In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about saving Instagram videos.

Save Instagram videos for later

Maybe you love a video so much you want to show it to a friend — or maybe you just don’t have time to sit through the whole thing right now. You’ll be pleased to learn that saving an Instagram video for later is easy thanks to the app’s Collections feature.

How to save Instagram video posts to your Collections

Instagram Collections is an in-app feature that allows users to bookmark content like posts and IGTV videos from other users to view later. You can even organize your saves into Collections folders to make them easier to find.

While it is possible to save your own posts in Collections, this feature is primarily meant for saving content from other accounts. You can only save content from public accounts or private accounts that have accepted your follow request.

Here’s how to save an Instagram video post into your Collection:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to the post you wish to save.
3. Press the bookmark icon at the bottom-right of the post.
4. Select Save to Collection if you wish to save to a specific collection folder.

Following those steps will save content to your Collections. Here’s how to find it once you’re ready to view it again:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Press Saved.

From there, you’ll see all the content you’ve saved. If you wish to create a new folder within your Collection, simply press the + icon at the top-right of the screen.

How to save your video Stories to Archive

While you can save your videos to Collections, you can also save them via your Archive.

The Archive is an in-app feature that allows users to remove posts from their profile and save them to a private folder that only they can see. It’s also a place to store Stories after they’ve exceeded the 24-hour lifespan on your profile and Stories feed.

Luckily, you don’t have to save these manually; you just have to make sure the Save Story to Archive feature is turned on. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Archive.
5. Press the Settings button at the top-right of the screen.
6. Toggle the Save Story to Archive option on.

From there, your videos, photos, and posts will all be automatically saved to your Archive.

Download videos from Instagram to your iPhone

If you don’t want to store your favorite content in the app, you can use one of the following methods to download Instagram videos directly to your device instead.

How to save a video you shot with Instagram Camera

While many users shoot their content with their device’s default camera app, others use Instagram’s in-app camera, especially when creating Stories. If you want to make sure those videos are saved to your iPhone, follow the instructions below:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Tap the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Account > Original Photos.
5. Toggle the Save Original Photos option on.

After you turn this feature on, all videos and photos you take with the Instagram feed camera will automatically be saved to your iPhone’s camera roll.

How to save your Instagram videos from Stories to Camera Roll

The feature mentioned above will only save content from Instagram’s feed camera. To save videos taken with the Stories camera, you have to turn on a separate setting.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the Stories camera at the top-left of the screen.
3. Press the gear icon at the top-left of the screen.
4. Toggle the Save to Camera Roll option on.

Following those instructions will download all your Story videos automatically. But if you only want to download one current Story, here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Head to your Stories.
3. Navigate to the video you wish to save.
4. Press the More button at the bottom-right of the screen.
5. Tap Save > Save Video.

Doing this will add the video to your Camera Roll.

How to record someone else’s Instagram video

At the time of this writing, there is no way to download someone else’s Instagram video to your iPhone within the Instagram app. However, there’s an easy way to work around that issue: iPhone screen recording.

Before we dive into how to record a video posted on another account, it’s important to note that saving and reposting someone else’s content without their consent is a violation of copyright law. If you want to make sure you’re protected, get the original user’s written permission first.

Now that we’ve covered the legality around this option, here’s how to record (and save) someone else’s Instagram video:

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app.
2. Navigate to Control Center > Customize Controls, then press the + button next to Screen Recording.
3. Exit the app.
4. Swipe up from the bottom edge of your screen if you have an iPhone X or later. Otherwise, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
5. Press the record button at the bottom of the screen and wait for the three-second countdown.
6. Open the Instagram app.
7. Navigate to the video you wish to save.
8. While recording, allow the video to play all the way through.
9. When it’s over, press the red highlighted timestamp at the top-left of your screen.
10. Select Stop Recording.

Now, you might want to trim the beginning and the end of your recording or crop out the top and bottom where the Story controls were. Here’s how to do that:

1. Exit Instagram and open the Photos app.
2. Select your recorded video.
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen.
4. Use the tool below to trim the video down to include only the content you wish to save.
5. Press the crop tool at the bottom-right of the page.
6. Crop the excess area from your video.
7. Press Done.

From there, your newly saved video will be stored in your Camera Roll.

Unfortunately, this feature is only available for those with iOS 11 or later, or an iPadOS. However, there are third-party apps that can help you download an Instagram video if your iPhone doesn’t support screen recording.

How to copy an Instagram video using Instake

There are multiple third-party apps and tools you can use to copy and download Instagram videos. But for the purpose of this guide, we’ll show you how to save a video using the free app Instake.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the Instake app.
2. Press the Instagram icon button at the bottom-center of the screen.
3. Log in with your Instagram account information.
4. Navigate to the video you wish to save within the Instagram app.
5. Press the three horizontal dots at the top of the post.
6. Select Copy Link.
7. Open the Instake app again and press the red arrow at the bottom-right of the screen.
8. Press Repost.
9. Either repost the video to your Stories or Feed or simply press the X to exit out of reposting.

After you follow these steps, the video will be saved in your Camera Roll.

With videos becoming more and more prominent on Instagram, the ability to save content is a useful feature to keep in your back pocket. Luckily, Instagram and other third-party tools make this easier than ever.

The post How to save Instagram videos or download them to your iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about IGTV, including how photographers and video makers can use it to promote their work on Instagram.

What is IGTV, and how does it work?

IGTV — short for Instagram TV — is an in-app feature and standalone app that allows users to upload long-form videos for their audiences. And while using IGTV is fairly intuitive, new users may find themselves with some questions.

How to use Instagram TV

IGTV sounds a lot more intimidating than it is. In this section, we’ll go over all the ins and outs of how to make the most of Instagram TV, so you can post your videos with confidence.

IGTV video specs

Before you upload your first video, there are a couple of specs you’ll want to be aware of:

• File format: MP4
• Minimum video length: 60 seconds
• Maximum video length (when uploading on mobile): 15 minutes
• Maximum video length (when uploading on desktop): 60 minutes
• Vertical aspect ratio: 9:16
• Horizontal aspect ratio: 16:9
• Minimum frame rate: 30 FPS
• Minimum resolution: 720 pixels
• Maximum file size (for videos 10 minutes long or less): 650 MB
• Maximum file size (for videos up to 60 minutes long): 3.6 GB
• Cover photo size: 420 pixels by 654 pixels

How to create an IGTV channel

If you want to upload a video to Instagram TV, you first have to create your own channel where your videos will live on your account. Viewers will be able to access your IGTV videos within the Instagram app by navigating to your profile and selecting the IGTV option.

To create a channel, download the IGTV app and make sure you’re logged in to your Instagram account. Once you do that, simply follow the instructions below:

1. Open the IGTV app.
2. Select the button to continue as your account.
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Create Channel.

And voila! Your channel has been created. Once you upload your first video, your channel will appear on your Instagram profile.

How to post a video to IGTV

You can post an IGTV video through the Instagram app or the IGTV app. Below are instructions for posting a video via the dedicated IGTV app:

1. Open the IGTV app.
2. Press the video icon at the top-left of the screen.
3. Record your video (or upload a video by pressing the image icon at the bottom-left of the screen and selecting your video).
4. Press the arrow at the bottom-right of the screen to proceed to the next step.
5. Choose a cover by selecting a screenshot from your video or uploading an image to be your cover.
6. Press Next.
7. Fill out a video title and description.
8. Press Post.

Next, we’ll show you how to post a video to IGTV from the Instagram app:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom-left of the screen.
3. Navigate to the IGTV button at the top-center of the screen.
4. Press the + sign at the top-right of the screen.
5. Scroll through and select the video you wish to upload.
6. Press Next.
7. Choose or upload your cover.
8. Press Next.
9. Fill out the video title and description.
10. Press Post.

How to share a preview of your IGTV video on your feed

When you upload a new Instagram TV video, it’s a good strategy to share a preview of it on your feed. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom-left of the screen.
3. Navigate to the IGTV button at the top-center of the screen.
4. Press the + sign at the top-right of the screen.
5. Scroll through and select the video you wish to upload.
6. Press Next.
7. Choose or upload your cover.
8. Press Next.
9. Fill out the video title and description.
10. Turn on the Post a Preview option.
11. Edit the Preview and profile cover as you wish.
12. Press Post.

Toggling on the Post a Preview option on will create a one-minute preview, which will be posted to your profile and visible in your followers’ feeds.

How to use IGTV to showcase your creative work

If you’re a photographer or video maker, Instagram is an incredible platform to share your work. So how can Instagram TV play into your growth strategy? We’ve rounded up a few ideas for photographers and videographers to use.

Share tips and advice

Give back to followers who are new to your industry! Film a video in which you share your 10 best photography tips or pieces of advice you wish you had gotten when you first started shooting on iPhone. If it’s valuable, evergreen content like this will draw in viewers again and again.

Showcase a recent project

Do you have a collection of clips from a recent photoshoot or creative adventure? Combine them, add some background music, and share the result as an IGTV video. Plus, if you’re a videographer or photographer for hire, it’s an excellent way to showcase the work you frequently get hired for to potential new clients.

Answer frequently asked questions

Do you find yourself repeatedly answering the same questions from your followers? Instead of constantly sending out the same old answers, create an IGTV video about it! That way, you have a place to send people and a resource you can reference over and over again.

Give a tutorial

Whether it’s demonstrating how to use a complicated new lens or sharing a trick for always capturing clear nighttime photos, tutorials are some of the most popular IGTV content. Get creative and brainstorm some of the unique insights your followers would be interested in learning.

While there are tons of ways to reach new followers and showcase your content, Instagram TV offers the opportunity to create long-form videos that people can return to again and again. You don’t have to make it the basis of your social media strategy, but a well-executed channel will give your audience another reason to visit your profile.

The post How to use IGTV as a photographer or video creator appeared first on Backlight.

But what happens if you want to save a video to your iPhone? Well, if you keep reading, this article will walk you through how to do just that.

Before you save any Snapchat videos

Even though you’re ready to start saving videos from Snapchat, there are a couple of things you should do before downloading anything.

Make room for the videos on your iPhone

Videos can take up a lot of storage space on your iPhone, so before you go overboard downloading and saving videos from Snapchat, you should go through your phone and get rid of videos that are taking up the most space.

One of the quickest ways to go through all of your videos is with Gemini Photos. In addition to scanning for duplicate or blurry pictures, Gemini Photos identifies the videos that are taking up the most space and helps you quickly delete them.

Download Gemini Photos from the App Store and follow these steps to delete your old, unwanted videos:

1. Open Gemini Photos and let it scan your library.
2. Tap Videos.
3. Select one of the videos, and Gemini Photos will let your preview it.
4. Swipe up on the video to keep it. Swipe down on the video to delete it.
5. Gemini Photos will then bring up the next video.
6. When you finish going through your videos, tap Empty Trash.
7. Confirm your decision to delete the videos by tapping Delete.
8. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
9. Tap Albums > Recently Deleted > Select > Delete All.

Get the author’s permission

Before you download a video that was sent to you on Snapchat, you should always reach out to the creator and ask for their permission. Snapchat doesn’t allow you to download another user’s content natively within the app because saving a video without the owner’s consent isn’t ethical. So, it’s best to make sure the person who made and sent the video approves of you saving it.

How to download your own Snapchat videos

There are a couple of ways you can go about saving your Snapchat videos, depending on whether you’ve posted them already or not.

If you’ve just recorded your video and haven’t shared it yet, you can follow these steps to save it to your Camera Roll:

1. After you film your video, tap the Save button (which looks like a downward-facing arrow at the bottom of your screen). A pop-up will appear.
2. Tap Memories & Camera Roll.
3. Tap Save.
4. You’ll then find your video in the Photos app on your iPhone.

If you’ve already shared your video with friends but forgot to save it beforehand, don’t worry. You can still go back and keep it using these steps:

1. With Snapchat open, swipe up to view your Memories.
2. Tap the video you want to save.
3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
4. Tap Export Snap > Save Video.

How to save a Snapchat video from someone else

As you read earlier, it is possible to download someone else’s video on Snapchat, but because the app doesn’t allow you to do it, it’s not as straightforward as downloading your own content.

Can you save other people’s Snap videos?

It’s important to keep in mind that saving and then sharing another person’s video from Snapchat is a copyright infringement. And technically, it’s a direct violation of Snapchat’s terms of service. So if you decide to download or save someone’s video, make sure it’s for personal use only.

How to record a Snapchat video

Because Snapchat doesn’t have a feature that allows you to download other people’s videos, you’ll need to rely on your iPhone‘s screen recording feature. If you don’t already have screen recording enabled, her’s how to do that:

1. Go into the Settings app.
2. Tap Control Center > Customize Controls.
3. Tap the green + button next to Screen Recording.

Now that you have Screen Recording added to your Control Center, just follow these steps to record a Snapchat video:

1. Open Snapchat.
2. Swipe down from the top-right corner to bring down the Control Center.
3. Tap the Screen Record button and wait for it to start.
4. Swipe up on the Control Center to go back to Snapchat.
5. Tap on the video you want to save and let it play.
6. When the video is finished, tap the red bar over the clock in the top-left corner.
7. Tap Stop.

When you’ve finished your screen recording, your video will appear in the Photos app.

Does someone know if you screen-record their Snapchat story?

When you use the screen recording feature on your iPhone, Snapchat does send a notification to the other person to let them know that you’ve recorded their video. So, it’s best to just ask the author of the video for permission before you record it. They’re going to find out anyway.

How to edit a Snapchat video you’ve downloaded

After you’ve recorded a Snapchat video, you might notice that you want to trim some of it down or crop it. Fortunately, you can do all of that using only the Photos app.

To trim your Snapchat screen recording:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap on the screen recording.
3. In the top right, tap Edit.
4. Drag the box around your video from either the left or right side to trim the beginning or end, respectively.
5. Tap Done.

If you want to crop the screen recording from Snapchat:

1. Open the Photos app and choose your screen recording.
2. Tap Edit in the top right.
3. Tap the Crop button (it’s the fourth icon on the bottom).
4. Drag the box to the area of the video you want to crop in your recording.
5. Tap Done. 

Even though posts shared on Snapchat are meant to be temporary, you still might enjoy saving your memories from time to time. Thankfully, there are ways you can save and relive the moments you shared with your Snapchat friends. And hopefully, this article has helped you figure out how to save and maybe even edit the videos you’ve saved.

The post How to save Snapchat videos to your Camera Roll appeared first on Backlight.

Add music to iMovie on iPhone

Music helps set the tone for any video. Thankfully, there are a couple of different ways you can add music in iMovie. You can choose from one of the app’s built-in themes, or you can add a song that you already have on your iPhone.

How to put music on iMovie with Themes

When you’re working on a project in iMovie, you can use one of the app’s built-in Themes to quickly add transitions and music to your videos. This is one of the easiest ways to put together a professional-looking video. Each theme is designed to help give your video an exciting look and feel, so you may want to experiment with different ones to determine which will work the best for your project.

To add one of these preconfigured Themes to your video:

1. Start a new project or open one you’re currently working on. 
2. Tap the gear icon at the bottom.
3. Choose one of the Themes.
4. Toggle the Theme Soundtrack on.
5. Tap Done.

If you only want to add the music from a specific theme and don’t want any of the visuals, such as text overlays or transitions, you can now do that with the latest version of iMovie:

1. With your project open, tap +.
2. Tap Audio > Soundtracks.
3. Tap on any of the songs to preview them.
4. When you find one you like, tap + to add it to your project.

How to add a song from your iPhone to iMovie

Fortunately, your soundtrack isn’t limited to the stock music that iMovie offers. You can also add a song that you already have on your iPhone. 

To access songs in your Music app, follow these steps to add them to your iMovie video:

1. Open your project in iMovie and tap +.
2. Tap Audio > My Music.
3. Find the song and tap +.

If you’ve added a song that you purchased from the iTunes Store but it isn’t playing, that probably means it is DRM-protected. In other words, you cannot add it to your video due to copyright reasons.

Maybe the song you want to use is in your iCloud Drive but isn’t in the Music app. If that’s the case, you’ll want to follow these steps to add it to your video:

1. From your iMovie project, tap +.
2. Tap Files > Browse.
3. Tap Browse in the top-left corner and choose iCloud Drive.
4. Find and select the song you want to add.

Music tracks are automatically adjusted to match the length of your video. But if you tap on the green line in your video’s timeline, you can make adjustments to the track.

Where do I get music for iMovie?

If nothing in your current music library is feeling right for your video, you might want to check out the following websites, which offer royalty-free music for free (or cheap) to use in your iMovie videos:

• YouTube Audio Library
• Audio Jungle
• Incompetech
• DigCCMixter

Add more audio to iMovie

Once you start editing your video, you might find that you want to add some other types of sounds that aren’t music. Fortunately, you can record a voiceover directly in iMovie or add sound effects from the app’s library.

How to add a voiceover

Maybe a bit of narration is just what your video needs. And with iMovie, you can record your voice without using another app to do it.

To record voiceovers in iMovie:

1. Open your project.
2. Scroll through your timeline so that the playhead (the vertical white line) is where you want your voiceover to start.
3. Tap + > Voiceover. Recording controls will appear above your timeline.
4. Press Record to start.
5. When you’re finished, tap Stop.
6. Choose and tap Review, Accept, or Retake.

How to add sound effects in iMovie

Adding sound effects to a video can really take your movie to the next level by spicing things up for your viewers. Here’s how you can add sound effects in iMovie:

1. Open your project in iMovie.
2. Scroll through the timeline and position the playhead at the point where you want to add a sound effect.
3. Tap + > Audio > Sound Effects.
4. Tap on a sound effect to preview it. 
5. Tap + to add it to your movie. 

The sound effect will appear in your video’s timeline as a light blue line underneath your video. If the sound effect isn’t precisely where you want it, you can press and hold on it in the timeline and drag it to the perfect spot.

Even though you’re creating a video, it’s the audio that can really elevate your project’s quality. iMovie makes it easy to add and experiment with music, voiceovers, and sound effects. So don’t be afraid to get in there and try something fun or crazy with your videos. You never know what you might create — perhaps by accident!

The post How to add music, voiceover, and sound effects to iMovie on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

Can you edit videos on YouTube?

When you think of the YouTube app, watching videos is probably what comes to mind. But you can actually do a lot more within the app, including editing and uploading movies. YouTube’s iPhone also app lets you:

• Trim videos: This allows you to clean up your videos if there’s any extra footage at the beginning or end.
• Add filters: YouTube has preset filters, each of which can give your videos a different look or aesthetic.

YouTube video editor walkthrough

Even if you’ve never edited videos on your iPhone before, you’ll find the YouTube editor easy-to-use and relatively straightforward. And if you’ve used other video-editing apps before, then great — you’ll feel right at home cleaning up your videos before you publish them online for the world to see.

How to trim your YouTube video

The first thing you’ll want to do is download the YouTube app from the App Store. Once you’re logged into your account:

1. Tap the Camera icon at the top.
2. Choose a video from your Photo Library.
3. Tap the Scissors icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. Drag the blue box from the left or right side of your video to trim the beginning or end.
5. Tap Next.
6. Give your video a title, then select your privacy and location settings.
7. Tap Upload.

And that’s all it takes to trim and upload a video using the YouTube app on your iPhone.

How to add a filter to a YouTube video on iPhone

Now, maybe you want the colors in your videos to really pop or to make your video feel like a dream. That’s where filters come in.

YouTube has a collection of filters to add to your videos, similar to those found within the Photos app or on Instagram. To add a filter to your videos:

1. Open the YouTube app.
2. Tap the Camera icon at the top.
3. Select the video you want to upload.
4. Tap the Wand icon at the bottom.
5. Scroll through all of the available filters. Tapping on a filter will allow you to preview it on your video before you select it.
6. Tap Next.
7. Add a title to your video and set your privacy and location settings.
8. Tap Upload.

Can you edit a YouTube video that’s already been posted?

You can edit a video that’s already on YouTube, but it has to be a video that you personally uploaded; you can’t edit someone else’s video. The other caveat is that you can’t edit a video using the YouTube app on your iPhone. Instead, you’ll have to log in to YouTube through a web browser on your computer.

That said, you can still easily edit the title, the description, and any of the privacy settings for your video through the YouTube app. Just follow these steps to make those edits:

1. Tap your profile photo in the top right.
2. Tap Your channel > Your videos.
3. Tap the three dots next to the video you want to edit.
4. Tap Edit.
5. Make your changes and then tap Save to finish.

How to edit your YouTube videos before uploading

Even if all those features sound nice, perhaps you need to make some more substantial edits to your videos, like cropping them or adding music to the background. Thankfully, you can do all that on your iPhone before you upload your videos to YouTube.

How to crop a YouTube video

When you’re watching your videos back, you might realize that there’s an unwanted object in the corner of the frame that you didn’t notice. But don’t worry — you can fix this by cropping your video, a process that’s quite similar to cropping a photo. 

Here’s how you can crop your videos on iPhone:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Select the video you want to crop.
3. Tap Edit, in the top-right.
4. Tap the Crop icon (it’s the fourth button at the bottom).
5. Drag any of the corners to adjust your frame.
6. Tap Done.

How to add music to a YouTube video

If your movie would benefit from a bit of background music, this is relatively easy to achieve by using iMovie. You can download iMovie from the App Store for free if it’s not already on your iPhone. Once it’s installed, follow these steps to add music:

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone.
2. Tap Create Project > Movie.
3. Scroll through your library and select the video you want to use.
4. Tap +. 
   • To use the stock music that comes with iMovie, tap Audio > Soundtracks.
   • To use a song from your Music app, tap Audio > My Music.
   • If you have a song file on one of your cloud drives, tap Files.
5. Choose the song you want to use. It will appear on your project’s timeline as a green bar under the video.

So, before you upload your next YouTube video from your iPhone, give some of these features a try. Even if you’re already using the editing tools that come built into the YouTube app, these tips and tricks will help elevate your cinematography game. Hopefully this article has inspired you to try some new things and experiment with your YouTube videos.

The post How to edit YouTube videos on iPhone with the YouTube editor appeared first on Backlight.

Can you legally download videos to your iPhone?

Before you download videos from anywhere on the internet, you should keep in mind that it might not be ethical or legal. If you download a video that you personally uploaded to a site like YouTube or Facebook, then you won’t be violating any copyright laws. But if you download someone else’s video, you should first reach out to the original uploader and get permission.

How to download a video from Safari to your iPhone

Fortunately, iOS 13 lets you download files directly in Safari. So, if a video is uploaded directly to a site, you can go through the steps below to save the video using only Safari.

1. Tap and hold the link to the video.
2. In the pop-up menu, tap Download Linked File.

But if the video is embedded on a website through a resource like Vimeo or YouTube, which is the case on most websites, then you’ll need the help of a third-party site like DownVids.net. 

Follow these steps to download an embedded video from Safari:

1. Copy the URL of the video.
2. In Safari, go to DownVids.net.
3. Paste the URL in the box.
4. Set the file type to .mp4 and video quality to Full HD (1080p).
5. Tap Download.
6. Tap Download this Video > Download.

That’s all you have to do! You should see the download icon appear in the top right with a progress bar underneath it.

Where do you find the downloaded video?

Everything you download in Safari will be saved in the Files app. By default, the app will store files in either the Downloads folder on your iCloud Drive or directly on your iPhone. You can choose a different folder within the Files app to save your downloads by going to Settings > Safari > Download.

How to download a Facebook video to your iPhone

There’s no way to download videos directly in the Facebook app. So if you want to save a video from Facebook, you’ll need the help of DownVids.net to save videos to your phone. Start downloading Facebook videos by following these steps:

1. Find the video you want to download in the Facebook app.
2. Tap Share > Copy Link.
3. Open Safari and go to DownVids.net.
4. Paste the URL.
5. Set the file type to .mp4 and quality to Full HD (1080p).
6. Tap Download.
7. Tap Download this Video.
8. A new page will open. Tap Download again.

Where does the downloaded video go?

Because you’re using Safari to do the downloading, you’ll find the video in the Files app, in the default folder you have set.

How to save a YouTube video to your iPhone

If there’s a video on YouTube that you want to save, follow these steps to quickly download it on your iPhone.

1. In the YouTube app, find the video you want to save.
2. Tap the three vertical dots next to the video name.
3. Tap Share > Copy link.
4. Switch to Safari and go to DownVids.net.
5. Double-tap in the box to paste the URL.
6. Make sure to set the file type to .mp4 and the quality to 1080p.
7. Tap Download. 
8. Then tap Download this Video.
9. A new window will open. Tap Download to finish.

Where to find the downloaded video

You’ll be able to find the video you just downloaded wherever you set Safari to store files. Typically, it’s in the Files app, but if you’re not sure where that is, you can:

1. Tap the download icon at the top right of the Safari window
2. Hit the magnifying glass next to the video name

How to save videos from Instagram

Since Instagram doesn’t have a feature for you to download videos directly in the app, you’ll need to use Safari and the website DownVids.net. Follow these steps to download your Instagram video:

1. Find the video you want to save in the Instagram app.
2. Tap the ellipsis directly above the video.
3. Tap Copy Link.
4. In Safari, go to DownVids.net.
5. Paste the Instagram link into the box.
6. From the drop-down menus, set the file type to .mp4 and quality to Full HD (1080p).
7. Tap Download > Download this Video.
8. A new window will open, and you’ll be prompted to tap Download.

Where is the video saved?

In the top-right corner of the Safari window, you’ll see the download icon. You can tap that button and then tap on the magnifying glass next to the file name to find where the video is saved.

After you download a video from any of these websites and apps, you’ll see just how easy it is. And the good news is you’ll never have to be without your videos again. Go ahead and upload your videos to Instagram and YouTube, because now you’re able to download them again whenever you need them.

The post How to download videos on iPhone from YouTube, Safari, and more appeared first on Backlight.

Armed with your iPhone, some patience, and a bit of creativity, you can easily make a time-lapse video of your own. This guide will help you get started with creating beautiful and easy time-lapses. 

Understanding time-lapse on iPhone

Using your iPhone to capture a time-lapse video is made simple through Time-lapse mode in your Camera app. This feature allows your phone to automatically shoot 1–2 frames per second for as long as you want, making it easier than ever to capture unique time-lapse videos with the tap of a button. 

What is time-lapse, and what does the name mean?

Time-lapse is a popular photographic technique used to speed up the perception of time. By recording a series of photographs depicting a scene that usually changes slowly over time and then speeding up the playback, you can make the action appear to occur unnaturally quickly.

How time-lapse works on iPhone

Unlike shooting a time-lapse with a traditional camera, shooting with an iPhone means that all the preparation is done for you behind the scenes. When you choose Time-lapse mode on your iPhone, it will automatically shoot your scene at 1–2 frames per second, depending on how long you choose to shoot for. 

Most time-lapse recordings on iPhone play back in 20–40 seconds, regardless of how long you shoot. That’s because the longer you record, the fewer frames will be captured each second, and the more dramatic the final effect will be. 

How much faster is time-lapse?

Your time-lapse video will play back at 30 frames per second, and the final speed will depend on how much footage you’ve captured with your iPhone. If you’ve recorded for less than 10 minutes, the iPhone Camera app will capture 2 frames per second. When played back, this results in a final video that is 15x normal speed. 

If you record more than 10 minutes of footage using the Time-lapse feature, your iPhone will discard half of the frames you’ve already captured in order to keep the video short. Your final video will now be 30x normal speed. The more footage you shoot, the more your frame rate will drop, and the faster your final video will become. 

Shooting time-lapse photography

Now for the fun part — getting out and shooting your own time-lapse videos with your iPhone. You’ll find that the Time-lapse feature in the Camera app is quite intuitive to use. The more you create, the better your time-lapse videos will become. Here’s an overview of how to use your iPhone for time-lapse photography, as well as some tips for making your time-lapses stand out.

How to use the Time-lapse feature

1. Open your Camera app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll through the shooting options right above the shutter button and tap Time-lapse.
3. When you are ready to record, tap the red record button. 
4. Tap the red record button again when you want to stop recording. 
5. Your time-lapse video will be saved to your Photo library under Recents and Time-lapse.

How to shoot a better-quality time-lapse video

Time-lapse videos work best when you are shooting a slow-moving scene, like the change from day to night or a flower opening up to the sun. You can also get creative with your time-lapse videos by shooting street scenes with crowds of people, traffic at a busy intersection, or a DIY project at home. No matter what you choose as your subject matter for your next time-lapse, here are some tips to make it better:

• Always use a tripod. The key to an awesome time-lapse is capturing movement in several frames from the same spot, and the easiest way to do this is with a tripod and a remote shutter.
• Use AF/AE Lock. You want the focus and exposure to be the same for every frame in your time-lapse, so be sure to hold your finger down on the screen and lock the exposure and focus before shooting. 
• Shoot with a full battery. Not surprisingly, shooting a long recording like a time-lapse will require a lot of juice, and you don’t want your iPhone to die before you finish. Make sure your battery is fully charged before starting your time-lapse project.

Fresh ideas for a time-lapse video

Classic time-lapse videos include the setting sun and clouds zooming overhead, but that’s just the beginning. Once you get those creative juices flowing, you’ll find that inspiration for time-lapse videos are everyone. Here are a few ideas:

1. An urban street scene. Find an interesting vantage point where you can capture a busy part of your town or city. Shoot for at least 30 minutes and see what your camera comes up with. Try shooting the same scene at different times of the day.
2. The tides going in and out. Ocean tides go in and out twice a day at a cycle that is roughly 12 hours long, which means you can capture the time between high and low tide in about 6 hours. Look for a spot that will enable you to capture wildlife (crabs, birds, and insects), as well as the waves going in and out.
3. A fun art project. Seeing a work of art transform before your eyes can make for a mesmerizing time-lapse video. Set your camera up on a tripod aimed at a blank piece of paper and capture one or two frames per second as you sketch, draw, or paint.
4. A DIY or construction project. Whether you’re baking a new recipe or remodeling your bathroom, this process can be captured as a from start to finish. Find a good vantage point where your phone won’t be in the way, set it up, and get to work on your project. (This is a great one to share with other DIYers for inspiration.)

Editing a time-lapse video on iPhone

Shooting footage for your time-lapse video is only half the process — and only half the fun. Now you can do some editing to make your time-lapse really stand out. Basic edits can be made right within the Photos app, but some editing, like changing the speed of a time-lapse, will have to be done through a third-party app.

How to change the speed of a time-lapse video on iPhone

If your finished time-lapse video plays too fast or too slow and you want to change it, you’ll have to use a third-party app like Lapse It. To make your time-lapse play over a longer time frame, the Lapse It editor will simply add in duplicate frames to stretch out the footage. Or, to make a video shorter, the editor will shorten the frame rate. Here’s how to use Lapse It:

1. Download the Lapse It app and open it on your iPhone.
2. Tap import at the top of the screen and give the app permission to access your photos.
3. Tap the videos and/or photos you want to edit. If you select more than one, they will all be added to the app.
4. Use the minute and second indicator to set the time frame for your video. If you set it for longer than the original, new frames will be added. If you set it for shorter than the original, the frame rate will be reduced. 
5. Tap the play button on your video to play it back. 
6. When you’re finished changing the speed of your time-lapse video, tap export to save your new video to your Photos.

How to trim and crop a time-lapse video

You can trim or crop your time-lapse video on iPhone using your Photos app in the same way that you would crop any video. When trimming a video using the Photos app, you can only make the video shorter by trimming the ends. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open your time-lapse in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Slide your finger along the timeline at the bottom of the screen until a yellow box appears.
3. Use your finger to slide the arrows on either side of the timeline to trim parts from the beginning or end of your video.
4. Tap Done and choose either Save Video or Save Video as New Clip.

Here’s how to crop a video using Photos:

1. Open your time-lapse video in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Tap the crop icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. A white outline will appear around your time-lapse photo. You can drag the edges of the outline to adjust the size and orientation of your time-lapse.
4. You can use the features at the bottom of the screen to adjust your horizon line, as well as change the vertical and horizontal proportion. Simply choose the icon and slide your finger along the bottom to make your adjustments.

How to add a filter to a time-lapse video

There are several color and black/white filters you can choose from when using the Photos app. Here’s how to apply a filter to your time-lapse video:

1. Choose the video you want to add a filter to and tap Edit.
2. Tap the filter icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Use the slider to choose one of nine filters. Keep in mind that the filter will be applied to the whole video, and there is no way to adjust the strength of the filter.
4. When you find one you’re happy with, tap Done.
5. The changes will be applied to your time-lapse video. 

The Time-lapse shooting mode on your iPhone is a fun tool to experiment with, allowing you to create fun videos and stop-animation at the press of a button. It’s an addictive photography tool, and once you start, you’ll be hooked on making time-lapse videos.

The post How to make an original time-lapse video with your iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

How slow motion works on iPhone

When you shoot a slow-motion video on your iPhone, you are actually playing back the video at a slower frame rate, creating the illusion that your video is moving more slowly than real life. You can use the Slo-mo feature to shoot cool nature scenes, sports footage, and intense action shots.

Slo-mo is a standard feature on iPhone camera models starting with the iPhone 5S. To access Slo-mo on iPhone, just open the Camera app and scroll through the menu above the shutter button. Tap Slo-mo, and you’re ready to go!

How slow is an iPhone slow-motion video?

The normal viewing speed on an iPhone is 60 frames per second (FPS). If you want to shoot a slow-motion video, you actually need to shoot it at a higher frame rate so that more footage is captured. When high-frame-rate footage is slowed down, it appears to be in slow motion.

All iPhone models with Slo-mo capability will record videos at 120 FPS, which is one-half normal speed. Newer models (iPhone 8 and newer) that are powered by the A11 Bionic chip can record Slo-mo videos at 240 FPS, which, when played back, will play at one-quarter normal speed.

Shooting slow motion with iPhone Camera

Now that we’ve gotten the details out of the way, let’s try some shooting techniques and tips to create cool slow-motion videos. Once you start experimenting, you won’t want to stop.

How to adjust Slo-mo settings on iPhone

Before we get started with making videos, let’s check out the settings on your iPhone. The FPS and the quality of your video will depend on the iPhone model you’re shooting with. You can adjust your Slo-mo settings to the highest quality for the best results, but be prepared — these amazing videos will gobble up a fair amount of storage on your phone. Here’s how to change your slow motion settings on iPhone:

1. Open your Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Record Slo-mo.
4. Choose the highest frame rate for the best results — just remember that this will take up more room on your phone.

How to shoot a slow-motion video with your iPhone

Now comes the fun part. Here are the basics for shooting slow-motion videos with your iPhone:

1. Navigate to your iPhone’s Camera app.
2. Scroll through the shooting modes above the shutter button and tap Slo-mo to turn on the slow motion feature. (Unless you have an iPhone 11, you can only use Slo-mo with your iPhone’s rear camera.)
3. When you’re ready to shoot your film, tap the red Record button or one of your side volume buttons.
4. Tap again to stop filming. 
5. Your slow-motion video will be saved in your photo library.

How to make your slow-motion video stand out

You may have mastered the basics and practiced a few slow-motion shots of your kids playing in the sprinkler or your dog running through the woods, but if you want your Slo-mo videos to really stand out, you’ll have to get creative. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Change your camera angle. For greater impact, look for camera angles that will highlight the action. Shooting a flying snowball? Try to capture it whizzing toward the camera. Filming your latest skateboard maneuver? Set your camera low to the ground for a worm’s-eye view of the road and wheels.
• Consider the video sound. When you slow down the playback speed, keep in mind that the sound will also play back at a slower speed.
• Shoot in bright light. Because you are recording your video at a higher frame rate than normal, it’s important to ensure that you have sufficient light. A video that is shot in dim lighting will appear even darker.

How to edit a slow-motion video

Once you’ve created some decent slow-motion footage, you can make edits to make your videos really stand out — change the speed of your video, crop it, trim it, or adjust the look with filters. The sky’s the limit here.

Can you change Slo-mo to regular speed?

Uh-oh. You shot what you thought would be an amazing slow-motion video of your friend’s stellar dance moves, but the results just aren’t flattering. Fortunately, you can easily turn your slow-motion video into a normal-speed video with a few taps of the screen. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your Photos app, open the Slo-mo video that you want to change, and tap Edit.
2. At the bottom of the screen, you will see two sliders. The first shows the frames within your video. The second shows where your video changes from regular speed to slow motion.
3. Drag the vertical white line across the second slider so that all the lines are the same width apart. This will change the Slo-mo parts to regular speed.
4. If you want to change just a portion of your video to regular speed, adjust the slider in either direction to make those sections regular speed.
5. When you’re satisfied with the results, tap Done.

How to speed up a slow-motion video

If you want to speed your movie up even faster than normal speed, you will need to use iMovie, which is free to download in the App Store. Here’s how to speed up your slow-motion video using iMovie:

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone.
2. Tap Continue in the welcome screen.
3. Tap + to start a new project and tap Movie.
4. Choose the slow-motion video that you want to edit and tap Create Movie at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap the video to make the editing tools appear.
6. Tap the speedometer icon to speed up your video.
7. A slider will appear with a turtle on one end and a rabbit on the other. Sliding this all the way toward the rabbit will make your video play at 2 times normal speed.
8. Tap the play button to check your results.
9. Tap Done at the top of the screen.

How to slow down your video

You can slow down your Slo-mo video the same way you sped it up using iMovie. Simply follow the same directions, but move the slider toward the turtle instead of the rabbit to reduce the speed of your video.

How to trim, crop, and straighten your slow-motion video

Your iPhone’s Photo app has some basic editing tools that you can use to fix up your slow-motion videos. With these tools, you can easily trim, crop, and straighten your videos. Here’s how to do it.

1. First, open up the slow-motion video that you want to edit and tap Edit.
2. To trim the video, move the arrows at either end of the timeline slider toward the middle. You can trim the beginning or end of your video to make it shorter.
3. To straighten your video, tap the crop icon. The straighten feature is accessed by tapping the circle with the horizontal line through it. Now move the slider to straighten your video.
4. You can crop your video by tapping the crop icon and dragging the borders of your video to crop it to the desired size.
5. Tap Done.

How to adjust exposure, contrast, and color for a Slo-mo video

The iPhone Photos app can also change the appearance of your slow-motion video by adjusting the exposure, contrast, and color with individual sliders or ready-to-go filters. Here’s how to access these fun editing tools in Photos:

1. Choose the video you want to edit in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Tap the edit icon, which looks like a circle surrounded by small dots.
3. Above the slider are a variety of icons that will change the look of your video.
4. The exposure icon is a circle with a +/- inside it. Tap this and then drag the slider to increase or decrease the exposure.
5. The contrast slider can be accessed by tapping the contrast icon, which looks like a black-and-white circle bisected in half. Move the slider back and forth to adjust.
6. To up the saturation, tap the saturation icon (a colorful circle) and adjust the slider to achieve your desired color saturation.
7. If you want to add a filter to your video, tap the filter icon (three interconnected circles) and scroll through the options to apply them to your video.
8. Tap Done.

Now that you know the basics, there’s nothing stopping you from creating stunning Slo-mo videos with your iPhone. Use our guide to get creative with this underrated feature!

The post How to make spectacular slow-motion videos on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

For years, Instagram advertised itself strictly as a photo-sharing platform. In fact, it wasn’t until the (formerly) popular six-second video-sharing app Vine went viral in 2013 that Instagram finally decided to get with the times and allow 15-second videos. 

Nowadays, video is one of the most compelling components of the app. Whether you’re going live on your Instagram Stories or posting an hour-long cooking tutorial on IGTV, video is a great way to post engaging, evergreen content for your followers. In this guide, we’ll cover sharing YouTube videos, uploading high-quality clips, and everything else you need to know about posting videos on Instagram. 

How to post a long video on Instagram

The days of 6- and 15-second video clips are long gone, but that doesn’t mean we’re all able to share full-length feature films. Instagram has a couple of restrictions and rules regarding video length that everyone should keep on their radar. 

How long of a video can you post on Instagram?

When it comes to what the length restriction is for videos on Instagram, the answer varies depending on where you’re posting it. The rules regarding length differ for Stories, posts, and IGTV. 

Let’s break them down:

• On Instagram Stories, you can only capture or upload a 15-second video. However, you can post or shoot an unlimited amount of 15-second videos back to back to essentially create one long video. 
• On Instagram posts, you can upload a video that’s up to 60 seconds long. However, you could get around this by posting up to 10 60-second clips on a carousel post to create a video up to 10 minutes long. 
• On IGTV, you can upload a video up to 15 minutes long when doing so from your iPhone. However, when you’re uploading from a computer, the maximum length increases to 60 minutes.

How to post a 3-minute video or longer on Instagram

If you want to post a video that’s three minutes or longer on Instagram, the best way to do it is through IGTV. While there is a separate app for IGTV, you can upload videos just fine through the Instagram app itself. 

Here’s how to upload a video on IGTV through the Instagram app:

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen. 
3. Press the IGTV button at the top-left of the screen. 
4. Press + at the top-right of the screen. 
5. Select the video you want to upload. 
6. Press Next. 
7. Choose your cover image from the video or upload a new one from your Camera Roll. 
8. Press Next. 
9. Fill in the title, description, and other details. 
10. Press Post. 

How to share a long video as an Instagram post

As we mentioned previously, Instagram only allows 1-minute videos on posts. However, there is a way to get around this rule by using the app’s carousel feature, also known as the multiple photo feature.

Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t make it easy to do this. If you want to post a long video (up to 10 minutes) on Instagram using the carousel feature, you first need to break the video up into sections. Each section can be up to 1 minute long. 

Here’s how you can turn your long video into a bunch of short videos: 

1. Open your Photos app on your iPhone. 
2. Navigate to the video you wish to use. 
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right corner. 
4. Use the sliding arrows below the video to create your first clip. 
5. Press Done. 
6. Press Save Video as New Clip.
7. Repeat the steps above until you’ve created all of your clips. 

Now that you’ve got your video clips ready, it’s time to turn them into a long video via carousel. Here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon for your profile at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press + at the bottom-center of the screen. 
4. Press the multiple photos option at the right of the screen above your photo library. 
5. Select the video clips you made out of your longer video. You can choose up to 10. 
6. Press Next. 
7. Edit the color of the clips and choose a filter for all of them if you wish. 
8. Press Next. 
9. Fill out the details of the post. 
10. Press Share. 

It’s important to note that since you can only add up to 10 photos and videos to a carousel, your video will be a max of 10 minutes long. 

Can you post a video to Instagram from your computer?

Instagram is a mobile-only app, which means that you can’t directly upload new content (including video) to your account through the webpage on your desktop browser. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are plenty of third-party apps and services that allow you to upload videos to Instagram through your computer. 

How to upload a video to Instagram from a Mac

As we mentioned, there are plenty of third-party apps and services that allow you to upload videos to Instagram from your desktop computer. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be using the app Uplet. 

Known for being a bulk Instagram uploader for Mac computers, this app allows you to post multiple photos and videos, repost videos, customize your posts, and add captions. It’s free to download for a seven-day trial. 

Here’s how to post a video to Instagram using Uplet: 

1. Open Uplet. 
2. Sign in with your Instagram account login information. 
3. Press “Add photos and videos.”
4. Locate the video you want to upload on your computer. 
5. Press Open. 
6. Type in the caption. 
7. Press Share. 

How to post a video to Instagram from a Windows PC

If you don’t have a Mac, you can still upload videos from your Windows PC to your Instagram. Thankfully, when it comes to posting for IGTV, you can post a video straight from your browser. 

Here’s how: 

1. On your desktop, open your web browser. 
2. Go to Instagram.com.
3. Click the button of your profile picture to navigate to your profile. 
4. Click the IGTV section under your bio. 
5. Click Upload.
6. Click the large + sign to select your video or drag and drop the video file.
7. Fill in the title, the description, and the rest of the video details.
8. Click Post.

Now, if you want to post a video to your Instagram feed or Stories from your desktop, you’ll have to use a separate tool. Thankfully, Facebook made posting to Instagram from a computer easier with its Creator Studio. 

Within the Creator Studio, you can check your analytics, measure your engagement — and post photos and videos to your Instagram feed. However, you have to have a creator or business account to use this tool, and it doesn’t let you post to your Stories. 

If you want to post a video to your Stories from your computer, you’ll need to download a third-party tool like Storrito. The free version allows you to post up to 10 Story posts a month, while a paid subscription offers anywhere from 100 to 500 posts. 

More tricks for sharing videos on Instagram

Instagram has come a long way in terms of video sharing. From adding music to sharing videos from other platforms, there are tons of tips and tricks that everyone should know. 

How to post a YouTube video on Instagram

One of those cool tricks is the ability to post a YouTube video on your Instagram account. And the easiest way to do that is by downloading the video on your phone and then posting it on Instagram through the app. 

But in order to do that, you need to install a third-party app that supports downloading YouTube videos, as you can’t do it directly from the YouTube app. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll use the free app Video Saver. 

Here’s how to download YouTube videos to your iPhone with Video Saver and post them to Instagram: 

1. Locate the video you want to post on your iPhone’s internet browser. 
2. Copy the video’s URL. 
3. Open the Video Saver app. 
4. Press Add Video. 
5. Select Internet. 
6. Paste the URL of the YouTube video you wish to download. 
7. Press Go. 
8. Select Download. 
9. Press My Video at the bottom-left of the screen. 
10. Press the three vertical dots next to your downloaded video. 
11. Select “Save to camera roll.”
12. Open the Instagram app. 
13. Post the video to your Stories, feed, or IGTV as you normally would with any post. 

How to add music to an Instagram video Story

One of the easiest ways to level-up your video content game is by adding music to your Instagram Stories videos. And lucky for you, it’s very simple to do. 

Here’s how to add music to a video on Instagram Stories: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the camera button in the top-left of the screen. 
3. Either record a new video or swipe up to navigate and select the video you want to add to your Story. 
4. Press the sound button at the top of the screen to mute the video’s sound. 
5. Press the sticker button at the top of the screen. 
6. Select Music. 
7. Scroll or search for the song you’d like to add. 
8. Adjust the song to the clip you’d like to hear playing. 
9. Adjust the music icon you’d like to be displayed on your Story by pressing the icon itself and dragging to your desired location. 
10. Select Done. 
11. Move the music icon to your desired location on the page. 
12. Press Next.
13. Select Share to add to your Story. 

How to add music to an Instagram video post

Unfortunately, adding music to your Instagram video post isn’t as easy. At the time of this writing, you can’t add music to a post within the Instagram app itself. However, you can add music by using a third-party app such as Lomotif, which is free to download in the app store. 

Here’s how to add music to an Instagram video post using Lomotif: 

1. Download and open the Lomotif app. 
2. Press + at the bottom-center of the screen. 
3. Press Library.
4. Select the video you wish to use. 
5. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen. 
6. Search or scroll through the music options available until you find the one you wish to use. 
7. Select the song. 
8. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen. 
9. Edit the aspect ratio and adjust the clip of the song you’d like to use. 
10. When you’re done, press the Save button at the top-right of the screen. 
11. Select Yes.
12. Select the Instagram icon. 
13. Select Share. 

How to share a video from Facebook to Instagram

Much like sharing videos from YouTube, sharing videos from Facebook comes with its own set of challenges. You can’t download a Facebook video directly from the app, nor can you directly share it on your Instagram. Luckily, the process we used for sharing YouTube videos by first downloading them to Video Saver also works for Facebook videos (consult the aforementioned section for full instructions). 

Video content should be a part of everyone’s social media strategy. Not only is it a fun way to keep your followers engaged, but it also gives them a more personal look into your life or business. We hope you use these tips and tricks to make your videos stand out amongst the rest.

The post How to post a video on Instagram: Tricks you didn’t know appeared first on Backlight.

The best screen recorder apps for iPhone

Obviously, one way to record your screen is with the built-in iOS screen recorder, but some apps can take your recordings to the next level. To help you sift through all of the available apps, here are the best apps you can download to record your iPhone screen:

1. TechSmith Capture
2. Record It!
3. Web Recorder
4. Screen Recorder – Livestream
5. AirScr Screen Recorder
6. Reaction Cam
7. Screen Recorder – RecPro
8. DU Recorder
9. Screen Recorder +
10. Screen Recorder Pro

1. TechSmith Capture: Best screen recorder app

If you do any screen recording on your computer, you may recognize TechSmith from its Camtasia suite of apps. With TechSmith Capture, not only can you record your screen, but like other apps, it will record your microphone so you can add narration or voice-overs to your videos. 

After you finish your recordings, they’re all kept in a well-organized library in the app where you can review, delete, and share them.  If you’re using Camtasia on your computer, you can also share your videos directly from your device to your computer without ever leaving the app.

TechSmith Capture on the App Store

2. Record It!: Screen recorder with facecam

Not only does Record It! let you record your screen and audio at the same time like the native screen recorder in iOS, but it also lets you record using your front camera to capture your reactions to the screen. This can be helpful if you’re creating videos for YouTube or other social media sites like Instagram because it will allow your viewers to see your face while you’re talking, and see your screen simultaneously.

Record It! also allows you to import old recordings from your Camera Roll and add video reactions, audio narrations, and other annotations to them.

Record It! on the App Store

3. Web Recorder: Capture your iOS browser

If you want to record things in your browser, then Web Recorder might be the app you’re looking for. It acts as its own web browser and only records what’s happening on the web page itself. So you don’t have to worry about notifications popping up or cropping it later to get rid of things like the time or your data connection.

After you’ve finished recording, you can also save and share the video directly from within the app.

Web Recorder on the App Store

4. Screen Recorder – Livestream: One of the best screen recorders for iPhone

Screen Recorder – Livestream might be the app that can do it all. It can record or broadcast your screen to various platforms, and it has a powerful video editor that allows you to trim, crop, or merge your recordings. You can also create a custom watermark if you want to put one on your videos. Plus, it has a whiteboard feature, which is great for annotating or showcasing your drawing and painting skills.

Screen Recorder – Livestream  on the App Store

5. AirScr Screen Recorder: A recorder and editor app

While you can capture your screen and audio with AirScr, where this app really shines is with its editing features. After you’ve finished your recording, you can edit it down, combine it with other recordings, add a reaction using the facecam, and even record voice-overs for your videos. This app gives you a lot of control over your recordings that other apps would require you to download an additional video editor to achieve.

AirScr on the App Store

6. Reaction Cam: Best iOS screen and face recorder

Reaction Cam is a little different than the other screen recording apps on this list because it’s more about recording you than your screen.  This is great if you’re recording a reaction video. Just as its name suggests, it records your screen while playing back various videos from around the internet, and it films you as you react to watching them.

Similar to the app Web Recorder, it not only records videos from YouTube or Instagram but will also let you record other webpages and will film your reaction as you navigate to those sites. This could be useful if you’re creating videos that respond to news or announcements in things like video games or movies. 

Reaction Cam on the App Store

7. Screen Recorder – RecPro: Record and stream your screen

If you’re looking for an app that can do live streams and can record your screen, then look no further than Screen Recorder – RecPro.  In addition to being able to stream to various platforms like Twitch and Facebook, you also get total control over your screen recordings. You can adjust the resolution and framerate before you record, and while editing, you can add filters, adjust the speed, or even record a video commentary. So, if you were hoping to find an app that would record and stream your iPhone screen, then give this app a try.

Screen Recorder – RecPro on the App Store

8. DU Recorder: Record, edit, and stream your screen

If you’re only using DU Recorder to record your iPhone’s screen, you might not notice anything special about it. It’s all of the other things that the app can do that makes it so powerful. It comes with a suite of editing tools and video filters, but it also allows you to live-stream your iPhone’s screen directly to YouTube, Facebook, or even Twitch. It is free to download but will stamp a watermark on all of your videos. You can get rid of the watermark by upgrading it with an in-app purchase.

DU Recorder on the App Store

9. Screen Recorder +: Do more with your recordings

Screen Recorder + will really step up your screen recording game. It’s one of the few apps that supports 2K and 4K resolutions for a cleaner and more crisp video. It also offers a full timeline editor, so after you finish recording, you can trim or crop your video, film a reaction, or even record narration. And when you’re down with the video, you can start your upload to YouTube from the app, so you’re doing everything, from creation to upload, all within Screen Recorder +.

Screen Recorder + on the App Store

10. Screen Recorder Pro: Elevate your videos

With Screen Recorder Pro as the name suggests, you can record your screen like a pro, but you can also capture audio, edit your videos and record yourself talking to the camera. One of the great features of Screen Recorder Pro, though, is it’s annotation tools. Not only can you drop stickers to help draw attention to a particular area of the screen, but you can also draw with the brush tool, similar to how you’d use this feature in Instagram or Snapchat.

Screen Recorder Pro on the App Store

While it might be easier to just stick to the native screen recording tool in iOS, there’s so much more you can do with your videos. It all depends on what exactly you want to do with them. Hopefully, this list has helped give you some ideas and inspired you to try new screen recorder apps and their features. 

The post 10 screen recorder apps with facecam and other neat features appeared first on Backlight.

Instagram introduced video-sharing in 2013 with posts enabled to feature videos up to 15 seconds long. It was a glorious time in social media, as accounts creatively curated new content for this format. 

Now, video is a massive component of an overall high-quality and engaging Instagram presence. So if you want to add video to your Instagram strategy, there’s no better time than now. 

Instagram video size and length restrictions

As with all good things, there are still limitations in place today on Instagram videos. In this section, we’ll go over all of the size and length restrictions you need to be aware of prior to shooting. 

Instagram Story video size and length

Instagram Stories are arguably one of the most popular features on the app, so it’s no surprise that Instagram allows and encourages users to post their videos through Stories. 

Even though it may seem like the sky is the limit for videos posted to Stories, there are some restrictions to be aware of, such as: 

• Video dimensions need to be a minimum of 600 x 1067, but Instagram recommends video dimensions of 1080 x 1920 for Stories. 
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The Instagram Stories video length limit is 15 seconds. However, you can post an unlimited number of 15-second videos back-to-back to essentially create one long video. 

It’s also important to note that when you upload a video longer than 15 seconds to Stories, it automatically splices it up into 15-second chunks for you. 

Instagram video size and length for posts

You won’t find any feature-length films on this social media app. While videos on Instagram have drastically changed from the original 15-second rule, there is still a short-form limitation in place. And the dimensions depend on which kind of video you use: vertical, landscape, or carousel and square.  

Here are the requirements and restrictions for vertical videos:

• The minimum Instagram vertical video dimensions are 600 x 750.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds.

Here are the requirements and restrictions for horizontal videos:

• The minimum Instagram landscape video dimensions are 600 x 315.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds.

Here are the requirements and restrictions for carousel and square videos:

• The minimum Instagram square and carousel video dimensions are 600 x 600.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds. However, you could post up to 10 60-second clips to create a video up to 10-minutes long. 

IGTV video size and length

In June 2018, Instagram launched IGTV in an effort to meet users’ requests for long-format video. IGTV videos can be posted to your feed or can be found in the IGTV section of your homepage. 

While you have more wiggle room when it comes to length for IGTV videos, there are still some limitations to be aware of: 

• The minimum IGTV video length is 60 seconds. 
• When you upload from a mobile device, the maximum IGTV video length is 15 minutes. However, when you’re uploading from a computer, the maximum length increases to 60 minutes. 
• The maximum file size is 650MB for videos 10 minutes or shorter, or 3.6GB for videos up to 60 minutes. 
• The recommended size for IGTV cover photos is 420 x 654.

Instagram video resolution and aspect ratio

Uploading videos might seem as simple as pressing a button — and often, it is — however, there are two components to consider if you want your content to be high quality: resolution and aspect ratio. 

A video’s resolution is the number of pixels that can be displayed in each dimension, which determines how clear or unclear a video is. The aspect ratio is the relationship between the video’s height and width, which also determines the overall picture. 

As you may have guessed, Instagram has its own requirements regarding resolution and ratio. We’ll dive deeper into those numbers in the sections below. 

Instagram Story aspect ratio and best resolution

Having crystal clear videos on your Instagram Story can lead to an increase in engagement and user action. Here are some requirements and recommendations to keep in mind: 

• Instagram Story videos are recommended to be at a ratio of 9:16 and 16:9 and 4:5. 
• The recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels. 
• However, the minimum width is 500 pixels, and the maximum aspect ratio is 90 x 160.

Recommended aspect ratio and resolution for Instagram posts

It’s no surprise that using high-quality videos counts the most in your posts. 

In general, Instagram supports photos and videos that have a width between 320px and 1080px. However, the recommended resolution and aspect ratio depends on the format you choose: vertical, landscape, or square and carousel. 

Below are the requirements and recommendations for vertical video posts: 

• Vertical videos can have a maximum aspect ratio of 4:5 (if they are larger than that, they will get cropped).
• Instagram recommends a resolution of 1080px by 1350px or as close to that as possible. 

These are the requirements and recommendations for landscape video posts: 

• Horizontal videos can have an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 16:9. 
• Instagram recommends using 16:9. 
• Instagram also recommends a resolution of 1080px by 607px.

And here are the requirements and recommendations for square and carousel video posts: 

• Square videos should have an aspect ratio of 1:1. 
• Square videos should have a resolution as close to 1080px by 1080px as possible.

Video aspect ratio and resolution for IGTV

Since IGTV is increasingly growing in popularity and use, it’s important to make sure the videos you share there are easy to watch. Below are the requirements and recommendations for aspect ratio and resolution on IGTV videos: 

• IGTV video dimensions should be 1080px by 1920px,  but the minimum resolution is 720px. 
• IGTV videos should have an aspect ratio of 9:16 for vertical videos and 16:9 for horizontal videos. 

Does Instagram support 1080p video?

Yes, Instagram does support videos with a resolution of 1080px for IGTV, posts, and Stories. 

How to crop a video for Instagram

If you need or want to crop a video for Instagram, the process is fairly simple. Here are the instructions: 

1. Open your iPhone Photos app. 
2. Navigate to the video you wish to crop. 
3. Press the Edit button in the top-right of the screen. 
4. Select the crop tool at the bottom-right of the screen. 
5. From there, you can either manually crop the photo by sliding the corners in and out, or you can choose one of the formatted crop sizes by pressing the square tool at the top-right of the screen. 
6. Press Done. 

Once you go through these instructions, your newly cropped video will be saved to your Camera Roll. 

How to resize a large video for Instagram

If your video is too large to upload, you’ll have to resize it first. Thankfully, there are many apps and tools designed to change the Instagram video size. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be using the app No Crop, which is free to download in the App Store. 

Here’s how to resize a video for Instagram using No Crop: 

1. Open No Crop. 
2. Press Videos.
3. Give No Crop access to your Camera Roll by selecting OK.
4. Select the video you wish to resize. 
5. Use the slider tool to make your video smaller or larger. 
6. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen to save. 

What Instagram video format is supported?

Instagram supports the video format MP4 for IGTV, posts, and Stories. To get even more technical, the supported video codecs are H.264 and VP8, and supported audio codecs are AAC and Vorbis.

If you’re active on Instagram — or are strategizing to be more active in the future — you’ll want to include video content. Not only is it one of the leading online formats, but it’s a creative way to break up your feed and be even more engaged with your followers. Hope this guide helps you figure out the optimal Instagram video size, format, and resolution to best tell your story.

The post What’s the best Instagram video size, format, and resolution? appeared first on Backlight.

If you’ve ever tried to take a video selfie, you know it’s hard to make it feel as natural as your selfie pics. But now, thanks to Slofies, you can easily add some subtle motion. Read on for everything you need to know about Slofies. 

What are Slofies on iPhone? 

As mentioned earlier, Slofies are simply slow-motion selfie videos. But if you’re looking for “Slofie” on your iPhone, no one could fault you for overlooking it. In fact, in the Camera app, it’s just called “Slow-Mo.” 

iPhones that have the Slofie feature

Slofies were first introduced by Apple with the iPhone 11 lineup. Currently, the only phones that can create Slofies are:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max

How to take a Slo-Mo selfie

Taking a Slo-Mo selfie is just as easy as taking a regular selfie. Just follow these steps to get started:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the Switch Camera icon in the bottom right.
3. Slide to change the mode to Slo-Mo.

How to take better slow-motion selfies 

The biggest temptation with Slofies is for everyone to create the exact same video. You know the video — the one where you shake your hair and watch your gorgeous locks flowing in Slo-Mo. Here are some things you can do to make your Slofies stand out.

Tip 1: Add more motion

The reality is that these are just slow-motion videos using your front-facing camera. And if you’ve shot Slo-Mo videos using your rear camera, you know that the more movement or motion you capture, the better. The same goes for the Slofie. 

Try recording while jumping on a trampoline, or move the camera from side-to-side as you record. If you’re really adventurous, you could try taking a Slofie while snowboarding or riding a bike (obviously, you should exercise extreme caution if you try this).

Tip 2: Get friends (or pets!) involved

We know they’re slow-motion selfies, but who are we kidding? We take group-selfies all the time, so why not include a friend or a pet in the Slo-Mo fun? Have your dog jump in and out of frame when you record, or have a friend do a crazy dance in the background. After all, everything is funnier in slow motion.

Tip 3: Have enough light

Just like regular slow-motion videos, Slofies are filmed at a higher frame-per-second rate, which means they require more light than a regular video. So before you film a Slofie, just make sure you have a ton of light so your video doesn’t come out dark and grainy.

How to edit a Slofie on iPhone 

Because Slofies are treated just like any other video, it means you can edit them directly on your iPhone. And thankfully, you can do a lot of editing using the native iOS Photos app.

How to trim a slow-motion selfie

As with standard slow-motion videos on your iPhone, the beginning and end of a Slofie will be at normal speed. But you can edit those portions out by trimming your slow-motion selfie if you follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap your Slofie, then Edit.
3. Drag the arrows on either side of your video to the point(s) where you want the video to start or stop.
4. Finally, tap Done.

How to adjust the speed of your Slofie

By following these steps, you can also change the speed of your Slofie to make the playback faster or slower.

1. In the Photos app, tap your Slofie.
2. Tap Edit.
3. There’s a speed timeline toward the bottom. Adjust the sliders to speed up or slow down your video.

How to crop and straighten a Slofie

If you recorded your Slofie at a weird angle, don’t worry. You can straighten it by rotating your video:

1. Find your Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Then tap Edit. Then select the Crop icon at the bottom.
3. Adjust the slider to change the angle of the video.
4. Tap Done.

You can also crop your video to remove something out of the frame:

1. Open your Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit. Then select the Crop icon.
3. Drag the corners to adjust the box around your video.
4. Finally, tap Done.

How to apply a filter to a Slo-Mo selfie

Just like your regular videos, you can apply the available preset filters from the Photos app to Slo-Mo selfies. Once you have the video open in your Photos app, here’s how you can apply the filter:

1. Tap Edit. Then select the Filters button at the bottom.
2. Select the filter you want to use.
3. Adjust the slider below to change the intensity of the filter.
4. Tap Done.

How to adjust brightness, contrast, and more

You can also adjust things like brightness and contrast like you can with your other videos. To edit the brightness on your Slofies:

1. Tap on the Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit. Then select the Adjust button at the bottom.
3. Tab through the various adjustments (highlights, contrast, saturation, etc.).
4. Adjust the slider for each button until you get a look you’re happy with.
5. Tap Done.

At first glance, it’s easy to write off Slofies as a silly and gimmicky new feature. But when done right, they can be really interesting and a lot of fun. Hopefully, you found this article helpful and it inspired you to create your own Slofies. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

The post How to take a fun slow-motion selfie, aka Slofie, on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

How to screen-record on iPhone

Similar to taking a screenshot of your iPhone, you can actually record a video of everything happening on your screen. Before you start recording your screen, you’ll need to add Screen Recording to your Control Center. To do that:

1. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls.
2. Tap the green plus icon next to Screen Recording.

How to start recording your screen

After you’ve added the Screen Recording button Control Center, you can record from any screen. To start recording your screen:

1. Open Control Center by swiping down from the upper-right corner. 

Note: If you’re on an iPhone 8 or older, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen.

2. Tap the Record icon, then wait for the countdown to finish.

How to turn off the iOS screen recorder

When you want to finish recording your screen, there are two ways to stop it. You can stop recording by:

1. Opening Control Center by swiping down from the upper-right corner
2. Tapping the Record icon so that it turns gray again

Or you can:

1. From the home screen, tap the red bar at the top-left corner of your screen
2. Confirm finishing the screen record

How to record your screen with sound

If you’ve followed the instructions above, the first thing you’ll probably notice about your screen recording is that it doesn’t have any sound. Fortunately, you can turn the microphone on so you can record your screen with audio. Assuming you’ve already added the Screen Recording button to Control Center, you can record with sound by following these steps:

1. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Press and hold the Record icon.
3. Tap Microphone to switch the microphone on.
4. Tap Start Recording, then wait for the countdown.
5. To Stop Recording, open Control Center and tap the Record icon.

How long can you screen-record on iPhone?

There is no known time limit for screen recording. It appears that you’re able to record your screen until you use all of your storage. That said, some people online have reported issues with their screen recordings just randomly stopping while taking longer videos.

Editing a video screen capture on iPhone

After you stop capturing your screen, you’ll notice that your recordings are stored in the Photos app. This means you can use all of the built-in iOS video editing features to help make your screen-records that much better.

How to trim your screen recording

There’s a good chance that your recordings will have some extra content at either the beginning or the end of the video. You probably don’t want to include that shot of Control Center going away or the part where you’re trying to turn off the screen recording. Thankfully, you can trim those parts out directly in the Photos app.

1. Open Photos.
2. Tap the recording.
3. Tap Edit.
4. At the bottom of the screen, drag the arrows to trim the beginning or end.
5. Tap Done.

How to crop a video screen capture on iPhone

If you’re watching your screen record and want to focus on only a certain section of the screen, you can crop your videos just like cropping your pictures. To crop your screen capture videos:

1. Open Photos.
2. Tap the recording.
3. Next, tap Edit.
4. Tap the Crop icon at the bottom.
5. Resize the box around your video.
6. Finally, tap Done.

How to add arrows and captions to an iPhone screen recording

Maybe you’re hoping to add a little more to your recordings like captions or stickers. For that, you’ll need to use a third-party app like Screen Recorder+. Once you download it from the App Store, follow the steps below to get started:

1. Open Screen Recorder+.
2. Tap Start Recording > Start Broadcast.
3. When you’re done recording your screen, tap the Recording button > Stop Broadcast.
4. Next, tap your recording.
5. Then tap Edit.
6. Tap to add text or stickers. 
7. Finally, tap Done.

Troubleshooting screen capture on iPhone

Even though Apple has done a great job at making screen recordings simple, that doesn’t mean you won’t have an issue from time to time. Below are some of the common problems people run into when trying to record their iPhone screens and what will fix them quickly.

Why is my screen recording not working? 

Here are a couple of common issues you might experience when recording your iPhone screen and what you can do to fix it.

• Running low on storage. If your iPhone is running out of storage space, you won’t be able to save a recording when you finish. 
• An app might not allow it. Because some apps have copyrighted material like music or videos, apps may prevent you from capturing the screen.
• iPhone software is freezing. Whether the screen-record itself is freezing or another app is causing it to freeze, restarting your iPhone can help resolve any weird bugs.

Why can’t I screen-record with sound? 

If you’re watching a screen recording but can’t hear any of the sound you recorded with it, here are some things you can try to fix it:

• Turn your mic on. Sometimes the mic is turned off by default for screen recordings. Follow the instructions above to ensure that it’s turned on.
• Restart your iPhone. It’s possible that another app running in the background is trying to use your iPhone’s mic at the same time. Restarting your iPhone gives it a chance to turn off all other processes.
• Reset iPhone settings. There may be an issue with your iPhone’s mic settings. You can reset all your settings by going to Settings > General > Reset and tapping Reset All Settings.

Sometimes it’s easier to explain things with a video. So whether you’re trying to create an app demo or an iPhone tutorial, it’s never been easier to record your iPhone’s screen. And thanks to iPhone’s built-in iOS features, you can edit your videos directly in the Photos app.

The post How to record your iPhone’s screen for video tutorials appeared first on Backlight.

The good news is that yes, it’s possible to crop a video on an iPhone using either Photos or iMovie. The not-so-good news is that the size recommendations for videos are different depending on what social media platform you want to post on, and you may have to crop to multiple different sizes before uploading to different platforms.

How to crop a video on iPhone using Photos 

The simplest way to crop a video on an iPhone is to do it within the Photos app. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Photos app and navigate to the iPhone video you want to crop.
2. Tap Edit in the upper-right corner of the screen.
3. From the bottom menu, tap the crop icon.
4. A white frame will appear outlining your video. Use your fingers to drag the outline to your desired crop. 
5. When you are happy with the results, tap Done.

How to crop a video for Instagram 

The aspect ratio for videos is different for every social media platform, so you may have to adjust your video crop depending on the platform you want to upload it to. 

Instagram allows video placement in three different areas on the platform. You can upload a video to Instagram Stories and IGTV, or you can upload a video as an Instagram post. Here are the different video size requirements for Instagram. 

• Instagram Stories: For Instagram stories, you should upload videos in portrait orientation at a 9:16 aspect ratio with dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels. Landscape videos (16:9) will work too, but they will show up much smaller on the screen. 
• Instagram posts: For Instagram posts, you can upload square (1:1), portrait (9:16), or landscape (16:9) videos. Square videos are still the most popular size for an Instagram feed.
• IGTV: IGTV video dimensions should be 1080 X 1920 pixels with an aspect ratio of 9:16. This is the same as the recommended size for Instagram Stories.

You can crop a video for Instagram to an exact aspect ratio using the Photos app. The method is slightly different from the method for more general video cropping.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and navigate to the video you want to crop.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Tap the crop icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap the aspect ratio icon (which looks like a segmented rectangle) in the upper-right corner.
5. Scroll through your aspect ratio choices and choose the one that best fits Instagram.
6. Tap Done to save the video to your Camera Roll.

How to crop a video for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat 

You can use the method above for cropping videos before uploading them to any social media platform. To make things easier, we’ve compiled an overview of common dimensions and aspect ratios for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat.

• Facebook: You can upload videos to Facebook that are either portrait (9:16) or landscape (16:9) orientation. 
• Twitter: Twitter allows you to directly upload landscape (1:2.39) or portrait (2.39:1) videos. 
• YouTube: For YouTube, you should crop your videos to 16:9 in landscape orientation. 
• Snapchat: Snapchat primarily uses portrait orientation at a 9:16 aspect ratio.

Can you fix a vertical or horizontal video by cropping? 

What happens when you accidentally record a vertical video when you actually need a horizontal one or vice versa? While this solution may not be ideal, you can easily crop your photo from vertical to horizontal or horizontal to vertical. The downside is that you’ll lose a lot of the scene you were trying to capture. In many cases, it won’t make a huge difference, but you may occasionally lose important footage. In many cases, it will be easier to just reshoot your video. 

How to crop a video in iMovie

Another way to crop a video on your iPhone is by using iMovie, which allows you to zoom in on your video, crop out unnecessary elements, or emphasize an element within the video. Cropping a video in iMovie is useful when you are also editing other elements of your video, stitching multiple videos together, or adding music. Here’s how to crop your video using iMovie on your iPhone.

1. Open iMovie and tap on the video you want to crop.
2. Tap Create Movie.
3. Tap the video timeline to open the video editor.
4. Tap the small magnifying glass next to the video player.
5. Use your pinched finger and thumb to zoom in or out on your video. The aspect ratio will automatically change as you do this.
6. When you’re happy with the results, tap Done.
7. Tap the upload icon and then tap Save Video to add the edited video to your Photo Library.

Cropping your video may take some additional time, but it is well worth the results, especially if you’re uploading your creation to a social media platform like Instagram or YouTube. Fortunately,  iMovie and Photos make this a relatively painless task.

The post How to crop a video on iPhone with Photos and iMovie appeared first on Backlight.

For basic tasks like trimming or shortening videos and cutting out unwanted clips, you don’t need fancy editing software. In fact, most simple video editing tasks can be done in either the Photos app or iMovie. Here’s how to use both apps to easily trim a video on iPhone.

How to trim a video in the Photos app

The Photos app is not an advanced video editing tool, but it does allow for some easy video edits when all you want is to make a quick fix before uploading to social media. One thing that the Photos app does very easily is trimming a video to make it shorter. Using the Photos app, you can trim from either end of your video clip by following these instructions:

1. Open the video you want to edit in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit. 
3. Tap the video camera icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. See the slider underneath the video? Hold your finger on either of the arrows and slide them inward to effectively shorten your video clip. 
5. When you’re finished, tap Done.
6. A pop-up menu will appear. Choose Save Video or Save Video as New Clip, depending on your preferences.

How to trim an iPhone video for Instagram

Sharing your video on Instagram? To keep videos in line with Instagram’s length restrictions, move the yellow slider bar on either side of your clip within the timeline at the bottom of the screen. You’ll be able to see how long your video is on the main video screen. Here’s an overview of video length limits for Instagram:

• Instagram Stories: Each individual Story card can be a maximum of 15 seconds. If you upload a longer video to Stories, the video will automatically be segmented into 15-second clips.
• Instagram Posts: Any video that is uploaded as an Instagram Post can be between 3 seconds and 1 minute long. 
• IGTV videos: Most videos have to be between 15 seconds and 10 minutes. Some accounts do have special privileges and can create videos up to an hour in length.

How to cut a video on iPhone into parts

You can cut a video into separate clips by using the Photos app, which is useful if you want to make several short clips to use for different purposes. Here’s how it works:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and tap the video you want to edit.
2. Hold your finger on one of the arrows on either side of the video timeline and slide it to adjust your clip.
3. Press play to watch your clip and adjust as necessary. 
4. Tap Done. 
5. A pop-up menu will appear. Tap Save Video as New Clip. To save multiple clips as separate videos, you will have to go back to the original video and repeat the above steps for every clip.

How to split and rearrange clips using iMovie

The method mentioned above is useful for using your clips for different purposes, but what if you want to cut and rearrange clips within the same video? iMovie is the easiest way to split and rearrange clips. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone and select or add the video clip that you want to cut.
2. Your video will appear with the timeline underneath. The vertical white line is called the playhead, which is where any current editing will take place. Use your finger to move the playhead to the spot where you want to cut your video.
3. Tap the playhead, then tap Split at the bottom of the screen.
4. iMovie will create a cut between the two newly created clips.
5. Hold your finger on the clip you want to move and drag it to the left or the right on your movie timeline. When you have it in the proper position, take your finger off the clip.
6. Tap Done to save your video in iMovie.
7. Tap the upload icon to save your video to your photo library. 

How to cut a clip out of a video

Want to edit out that giant sneeze or some other blooper from your latest video? It’s easy to do using iMovie. 

1. Open iMovie and tap the + icon to add your video clips to iMovie.
2. When you have chosen your video clips, tap Create Movie. Your movie will appear on the screen with the timeline beneath it.
3. Scroll through your timeline until you come to the start of the scene you want to delete.
4. Tap the playhead and then tap Split.
5. Play the clip until you come to the end of the scene you want to delete.
6. Tap the playhead and tap Split one more time. 
7. The clip you want to delete will now be split on both ends. Tap the clip so that it’s highlighted in yellow. 
8. Tap Delete to remove the clip from your video. 
9. Tap Done to save your movie within iMovie. 
10. To save your video to your photo library, tap the upload icon and select Save Video.

Yes, editing video clips takes a bit of practice. But fortunately, you can do most simple edits with a combination of the Photos app and iMovie. All you need are your video clips and your creativity. 

The post How to trim a video on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

Getting started with iMovie editing

Some parts of iMovie are intuitive and simple to use — others, not so much. When you open iMovie, you’ll see a question mark icon in the lower-right corner. If you get stuck on something, simply tap on the icon to access a short iMovie tutorial. 

iMovie can be used to stitch together video clips and photos, set them to music, or add sound effects and voiceovers. All of your movies, both finished and in progress, will be saved on the Projects screen for easy access.

How to create a new project in iMovie

Ready to make your first iMovie? Let’s get started.

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone. You will be taken to the Projects screen.
2. Tap the large + icon in the upper-left corner.
3. You will be able to choose between creating a Movie and a Trailer for your first project. A movie allows you to combine videos, photos, and music to create a custom movie. A trailer follows a template to create a Hollywood-style movie trailer.
4. Your Photo Library will appear on the screen. Here, you can choose video clips and photos to add to your movie. Simply tap on the ones you want, and a blue checkmark will appear. Don’t worry — you can always add or delete clips later. (At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a tally of how many items you’ve selected and an estimate of how long your movie will be.)
5. When you are finished selecting clips, tap Create Movie.

How to edit an iPhone video in iMovie 

Once you have chosen clips and photos for your movie, you can begin editing. Editing may include cropping your movie so that it fits the social media platform you want to share it to, cutting out bloopers or mistakes, flipping or rotating videos, and shortening clips so the finished product is nice and tight. Here’s an overview of the most popular iMovie editing techniques.

How to crop a video in iMovie

Your iMovie will have a 9:16 ratio because this is the most popular size, and unfortunately, you can’t change this within iMovie. You can, however, crop unwanted features out of your video by using the pinch and zoom method. 

Here’s how to crop your video in iMovie:

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone and choose the video that you want to crop.
2. Navigate to the clip you want to crop by scrolling through the timeline at the bottom of the screen. 
3. Tap the clip you want to crop. If the clip was taken in a different aspect ratio than your video, you will see a black border surrounding the clip.
4. Tap the small magnifying glass in the upper-right corner.
5. Pinch and spread your thumb and finger across the screen to zoom in on your video. This will crop out portions on the outer edges of your clip.
6. When you’re finished cropping your clip, tap Done.

How to cut out parts of a video in iMovie on iPhone

Cutting out parts of your video is an important step to help keep things flowing. Not only can you cut out mistakes, but you can also shorten long, awkward pauses, cut out coughs and sneezes, and delete photo-bombers. Here’s how to cut out parts of a video clip in iMovie:

1. Open iMovie and open the project that you want to edit.
2. Scroll through your movie’s timeline to find the mistake or area that you want to cut out.
3. Position the vertical white line to the frame just before the scene you want to cut.
4. Tap the timeline to open up the menu at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap the scissors icon and then Split to make a cut.
6. Press play, then pause your video at the end of the mistake you want to cut.
7. Tap the timeline again, then tap the scissors and Split to make another cut. Now you should have a cut line on either side of the clip you want to delete.
8. Tap Delete to get rid of the scene.
9. When you are finished, tap Done.

How to rotate a video in iMovie

If you’re making your masterpiece and find that your video is sideways, don’t despair. It’s quite easy to turn it around in iMovie.

1. Open iMovie and tap the video you want to edit.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Scroll through the timeline to find the clip you want to edit. 
4. Using two fingers, hold them on the video and turn your fingers to the right or the left to rotate the video. 
5. Turn again in the same direction to rotate it another turn. (Note that this will only rotate one clip at a time. If you want the entire video rotated, you’ll have to follow the steps above with each clip.)
6. When you are finished rotating your movie, tap Done.

How to shorten clips in iMovie

Shortening clips is one of the easiest ways to tighten up your movie and keep the action flowing. You want to keep your viewers watching, and with so many videos out there, attention spans are shrinking. The beginnings and ends of your video clips are easy targets and are the easiest to shorten. Here’s how to shorten clips in iMovie:

1. Open iMovie and open the video you want to shorten.
2. Scroll through your video and tap on the clip you want to shorten.
3. The clip will be highlighted in yellow. You can now drag the yellow bar on either side to make the clip shorter. 
4. If you find a space in the middle of the clip that you want to cut to make your video shorter, follow the instructions above on how to cut out parts of a video in iMovie.
5. When you are finished shortening your clips, tap Done.

Can you flip a video in iMovie on iPhone?

If you want to mirror a video clip, otherwise known as flipping your clip, you will need advanced features that iMovie doesn’t provide. You can download an app like RFV on the App Store to do this. RFV is used exclusively to flip and rotate videos, so you won’t have to weed through a bunch of editing tools to find what you’re looking for. 

The iMovie tutorial for putting together your movie

As you can imagine, there’s more to creating your iMovie than just editing clips. You can use templates to create overarching themes, add transitions between clips, and add the perfect soundtrack to bring it all together. Here are some ways to polish your iMovie before sharing.

How to use iMovie templates (themes)

Themes in iMovie are templates you can use to create a cover photo for your video. You can choose from seven themes: Modern, Bright, Playful, Neon, Travel, Simple, and News. 

1.  Open the app and tap the Project you want to edit.
2. Tap the settings icon at the bottom right.
3. You’ll see an area for Project Filters and Themes. Scroll through the themes and choose one of the seven offered. 
4. Tap Done.
5. Tap Done again and then tap Projects to see how your cover thumbnail looks. 
6. If you aren’t happy with the results, repeat steps 1–5.

How to add iMovie transitions

A transition is how iMovie handles the brief period between clips. By default, a transition is half a second long and looks like a sharp cut between clips, but you can change the transition based on the scene to zoom in or out, fade out, or dissolve. You can easily experiment with different transitions to see which ones fit your clips best. Here’s how to add iMovie transitions to your video.

1. Open iMovie and tap the video you want to edit.
2. Tap the split on your movie timeline.
3. A menu will appear along the bottom of your screen with different transitions you can choose from. 
4. Tap a transition and play your movie to see how it looks. 
5. When you have added transitions between all of your clips, tap Done.

How to add music to iMovie on iPhone

Your movie won’t be complete without a soundtrack to accompany your masterpiece. Audio files that you can add to your movie include built-in sound effects and soundtracks that come with iMovie, songs that have been downloaded to your iPhone, or audio files you have recorded in an app like GarageBand. 

Here’s how to add music to your movie on iPhone.

1. Open the video you want to edit in iMovie.
2. Scroll along your timeline until you come to the spot where you want your music or sound effect to start.
3. Underneath your video, you will see a small + sign. Tap it to add media.
4. Tap Audio.
5. Choose from Soundtracks, My Music, or Sound Effects. Tap the + sign next to your choice to add it to your video.
6. Your music/soundtrack selection will appear below your video timeline. 
7. Tap Done when you are happy with the results.

How to add subtitles in iMovie

Adding subtitles to your movie will make it more accessible. You can also add text to your videos to highlight certain aspects of your video or add more information. If you want to add subtitles, it’s really easy to do.

1. Open the video you want to edit in iMovie.
2. In your movie’s timeline, tap the clip you want to edit. It will be highlighted in yellow.
3. Tap the T icon to open the text menu.
4. Choose a font from the menu. If you are using a custom iMovie theme, you will also be able to choose the text that matches your theme. 
5. Tap your video to make a custom text box appear. 
6. Add your custom text or subtitles. The more text you add, the smaller the font will become.
7. When you are finished adding your subtitles in iMovie, tap Done.

Hopefully, these basic iMovie instructions will encourage you to give the app a try. There are many benefits to using iMovie for your next project. Not only is it entirely free to use, but it integrates with your iPhone photo and video library and creates professional-quality results without a steep learning curve.

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