How to Create Video Content With Your Phone (For Under $100)

When it comes to creating video content for your business, most people think it requires a lot of equipment and a huge financial investment.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Today, anyone with $100 and a smartphone in their pocket can create outstanding video content.  Knowing how to create videos with your phone can make it quick and easy for you to consistency get content up for your audience.

So, set aside those excuses! This article will show you the equipment and software you’ll need to record your first video with your phone.

Why Know How to Create Videos with Your iPhone?

Smartphone video is a great way to dip your toe into creating video content. It’s easy, affordable, and requires minimal setup.

Does making video content with a phone feel like a copout or not professional enough approach? That’s a common misperception.

High production value videos have their place, of course. But we’ve noticed an uptick in brands filming content at home during quarantine — and the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

It makes sense, in a way: in a world filled with picture-perfect influencers, audiences are craving a more authentic experience. And a video shot in your home with a smartphone? Well, it doesn’t get much more authentic than that, especially when you pay attention to things like lighting, focus, and background, which all contribute to a good video.

When creating your video, remember that distracting elements can take away from the viewer’s experience, so consider your framing and environment carefully.

The following tools and software represent a basic recording setup. In fact, you might already have some of them on hand:

1. Basic Lighting for Creating Videos with your iPhone

If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from Zoom meetings (aside from the importance of reliable WiFi), it’s that lighting can make or break your videos. People won’t pay much attention to what you’re saying if they can’t see you. On the other hand, bright and even lighting will go a long way toward making your video look more professional — even if it’s filmed on a phone. Using natural, soft light will result in better video quality, so try to set your recording area near a window if possible.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a recording spot near a window with lots of natural light, you’ll probably need to invest in some basic lighting. For smartphone videos, a ring light is a great option that won’t break the bank. How you set your lighting is important for achieving a balanced look.

Ring lights, as the name implies, are circular lights that clip onto your phone. We use and recommend this one ($15) because it’s super portable and comes with three different light modes.

As you get more experienced, you can experiment with reflectors and fill lights — but when you’re just getting started, it’s best to keep it simple. Fine-tune your lighting setup as you go to achieve the look you want. For the best results, shoot during “golden hour” when the natural light is soft and flattering.

2. Backgrounds for phone videos

Now that we’ve got lighting covered, let’s turn our attention to the background, which plays a key role in the overall image quality of your videos. Obviously, you don’t want a stack of boxes or a pile of laundry in the background of your videos. But most people don’t have a dedicated spot for filming in their homes.

If you can find a blank wall or bookshelf in your office, great! Otherwise, there are several options available, such as buying a simple backdrop curtain, which will save you from having to clean your house every time you want to record. And, if you choose a green screen, you can easily edit in any background you choose.

A good background is important for both photos and videos, as it enhances the visual appeal and helps maintain high image quality.

Here’s one with great reviews on Amazon for under $20. Plus, it comes with clips so you can hook it onto an existing curtain rod instead of buying a separate stand.

3. Tripod

Shaky cam is a surefire way to distract your viewers and make your video seem unprofessional. That’s why we recommend investing in a tripod or gimbal for your smartphone, as these tools work to significantly improve the stability of your iPhone videos and provide smoother footage compared to handheld shooting.

Smartphone tripods come in a variety of different styles. Some are designed to connect to a rail, desk, or other surface, while others have telescoping legs that allow you to adjust the height to fit your needs. This travel tripod gets great reviews because it’s lightweight and portable — and at under $20, you can’t go wrong.

When shooting handheld, hold your iPhone with both hands and keep your elbows tucked in to your body for steadier footage. The iPhone’s built-in optical image stabilization helps reduce shake in videos, and for best results, ensure Enhanced Stabilization is activated in your camera settings.

Whichever tripod you choose, don’t forget to flip your camera sideways. You’ll want to record in landscape mode (horizontal), since this will look best on most screens.

4. Microphone

Capturing clear audio is crucial for producing high-quality videos with your iPhone. In addition to a tripod, you’ll want to invest in a good external microphone, as smartphone microphones are notoriously bad, especially if you’re a few feet away from the camera. Even a cheap external mic will pick up your voice better and help reduce background noises like birds chirping outside or the hum of a furnace. For even better audio quality, consider using an additional iPhone as an external microphone. This setup can significantly improve your audio, especially in challenging environments.

There are several different styles of microphones to choose from. If you’ll be filming primarily at your desk, you might look into a desktop mic. However, we prefer lapel microphones because they allow you a bit more freedom to move around. And, if you’re recording on the go, they don’t take up a lot of space in your bag. This PoP voice mic is a great budget-friendly pick at just $14.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to test your microphone before you press record. Fine-tune your audio settings for the best results. If you use a separate device for audio, remember to sync the audio with your video in post-production for a seamless final product. There’s nothing more frustrating than recording the perfect video only to discover that you can’t hear the sound!

5. Editing software

Here’s a tip to record videos faster and with less stress: Instead of stopping each time you make a mistake, just keep going. It’s a lot faster to edit out the goofs later in post than to keep starting over.

For that, you’ll need good editing software that offers a range of features and options. Editing software allows you to remove any background noises like ringing phones or barking dogs, and you can add slick transitions, text, and other special effects to enhance the viewer’s experience. Many apps also offer advanced features for fine-tuning your footage in post-production.

Some people prefer to edit videos on their computer, but there are also apps available that allow you to edit your video right on your phone. Which app you choose will obviously depend on what type of device you have.

If you’re an iPhone user, you can download the free iMovie app, which offers different types of projects. You can choose a manual movie project for advanced features and fine control over editing and timeline management, or use a storyboard project that acts as a guide, helping you organize and create themed movies with structured support. iMovie and similar apps offer options for customizing your editing process, from automatic guidance to manual control.

Otherwise, VN Video Editor and Quik are two popular Android apps that are free and don’t watermark your videos — but you might want to experiment with a few different tools to find the one that works best for you.

Make sure that whatever you use has the proper settings so that you export the best quality video you can without sacrificing performance. For example, set your camera to 4K at 24fps or 30fps for high-quality video, use 60fps for smooth slow motion, and choose HEVC format for a balance of quality and file size. Whether you export at standard HD vs full HD is one consideration you should take, for example. If you aren’t sure about differences please check our piece on sd vs hd. When sharing or exporting, look for the share button, which is typically a square with an arrow, to easily send your finished video.

6. Hosting platform

The last thing you’ll need is a hosting platform so that you can distribute your videos online.

Before uploading, it’s important to transfer your videos and photos from your iPhone to your computer without losing quality. The fastest and easiest way to transfer between Apple devices is AirDrop, which lets you wirelessly connect your iPhone to your MacBook and move files without compression. This ensures your footage stays sharp and clear. Avoid sending videos via text or email, as these methods compress files significantly—a 50MB video can be reduced to just 3MB, resulting in blurry, pixelated footage. For high-quality transfers, you can also connect your iPhone to your MacBook with a cable and use Image Capture, or upload your files to cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. These options work for both photos and videos and help maintain the original quality.

Here at Spotlightr, we use… well, Spotlightr of course!

When it comes to hosting your eLearning videos or your marketing videos, you definitely don’t want embed them using Youtube

Whether you use Spotlightr or another service (gasp!), you need some sort of hosting platform so that you can store your content securely, share links via email and social media, and publish your video on your site without having to rely on a developer.

Most important thing? Just get creating…

As you grow, there are plenty of other “nice-to-have” items that might be worth considering. You can go wild and hook an entire recording studio to your phone if you want!

But the above equipment and software will get you up and running quickly with minimal expense.