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Shakiness is a flaw that can make even the best smartphone videos useless, but you don’t have to let it ruin your footage. With the right tools, any shaky video is fixable.
Why Are My Smartphone Videos Shaky?
There are a lot of reasons why you might have a shaky video. It’simpossible to stay completely still while taking a video, so if you don’t use the right handheld technique or a phone stabilizer, your video might be shaky because your body is.
Your video might also be shaky because you zoomed in too far. When your camera is completely zoomed out, the tiny movements your body makes aren’t enough to affect the video that much. When you zoom in, those movements become enormous—so if you’re shooting a long-distance video, you need the right technique.
There are plenty of ways you’re able to fix your shaky videos, even without professional tools. Here are the three best methods to prevent and fix shaky videos.
Use a Phone Stabilizer to Reduce Shakiness
If you want to prevent shaky smartphone footage entirely, the best thing you’re able to do is to invest in agimbal phone stabilizer. These handheld devices hold your phone on a stick that rotates in three directions, smoothly adapting the pan and tilt of your phone’s camera to the natural movements of your hand.
Most gimbal smartphone stabilizers retail between $30 and $100. While cheaper models lack some of the quality features of leading models, all are capable of providing stable video. Some feature built-in tripod legs, allowing you to seamlessly switch between the two stabilization styles.
If you want something inexpensive for still shots, you might find that a tripod is a better fit. Brands like Onn sellsmartphone tripodsas tall as 52", featuring tools like pan and tilt arms similar to what professional videographers use.
Phone stabilizers and tripods will both give incredible results, but each is right for a different job. You should buy a gimbal phone stabilizer for dynamic videos where the camera will actively move, while tripods are perfect for achieving stability with stationary footage.
Record With the Right Handheld Videography Methods
Handheld videography is the most adaptable, but it’s also the most difficult way to avoid shaky videos. You can minimize how much shakiness shows in your video by using the right method. Depending on whether you’re recording a horizontal or vertical video, the best hand posture differs.
If you’re shooting a video while holding your phone horizontally, you’re able to stabilize it by holding your phone with both hands formed in an “L” shape. You can tuck your elbows against your sides to stabilize your arms, or lean against something nearby for a bit of extra support. In most cases, you’ll achieve the best results shooting horizontal videos with this method.
If you’re shooting a video vertically, you’re able to hold your phone as you usually do—but bracing your arms against anything to stabilize them is vital. You can press your elbows against your stomach in a cinch, or brace your arms against a wall or on a flat surface.
Stabilize Your Video With a Video Editing App
It isn’t as easy to get a stable video when you’ve already taken it, but many video editing apps can help you fix your shaky video. There are a lot of great video stabilizer apps on both iOS and Android, but one of the best free apps you can install on either platform isCapCut.
After you’ve installed and opened Capcut, you can start the process of stabilizing your video by creating a new project and importing the video you want to stabilize. Next, selectEditand scroll through the options at the bottom of the screen until you findStabilize.
Drag your selection dot along the axis to select any value between the four stabilization presets, which range from minimal cropping to maximum stabilization. Clicking the play button just above the timeline allows you to preview the video prior to export.
Once you’re happy with the preview, you can save and export your video by tapping on thecheckmark iconin the bottom right corner of the screen and then pressing the export button in the top right corner of the screen.
While it’s easier to prevent a shaky video than to fix it, there’s a way to make every video usable. By investing in phone stabilizers like tripods and gimbals and using a free video stabilizer app, you can take your smartphone videography to the next level.
