How to Record Better Videos with Your Phone

With the rise of smartphones, taking videos with phones has become more and more common due to the ease of use. Most people always have their phones on them so it is not a surprise that they use it to record videos when they have to. However, the quality of those videos can sometimes are not top-notch due to many reasons. In this article, I’ll be showing you how to record better videos with your phone so you can take a video you’d be happy to share with many people.

Professional cameras always produce better videos because phones do have not good enough stabilization, a small sensor, a small aperture, focal length, etc. Despite these, it is still possible to record better videos with your phone without spending much.

Ways to Record Better Videos with Your Phone

Here are some ways that make it possible to record better videos with your phone.

1. Record in the highest resolution

What easier way is there to record better videos with your phone than selecting the highest resolution your phone is capable of. Go to the settings of your camera app and choose the highest resolution possible. Most recent phones have 4K as their highest resolution and I’d suggest you use that.

Recording in the highest resolution makes you squeeze out the most quality video that your phone can produce. Though it may have huge file sizes, you have good quality. In 4K, you can zoom in while editing and still have a usable clip.

2. Lock exposure and focus

The phone camera is automatic so it sets exposure and focus by itself based on what you are recording as opposed to a Pro camera which you have to set manually most times. While this may sound like a good thing, the exposure and focus also automatically changes even when you have started recording a video. This will make your videos look unprofessional as it is going to have different looks in different parts.

To lock exposure and focus, tap and hold on to the subject of your video and tap the lock icon that shows up. With the focus and exposure locked, your video will always be on your subject and there won’t be great visual changes, letting you record better videos on your phone.

3. Record in landscape orientation

Nobody wants to have the ugly black bar at the side of their videos. To prevent this, all you have to do is record videos in landscape orientation (horizontal). Recording in landscape will also let you capture more things in your video so there is more than one benefit.
Videos recorded in landscape orientation look more pleasing and are optimized for viewing on TV, monitor, tablet, and more.

The only exception to this is if you are recording a video for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Stories, or Reels, all of which need a portrait video (vertical).

4. Use the Grid

If you don’t have the 3 by 3 grid enabled on your camera app, go to the camera settings and turn on the 3×3 grid. It will help you record better videos with your phone as you’ll be able to understand the frame better.

With the 3×3 grid, you can follow the rule of thirds which is a popular idea that says that you should position your main subject at one of the “third” vertical lines. The Rule of Thirds is said to make you have a more aesthetically pleasing shot.

5. Try recording from different angles

When you’re recording a video with your phone, do not stand in one place throughout your shot. Try moving around, up, down, back a bit, or closer to see which will work best for the particular type of video you want to make. Use closer shots to show details and emotions and wider shots for showing the subject and landscape.

7. Do not zoom in

This is advice that works if you want to take better pictures on your phone and also, better videos.

Except your phone has a telephoto camera, zooming in while recording a video destroys the video quality. Digital zoom is bad for videos as it makes shakes more visible and most times, the footage ends up being unusable.

8. Make sure your phone is balanced

Stability is key when you want to record better videos with your phone, as an unstable video is a bad one.

Most recent phones now come with Optical Image Stabilization to help get rid of tiny shakes and movements when you are recording a video. Make sure your phone is stable while recording and reduce movements if you can. If you have to move, then I’d suggest getting a gimbal or tripod as these accessories will help make your phone movement smooth and steady.

9. Make sure your scene is lighted properly

Sometimes, proper lighting is all it takes to record better videos with your phone as light is 50% of a shot.

If you can, get an external LED flashlight as those perform better than the flashlight that comes with your phone.
Also, when shooting a scene, make sure the subject is facing the source of light to avoid capturing a dark figure with a bright backlight.

10. Get accessories

Accessories help you to improve your phone camera to levels that it can’t reach alone. Accessories like gimbal stabilizer, tripod, LED light, clip-on lenses, etc, all give you a better video from your phone.

11. Get an external mic

Audio is just as important as the visuals so invest in a good mic if you want to take better videos with your phone.

12. Edit the footage

A little bit of editing can add that magical touch to videos that you took with your phone. So okay around with the footage on your video editor and see how you can make it look better. See our article on how to improve video editing on your phone to get tips that will help you out.

Now, we’ve come to the end of this article showing you 10 ways to record better videos with your phone.

Author: Samuel Taiwo