Tips from a Journalist on Recording, Editing with your iPhone

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VeriCorder's iPhone editor

The iPhone is a powerful reporting tool, so much so that the BBC is creating an app that will help reporters make the most of it in the field, replacing more expensive and sometimes less reliable equipment like satellite phones.

Many other mobile journalists are using them in the field. Their tips for recording and editing audio and video can come in handy for any iPhone user who wants to capture a lecture, conference or family moment — then edit and send with minimum hassle.

Neal Augenstein, an award-winning radio reporter for WTOP  in Washington D.C., has relied exclusively on his iPhone for field reporting for the last 18 months. Augenstein occasionally hosts hour-long seminars for journalists who want to get the most out of their iPhones, here are some tips from a recent course.

Multi-track audio and video editing on the iPhone? There’s an app for that.  Augenstein uses the $9.99 audio app from VeriCorder, to cut, edit and put together audio clips.  The company also offers multi-track video editing programs in iPhone and iPad versions, too. (See how he uses VeriCorder to edit audio in a video here.)

Get better audio with your video. Getting decent audio using just an iPhone can be troublesome in many situations, since the built-in microphone points away from the interviewee. To solve this problem, Augenstein uses an XLR adapter, to improve the quality of video recording. He also recommends investing in an extension speaker so you can get a better listen to your own audio while you record.

Video streaming made easy.  Check out Ustream, a free app for live streaming video from your iPhone.  Once installed, just open the Ustream app, hit “go live” button and your video is live on the Ustream page. Ustream also provides an embed code that can be uploaded to your website and you can also share links to Facebook and Twitter.

Via IJNet

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