UPDATE: READ THE TOP 5 TIPS TO MAKING GREAT VIDEOS WITH YOUR PHONE

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The numbers don’t lie, 81% of corporate Americans now own a smartphone. This small, compact device is equipped with more than enough features to make your life easier: Digital Camera, Web Browsers, Mp3 players, and calendars to mention a few.

Yes, your smartphone is a jack of all trades.

These every evolving devices now boast point and shoot capabilities that are rendering  traditional cameras and camcorders obsolete! However, can your phone truly do it all?

Here, we investigate if someone can create and publish a video using ONLY their smartphone. Using these 3 simple recording tips, we will turn your amateur recordings into a high-quality video. While there are many options for phones out there, we will focus on the traditional Android and iPhone devices.

Shooting

Shooting is the most vital phase of making a video. While its possible to capture a moment well the first time, there is a high possibility multiple takes, shots, and angles  are needed to create a memorable atmosphere.

Odds are, the camera app that came packaged with your device will more than enough to handle it. Camera quality may vary for different devices, but some smartphones such as the iPhone 6 boasts quality better than most digital cameras on the market.

Also be weary of 3rd party “camera” apps on Google Play/App store. They may promise you with better quality camera images, but in reality may just add bloatware to your device. Sticking to your stock camera/recording app is the best method to go.

Tricks for Better Result

If you didn’t study cinematography at a university, there’s probably a good chance you overlooked some of the following tips to improve your videos.

Rule #1:

Shoot your video in landscape mode. Unless you enjoy your youtube videos to be surrounded with large black lines. Instead of holding your phone with one hand to record, turn it sideways and grip it with both hands. This is an instant way to make your videos look more professional. 

Lighting:

Among the greatest indications that a feature has been shot by a novice is the lighting. Natural light looks the best. Try shooting your videos outdoors for the better visual appeal. Keep in mind, there’s no reason to turn into a specialist in lighting or purchase extravagant lights to make your videos look of good quality. Just make sure your subject is well-lit and can be seen on your device.

Sound:

Horrible, choppy sound can bring a generally decent video down to a head shaker in moments. The area you are filming should be taken in consideration. A loud restaurant might be too noisy for an interview just like a windy day might render your audio useless altogether. Placing an external mic (or headphones with mic capabilities) near your subject when filming can make a HUGE difference.

Stabilize:

Ever seen those videos where the camera shakes so much its hard to follow the story? Yeah, we hate those too. Invest in a tripod and your videos will automatically look more professional.

In case you don’t want to spend money on one of there try holding your smartphone with both hands, keeping your elbows planted somewhere sturdy. When you want to follow a subject, keep your movement fluid, like water. Any excessive jerking might cause your viewer to get confused and click away from your video. 

For a breakdown of these tips and more, check out this awesome video introduction video from the makers of Vimeo.

Storage

Now that you have gathered some footage, you should take into consideration how much memory it is taking on your device. A video will take up considerably higher storage then a photo. So plan accordingly, you don’t want to get a MEMORY FULL message in the middle of a filmed interview.

With androids it would be wise to invest in a large SD card that can hold all of your media storage. With an iphone, you may want to buy a larger capacity to hold all of your work. Take some time to research storage prices and decide what is best for you.

Editing

There are so many options for editing your videos on Google Play and the App store. While there is no substitute for professional video editing, here are some of the best options to edit together your footage:

KineMaster (Android)

KineMaster is one of our favorite altering applications right now, as it offers very much a decent choice of apparatuses to alter, trim, and consolidate your footage to tell its story. 

You can move and customize any clasp or photograph from your exhibition; shift them around, toss a few titles in and even record your voice to narrate. With its sharing capabilities, its definitely an app you should check out.

Magisto (Android)

Magisto isn’t for film producers who like having full control of their editing. However its still a flawless option at any rate. You can transfer over footage from your camera roll and have them changed into a smooth home motion picture within minutes.

iMovie (Iphone)

IMovie is one of those must have applications for the iphone. With the ability to manipulate all of your camera roll videos and pictures in a small easy to use app, it can make maintaining your social media presence much easier. Add some background music and text to your videos and you’ll be getting more likes than that guy from Gangnam Style.

Publishing

While most of the editing apps come with sharing capabilities inside, we will take a look at some of the basics needed to publishing your finished videos.

To distribute to YouTube, you’ll have to have the YouTube application installed and have an active account. Sign in or sign up. At that point you simply go to the upload feature and follow the on screen prompt of creating a title, adding a description, and setting privacy options. If you want to upload a video over 15 minutes long, you need to verify your account, but it’s all free, which is why it appeals to so many people.

Vimeo has blossomed into a fantastic alternative for creatives to share their work, and you can upload up to 500MB a week for free, a figure that can be bumped up to 5GB a week under a Vimeo Plus subscription, costing $9.99/month or $59.99/year. This should be more than enough for most mobile videographers and, to be honest, the free lower tier should be plenty for many people too.

Now that you have read through all of these tips, its time to start making higher quality videos! Be sure to mention us on social media so we can see the masterpieces you create. And don’t be shy about sending us a tweet if you have any questions about this article.