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If you haven’t a clue what video frame rate even means, then this post is for you! Whatever camera you are using, you most likely have come across a setting where you are either asked or able to choose your camera frame rate when shooting video. Let’s first define what the video frame rate is. Video frame rate is simply the number of frames (or images) that appear per second of video. Just like how a flip book of images when flipped rapidly makes the still images appear as though they are moving, shooting video is quite the same. When you select the video frame rate, you are merely telling your camera how many images to take per second of video.
Why does frame rate matter? There are frame rates to fit various occasions. Most movies you watch in the theater are viewed at 24 frames per second (fps). However, those epic slow motion shots that you watch; those were probably shot around 120-240 frames per second. That means that many more frames are taken every second that when played back at the standard 24 fps makes the action slow way down.
Video Frame Rate
Here is my guide to how I determine what frame rates to use and when.
60 fps – If you want 4K footage on your mobile device and be able to slow down your footage some, then 60 is a good fps to keep your phone set to. If I had to pick one setting to just leave your phone on, this would be it. However, if you don’t ever plan on using software to slow down or edit your footage, then I’d pass on this option.
24 fps – If you don’t ever plan on playing back your video in slow motion, then record at 24 fps. It takes up the least amount of memory and looks more cinematic. This gives you the best cinematic footage right out of the camera.
120 fps – When I shoot for slow motion, this is the setting I use. My iPhone X allows me to still shoot in full HD and being able to play back at 1/4 of the speed is enough for me in most situations.
240 fps – This is about as high a fps you can achieve on most mobile phones, but it typically means you are sacrificing quality when it comes to your resolution as you are typically restricted to 720 HD. Ever watch the Slow Mow Guys on Youtube? They shoot over 100,000 fps!!!
How Do I Change These Settings on My Phone?
On an iPhone (and most likely similarly on other phones) just go to your camera settings in the “Settings” app. In “Record Video” you can make your selection there for normal video when using your video mode on your phone’s camera. Under the “Record Slo-mo” section is where you can choose which fps you’d like to record in when using the Slo-mo mode on your phone’s camera. Pictured below are the settings I use.
Sidenote: I ALWAYS leave my Grid lines on so it makes it easy for me to follow the Rule of 3rds. If you don’t know what that is, make sure to check out THIS POST.
Understanding video frame rate is one of the simple steps that can lead you to better quality video projects. Let us know if this is helpful for you as you are shooting or if there are any more questions that we can answer as you work towards telling your own story beautifully.
