There are quite a few creators I know who use their iPhone for vlogging and have built successful YouTube channels with a large following.
In this minimalist setup guide, I’m going to cover what you need to get started vlogging with your iPhone in the most simplest, cost-effective way.
The whole point of using your iPhone is to keep things simple, casual and easy.
So no, we’re not going to be rigging up some big, overly complicated setup with a cage, external drive, monitor etc like below.
Why consider using the iPhone
The iPhone is an excellent vlogging camera for quite a few reasons.
First has built-in stabilization, making your clips look stable and professional.
Second, you can record high quality video at a high frame rate in 4k (60 fps at 4k) for impressive video quality.
Third, you have a variety of angles, from a wide angle lens to the primary camera to the selfie camera for narration purposes.
Finally, you get iMovie included for free on your iPhone so you can edit your vlog on one device (not recommended – more on that later).
Essential buys
BOYA MINI
Small wireless mic that connects via Type C or Lightning. It produces excellent audio for the iPhone.
Eucos Phone Tripod
A great, standing tripod if you’re looking to create talking head style content.
Anzor Mini Tripod
This small, cheap grip/tripod is perfect for holding your iPhone horizontally or vertically for walk and talk vlogging on the go.
So how exactly do you properly and professionally vlog with an iPhone? I’ll break this down into essential, need-to-know tips and optional gear you can consider buying.
iPhone vlogger guide
There are four parts to vlogging with an iPhone as a content creator.
- First, the technical aspects of recording and getting the clips for a vlog.
- Second, your video settings on your phone.
- Third, how you edit the video; and finally.
- Last, optional gear to improve your videos.
While I suggest checking out my “how to vlog” guide, which covers everything you need to know about creating a YouTube channel and structuring a vlog, here are my tips for using an iPhone specifically.
Have a story to tell
Live your life, share your story as I like to say. With a vlog using your iPhone, make sure to have some point to the video. Why would anyone watch? What are they going to get out of it.
You’re either creating a topical video, you’re telling a story and lessons learned, or you’re taking the viewer on a journey with you.
Record a 10-30 second introduction and conclusion.
Intros should be quick and concise, letting the viewer know what you will cover. You can either record a set of clips and then do a voice-over or use the iPhone to introduce the video topic.
⚡️Get the Boya Mini and record a voice with iMovie directly.⚡️
With the Boya Mini and iMovie, you can easily add in any quality sounding voice over directly into your edit.
Remember, with a vlog people have a short attention span, so get to the point quickly and get people interested in the topic.
With my travel vlog of Ha Giang I showed a bunch of clips of how crazy beautiful northern Vietnam is and did a voice-over. This intro was 30 seconds; then, it jumped into the video.
Doing an opening helps increase watch time as people are more curious to see the whole video. As for the conclusion, record yourself with the phone or do a voice-over. Let people know what your upcoming videos will be, and invite people to subscribe.
The selfie camera can record up to 60 FPS.
In general, don’t use the selfie camera as it’s not that high quality. Instead, try to shoot at 30 FPS or 60 FPS with the main camera lens.
Obviously, if you want to throw in a 10-20 second narration clip with the selfie camera that’s fine, but the point of using the iPhone is to take advantage of the advanced camera system you have access too.
So yes, that means you have to turn the phone turned around with the screen pointed away from you. Don’t worry you’ll get used to it and understand how to frame yourself.
The iWatch allows you to frame yourself
If you have an iWatch you can pair it with your iPhone and use the remote viewing app on your iWatch to see what your main camera sees.
Record everything at 60 FPS or 30 FPS, 4k for the best video quality.
60 FPS is the ideal framerate for a vlog. This high frame rate means your video is going to be nice and smooth. Perfect if you’re moving the camera around doing walk and talk vlogs.
We’re not making a film; we’re making a vlog with a phone. Your viewers will like and appreciate that smooth, point-of-view shot that only 60 FPS provides.
By default, your iPhone will set the video settings to optimal video files, so you’ll need to change it.
So you’ll need to jump into your settings and make sure your camera is set to what you want:
The higher the frame rate, the smoother the video will be. 30 FPS is acceptable too if you don’t like the way 60 FPS looks. Test out various clips to see what you personally like.
4k is also the highest quality recording the iPhone can do. 1080P is also acceptable, but as you can record in 4k, there is no reason to bother with 1080P unless you don’t want to deal with large file sizes.
Use the wide angle lens
The wide angle lens on the iPhone is outstanding for establishing shots. It’s also my favorite lens to use when in landscape and narrating into the camera.
Mix up your video clips with both the main camera and the wide angle camera.
Record b-roll
B-roll is simply footage that is not the main action. I like using my iPhone to capture many clips and then go home and do a voice-over. However, others want to talk and narrate in real-time. Both approaches are acceptable; see which one works best for you.
However, record various clips, close-ups, wide-angle shots, medium shots, and so forth using the main cameras. You’ll be happy you did, as you can create a more exciting and dynamic vlog.
Keep the phone stable when recording.
A common beginner mistake with any camera is to jerk the camera around way too fast. It ruins your clips and makes everything difficult to watch.
The iPhone has outstanding stabilization; however, you must move the phone modestly and with intention.
Look into the camera when talking
Takes a little practice, but you need to get used to looking into the actual camera element on the iPhone when recording. Your video will look weird if you’re not making eye contact with your audience.
Shoot in landscape for vlogs, vertical for shorts.
Hold the camera horizontally for landscape shots. Shoot vertical clips only if your intention is to make a YouTube short later.
How to edit an iPhone video
Now you have a bunch of video clips ready to go. You’ll need to edit the video clips into a full-length vlog. You can edit the clips directly on your iPhone using iMovie, airdrop them to your MacBook or iPad, or connect your iPhone to your Windows laptop and transfer them.
It is generally best to edit your vlogs on another device, not your iPhone. The iPhone is small and frustrating to edit, and iMovie on the iPhone has limited editing capabilities.
All your video recording should be the same frame rate
As mentioned earlier, the frame rate you choose to record in matters because your video will look off if you mix clips that are recorded at 30 FPS like with the selfie camera and then 60 FPS with the main camera.
You want to make sure all your clips are recorded at the same framerate. That way your video will have a consistent look to it. In general I find 60 FPS to be best for vlogs where you’re moving around.
24 FPS is cinematic and looks like a TV show. For a “run and gun” vlog, it actually is to choppy and slow. 30 FPS is the middle ground. A great choice if you’re set on using the selfie camera as it can record up to 30 FPS max.
Use a video editing app
There are a lot of video editing software options you can use on both your iPhone, iPad, or a desktop computer. Personally I like editing on my laptop as I like using a larger screen, I can color edit and video editing software on a laptop tends to be more feature rich.
Here is what I suggest:
- iMovie on a Macbook is very feature rich and free if you’re a Mac user.
- Luma Fusion is the best option for an iPad.
- Davinchi Resolve is powerful and free. It can be used on both PC and Mac.
- CapCut for a free option that’s simple to use. Can be installed on both PC and Mac.
For video editors I suggest downloading and test driving them to see which work flow you enjoy the most.
Use iMovie on a MacBook (not iPhone)
All iPhones and MacBook’s come with iMovie. So let’s cover what you need to know for iMovie on the iPhone (if you don’t have a Mac then use CapCut to edit your vlogs).
First, the version on IOS for a MacBook is far superior to it’s mobile counterpart. So if you do have a MacBook, simply air drop your clips from your phone to your laptop and get to work.
Using iMovie is simple, easy and intuitive.
All you have to to do is drag and drop clips into the timeline. You can overlay clips and cut clips, add music and text with ease. Once you feel like you’re starting to out grow iMovie, you can then consider getting Final Cut Pro, the best video editing software for IOS.
With iMovie on Mac, you’ll get your video and audio clip. Make sure to adjust the audio so you’re not peaking, and if you wish to do a voice over, turn down the audio or mute it all together.
When you’re ready to dive more deep into video editing consider purchasing Final Cut Pro. You can do a lot with iMovie so don’t think you need to purchase Final Cut if you’re a beginner.
Use Luma Fusion on an iPad
As I talked about in my best video editing software guide, Luma Fusion is the best mobile editor I’ve used. If you have an iPad it’s well worth the money as the iMovie mobile version is incredibly basic.
Luma Fusion is similar to Final Cut in the you can have multiple tracks for clips, music, more advanced transitions, better color grading and more control over the audio.
Again, the mobile version of iMovie is very limiting and if you do intend to edit on your phone you’re going to be quite frustrated.
Use Davinchi Resolve for Windows
Not a Mac user? One of the best video editors for Windows 10 or 11 is Davinchi Resolve. It’s powerful, feature rich and on par with Premier Pro. Best of all it’s free to download and use.
There is a paid version, but the free version of Davinchi Resolve is more than enough to edit a simple 4k vlog with.
Breakup talking points for topic or question videos
If you’re making a vlog about a specific topic, get right to the point of the vlog fast. Viewers will drop off if you ramble too much and talk about things irrelevant to the vlog.
In addition, for longer vlogs where you want to cover a question or topic, think about the key points you want to mention. Those key talking points should be their own clip. You don’t need to do everything in one big take.
Use a microphone for voice over work
With your iPhone you can easily record voice overs, in fact iMovie has this feature built right in. However, you absolutely need a microphone as the on-board audio of the iPhone is mediocre.
