Carrying a smartphone means you always have a video camera with you, and about a quarter of users actively send one another little films, according to German digital industry group Bitkom. Some of the results are unwatchable, but with just a few simple tips, it's possible to make decent smartphone videos. Read on.
REDUCE WOBBLE: To make sure your film doesn't give people vertigo because everything is shaking so badly, try to keep the phone stable while filming. That often means using two hands instead of one.
Additionally, try to keep your arms close to your body, advises Timm Lutter of Bitkom. Keeping the horizon at the same point on the display is a good rule.
WATCH YOUR FORMAT: Smartphones are about the only devices that can film in portrait format. Portrait-format video looks terrible on every other device, such as on TV. Always film in landscape format.
KEEP IT CLEAN: Dust and dirt on your lens is hard to notice when replaying a film on a smartphone's small screen. But it will become noticeable when the image is displayed on a larger screen. You're best off cleaning the glass cover of the camera with a microfibre cloth before taking any movies.
EDITING: There are smartphone apps for editing and colour controls, letting you edit right on the device, before you send them on to anyone. It often looks better and has the added advantage that trimmed down clips take up smaller data volumes when sent.