Dolby recording tips

Lights, camera, action: a guide to shooting great video with Dolby On

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Creating videos with your smartphone is now widely accepted as a powerful way of capturing music experiences. And by using this app, you now have a video camera in your pocket equipped with Dolby sound. However, shooting video can still be intimidating, even if it’s with your phone.

Here are some basic tips for shooting and editing great video, using Dolby On:

1. Find good lighting

Lighting has a big impact on smartphone cameras because they have smaller sensors and lenses than traditional cameras. Avoid back-lit settings and don’t point the camera directly at bright lights, which can cause overexposure or flaring.



2
. Charge your phone

Shooting videos will drain your battery quickly.


3. Use a tripod

Leaning the phone on objects to capture the right shot can be frustrating, and also risks covering the phone's microphones, so invest in an inexpensive tripod. Tripods also offer you more options to get the right angle for your shot.


4. Do a soundcheck

Do a quick soundcheck before shooting any video. Test your levels by speaking or singing with the phone in position and you’ll see the levels rising and falling. Check that your hand or phone case aren't blocking any of the mics, particularly the bottom one.


5. Prioritize your subject

Get close to your subject to make sure they completely fill the frame. Better yet, place your subject slightly off-center to create a more visually appealing scene. Avoid distracting background situations where there’s lots of activity behind your subject.


6. Shoot in vertical and landscape

Rewind a couple of years and most experts would say to not waste your time shooting vertical video. However, because more video is now being created and viewed on smartphones, the vertical format is embraced by the larger social media platforms.

Shooting vertically requires a closer, cropped, and more intimate approach.

Dolby On accommodates vertical and landscape, and we absolutely recommend you shoot video in both formats to find which works best for you.


7. Editing

We recommend wearing headphones while editing so you can hear all the little details.

Use Sound Tools to edit your video:

  • Styles help you choose the perfect audio enhancement for your newly recorded video.
  • Noise Reduction helps clean away unwanted background noise.
  • Adjust bass and treble independently for a sound that fits what you want.
  • Use the Trim tool to mark your video’s start and finish.

 

Like everything in music, creating great video takes practice. Try shooting video by default. Turn those jam session audio recordings into jam session video recordings.

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