Get the latest tech news How to check Is Temu legit? How to delete trackers
TECH
Marc Saltzman

Tips to shooting great video on your smartphone

Marc Saltzman
USA TODAY
Shoot video horizontally rather than vertically, so you wont have those black bars on each side of your video when played back.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video may be worth a thousand pictures.

That is, there are many moments best captured by video rather than a still photo, be it a baby’s first steps, friends singing you Happy Birthday, or catching a game-winning goal.

Since you never leave home without your smartphone, you’re likely capturing video on this go-to device, and so the following are a few suggestions to improving the quality of your memories in motion.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Surf Report looked at smartphone photo tips in last month’s column, too.

Turn the phone sideways: Use the “landscape” (horizontal) orientation when shooting video, as you’ll get more friends and scenery in the shot, and you won’t see those black bars on each side of the video when it’s played back on social media, or viewed on a computer desktop or widescreen television. It may be more comfortable to hold in “portrait” (vertical) orientation, but you’ll regret it later.

Hold your phone steady: Ever outstretch your arms while shooting video on your smartphone? You probably have, and in doing so, your video might look like something out of The Blair Witch Project. To get a sharp (rather than shaky) video, turn yourself into a human tripod by holding your phone with two hands and locking your elbows against your body. Better yet, pick up a monopod or selfie stick at your local dollar store, or a collapsible tripod if you’re serious about shooting smooth video while on the go.

When shooting smartphone video, try to pan slowly to avoid shakiness and motion blur.

Composition rule: You’ve only got one shot to capture that special moment, and if you want your videos to look professional, consider the “rule of thirds.” As many photographers learn in school, break up a scene into two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, and place your subject wherever the four lines intersect. Think of it like a Tic-Tac-Toe board; our eyes naturally look at one of these intersection points. While it doesn’t usually work in video mode, some smartphones let you activate this grid on the smartphone screen.

Lighting is critical: Pay attention to the light around you, and take advantage of it. Take a moment to see what’s happening naturally and wait for the right moment. Good lighting – be it natural or artificial -- can make or break a video. Play with the angles until you like what you see. Not all phones support this, but tap on your subject’s face on your smartphone screen to have the camera auto-adjust for exposure and focus. Don’t shoot subjects near a window or with their back to the sun, as they’ll look like a silhouette.

Be mindful of nearby lighting, to ensure your subjects are well-lit.

Shoot straight, slow and close: When shooting videos or taking photos, try to match the height of the subject, such as kneeling on the ground to snap a picture of a toddler or even placing the phone on the ground to record a crawling baby’s smiling face. You'll get better video when you’re at eye level rather than angling the phone up or down. When shooting video, move the phone slowly to prevent blur while recording. If possible, get closer by walking up to your subject rather than pinching and zooming on your smartphone screen as your videos may look blurry or pixelated when played back.

Sound advice: Don’t underestimate the importance of good sound. While you might not want to bring a professional microphone with you everywhere, try to get close to your subject to capture the clearest audio possible – and you’d be surprised how good your smartphone’s mic can be – but that also means you need to listen first to ambient noise before you start recording. In other words, it may pay to wait a moment for some wind to die down or an overhead plane to pass.

Some smartphones, such as the Sony Xperia X Performance, offer smooth autofocus on moving objects.

Editing is ok: Finally, there’s no shame in editing your videos before you share them. Sure, there’s something fun about a raw video shot in one take and uploading it on the spot, but remember video can live forever online so you might as well make it as good as it can be. Tweak it on your phone – or better yet, on a computer with its larger screen to assess your work – before you upload it to social media. This includes cutting, cropping, adjusting color and brightness, adding transitions, special effects, music, narration, captions, and more. Always keep the original just in case, but spice up your videos a bit before giving it to the world.

Columnist Marc Saltzman writes on tech devices and trends for USA TODAY. Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com.

Featured Weekly Ad