Tips for Shooting Video with Your Smartphone at Home

The 4K smartphone camera in your pocket is a powerful tool if you know how to properly wield it. All it takes is a little know-how and some practice to become a master at creating really clean, professional-looking videos using your phone or a simple point-and-shoot camera. For those of you who are ready to jump in (or even just dip your toes in the water), we’ve compiled all of our best tips and tricks for getting started in the following easy-to-print PDF. 

Just click to download and save or print at home!

Want to get a tiny bit more technical? Here is some additional practical advice for capturing amazing footage with your smartphone:

Set your camera to the highest resolution (but make sure you have space available first):

-- If on iPhone: Go to Settings > Camera > Record Video > 4K at 30fps

-- If on Android: Open Camera app > Go into camera settings > Toggle video quality to highest resolution and framerate to 30 FPS

Need space? Here’s how to check your storage:

-- If on iPhone: Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage

-- If on Android: Go to Settings > Storage

Make sure your footage isn’t compressed to have the best image quality:

-- If on iPhone: Go to Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible

-- If on Android: Open Camera app > Go into camera settings > Advanced > Make sure Store videos efficiently / HEVC Toggle is switched off (if applicable)

Now that you’re armed with all this knowledge, it’s time to put our tips to the test. Break out your phone, and get started! We can’t wait to see how you’ll continue to improve if you just keep at it. And if anything continues to stump you about shooting with your phone, go ahead and let us know in the comments.