9 Tips to Create High-Quality Videos on Your Phone

By now most people understand the importance of using videos as a marketing tool. Humans find videos more engaging, more memorable and more popular than most other types of content. By 2022, online videos are expected to make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic, according to a report by Cisco.

While most people understand the importance of video marketing for their businesses, many are unsure of how to go about it. Or they think it’s only possible by using videographers and fancy production systems. Sure, it helps, but sometimes it’s not always possible—especially in an era of restricted travel, social distancing and shoestring budgets. The cameras in iPhones today are extremely powerful and are fully capable of helping you create high-quality videos.

Whether you’re hoping to create an introductory video for your startup, you need to have a colleague record a tutorial video from afar, or you would like to publish your first YouTube video, below are some tips and tricks to help you get started. By making a few adjustments and a small investment – I'm talking around $75 USD – you'll be well on your way to creating professional-looking videos.

First Things First

This tip is pretty basic but shouldn’t be forgotten. Recording videos consumes a phone's battery quickly. Before beginning, fully charge your phone. Nobody enjoys doing extra takes because the phone runs out of battery halfway through.

Clean the Lens

With phones living in pockets and purses, and spending plenty of time in your hands and on your ear, dust and fingerprints end up on the lens. Give your lens a good cleaning with a microfiber cloth before beginning to avoid hazy or blurry footage. Ten seconds or so will save you a lot of headaches.

Hold Steady

Is there anything worse than a shaky video? To shoot a decent quality video, a tripod is a must every time. Here are two different tripod options that are both affordable and of good quality:

• Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod Kit with Universal Smartphone Clamp (around $30)
• AmazonBasics Lightweight Camera Mount Tripod Stand (around $20)

If you opt for the second tripod stand, you’ll need a mount adapter to secure your phone. Here is a cheap and suitable adapter:

• DaVoice Cell Phone TriPod Mount Adapter (around $7)

In Most Cases, Shoot Horizontally

In most cases, turning your phone horizontally (to landscape mode) is the best way to record videos. This will help you avoid those unsightly black bars on the sides. However, the decision as to horizontal or vertical should be based on where you plan to post or share the video.

If you plan to upload the video to YouTube or your website, horizontal is best. If you plan to post to Instagram, vertical videos look better.

Silence the Distractions

Turn on Airplane Mode while recording to help prevent unwanted dings, rings and distractions. It will also help extend your battery life.

Mic Check

The only thing worse than a shaky video is one that's inaudible or muffled. With many affordable microphone options available for iPhones, this can be easily avoided. Here is one mic option you can plug directly into your iPhone (using the lightning to 3.5 mm adapter):

• Lavalier Lapel Microphone (around $20)

Up Your Resolution - 4K All the Way

Apple usually presets iPhones to record videos at a lower quality to help you save storage space. This is great under normal circumstances but not when you’re trying to record a high-quality video. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to improve the quality of your video recordings.

Your options will depend on what model you’re currently using but can be found here:

• Open the Settings app > Click Camera > Click Record Video

For the absolute best video image quality, choose 4K resolution.

When you're finished recording, switch back your video recording setting to avoid quickly depleting your storage space.

Lighting

Lighting is important but can be tricky. Recording outside on a bright and sunny day can be too bright. Inside can be too dark. Empty rooms can cause echos. Lights can form halos. Windows can wash you out... and the list goes on.

Try to opt for a well-lit room inside with many furnishings. This will help prevent echos. If you’re recording near a blank wall, try to maintain a one to two-foot distance between you and the wall to avoid creating a shadow.

Editing

If your recording doesn’t come out perfect, don’t fret. Within the iPhone Camera app, you now have all of the photo editing tools you're accustomed to available for videos. Things such as adjusting exposure, color, shadows and contrast, as well as trimming and rotating the video.

To get started, find your video in your Camera roll or the Photos app and then hit the Edit button.

In most cases, at minimum, you'll want to trim the beginning and end of your video.

It’s easy to start shooting really great-looking videos with your iPhone – or any smartphone – without breaking the bank.

No videographer? No problem!