Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • Best web hosting
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop

Recommended reading

Android Photography
Phones Supercharge your Android phone photography with my 5 easy tips
Panasonic Lumix S5 II
Video Cameras The best video cameras for 2025, based on in-depth testing
Insta360 mobile app on iPhone 13
360 Cameras These handy Insta360 X5 editing tricks address my biggest problem with 360 action cameras
DJI Pocket 3 best vlogging camera
Video Cameras The best cameras for vlogging 2025 following in-depth testing
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera
Samsung Galaxy Phones 9 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera features you should be using (but probably aren't)
Lead image for the best cheap video camera round-up, including the Sony ZV-1
Video Cameras Best cheap video cameras for 2025, based on in-depth testing
DaVinci Resolve for iPad undergoing tests during our video editing app review process
Pro Best video editing app of 2025: Top video editors for Android, iPhone, and iPad
  1. Phones

10 tips for shooting better video on your smartphone

How-to
By Peter Gray published 2 March 2016

Pocket Spielberg

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Shooting better videos

Shooting better videos

Shooting video on your phone is easy; you just swipe to video mode and hit record, right? Your smartphone might even shoot video in 4K, so what is stopping you from heading out and shooting lovely, high quality video?

As someone who shoots video for a living, I've found that it's what you think about before you hit record that more often than not determines how the video turns out. So, here are 10 things that you can do right now to help you shoot better video on your smartphone.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
1. Shoot horizontal, not upright

1. Shoot horizontal, not upright

If you want people to be able to watch your video at full size on a monitor or TV screen, keep your smartphone horizontal when you are recording. Shooting a video clip with your phone upright doesn't seem like an issue at the time because you're watching it on a device with a vertical screen, but as soon as you want to play the video anywhere else, your clip will be fighting for space with two black bars on either side of the screen.

So in the quest to shoot better video on your phone, start by keeping with standard video practise and shoot horizontally.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
2. Keep it smooth and steady

2. Keep it smooth and steady

Your smartphone is small and light, but it can be held surprisingly steady. The key thing is to use both hands, and lock your elbows into your body for extra stability. Try it yourself, and you'll see that although this won't eliminate the small involuntary movements (or shaky hands!), at least these won't put the viewer off like the sudden jolts you sometimes get from holding your phone one-­handed.

But what if you want to introduce some controlled movement into a shot? With your elbows locked into your body, use your feet as a solid base and move the whole of your upper body not just the camera. This will result in a smoother motion every time.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
3. Use classic compositions

3. Use classic compositions

You know when a clip from a video really stands out? Well it's not only the professional cinematographers who can get shots like that, you can too! Shots that we find striking or leave a lasting impression often make use of composition rules that are designed to draw the viewer's eye to a particular part of the scene.

A good one to start with is the rule of thirds. Some phones allows you to activate a grid on the camera app. Now this doesn't always work in video mode, but you can flick to 'photo' while you get your shot set up. Where the lines cross in the frame are all good places to put something of interest, or if you're recording a person, position their head over one of these points.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
4. Make the light work for you

4. Make the light work for you

Light is a wonderful thing, but it can be a friend or foe when shooting video. If you want to shoot better video, you need to know how to work with the available light and use it to your advantage. When outdoors, try and find a position where the sun is evenly lighting the scene you want to record.

If some parts of the shot are looking too bright or too dark, get into the habit of changing your position and finding another angle which allows you to still achieve the shot you wanted, but you've got the light working for you not against you.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
5. Mix it up

5. Mix it up

Although a video made up of a single clip might show what you intended, a video made up of many shorter clips often makes a more interesting watch, and you can pick out some smaller details, not just the overall scene.

Whatever your subject, think about what other shots you can get to complement your master shot, and add to the story. It can be as simple as shooting your subject both from close up and further away, or getting someone to repeat a performance (like a cartwheel) a few times so you can capture it from a variety of angles. You'll end up with better video as you'll find better angles to shoot from.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
6. Manually set exposure and focus

6. Manually set exposure and focus

Not all smartphone apps do this, but try pressing and holding on an area of the screen to activate the AE/AF Lock function. With a smartphone, the most important is the AE (Auto Exposure) Lock because you don't want the smartphone to keep changing the exposure while you're filming.

This will often happen if you're panning across an indoor scene (especially if there are windows!), so try locking the exposure on an area that gives you a good exposure for the whole scene. Manually setting the focus is great when you want to get close to an object, and you need to tell the camera to focus on a particular area.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
7. Record good audio, or remove it later

7. Record good audio, or remove it later

Bad audio can ruin a great piece of video, and just because your smartphone can record a decent voiceover in a quiet controlled environment, it doesn't mean you can 100% rely on it when you're out and about.

If it's a perfectly still day, go for it, and if you want to video someone talking, get as close to them as you can to make sure they are heard above any noise in the environment. No doubt you've heard the horrible sound wind noise makes on video clips, so locate the built­in microphone and try to shield it from the wind, but be prepared to remove the audio later it it's noisy and unusable.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
8. Go further with smart accessories

8. Go further with smart accessories

Everything so far can be achieved with just you and your smartphone, but there are some fantastic accessories out there that can turn your phone into a video making machine. We all need a good reason to part with any cash, of course, so be clear about what you want to achieve.

If getting static shots is your thing, a smartphone tripod or stabiliser is a good option, or if you find that the audio is keeping the quality of your videos down, something like the Rode SmartLav microphone might be the way to go.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
9. Know what's possible (and what's not)

9. Know what's possible (and what's not)

You want to shoot better video on your smartphone, so before you start shooting, it's good to know what the limitations are. Check the amount of available memory and battery life, as you can't just slot a couple of spare batteries into your smartphone, and you don't want to waste valuable shooting time scrolling through photos and videos deciding what to delete to free up space!

Smartphones don't have zoom lenses, and any digital zoom features will reduce the quality of the image, so aim to find a position where you are close enough for your subject to fill the frame.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
10. Edit and share your videos

10. Edit and share your videos

It sounds obvious, but if no one can watch and comment or give feedback on your videos, it's hard to assess whether you're shooting better video. It doesn't require hours of work, as the edit can be as simple as trimming the beginning or end off a few clips and arranging them in a logical order.

Some of this can be done on your phone itself, but making use of free video editing software opens up more possibilities to enhance your videos. Most importantly, keep making videos, and get them out there for people to watch.

  • How to shoot a Hollywood movie on your smartphone
Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Peter Gray
See more Phone How Tos
Read more
Android Photography
Supercharge your Android phone photography with my 5 easy tips
Panasonic Lumix S5 II
The best video cameras for 2025, based on in-depth testing
Insta360 mobile app on iPhone 13
These handy Insta360 X5 editing tricks address my biggest problem with 360 action cameras
DJI Pocket 3 best vlogging camera
The best cameras for vlogging 2025 following in-depth testing
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera
9 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera features you should be using (but probably aren't)
Lead image for the best cheap video camera round-up, including the Sony ZV-1
Best cheap video cameras for 2025, based on in-depth testing
Latest in Phones
Donald Trump holding a phone next to an image of the Trump Mobile T1 on a gold background
Trump Mobile looks like a normal high-speed cell network – with one big and worrisome exception
Using Apple Products
This is my favorite 'hidden' iPhone feature and if you also own a Mac, you should be using it right now
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus in Navy Blue showing settings Quick Settings drop down, standing in between two adorable Android figurines
Got a Galaxy phone? Samsung says you should turn on these 5 security features right now
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
A massive new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 leak suggests we could see some serious upgrades at next week's Unpacked
Sony WH-1000XM6 with earcups pointed towards the camera
New leak may have revealed just about every Nothing Headphones 1 spec
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
New and unofficial renders show how thin the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 could be – and we also have hints for when they'll go on sale
Latest in How Tos
Emma Raducanu preparing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Raducanu vs Xu online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis FREE
A woman dances on a friend's shoulders at the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset on June 29 near Glastonbury, England. The festival, founded in 1970, has grown into one of the largest outdoor green field festivals in the world.(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
How to watch Glastonbury replays on BBC iPlayer (it's FREE)
Max Verstappen leads the pack at the beginning of the 2024 Austrian GP.
How to watch Austrian Grand Prix F1 on ORF On today (it's free)
Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in their face off for their fight on 28 July.
How to watch Jake Paul vs Chavez Jr live on DAZN tonight – best PPV prices, start time
Sione Katoa of the Sharks scores a try during the NRL Preliminary Final match between the Penrith Panthers and the Cronulla Sharks
NRL Premiership live stream 2025: how to watch rugby online, FREE options, streaming guide
Maro Itoje in training for British & Irish Lions
Western Force vs Lions FREE streams: How to watch British & Irish Lions tour live online from anywhere now
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Apple Music is celebrating 10 years with a personalized ‘All Time’ Playlist, and there’s a way for Spotify listeners to get in on the action
  2. 2
    ChatGPT kept giving me bland dinner recipes until I showed it the kind of meals I actually like
  3. 3
    This Lenovo Chromebook uses a CPU not found in any other laptops - and it should give AMD and Intel a run for their money
  4. 4
    This touching viral AI video of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s mom hugging him is also sparking a fiery debate
  5. 5
    70% of new hires click on phishing links within the first 3 months of employment - here's how to stay safe

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...