iPhone video

Singapore chicken rice ‘war’ looks delicious on iPhone 13 Pro

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People in Singapore are passionate about chicken and rice like New Yorkers are passionate about pizza.
People in Singapore are passionate about chicken and rice like New Yorkers are passionate about pizza.
Photo: Apple TV+

There’s a saying in Singapore that “the camera always eats first.” The folks there love their food and taking pictures of it. And that’s especially true of chicken rice, the subject of Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone 13 Pro” video.

Poached is a short documentary film about chicken-rice food hawkers at war with one another. It’s a little more than 5 minutes long — time enough to make you hungry.

Smartphone film fest dangles $10,000 prize for your iPhone masterpiece

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publicity shot for Moment International Film Festival
You have a little over a month to make a three-minute classic.
Photo: Moment

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has sworn off big expensive motion picture cameras for the camera in his pocket. Your iPhone is no different from his, so get out there and make the movie that’s locked in your head. It could win you $10,000 in the Moment International Film Festival.

iOS 13.2 finally brings frame rate, resolution settings to Camera app

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iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max
iOS 13.2 will make switching frame rates and resolution for your video shooting much easier.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 11 line hasn’t even been out a month, but Apple continues to improve its camera through iOS updates.

An iOS developer exploring iOS 13.2 beta 2 said the Camera app will allow video shooters to adjust frame rates and resolution without going into the Settings app.

New Zealand looks dreamy in iPhone film shot with cinema lens

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iPhone film of New Zealand by Mathieu Stern
Shot on iPhone – with a big assist from an anamorphic lens.
Screenshot: Mathieu Stern/YouTube

In your pocket is a camera capable of making films that stretch across a silver screen. But to get that sweeping, horizontal field of view, you want to make room in an extra pocket for one important accessory – an anamorphic lens.

Rather than explain it, Parisian photographer and filmmaker Mathieu Stern shows off the wow factor an anamorphic lens delivers with a short film he made in New Zealand using an iPhone 8 Plus.

This Pro Camera app is a master of both stills and video

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Moment Pro Camera app
The Moment Pro Camera app lets you have command of how your stills and videos look.
Photo: Moment

You’re a gifted content creator, shooting great stills and compelling video with your iPhone. But for complete creative control, some rely on separate camera apps for each discipline.

Moment, the maker of premium quality lens attachment for both, now has an all-in-one program app making switching from stills to video quick and seamless.

A beefed up Pro Camera app hits the App Store today, offering full manual control and with features making it difficult to have a bad shoot.

Filmmaker’s iPhone XS passes the shark bite test

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iPhone shark
This iPhone XS and its owner pass the ultimate stress test.
Screenshot: Camp4 Collective/YouTube

Even on video, our eyes get big when we see the open mouth of a shark. But what’s the appropriate response when you see an iPhone XS between the shark’s teeth?

This was the most interesting scene in a behind-the-scenes video of how the production company, Camp4 Collective, made the “Shot on iPhone” commercial Don’t Mess with Mother

Trailer offers thrilling glimpse of Soderbergh’s new iPhone flick

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Soderbergh iPhone film
Steven Soderbergh's latest iPhone film hits Netflix Feb. 8.
Screenshot: Netflix/You Tube

Netflix released a trailer this week for Steven Soderbergh’s latest iPhone masterpiece, High Flying Bird, with fast-moving scenes sure to excite broke and budding filmmakers.

This is the Oscar-winning director’s follow-up to his first iPhone feature film, Unsane, and delivers on his promise that all future films will be shot on iPhones.

Easily process and edit 4K/HD videos with VideoProc [iPhone XS and AirPods giveaway]

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Easy-to-use Mac app VideoProc makes video processing simple.
This easy-to-use Mac app makes video processing simple.
Image: Digiarty Software

This post is presented by Digiarty Software.

Shooting great video on an iPhone is easy. But if you want to edit or work with video at a deeper level for watching or uploading without any limitations, you’re going to need special software. Usually, that means getting an expensive application for video editing and conversion.

A new app from Digiarty Software called VideoProc offers an easier, more affordable way to process video. Plus, you can win a copy of the Mac app in our sweepstakes — and maybe even take home a free iPhone XS and AirPods to enjoy your sparkly new video! Just visit the iPhone video processing page and enter your email for a chance to win.

Pocket iPhone dolly lets you capture cinematic shots

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MUWI
The MUWI dolly adds a steadying motion to your iPhone videos.
Photo: MUWI

Few if any dollies – the wheeled rigging filmmakers use to capture smooth horizontal camera shots – fit in a back pocket. A cute little cart called MUWI does and is ready to roll on the set of your next iPhone flick.

Four rotary legs with tiny wheels fold out from its oval-shaped dolly base and a retractable holder unfurls from the top to cradle your iPhone. It can also hold other small cameras, including GoPros, point-and-shooters and some of the lighter DSLR and mirrorless cameras.

Simple tool brings cinematic polish to iPhone video

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iPhone video
A motorized camera slider by InMotion brings iPhone video closer to a cinematic level.
Photo: InMotion

Great smartphone video is all about capturing movement. But the majority of smartphone videos aren’t so great, especially when the recorded movement is from the shaky hands of the filmmaker.

The startup company InMotion has come up with a motorized slider to give your iPhone, GoPro or mirrorless camera videos smooth, fluid captures of moving subjects.

Hollywood’s fave iPhone app supports Apple’s go-to video format

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iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
Photo: Filmic

Filmic Pro, the gold standard iPhone app for filmmakers to achieve near-cinematic quality, released an update today to support the new HEVC format in iOS 11.

HEVC stands for High-Efficiency Video Coding (also called H.265), a compression standard that reduces the file size of videos while retaining much of the quality. This means users can store twice the number of videos on their iPhones or iPad Pros.

Think you need pro gear for great iPhone photos? That’s fake news.

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iPhone rig
You don't necessarily need expensive gear to make a great iPhone video.
Photo: Marques Brownlee/YouTube

You can make great photos and videos with just an iPhone. There is nothing fake about that statement. Thousands of great iPhone photos appear on our camera rolls and Instagram feeds every day to prove it.

Nevertheless, a recent YouTube video suggested Apple uses more than just iPhones to create its “Shot on iPhone” commercials. The video quickly went viral. Headlines it generated sowed seeds of doubt about the authenticity of Apple’s claims.

So, are we really getting the great camera Apple says it puts in its iPhones?

iPhone camera rig will make your footage look silky smooth [Review]

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Shoulderpod
The X1 Pro Rig from Shoulderpod.
Photo: Shoulderpod

The more powerful the iPhone camera gets, the less practical the iPhone design is for certain jobs. Holding a thin, pocket-shaped device out in front of your face with your forefingers and thumbs on both ends to view the screen is risky and shaky, especially for video.

But there are accessories that can give the mobile video shooter a secure and steady grip without adding much weight or bulk in the field. Among the best tools come from a company in Spain called Shoulderpod.

How Bluetooth mic on AirPods is useful for iPhone videos

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Earphones
AirPods aren't as good without iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Photographer, videographer and online instructor Cielo de la Paz uses the iPhone and other Apple products for a lot of her work. She never envisioned she’d find value in the new Apple AirPods.

But she recently discovered how the AirPods’ Bluetooth microphone, combined with the iOS app MoviePro, solves a big problem when she shoots some of her tutorials.

This rugged case turns your iPhone into a GoPro [Review]

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The Hitcase Pro 2.0, shown with a super-wide lens, is now available for iPhone 6, 6s and 7 on Kickstarter.
The Hitcase Pro 2.0, shown with a super-wide lens, is now available for iPhone 6, 6s and 7 on Kickstarter.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Yes, the iPhone can shoot pictures in the same places as many pro-level cameras. But because the iPhone lacks pro-level durability, you may not bring it on your most rugged adventures.

Hitcase’s latest product should ease your mind and let capture your most extreme imagery ever.

How to shoot iPhone video like a pro

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iPhone video tips
Learn all you need to know to get the most out of your iPhone's camera.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While iPhones have pretty much replaced standalone video cameras, they don’t offer the same level of polish that a dedicated video camera or DSLR produces. It’s true that “the best camera is the camera you have with you,” but you can almost always spot a video shot on a phone.

The quality gap isn’t purely due to the lenses and tech within our phones, though. Bad habits make plenty of iPhone videos look lackluster. To show just how good an iPhone video can be, I put all my filmmaking knowledge to use for the montage below.

Instead of using my $3,000 video camera, I picked up my iPhone. With a minimum of accessories, I managed to produce what I think is a pretty cinematic video. You can see the results below — and then I’ll give you some useful tips and tricks for shooting iPhone videos like a pro.

Pro Tip: Easily edit your iPhone videos with Adobe Premiere Clip

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Cielo de la Paz can provide steady guidance on how to shoot video with the iPhone.
Cielo de la Paz can provide steady guidance on how to shoot video with the iPhone.
Photo: Cielo de la Paz

Pro_Tip_Cult_of_Mac You have so much great video footage on your iPhone, but therein lies the problem. The thought of sitting down at a computer to edit any of it seems like a mountain you have no time to climb.

Cielo de la Paz is happy to help you reach the summit – rather quickly, too. de la Paz is a fearless creator whose soulful wanderings with her iPhone camera inspired Apple to select some of her work for the “Shot on iPhone 6” advertising campaign.

iPhone encroaches upon GoPro territory with dazzling action footage

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The iPhone in close at dirt level on a motocross track.
The iPhone in close at dirt level on a motocross track.
Photo: Freeride Entertainment/Vimeo

The fact that professional-level photos and videos can be made with the camera on the iPhone is old news. However, the amazement never gets old with professionals when they forgo conventional equipment to use iPhones on a shoot.

The cinematographers who capture breathtaking action sports for Freeride Entertainment were in awe of the results with the iPhone after filming some of the most daring skiers, wakeboarders and motocross athletes for a promotion for HITCASE.

TV station shelves expensive gear to report the news with iPhones

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A reporter from Léman Bleu in Switzerland executes a live standup with an iPhone 6 on a selfie stick.
A reporter from Léman Bleu in Switzerland executes a live standup with an iPhone 6 on a selfie stick.
Photo: Léman Bleu/FTVLive

The Apple advertising campaign “Shot on iPhone 6” can now be a line on the closing credits of a Swiss news station, which now does 100 percent of its broadcasts on the iPhone.

During the summer, Léman Bleu gave each of its reporters an iPhone 6 kit to shoot their stories and use for live shots. That means a reporter with a mic in one hand can use the free hand to grip a selfie stick for live standup shots.

iPhone monopod is more than you’ll ever need but exactly what you want

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High-end kit for iPhone videos (and photos) that scream
High-end kit for iPhone videos (and photos) that scream "pro."
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Taking iPhone video is usually a pretty manual affair. You try to hold your hands steady, but eventually some shudder creeps in. Trying to maintain a steady focal point can be tricky, especially if you’re filming a larger scene, like a concert or play.

You could use a tripod, but they’re big, bulky and require some setup. You don’t want to move around with a tripod.

Monopods, however, offer the stability and easy-panning joy of a tripod without all the fuss. Manfrotto’s monopod (the aptly-named 562B-1) is a solid, tall, adjustable, simply fantastic accessory to make all your videos, iPhone or otherwise, look much more professional.

iPhone video lighting made easy

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Your iPhone takes some fantastic video with just a little attention to lighting.
Your iPhone takes some fantastic video with just a little attention to lighting.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Lighting is a crucial part of any video shoot, whether you’re filming a scene for an indie movie with an expensive camera or using your iPhone to capture video of your kid’s soccer game.

Chances are, though, you’re not going to have a professional lighting kit along with you when you use your iPhone to shoot video (unless you’re actually an indie film auteur – this tip isn’t for you).

We spoke with Alaskan filmmaker Scott Slone about the best way to get great lighting for your videos without resorting to expensive and complicated equipment.

Plan better stories to make your iPhone videos come alive

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Mobile editing is much easier when you have a plan.
Mobile editing is much easier when you have a plan.
Photo: Apple

We’ve all done it before: we head to the family reunion, the wedding, the kid’s birthday party and we just shoot everything. We have no plan except that we think we’ll have time later to edit it down to something interesting.

Unfortunately, that just leads to a bloated iPhone with too many unnecessary video files. Plus, you know you’re never going to get around to sitting down and looking through all that footage again. Ugh.

With a good plan, however, and a firm grasp of one simple storytelling technique, you’ll avoid this problem and create some amazing videos without a whole lot of extra work.

Here’s how.