This Setup Turns Your IPhone Into a Professional Camcorder
Flagship smartphone cameras deliver incredible photo and video quality, so good you’ve probably heard of movies and music videos shot on the iPhone . However, if you open the camera app and take a video, chances are it won’t look like a professional production. While there are many things you can do to improve the video quality on your smartphone , there is a simple tweak that iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro users can turn on to make your shots look better.
The iPhone usually shoots in HEVC or H.264 video formats. HEVC files are smaller and more compressed, while H.264 files are larger but are supported by more applications and platforms. However, there is a third format in your iPhone’s camera settings menu called “Apple ProRes” that offers better color reproduction and less compression for a sharper, more professional look. The catch is that Apple ProRes videos can be up to 30 times larger than HEVC files, so they take up most of your phone and iCloud storage space.
There are also restrictions on the devices you use and camera settings (which we will discuss below). However, the larger file size is an acceptable compromise for those looking to maximize the quality of their iPhone videos. In addition, video editors will appreciate the more flexible editing options you get when shooting in ProRes.
How to enable and shoot Apple ProRes video on iPhone
To shoot in Apple ProRes on iPhone, you need to update your iPhone 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 14 Pro, or 14 Pro Max to iOS 15.1 or later. You enable ProRes in the iOS Settings app under Settings > Camera > Formats . Scroll down and toggle “Apple ProRes” under the “Video Capture” heading.
You then need to turn on the setting in the Camera app before you can shoot ProRes video. Open the Camera app and navigate to the Video option. Click the arrow icon at the top of the application window to open the options tab, then click the ProRes button . You can then change the video resolution and FPS, although the available settings when shooting in ProRes depend on the amount of memory your model has:
iPhone 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB models :
- 4K at 30fps
- 4K at 25fps
- 4K at 24fps
- 1080p HD at 60fps
- 1080p HD at 30 fps
- 1080p HD @ 25 fps
iPhone 128 GB models :
- 1080p HD at 30 fps
- 1080p HD @ 25 fps
Along with these limits, you also need at least 10 percent free space on your device to start shooting when ProRes is enabled. The iPhone camera app will automatically delete temporary storage when shooting in ProRes if the free space drops below the equivalent of five minutes of recorded video, but this won’t save you much space, so be sure to upload or delete your video as soon as you don’t. they are needed on your phone more.
When all these settings are set, you can start shooting. Note that ProRes only works in the Video mode of the iOS Camera app. Other video modes such as Cinematic, Slo-Mo or Time-Lapse are not supported.