Camera settings to create wow-worthy science videos.
Bring the excitement of science to the screen with these pro video camera settings.
The most challenging — and most rewarding — part of storytelling is making your audience care about the content. Educational science videos in particular can be tough — how do you engage people in a complicated topic?
One way to help elevate this content is in the way you film it. Interesting angles, close-ups on cool experiments, and striking visuals all help bring your science story to life.
The best camera settings for science videos.
The best camera settings for science videos are, in many ways, the best video camera settings for any good story:
- Frame rate. Frame rate is the number of frames within one second of video footage. The most common rates are 24 frames per second (fps), 30 fps, 60 fps, and 120 fps. Real-time footage is best shot at 24 fps. For slow-motion footage, go for 60 or 120 fps. Slow-motion can be a great tool to use when you’re showing a particularly fun science experiment — for example, two solutions combining to blow up.
- Shutter speed. Shutter speed measures how long light hits your video camera. A good rule of thumb: keep your shutter speed at 2x your fps. This will give you high-quality footage to match your high-quality storytelling.
- Aperture. Aperture defines how open or closed your lens is, how much light it’s letting in, and how focused your foreground and background are. The smaller the lens opening, the wider your depth of field is. This creates a sprawling effect. A wide depth of field is great for shooting outdoor videos or fast-moving subjects — for example, a science video focused on nature where you’re trying to show the scale of the landscape. A bigger lens opening lets in more light to create a shallow depth of field that focuses on the subject — a great feature for close-up experiments.
Explore editing options for your science video.
Explore more video tips to elevate your work, and see how Adobe Premiere Pro can help you tell your best science story.