Improving rough and ready iPhone videos.
Discussion
Due to COVID I have been doing video tours of properties, internal mostly. I have very little experience of filming videos, but I am quite pleased with how the initial efforts have come out.
The main problem is lighting. Even with the lights on, rooms appear quite dark and when I reach a window I get what I think is called burnout - i.e. the image just fills with light and nothing else can be seen.
Any tips chaps?
So said:
Due to COVID I have been doing video tours of properties, internal mostly. I have very little experience of filming videos, but I am quite pleased with how the initial efforts have come out.
The main problem is lighting. Even with the lights on, rooms appear quite dark and when I reach a window I get what I think is called burnout - i.e. the image just fills with light and nothing else can be seen.
Any tips chaps?
What are you using to do the filming?The main problem is lighting. Even with the lights on, rooms appear quite dark and when I reach a window I get what I think is called burnout - i.e. the image just fills with light and nothing else can be seen.
Any tips chaps?
If it's a phone, then there is often a lag when you move from dark to light quickly while it works out the optimum setting (a bit like your own eyes). Let the camera work out what it needs to do and then hit record.
Try not to shoot directly towards to window. Stand in front of the window and shoot from there.
Also, go into your phone's camera settings and check what it's set at. Hardly anyone does this and you're likely to find it set somewhere in the middle. I'll not bore you with the specifics but you should find and option for resolution. Set this to the highest number available (normally a number starting with 1080). And If your phone has the ability to adjust the ISO, then set this to somewhere between 400 and 640.
You can get lights that attach to the camera but these are more for selfies so best to work with the light that's available.
Editing software can help to bring out shadows
If you're going to do more of these, might be worth investing in a dedicated camcorder or GoPro. These will have a greater ability to handle transitions between dark and light.
HTH
StevieBee said:
So said:
Due to COVID I have been doing video tours of properties, internal mostly. I have very little experience of filming videos, but I am quite pleased with how the initial efforts have come out.
The main problem is lighting. Even with the lights on, rooms appear quite dark and when I reach a window I get what I think is called burnout - i.e. the image just fills with light and nothing else can be seen.
Any tips chaps?
What are you using to do the filming?The main problem is lighting. Even with the lights on, rooms appear quite dark and when I reach a window I get what I think is called burnout - i.e. the image just fills with light and nothing else can be seen.
Any tips chaps?
If it's a phone, then there is often a lag when you move from dark to light quickly while it works out the optimum setting (a bit like your own eyes). Let the camera work out what it needs to do and then hit record.
Try not to shoot directly towards to window. Stand in front of the window and shoot from there.
Also, go into your phone's camera settings and check what it's set at. Hardly anyone does this and you're likely to find it set somewhere in the middle. I'll not bore you with the specifics but you should find and option for resolution. Set this to the highest number available (normally a number starting with 1080). And If your phone has the ability to adjust the ISO, then set this to somewhere between 400 and 640.
You can get lights that attach to the camera but these are more for selfies so best to work with the light that's available.
Editing software can help to bring out shadows
If you're going to do more of these, might be worth investing in a dedicated camcorder or GoPro. These will have a greater ability to handle transitions between dark and light.
HTH
Given that these are walking tours, it is quite difficult to avoid walking towards light, For example, I am walking into a flat and the window is opposite the door.
Also, filming is somewhat continuous, so stopping to allow the camera to work things out isn't always possible.
I'll take a look into the settings, thanks.
The burn out you mention is the phone is seeing the windows as you move about, and exposing for the outside, which will make the inside look dark.
Most smart phones have the ability to adjust and lock exposure. Touch and hold the screen while in video, and a yellow box appears, and you'll see a small sun logo appear next to the box. you can slide that up and down to adjust exposure. And if you hold your finger on the yellow square, At the top of the screen, a yellow bar with AE/AF lock appears. Tapping that will lock the focus and exposure.
Id set exposure without a window in frame, and now as you move about, the exposure shouldn't change when it sees a window.
If its for work, might be worth investing in some better equipment as well - the small sensors in phones, will always struggle with dynamic range scenes, like rooms with bright windows.
Most smart phones have the ability to adjust and lock exposure. Touch and hold the screen while in video, and a yellow box appears, and you'll see a small sun logo appear next to the box. you can slide that up and down to adjust exposure. And if you hold your finger on the yellow square, At the top of the screen, a yellow bar with AE/AF lock appears. Tapping that will lock the focus and exposure.
Id set exposure without a window in frame, and now as you move about, the exposure shouldn't change when it sees a window.
If its for work, might be worth investing in some better equipment as well - the small sensors in phones, will always struggle with dynamic range scenes, like rooms with bright windows.
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff