage to be distorted, blurred or affected by the "roll shutter", the best thing to do is to keep your phone stable while recording. Use both hands to hold your smartphone as close to your body as possible while recording the video. This can be a little tiring on long shots or sequences, and there are other ways to support the phone:

Stabilizers, tripods, and camera cages allow you to keep your smartphone or mobile device still when recording video with it; They have perfect handles to accomplish this.

If a smartphone tripod or stabilizer is too expensive or not practical for you in your circumstances, you can rest your phone on other physical supports such as tables, chairs, desks, shelves, etc.

 Audio matters as much as video

A good video with poor audio quality is rubbish unless you plan to add a whole new audio track "in the post" (while editing your video). While you want your video to look good, the quality of your audio is more important than the video, so it should matter as much, if not more.

 Unfortunately, the built-in microphone on most (if not all) smartphones is of poor quality and incorrectly placed. It is very common to catch wind and unnecessary ambient noise that will compete or drown out any important audio while recording video outside.



 This is almost impossible to edit later. It is recommended to record your video in a quiet place, preferably indoors when possible with less ambient noise. Professionals are recording all kinds of commercial-grade videos and movies using their mobile phones, but audio is almost ALWAYS captured with a separate recording device suitable for the job. So for exceptional quality videos with great audio, you should get

 Get closer to your topic

Staying physically closer to the subject ensures better image quality, less digital noise, and better focus on your videos, as most smartphones use a digital zoom instead of an optical zoom. If your video requires super-zoom close-ups of small details, they make clip-on macro lenses that fit any iPhone or Android smartphone.

Avoid vertical video syndrome

I really can't drive this point home well enough. Stop shooting vertical videos! Some cameramen, (yes ... video entrepreneurs, too) who use their smartphones for digital filming often make the mistake of holding their phones vertically, that is, up and down rather than sideways, while recording.

Hold your phone horizontally so that videos played on other screens (almost everywhere) look good.

Improve your videos with mobile applications

The camera app on your smartphone can do a good job, but there is more to video recording than most of them have to offer! Some third-party apps are very intuitive with great features for those new to video content development, while others unlock pro-like features that can highlight your inner George Lucas. While you'll find some pretty good free apps, investing in a couple of apps that cost a little money can pay big dividends.



We have a roundup of 8 of our favorite iOS apps to enhance your iPhone and iPad videos here.

Prepare for filming

Before you start shooting your videos, make sure you have all the equipment, props, scripts, actors, and film locations ready to go. Also, make sure your phone is great and that it has enough storage space (available memory) to store your footage: High-definition (HD) video files can quickly get large and drain your battery.

This Filmic Pro video "5 things to do before recording an iPhone video" also covers much of what we've discussed: memory storage, battery life, audio, and resolution, but they add a great point; You should think about stabilization, and they have included some great options for getting stable videos:



Producing cool videos can be a fun and lucrative quest for enterprising filmmakers. Master the art of videography with your smartphone by following these tips. Through practice, trial and error, you will begin to see professional results in no time!

Looking for specific apps and tips for iOS and Android mobile devices? Look at the following links:

IOS video editing applications for your iPhone or iPad.
Get professional results by shooting videos with your iPad.
Video recording and editing applications for Android smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
Get better audio while recording videos with your smartphone or mobile camera



What advice or tips would you give to other filmmakers who use their mobile phones to record videos? Do you have a particular iOS or Android app that you can't live without? Let us know in the comments below!