The best video recording mobile apps on the market right now

The best video recording mobile apps on the market right now

It’s very common nowadays for videos to be recorded on mobile phones. While this approach used to be regarded as only for amateurs, delivering low-quality results, that is really not the case anymore. Capturing video on a mobile phone is seen as being very normal nowadays and is the norm in a lot of industries. A lot of content creators exclusively use their phones to create their videos! 

This article will help you discover the best apps and some helpful tips to use when recording so you can get great videos from your mobile phone!

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How to Record a Video on Mobile – 7 Mobile Video Recording Tips

With most people being virtually inseparable from their phones, and phones being capable of producing high-quality video content, it is becoming increasingly simple for entrepreneurs to use video as part of their communications strategies. 

Whether you use an Apple or an Android device there are apps available to help with editing and special effects, meaning that your phone isn’t only an effective video camera but can operate as an editing studio as well! Video has never been easier or more economical to produce. 

Quality expectations from content consumers are increasing just as quickly as the ability to record videos on mobile is – so here are some helpful tips to make sure you know how to record a video on mobile that is top quality!

Try to have quality audio 

The quality of your audio is just as important as the quality of the video itself.  You can have the best imagery recorded but if the accompanying audio is difficult to hear or clouded by ambient noise, people will be too distracted and frustrated to enjoy the visuals. 

Unfortunately, the capacity of built-in mics on mobile devices hasn’t kept pace with their capacity for video capture. The mics used are typically low quality and their placement is sub-optimal for sound capture. They are also excellent at picking up wind and other ambient sounds that add nothing but a distraction. 

For great audio, it is a good idea to use an external recording device or a directional mic. If these tools aren’t an option for you, make the most of your built-in mic by making sure your recording space is as free of background noise as possible.

Listen carefully for buzzing lights, ticking clocks, and anything else that can interfere with your audio. Getting as close as you can to your subject can also help your device’s built-in mic do its best possible work. 

Also read: the guide to cropping a video

Avoid dark areas

You don’t want your videos to be too dark, and when you’re recording video on mobile you need to be extra attentive to your lighting. Because smartphone cameras have smaller lenses and smaller light sensors than traditional video cameras, you need to shoot in areas that are as well-lit as possible. Filming in areas with sufficient lighting helps make sure that your video won’t have shadows or grainy-looking spots.

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

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Avoid bright lights

While it’s important to have enough light for filming, the wrong kind of lighting can give you less-than-optimal results.  Filming with windows streaming light directly into the shot, or bright overhead lights can cause your footage to be unusable; full of lens flares and improper exposure. 

Soft lighting directed at the subject of your video will give much better results for your mobile video recordings. 

Avoid zooming 

While digital zoom is available on smartphones, it is not even remotely similar to the quality of a proper zoom lens. Footage captured using digital zoom when recording a video on mobile, will show a lot of distracting pixelation.  

It is best, instead, to physically move closer to your subject whenever possible. Your frame should be filled as much as possible by moving your camera (and yourself!) forward, back, or side to side. Using the zoom function should be avoided whenever possible.

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Stabilize your shots

Shaky footage is no one’s favorite! It’s a dead giveaway of amateur filming and is easy to avoid. 

Stabilizing your shot can be done in a few ways. You can lean up against something to steady yourself, use a nearby flat surface to rest your phone or your elbows on, or you can add a tripod to your toolkit and use that to maintain stability in your shots.

Record horizontally, except for social media

Unless you are filming for social media, record with your mobile device in a horizontal position. Recording in landscape orientation makes sure that your footage is formatted in the same ratio as television and computer screens. It means that you won’t be watching a thin strip of video with black lines down each side when your video is shown on a standard screen! 

Use video recording mobile apps

Smartphone cameras do an excellent job but they don’t allow for all of the functionality required for professional quality video creation. Once you have completed filming you can move on to the editing process right on your mobile device by downloading one of the many apps for iOs or Android systems that support video editing.

You will be able to add titles and transitions between shots, trim your clips, add personalization, and more by downloading the right apps.

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

Download a free trial of Camtasia to quickly and easily edit your own videos.

Download a free trial

Best Mobile Apps for Personalized Video Recording

There are many apps available to help bring your mobile video production to the next level. Whether you work on iOS or Android, or even if you prefer to edit on your desktop – there are lots of options to choose from. Let’s look at some of the best video recording mobile apps on the market right now so you can choose what will work best for you!

Camera+

iOS

Camera+ is an app for the iOS platform that has been one of the most popular photography and video capture apps for over a decade. It recently got a thorough upgrade to Camera+ 2.

Pros: 

Sharing to social platforms is very easy with this app.  

There are many modes available for video recording including time-lapse, timers, and exposure control. 

This app allows you to save your editing steps to create custom filters, and uses machine learning to improve the videos you capture with just one touch during shooting and in the editing process.  

Cons:

Camera+ is only available on iOS devices.

This app only allows for video trimming from the beginning of a clip.

Filters can be used while filming video but the quality is reduced when using this feature. 

The zoom function does not create smooth transitions, but rather jumps from one level to the next. 

Cost:

Camera+ costs $4.99 

Instagram

iOS  | Android  | Windows (Beta)

Instagram is a photo and video sharing app that allows for capturing and performing minor edits to photos and videos within the app itself.  

Pros:

Videos can quickly and easily be shared with followers.

The app offers a timer function, transitions, and tools to create a smooth progression through shots. 

Cons:

Video editing is restricted to effects, filters, and trimming the beginning and end of clips. 

There is no way to adjust audio and video components to sync the two if they do not sync properly on recording.

Unless a third party app is used, all videos exported will have a watermark.

Cost:

Instagram is a free app

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

Download a free trial of Camtasia to quickly and easily edit your own videos.

Download a free trial

FiLMic Pro

iOS  | Android

FiLMic Pro is a professional app for recording videos on mobile that brings many features over from professional video cameras.  

Pros:

The video output is compatible with professional-grade camcorders.

FiLMic Pro’s user interface is top-notch.

This app offers a full range of professional features.

Cons:

The app is so robust and full of features that less experienced videographers will find themselves overwhelmed. 

FiLMic Pro is not an app that compensates for the unskilled – if you don’t have good videography skills yourself, you will not get great results. 

Cost:

FiLMic Pro is free to download but offers subscription-based pricing in app.  Subscription pricing is offered on a weekly ($2.99) or annual (39.99)basis. 

iMovie

iOS

iMovie is Apple’s own video recording mobile app and comes already downloaded on Apple devices. 

Pros:

This app continuously saves and syncs your work as you go and allows you to insert new clips after you have started the editing process.

iMovie offers seamless integration with all other Apple services.

Magic Movie can create an edit using only the best parts of your footage, complete with transitions and sound. 

Cons:

iMovie uses a lot of storage space within your device.

This app does not allow for direct voiceover recording during the editing process.

There is a limited number of output options to choose from with this app compared to others.  

Cost:

iMovie is a free app.

Movie Pro

iOS  

MoviePro is a video recording app with a solid stack of features and a lower entry point than Filmic Pro. 

Pros:

This app requires a lower investment than Filmic Pro.

MoviePro is not so full of features that it overwhelms beginners.

Cons:

Some of the advanced features available on higher-level apps like Filmic are not available on MoviePro. They may be missed by more advanced users. 

Cost:

MoviePro carries a $10 one-time fee.

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

Download a free trial of Camtasia to quickly and easily edit your own videos.

Download a free trial

Open Camera

Android

Open Camera is an Android app that prioritizes still images but confidently replaces the built-in Android camera app for mobile video recording as well.

Pros:

Open Camera is very accessible based on price point and experience required for optimal use.

This app is an easy-to-use significant improvement on the native Android camera app. 

Cons:

Functionality within the app is limited to the Camera 2 API.

Open Camera’s user interface isn’t an attractive one and lacks a sense of quality.

Cost:

Open Camera is a free app and contains no in-app purchases. It is an open-source software.

MAVIS 

iOS

Mavis is a mobile video recording app with a wide range of professional features. Some are even broadcast-level quality! It is exclusively available for iOS devices.

Pros:

Mavis has the broadest set of audio recording features available for iOS devices.

This app includes dozens of professional and broadcast-level features.

Cons:

Mavis is not available for Android or Windows devices. It is exclusively an iOS app. 

Cost:

This is a free app.

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

Download a free trial of Camtasia to quickly and easily edit your own videos.

Download a free trial

How to Convert Mobile Phones Video Recordings into GIFs

The GIF is a quick, digestible, auto-playing snippet of video, whose beauty is in its simplicity.

Creating a GIF is easier than you think. There are several options for tools that will help you make one easily from existing images or videos, either saved locally on your computer, in the cloud, on a flash drive, or from the internet.

Below, you’ll learn how to create a GIF from the video you’ve captured on your mobile phone in four easy steps using TechSmith’s Snagit + mobile app Fuse.

Also read: How to fix a blurred video

Step 1: Select the video

Open TechSmith Fuse on your device, and either record a new video by choosing Video, or select an existing video to use by choosing Library > Gallery.

If you are creating a new video, be mindful of whether you prefer portrait or landscape orientation. It may also be a good idea to review the footage to make sure you’re satisfied with your brief video before moving on.

How to Record a Video on Mobile

Step 2: Send the video to Snagit

Now that you’ve selected the video you’d like to use from within Fuse, you’ll want to open Snagit on your desktop and select the Connect Mobile Device option.

Capturing video on a mobile phone is seen as being very normal nowadays and is the norm in a lot of industries.

A QR Code will pop up. Select Share from within the Fuse app and then scan the code using the box that appears on your device’s screen. The media will be sent to the Snagit editor.

There are many apps available to help bring your mobile video production to the next level.

Step 3: Select the part of the video you’d like to convert

From within Snagit, you can play back the video. You now have two options.

  • You can remove the unwanted sections of your video, and then click to create the GIF with all of the remaining content.
  • Your other option would be to select the portion of the video you’d like to convert and then click the GIF button.

The first option is found to be easier, but it’s really a matter of your personal preference.

How to Convert Mobile Phones Video Recordings into GIFs

Step 4: Celebrate and share your glorious achievement!

Now that you have successfully created your GIF, get sharing! Post it publicly to your company website, distribute it via email, or share it on social media.

The best video recording mobile apps on the market right now

Edit your own videos with Camtasia

Download a free trial of Camtasia to quickly and easily edit your own videos.

Download a free trial

FAQs about Mobile Video Recording Apps

How to download recorded video from Microsoft Teams/Google Meet on mobile?

To download recorded video from Microsoft Teams / Google Meet on mobile you simply locate your downloaded file and import it into your video recording app. Some of the best mobile apps for video recording are shared in the article above. 

How to record video from a mobile screen?

You can use the “Connect Device” function in your Camtasia or Snagit settings to record video from your mobile screen. 

How to record video without audio on mobile?

Using a screen recorder is a great way to record video without sound that you are not shooting live. Other ways to record video without sound exist in the settings menus of most mobile video recording apps. 

Daniel Foster

Daniel Foster is currently strategy lead for Snagit, helping define the future direction for the product. He has been doing tech marketing, communication, and blogging since 2002 and has worked on product since 2015. Tweet him up @fosteronomo or grab some time on his calendar to chat.

Secret talent: spinning a yo-yo
Preferred mode of transportation: Motorcycle (Honda Shadow)
Last country visited: China

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