How To Stabilize A Video On Android

A phone’s video recording capabilities are usually measured in FPS (frames per second) that it can record. The higher the FPS, the better the quality of the video. It goes without saying that a phone that can record HD videos is going to be priced on the higher end. That said, and as good as a camera a phone may have, videos may not turn out as great as advertised because the device isn’t stable when you’re recording a video. Not everyone carries a tripod with them everywhere and if you’re recording in a moving vehicle, the video will shake even more. The good news is, you can stabilize a video on Android with the Google Photos app.

Stabilize A Video

If you use the default Google Camera app, you should enable video stabilization. To enable video stabilization, open the Camera app and tap the hamburger icon at the top left. From the navigation drawer, tap Settings. Look for ‘Video stabilization’ under the Video section and enable it. When you record a video, it should automatically try to stabilize it.

Record a video like you normally do. Try and keep your phone as stable as possible without dropping it or losing focus of the subject you’re recording. When you’re done, play the video and if it’s still choppy, you can give it another go with the Google Photos stabilization feature.

Open the Google Photos app. Select your video and tap the adjustments button at the bottom. On the Adjustments screen, tap Stabilize. Do not exit the app until stabilization is complete. The stabilization process does not run in the background like the HDR processing process in the Camera app.

Once stabilization is complete, you can preview the video. If you think it looks better, tap the Save button. The stabilized video will not override the original video. It will save as a copy.

Stabilization Results

Google Photos does a reasonably good job at stabilizing a video but it’s important that you manage your expectations. The app can make a video you recorded from a moving vehicle appear smoother but if you record a video while running or jogging, the stabilization results will not be the same.

There are other video editing apps available that can stabilize a video on Android so you can try them if Google Photos doesn’t do the trick for you. You can also try a different camera app to record a more stable video although, the Google Camera app is pretty impressive and hard to compete with.