Travelling to your dream destination? Here are 5 tips for making a great travel video

So, you’re finally travelling to your dream destination! And if you’re a travel junkie, your first thought would be to make a great travel video out of your trip. While that sounds great, do you know how to make a perfect travel video or a vlog that soothes your Instagram feed?

READ MORE: Here are 10 travel photography tips for the aspiring photographer

If not, don’t worry. We are here to help. Read on to learn 5 tips you should know to create a visually appealing travel video. Make sure to read the entire blog for a better understanding. 

1. Right lighting and shooting time are important 

To shoot any type of video, two of the main factors are the right lighting and shooting time. Most people think outdoor videography is comparatively easier due to the natural sunlight. While that’s true, there are many other factors that play a crucial role. For instance, the sun should be behind the operator’s back when shooting the video, and your subject should be facing them. 

Sometimes you might also end up waiting for hours to get that perfect sun-kissed shot. If you’re recording on a large scale with a proper camera, make use of ISO recording which helps you record each camera source independently of other feeds in a live video. So making use of ISO recording in the right lighting can uplevel your recording efforts. This also enhances the editing effect post-production. 

2. Carefully pick your location and background 

Since you’re travelling to your dream location, you would want to record each and every aspect of it. While that’s understandable, recording each and every detail will not allow you to enjoy the little things, and you will ruin the fun. Hence, carefully choose the location and background where you want to shoot your video. For background, choose lenses with focal lengths between 20mm and 100mm as these are quite common in video production. 

Here’s a small tip: The human eye perceives complex geometry on the background or maybe a monochrome background. So, before you start shooting, look for interesting geometry, structural buildings, beautiful perspectives, and park areas. 

3. Tips for smartphone users to make a great travel video 

If you’re not relying on your DSLR camera and are using your iPhone or other smartphones to create a great travel video, you should know a few things. 

• Starting with the most important thing, that’s storage. Since you’re shooting a travel video, chances are you must have shot dozens of trial videos, out of which you will choose only a few clips. So, it’s vital to ensure that you have enough space in your phone and you don’t get the pop-up ‘your phone has no more free space’ when you try to save a video. Hence, you should know how to free up other storage on iPhone, so that you can enjoy a hassle-free videography experience. 
• The next tip is to put your phone in aeroplane mode before shooting the clips, as your video might get interrupted in the middle due to a phone call or even a notification sound. Besides, if you’re shooting a proper movie sort of clip, place your phone horizontally; otherwise, keep it vertically if you plan to share the video on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

4. Create motion and amplify your efforts 

One major difference between travel videography and photography is that the beauty of architecture that you see along the way cannot be equally praised. For instance, you might not be able to get the best shot through recording as it lacks motion. However, just taking a picture of the view might look better. Thus, try adding motion to your travel video, and there are several ways you can do that. 

For instance, you can create motion with panning ( a simple camera movement) or use the time-lapse feature to make your subject lively. Or, shoot the most simple yet unique instances like kids playing, people walking, or pigeons flying. This will give a warm and emotional touch to your video, and people will be able to relate more. Another useful technique is to do a Hyperlapse, which is a moving time-lapse that allows you to record at various frame rates and automatically adjust to your recording. 

This is a pretty simple way to make a great travel video.

5. The post-production 

Post-production is the phase when you work with the video materials to do a final project. Typically, post-production involves four steps: 

• Video sequence editing
• Colour adjustment
• Adding audio
• Visual effects

All of these steps are equally important and demand your utmost attention. At the time of video editing, make sure to use good software like Adobe Premiere Pro and carefully trim and assemble the various pieces so that it tells a story. And if you’ve created a vlogging video in which your audio is clear, make sure to not overlap the background music with your original video. This is the time when you can transform your video to another level and create the most amazing video. 

READ MORE: Here are the 16 best travel vlogs to follow

Creating a great travel video isn’t hard

Don’t assume that if you’ve recorded the essential clips, your work is done. Many times, the video processing part can take longer than the filming part. Hence, there’s no need to rush and take shortcuts to complete your video. Be patient and experiment with every possible aspect that you think can amplify your video. The entire process might seem tiring and frustrating but it can actually bring great results. And it will give you a breathtaking video that you will love sharing on social media. 

If you have any advice on how to create a great travel video or have done so and just want to share, please leave a comment and share it with us.