For your social media, your website or a customer presentation, video has become essential. Good news: recent smartphones film very well. What makes the difference between an amateur video and a professional one is almost never the phone, it's the way you film. Here are eight settings to apply from your very next video.
1. Light comes first
Stand facing a window, with daylight lighting your face or your product. Avoid backlight (the window behind you): the subject becomes dark. Also avoid mixing light sources, for example a yellow lamp and daylight, which give strange colours. Outdoors, a cloudy day gives soft, flattering light.
2. Clean the lens
It sounds obvious, yet it is the most common cause of a blurry or hazy image: a fingerprint on the lens. A wipe with a soft cloth before each shoot is enough.
3. Choose the right resolution
In the camera settings, choose 1080p (Full HD) or 4K. For a person speaking, 30 frames per second is enough; for movement (a machine running, a quick gesture), switch to 60. Keep the same setting for all the shots in one video: editing will be easier.
4. Lock focus and exposure
The phone constantly adjusts sharpness and brightness, which makes the image "breathe". On most phones, a long press on your subject on the screen locks focus and exposure. You can then adjust brightness by sliding your finger.
5. Stabilise the image
A shaky image is tiring and looks amateur. Hold the phone with both hands, elbows against your body, and move slowly. Even better: a small tripod or a stabiliser costs little and changes everything. Film with the main camera (on the back), which is usually better quality than the front camera.
6. Sound matters more than image
People forgive an average image, not inaudible sound. The phone's microphone picks up the whole environment: room echo, machines, the street. A wireless lavalier microphone plugged into the phone is the most cost-effective purchase for your videos. Failing that, film in a quiet, furnished room (less echo), and get closer to the person speaking.
7. The right format and framing
- Vertical (9:16) for Reels, TikTok and stories.
- Horizontal (16:9) for YouTube, your website or a presentation.
- Place the subject slightly off-centre, on one of the grid lines (turn the grid on in the settings): it's more pleasant to watch than a subject right in the middle.
- Leave a little space around the subject: apps often crop the image.
8. Edit short, and add subtitles
On social media, everything happens in the first three seconds: start with the result, the question or the strongest image, not with an introduction. Cut out silences and hesitations. Add subtitles, because many people watch without sound. And end with a single action: visit your website, request a quote, write to you.
And at ATARE?
We edit your videos from your footage, we create AI videos and avatars that present your products, and we can manage your social media every month, short videos included. For a shoot in the workshop, on site or in store, we work with partner photographers.
