Photography logo

5 Ways to Make Your Smartphone Videos Look More Professional

Read this article to learn more..

By Brian McManusPublished about a year ago 5 min read
Like
5 Ways to Make Your Smartphone Videos Look More Professional
Photo by @felipepelaquim on Unsplash

Are you looking to take your smartphone videos to the next level? Whether you’re creating short clips for social media or filming longer videos for your YouTube channel, there are simple ways to make your videos look more professional. In this blog post, we will cover five easy tips that can help enhance the quality of your smartphone videos and make them look more polished and professional. Keep reading to learn how you can get the most out of your smartphone camera and create stunning, high-quality videos.

1) Use a tripod

Using a tripod to stabilize your smartphone is an essential step to making your videos look more professional. By using a tripod, you'll be able to ensure that your footage stays still and won’t be jerky or shaky. A good tripod should have adjustable legs so you can adjust the height and angle of your phone for the perfect shot. Tripods with a ball head will allow you to rotate the phone quickly and easily, allowing you to switch up your shots quickly and easily. For optimal stability, make sure your tripod is placed on a flat surface and is securely attached to the surface. If you don’t have access to a tripod, try propping your phone against a wall or a stack of books. This will help keep it steady while recording.

2) Invest in some lighting

Lighting can have a huge impact on the quality of your smartphone videos. Whether you're shooting in a professional studio, or just in your living room, proper lighting is essential for creating a high-quality look.

For most basic smartphone videos, the best option is to use natural light. If you’re shooting outdoors, it’s best to find an area with even lighting and avoid direct sunlight. However, if you’re shooting indoors, you may want to invest in some lighting equipment to ensure that your video looks professional.

Look for lights that can be mounted on your camera or clipped onto a wall, as these will be more versatile than studio lights. Softbox lights are also great for diffusing light so that your video isn’t too harsh. There are many affordable options available, and they’ll make a big difference in the quality of your video.

If you’re on a tight budget, you can also experiment with using household items as makeshift lighting equipment. A lampshade can be used to diffuse light, while tin foil can be used to reflect light onto your subject. Just make sure that you’re careful when working with electricity or heat sources!

Overall, investing in some lighting will make a huge difference in the quality of your smartphone videos. Even with limited resources, there are plenty of ways to improve the look of your videos and make them look more professional.

3) Use a microphone

A good microphone can make all the difference when it comes to recording videos with your smartphone. Microphones are designed to capture audio in a more natural and clear way than your device’s built-in microphone. External microphones also allow you to record audio from a greater distance, which is great if you’re shooting a scene with multiple people in it.

There are a few different types of microphones you can use with your smartphone, such as lavalier (lapel) microphones, shotgun microphones, and even USB microphones. Lavalier microphones are the most common type of external microphone used with smartphones, and they’re usually connected via a 3.5mm jack. Shotgun microphones are also popular and they’re attached to the top of the phone, just like an external camera lens. USB microphones are more expensive but they offer better sound quality than the other two types.

Whichever type of microphone you choose, make sure that it’s compatible with your device. There are many cheap options available on the market, so you don’t have to break the bank to get a good quality microphone. Just remember that using an external microphone will require a separate audio recorder, such as an app or software.

Using an external microphone will help to ensure that your smartphone videos have clearer and better sounding audio. Not only will this make your videos look more professional, it will also improve their overall quality.

4) Edit your videos

Editing your videos can take them to the next level of professionalism. While there are a variety of editing programs available, you don’t need an expensive one to get professional-looking results.

Start by trimming your footage down to the most important parts and removing any excess noise. This will help your video look more polished and put together. You can also add special effects, such as slow motion or fast motion, to give your video a unique feel.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, try adding titles, transitions, and music to make your videos stand out even more. There are plenty of online tutorials available to teach you how to use these features.

Finally, export your video at the highest possible quality. This will ensure that your video looks great when it’s played back on any device.

With a little bit of effort, you can easily make your smartphone videos look like they were made by a professional. Editing is an essential part of any video production process and it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. So get creative and enjoy the process!

5) Add a watermark

Adding a watermark to your videos is a great way to make them look more professional and stand out. It adds a sense of credibility to your work and it serves as a signature to show that you are the creator.

A watermark can be as simple as your logo or text placed over the video content, or a more complex graphical representation. You can use one of the many online watermarking tools, or use photo-editing software such as Adobe Photoshop to create your own.

When adding a watermark, you should consider the following:

• Placement - Make sure it’s not too distracting, but also not so subtle that it’s hard to make out.

• Size - Find the right balance between making it big enough to be visible, but not so big that it covers important parts of the video.

• Transparency - Make sure it is opaque enough to be seen, but not so opaque that it’s too distracting.

Adding a watermark is an easy way to add professionalism to your smartphone videos and to help protect your work from being stolen or used without permission. With a few simple steps, you can make your videos look more professional and establish yourself as a creator.

If you want to learn my #1 way to master filmmaking on a smartphone click here now.

filmcamera
Like

About the Creator

Brian McManus

Your guide to 5 steps of achieving your goals.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.