With 4K video capabilities starting to appear in more and more Android phones like the Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy S5 and LG G3, shooting video rather than just photos on your smartphone has started looking more attractive. What's even more attractive is videos that are shot well. Today we'll share ten simple tips for shooting better quality video on Android.
1. Clean the lens
It sounds ridiculous, but you'd never take photos on your DSLR with the amount of dirt and fat found on the average smartphone camera lens. If you don't have a lens or glasses cleaning cloth handy, just use your shirt.
2. Don't cover the microphone
Again, know your smartphone like you know your video camera. Pay attention to where the microphone is and make sure you're not covering it up when you shoot video. There's nothing worse than getting that great video of an alien landing only to muffle their intergalactic greeting with your chubby paws.
3. Use both hands
Two hands are better than one in many parts of life, and shooting nice smooth and stable video with your smartphone is one of them. Nothing makes a video look worse than awkward jerks and jumps that could have easily been avoided if you simply got grabby with your camera.
4. Keep it horizontal
For starters, never shoot vertical video. Once you're in landscape orientation try to find a horizontal line and keep it level in the frame. Use the horizon or the line of a building as a reference (if you're facing it front on), or otherwise try to maintain a level angle. There's nothing worse than making people seasick when you show them your festival videos.
5. Watch out for high contrast areas
Be careful when you have areas of super bright sunlight or artificial illumination and dark shadowy areas. Your smartphone will have issues balancing out these areas and you'll be left with blown out lights and inky blacks with no definition. Try to position yourself somewhere it won't be so contrasty.
6. Charge your battery
Shooting video, especially 4K video, consumes a lot of battery life, so before you set out to capture some unforgettable moments make sure you have enough battery power to actually record them. If you have a removable battery take that with you or a external battery pack.
7. Clear up some memory
4K video also fills up memory extremely quickly. If you have a microSD card slot in your phone make sure you're recording your video to it, and if you don't then try to free up as much internal memory as possible before you start shooting. Running out of storage at the critical moment is not an option!
8. Avoid moving from dark to light areas
Like the contrast issue above, if you're tracking a subject from a dark to a light area you'll get some crazy white balance when the subject crosses from shadows to light. The same goes if you're moving from light areas to dark or vice versa.
9. Don't use digital zoom
Digital zoom sucks, we all know it. So instead of messing up your beautifully framed shot, use your feet to zoom instead. Just keep your phone as still as possible and slowly approach your subject. This may take a little while to perfect but it sure beats crappy digital zooming.
10. Be fluid with your movements
Try to find a nice rhythm to your movements so you maintain a constant speed when panning. Try not to jerkily tilt up or down and avoid changing the speed of your movements. This is jarring in the final video. Try to find a slow, fluid and constant motion. Your videos will look heaps better if you do.
Do you shoot video on your smartphone? What tips can you share for better shooting?
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Android Tips n hacks