Home
News
You are here

Here's how to film on a smartphone (hint: turn it horizontally!)

By Victor Hristov

Published: Jun 28, 2013, 2:39 AM

Here's how to film on a smartphone (hint: turn it horizontally!)

You might be wondering - is it really so hard to film on a smartphone that you’d need a separate guide? Hit the camera button and start recording, that’s it, you think. Hold the phone straight, you think. Well... wrong! There is one critical detail that you might have missed - to turn your phone in landscape mode.

We usually use our phones in portrait mode, but filming videos with your phone in vertical orientation results in ugly stripes of black on the sides of the captured videos. It’s just not good and it’s got to stop. Heck, we could even write a song about it and sing it to you, to get that anger out of our chest. But we won’t. First, because we are not musicians and second - because it’s already done! We’ll just hum along...

So (no)
don't you hit record and (no)
then upload online and (no)
we can't see all of the picture (no)
it's a vertical video crime (no)

And there’s a bonus video below the first one explaining the subject in greater depth, don’t miss it!

source: Chescaleigh

$20 /mo

$25

$5 off (20%)

Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.

Buy at Visible

View Full Bio

Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

Read the latest from Victor Hristov