The Video Settings I Actually Use
If your video looks a little off and you can’t figure out why, it’s almost always the settings. Not your camera, not your lens, your settings. The good news is that a handful of them do most of the heavy lifting, and once they click, they click for good.
Here are a few of the ones I reach for on every shoot. Then, if you want my full go-to setup in one simple cheat sheet, I’ve got a free guide for you at the bottom.
Set your camera to manual
This is the first thing. Auto mode is guessing, and it changes its mind mid-shot, which is why your footage flickers or shifts exposure when you move. Manual puts you in control. It feels like a lot at first. It stops feeling like a lot really fast.
Frame rate sets the mood
Frame rate is how many images per second your camera captures, and it changes the feel of everything.
24fps for interviews and a natural, filmic look. 60fps when you want smooth slow-motion b-roll. 120fps for that dreamy, super slow-mo shot that makes lifestyle and editorial work feel expensive.
Shutter speed follows your frame rate
Here’s the rule that saves people the most grief: double your frame rate for your shutter speed. Shooting 60fps? Your shutter is 1/120. Shooting 24fps? Set it to 1/48. Going a touch above is fine. Going below makes motion look choppy.
ISO controls your grain
ISO is your sensor’s sensitivity to light. Lower means cleaner, higher means more grain. Around 100 keeps things crisp, and you can climb from there as the light drops. Every camera has a sweet spot, so it’s worth learning where yours starts to get noisy.
Grab the full cheat sheet
Those are the basics, but there’s more I keep in one place so I’m not second-guessing on set: my exact white balance settings, aperture choices, and the little pro tips that took me a while to figure out.
I put all of it into a free guide, Quick Tips for Video Settings. It’s the cheat sheet I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out. No more digging through menus. Grab it free and start making better video today.
