You don’t really need a professional DSLR camera to shoot amazing videos. You can churn out great photos using just your smartphone. Your phone camera is packed with features. All you have to do is learn to utilise these features in the best way possible. Fret not, we’re here to show you how.
1. Use high contrast
Increase or decrease your brightness and contrast according to the environment you’re in. Your video’s vivid colours should pop out. Contrasting videos that have a stark colour difference draw in people.
2. Have you heard of the “rule of thirds”
To try shooting your video according to the rule of thirds, head over to your camera settings and click the 3×3 grid. Instead of placing yourself at the centre of the camera, place yourself at the intersections where the grid lines meet. These intersections are the focus areas people are automatically drawn to. The grid lines also help you level your video straight and avoid tilted angles.
3. Make sure you shoot in landscape mode
Portraits and vertical videos don’t look too pleasing on YouTube. You should shoot your video horizontally so that it complies with YouTube’s standard video format. Or you’ll have to end up with heaps of editing and cropping.
4. Stabilise your videos
Make sure that your phone has sturdy support when you’re shooting. Your camera should not shake or wobble. Use a selfie stick, stabiliser or tripod for phones to get an extra hand.
5. Click the focus button
While recording, make sure your camera always focuses on the object you want to shoot. Just press the record button and click on the object you want to focus on your screen. A small rectangle or circle should pop up on your screen for a second, indicating that your camera is focusing on the main object.
6. Experiment with exposure
Sometimes, your surroundings might be a bit too dark or dull. Toggle between the exposure settings until you find the perfect balance.
7. Use HDR mode
There should be an option to shoot videos in HDR mode on your phone settings. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. This feature allows you to capture detailed shadows, highlights and videos with a super high level of clarity.
8. Use the burst mode for action shots
Press and hold your shutter button to activate burst shots. These are great to capture action photos or make gifs you want to cross-promote on social media. You can capture water splashing, dance movements or action moves without the motion blur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn_ri3-H4S4
9. Timelapse videos
If you have a cooking channel or makeup channel, time-lapse videos are fantastic to speed your video pace up. Set your camera on timelapse mode and go about doing your thing. Once you’re done, the video will increase your video speed and sum it up to just a few seconds long.
10. Use more negative space
Don’t clutter your video with too many objects or people. You need to be the main focus. Leave a lot of empty room around you. This is called negative space. You want your videos to look clean and captivating.
11. Use night mode
This is a no-brainer. Don’t forget to use night mode if you’re shooting in dimly lit spaces. The latest phone cameras have extraordinary night vision cameras that do a great job of shooting in low light.
There you have it. That’s all you pretty much need to start shooting stunning YouTube videos!
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