Who doesn’t love clicking pictures and making videos while traveling? However, carrying a DSLR camera all day long can be troublesome. Shooting with a DSLR camera requires special skills that come with experience. Videos from the phone are much more accessible and can be done within a moment’s notice. Many people are biased against phone-made videos, and it’s true, not every phone camera can compete with the quality of a top-notch DSLR camera. Nowadays, most phones have multiple lenses with high megapixels and excellent resolution to compensate for this. Smartphone manufacturers are also building platform-oriented video editors in their smartphones. So, if I say you can make great travel videos on your smartphone, trust me, you can.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you shoot videos like a pro from your smartphone. Let’s start with the gears and how to use them.
Table of Contents
Know Your Device:
The first step of making a great travel video starts with your phone. Whether you are using an iPhone or Android, know your device features like the back of your hand. Smartphones have their strengths and limitations, and by knowing them, you can apply the hacks better to get quality footage. It’s best to watch tutorial videos or read articles explaining all the features of your device.
Use A Camera App:
Using high-end smartphones like iPhone 12, you will find an inbuilt video editor. However, depending upon the device, you can also download apps that give you complete manual control on your phone camera. You can set and lock things like focus, exposure, ISO, frame rate, etc.
In videography, what separates a novice from a pro is the use of focus, exposure, and the white balance during a continuous shot. A pro user equipped with full manual controls can create videos with a smartphone, putting an amateur DSLR user to shame.
Keep The Space On Your Phone:
Videos take most of the space in your phone, so if you are a frequent traveler, it’s best to get a smartphone with a high capacity of inbuilt memory. You can also add an external SD card for extra peace of mind.
Basic Equipment:
Your gearbox doesn’t need to be bulky for creating great travel videos. While smartphones have inbuilt stabilizers, they are only suitable for still photography. For travel videos, where movement is unavoidable, you should use a tripod or gimbal. You can also add an LED panel on the tripod to brighten dimly lit places. Nowadays, almost all smartphones come with multiple lenses, but conversion lenses are your partner. Similarly, for recording voices, an external microphone is the best option. You can keep all these things in your bag without adding much weight.
Video Editing:
A poorly edited video can make your whole clip unbearable, whereas, with proper editing, even the average quality video can outperform amateurs with expensive tools. You can transform your average footage into something exciting with an appropriate video editor that can be easily available online. You can also find inbuilt video editing tools on many devices to help you edit clips. If you are not comfortable with the small phone screen, you can import the clips to your laptop or desktop, making editing much easier. Additionally, adding music can add more positive effects to your videos. However, copyright laws can take your videos down, so refrain from using copyright music. You can add royalty-free music to your videos from platforms like SoundCloud and Vimeo.
Choose Correct Resolution:
Not many people seem to know or care about the resolution while shooting. People think high-resolution videos take plenty of space, but they forget how high resolution can change the quality. Most phones nowadays support HD recording (some even 4K), and depending upon the type of video you are filming, you can select the frame rate. You can choose from 60 FPS, 120 FPS, or 240 FPS for slow-motion videos. Keep in mind that the higher the frame rate, the slower the video.
Keep Your Phone Horizontal:
Rarely does anyone love videos made in portrait mode due to two large rectangles on either side of the phone screen. The vertical handling of the phone works best if you are making a video in selfie mode. Turn your smartphone to 90 degrees (landscape mode) in any other scenario. The screen becomes more expansive in landscape mode. It allows videos displayed in the broader rectangle compared to the narrow rectangle in portrait mode. Similarly, you can also turn on grid lines in the camera settings, and it will help you decide the horizon level, in turn, balancing the shots.
Switch Between Shooting Modes:
Shooting modes can help your videos stand out from the crowd. While the regular video mode can do all the talking, slo-mo, and time-lapse videos can add the much-required dramatic and artistic effects. While changing between modes, mind that slo-mo videos add a dramatic feel and increase visual appeal. So, it works best while filming action scenes (remember Matrix) or a specific skill or style (Michael Phelps diving). Similarly, time-lapse videos are best suited to show a summary of an extended project or manipulate the time to show natural processes.
Avoid Using Zoom:
Using the zoom feature can degrade your video quality drastically, making it blurry and pixelated. Instead of using zoom, move closer to the object. Additionally, you can try different angles to make your video more watchable and richer in content. Last but not least, don’t back out from video experimentation; it will give you experience and helpful insight for further endeavors.
Conclusion
Making an excellent travel video is not rocket science, neither is it child’s play. It is an art where you learn with time. Your video must tell the story of your journey. Nowadays there are several. In the meantime, you would also need to keep the video short and exciting for viewers, as not many will watch your 2-hour-long travel documentary. Unless, of course, made exceptionally well.
Here are the top giveaways from the article.
- Know your Device.
- Keep your gear ready always.
- Show your creativity while changing camera modes.
- Choose royalty-free music.
- Avoid zooming as much as possible.
