Photography articles
80 guides in this category.
Adding Text and Captions to Video So People Can Actually Read Them
Guidelines for choosing font, colour, size, timing and position for on-screen text so it's readable on a phone, with or without sound.
Read article →Combining Clips from Different Phones and Cameras Without a Patchwork Look
How to make footage from several devices look like one video by matching orientation, colour, brightness and sound.
Read article →Preventing Shaky Video: Technique Beats Software
Practical filming techniques for steadier phone video, and what to do in editing when a shot is still a bit shaky.
Read article →Short-Form Video Storytelling: Hook, Body and Payoff
A simple three-part structure for short videos that grab attention quickly, keep it and end satisfyingly, with tips on length and pacing.
Read article →Video Frame Rates Explained: 24, 30 and 60 fps
What frames per second means, how 24, 30 and 60 fps look different, and how to choose and keep frame rates consistent in a project.
Read article →Filters Versus Artists: An Honest Look at Automatic Art
What automatic sketch and art effects can and can't do, how they relate to human artistry, and how to enjoy them honestly.
Read article →Impressionism and Painterly Filters: Why Soft Focus Feels Artistic
How the Impressionists' approach to light and brushwork connects to painterly photo effects, and what to look for in photos.
Read article →Photography and Painting: A Short History of a Long Friendship
How the camera and the paintbrush have influenced each other, from the camera obscura to modern photo effects.
Read article →Pop Art and Bold Colour Effects: Warhol's Legacy on Your Phone
The story of pop art's colourful, repeated portraits, and how to choose photos for bold poster-like effects.
Read article →Watercolour Looks: Soft Edges, Washes and Paper Texture
What makes a picture look like watercolour, and how to choose photos that suit a soft, painterly effect.
Read article →Adding Music to Video: Choosing Tracks and Balancing Sound
How to choose music that suits your video, set volume levels so speech stays clear, and time cuts to the beat.
Read article →Cutting and Pacing: How to Make Your Video Feel Smooth and Engaging
Simple editing principles for choosing where to cut, varying shot lengths and building rhythm so viewers stay interested.
Read article →Shooting Better Video on Your Phone: Steady, Well-Lit and Easy to Edit
Practical tips for filming clips that look good and are easy to edit later, covering orientation, stability, light, sound and shot variety.
Read article →Video Aspect Ratios: Vertical, Horizontal and Square Explained
How 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 and 4:5 video formats differ, which suits which platform, and how to avoid black bars and awkward cropping.
Read article →Video Transitions: When to Use Cuts, Fades and Dissolves
A guide to the main video transitions, what each one communicates, and why simple choices usually look better than flashy effects.
Read article →Comic and Manga Line Art: Clear Lines and Bold Shadows
How comics and manga use line and tone, from clean outlines to screen tones, and how to choose sketch effects that echo those looks.
Read article →Master Sketchers: Leonardo, Dürer, Rembrandt and Van Gogh
A short tour of four artists whose drawings shaped how we think of sketching, and what their styles can teach us about line and tone.
Read article →Sketchbooks Through History: From Notebooks to Phone Galleries
How artists have always used sketchbooks to collect ideas, and how phone galleries have become a modern version.
Read article →Stippling and Pointillism: Building Pictures from Dots
How artists create tone and colour with tiny dots, and how dot-style effects echo these techniques.
Read article →Urban Sketching: Drawing Cities on Location
What the urban sketching movement is, how it started and how sketch-style photos can lead you toward drawing your own streets.
Read article →A Simple Travel Photo Editing Workflow: From Hundreds of Shots to a Shareable Set
A step-by-step routine for sorting, editing and sharing travel photos quickly, so your holiday memories don't sit forgotten on your phone.
Read article →How to Choose Your Best Photos: A Culling Guide for Overflowing Camera Rolls
A practical method for sorting through hundreds of similar photos, picking the keepers and deleting the rest without regret.
Read article →JPEG, PNG, HEIC and WebP: Which Photo Format Should You Use?
A plain-English guide to common image formats, what each is good for, and how to avoid losing quality when editing and sharing.
Read article →Preparing Photos for Presentations, Documents and Websites
How to choose the right size, format and crop for photos used in slides, documents and web pages so they look sharp without slowing things down.
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