- If the reason you're not
posting videos online is because you don't own a camera. I'm sorry to tell you a
friend, but you're a liar. All right, all right, I'm just kidding. But the camera that you put
in your pocket every day with your smartphone,
is an incredible camera that shoots great video. However, maybe you're not
so pleased with the quality that your camera is getting. And so that's why in this video, I'm gonna share some tips
and upgrades you can make with your smartphone to really get the best video quality possible so that you can start crushing video content all with your smartphone. Let's get it. - [Male] You gotta just press record. Hey, what's up, it's Omar
Takori with Think Media, and I'm really gonna break this video down kind of in two portions. One will be like actual upgrades. Things that you can invest
in to make your video quality look better with your smartphone. And then secondly, I'm
gonna share some freeways that you can actually level up the video with your smartphone. And so with that being said, the first thing I would
recommend you upgrading is getting this 11 in one
lens kit for smartphones from Amazon, that only costs $25. Now you may not need all 11
lenses that come in this kit because some are kind
of like affects lenses. However, three of my favorite ones that come in this, number
one is the wide one, which just gives you
that nicer YouTuber look. Kind of like what you're seeing right now. It's a fairly medium wide shot, which is really cool because
it not only gives you that Youtuber look, but it also makes your space
look a little bit bigger and it allows you to come
closer to your camera, therefore, making your audio sound better, because then you're
closer to the onboard mic. So that's the wide angle lens. They also have this super fish eye lens, which gives you that
like eighties, nineties, skateboard video kind of vibe. However, the other two
lenses that I really like, is the macro lens, which allows you to get
really close up to something and really get the
detail of whatever it is you're trying to shoot
or the telephoto lens, which will give you a
nice tight compressed shot for something like products or maybe a closeup to
something you're demonstrating. Now, I am aware that newer smartphones, like my iPhone 11 Pro have
multiple lenses on them. However, I found that the wide angle lens that's on them is cool, but it doesn't do that well indoors. It only does really
well when the sun's out. In a setting like this, it's kind of very grainy and
the actual regular camera lens does better in low light
or even nice lighting. But then the main camera
is usually the one that gets upgraded really well
when newer models come out. Also, I think to eliminate the temptation, to have the latest and
greatest or maxed out version of something could be resolved
with literally investing in this $25 lens kit. And what's cool about this is that this is my wife's iPhone 11, 10, which is like three years old at the time of shooting this video. And this guy shoots 4K man. Three years old and it shoots 4K. Like how, what smartphone are you using? I bet you at shoots 4K, if it's around three, four years old. So really you can get by with the smartphone you already have by upgrading with this
lens kit from Amazon. And I'll be sure to post links
down in the description below for everything I mentioned in this video. The next upgrade I would
recommend you to make, is an audio upgrade. You would actually be surprised
how much you can bypass lower video quality by simply
having good audio quality. And that's because audio is 50% of video. And so if your video
quality isn't top notch, but your audio quality sounds
good and it's consistent, and it's easy to hear. Then trust me, you'll actually
have your viewers bypass the video quality because your
audio quality sounds good. The first upgrade I
would recommend you do, is a Lavalier upgrade. This is the Deity V.lav. This is about a $50 Lavalier microphone that plugs straight into your smartphone, which is what I love,
it's very plug and play. And you can clip this onto
your button up, your blouse, or even your t-shirt and
start recording videos. What's cool about this is it
comes with a really long cord. So if you want to move around, you can maintain consistent
audio, nonetheless, that you're moving around because the audio source
is coming from here, as opposed to your onboard mic. A lot of people are shooting
videos way back here, but their onboard mic is way over there and it doesn't sound that good. So investing in something
like this is key. Now it is important to note to
get the corresponding adaptor that you need to be able to
plug it into your smartphone because smart phones don't
have headphone jacks anymore. But for me, I get the lightening
to headphone jack adapter and it plugs right into my iPhone. You have an Android, get the USB-C or whatever charging port
you have into headphone jack and you'll be able to plug it in as well. The second way you can upgrade your audio is kind of how I shoot my videos now. And that is by booming
your mic out of shot. So right now you could see my mic that you're hearing is right
out of frame like this. And it's capturing good audio because it's literally about
10 inches away from my mouth. And it, even though I'm
far away from my camera, I'm getting good audio because the audio source is right here. So this is one way that you can do it. And I would say, this is
about an $80 solution. It's just not as portable
as the Lavalier mic. Like if you find yourself on the go, it might not work as best. But if you like to sit down and talk, having something like this
is a good solution as well. Now, the third way is to
upgrade your smartphones audio with a USB mic, which is crazy that you
can plug in a USB mic into your smartphone. But if you get the Samsung
Q2U, which is about a $70 mic, you can plug it right
into your smartphone. And a mic like that will give you that nice rich radio podcasts sound, which is actually pretty sweet knowing that you're actually
filming on your smartphone and yet achieving a nice
high quality sound effect that'll trick your
viewers thinking you have a super gnarly setup. When all reality, you were
just using a $70 USB mic plugged in your smartphone. Now to save time and
keep this video going, typically I would do an audio test, comparing all three of the
mics that I just mentioned. However, I did make a
video on how to improve the audio quality to your smartphone. And you can check out that
video at the end of this video, if you'd like to see how
those sound side to side. Now, once you've upgraded your audio, the next thing you can upgrade to make your smartphone
look so much better on video is by upgrading your lighting. And the reality is lighting is everything. I was so surprised to see
how good the video quality of my smartphone looked by
simply upgrading my light to something that was more large and soft. I know often times people
want to buy a ring light or a panel light, and
those are great lights, especially to get started with. But if you invest into a Cobb light, which is a little bit more expensive, you're gonna get a much flattering and more cinematic image
out of your smartphone. But if you are on a budget, you can invest in to the
MountDog softbox kit, which is about $50 for
one or about $80 for two. And what's cool about this light kit, is it comes with a wireless remote. It allows you to dim it and it allows you to change
the color temperature of the light. All that to say, it's a pretty sweet kit, if you're on a budget, nonetheless, the GVM Cobb light would
give you a better image out of your smartphone, simply because it's a Cobb light. And really between upgrading
your audio and your lighting, you will really pull out
incredible video quality out of your smartphone. And I want to encourage you to know that you're making an investment. I know oftentimes people
like to upgrade their gear from cheap to intermediate to expensive. When the reality is that you
can actually upgrade lighting and audio upfront and you won't
have to upgrade it later on. And so all that to say, the chances are, if you get a really good light upfront, you won't have to upgrade it later. And the same goes with your microphone. Now I got three more tips to
level up the video quality out of your smartphone, but if you're already getting
value out of this video, let me know by hitting the like button. Thank you so much. And let me know down in the comments below what smartphone you currently have now. I bet you, it shoots 4K. And you need to start
posting videos on YouTube. Let's go, come on. The next tip is to lock-in
settings before you shoot. Honestly, what's cool about smartphones is that they're really easy to use and they have great auto features to be able to accommodate
whatever situation you're filming in, whether it's indoors or outside. However, if you're shooting,
you know, stationary stuff, whether it's like this or maybe products, you can actually press down on the screen and it'll lock focus on your smartphone, as well as the exposure
on your smartphone. On iPhones, you can
then change the exposure by sliding up and down your
finger with the sun icon, which is a super nice feature and to really dial in your exposure. Now this might require some help needed, whether that's a stand in, somebody to sit in place while you do that or somebody to do it for you. But nonetheless, I think it's
worth taking the time to do so just to lock in your
shot and look drippy crispy. The next tip is to shoot
B roll with movement. It's really important to
add supplemental footage to your videos, to keep
your viewer engaged. And one way you can do that is by simply moving the camera slowly to show off whatever it
is you're talking about. It is easier to use a
tripod with a fluid head and we'll post our best
recommended one for smartphones down in the description below. However, being able to add
these movements into your video will actually level up the
production value of your video and cause your viewer to watch longer. Now using a tripod with a fluid
head to get that movement, whether it's a pan or a tilt
will level up your video. However, if you don't have
the ability to do that, you can actually be the one
that's moving on screen, instead of the camera moving. So for instance, if I'm showing
off something on a table, I can actually hit record and then put something on the
table and then move my hand. And it gave me a B roll clip
to add in my edit later. Also don't underestimate the power of just holding your
phone or moving your phone from side to side when
getting a B roll shot. That's also great too. The point is to get B roll with movement and it'll make your video so much better. Now, the next tip is to hide the quality of your smartphones
video with good editing. And you can do this by simply
changing what's on screen or adding movement to the screen. So essentially every eight to 10 seconds, you can either have texts come on screen, or you can use a title slide
that you make in Canva, which we've had tutorials on that, or add an a B roll clip
every eight to 10 seconds. Maybe it's adding music very
low underneath your video, but all these little
nuances will actually level the production value of your smartphone. And people will actually not even think you're using your smartphone because your editing has great pace and it's just moving along and keeping the viewer engaged every eight to 10 seconds or so. Now, if you're just starting out, start with just title screens or something and B role like mentioned, and I promise you we'll level up and get 1% better with every upload. Now, I truly believe that
if you implement these tips that I mentioned in this
video or these upgrades, that you will be super
pleased with the video quality coming out of your smartphone, and maybe you'll never
have to need a camera because you're crushing
it with your smartphone and you don't need a camera. And the reality is, is that content value is way more important
than production value. So if you are delivering valuable content, it looks good, it sounds
good, it's engaging, you're gonna crush it on YouTube. And I know you're gonna
crush it on YouTube. So keep posting videos
with your smartphone and we'd love to see it. Make sure to subscribe
if you're not already. And if you want to check out
a video of one of the ones that I've mentioned earlier in this video, click or tap the screen, and I can't wait to see
you in a future one, peace. (relaxing music)
