Here’s how to create standout short videos and step up your social media game

It’s pretty obvious that the future of social media lies in short-form video. Proof to that point: Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube — once almost exclusively populated with videos of lip-syncing Gen Z’ers and skateboarding bulldogs — are quickly becoming the media of choice for professional influencers, vloggers, and even filmmakers.

That said, while there’s tons of video content to scroll out there, there’s a surprising lack of high-quality videos, mostly because people are still using their phones and built-in editing tools to create content. Leveling up your video game is actually pretty easy with the right setup. From ensuring proper lighting and sharper sound to using a laptop with the power to tackle advanced video-editing tasks, like the Lenovo Yoga 9i, we’re looking out for the content creator in all of us. Check out these tips and tech tools from Lenovo to see how you can create and edit videos that will make you look way more pro.

Capture yourself under the best light and lens

You want your lighting to be flattering — but you also need it to be consistent. For example, if you’re shooting outdoors and the weather or light suddenly changes, editing will be a real pain. Shooting indoors on your phone using a ring light helps to quickly enhance the way you look on video. Shooting with a laptop that has a built-in high-res camera will also help you look your best, especially if you use a streaming light that emits diffused light to fill the shadows.

Boost the sound with an external microphone

Your audio is just as important as your video and an external microphone will capture music, dialogue, and other details in a way that the built-in mic on your phone or laptop simply can’t. A good microphone will also muffle any background and street noise, which is vital if you’re shooting outdoors. You can get adaptors for most external microphones to work with both your laptop and phone, too.

Shoot loads of content

Once you have your lighting and sound dialed in, it’s finally time for the fun part — the shoot. A good rule of thumb is to film your main messaging or product plugs first and then shoot a few random cutaways and silly reaction shots to throw into the mix during editing. If you're creating tiny cooking tutorials, you can shoot footage of preparing and cooking miniature dishes step-by-step, making sure to capture close-up shots of the process for better visibility. You’ll also want to shoot a lot of footage, including any creative shots you can think of. Really, shoot more than you think you’ll need. It’ll give you more to play with in the end.

Level up the final product with pro video-editing tools

If you really want to take your videos to the next level, you’ll want to bypass the basic editing tools on your phone and learn how to use the professional editing software of your choice. This may sound daunting, but it’s really not, especially if you have a laptop like Lenovo's Yoga 9i Gen 7. Video editing is a demanding task that requires a lot of processing power and the Yoga 9i’s Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics are capable of smoothly manipulating footage, playing high-resolution videos with fewer frame drops, and rendering videos faster, which will save you loads of time and frustration.

Edit with insight and inspiration

But the editing process is about more than just muscle. It’s also about being inspired, right? The Yoga 9i’s 14-inch OLED display is borderline cinematic and, since you put so much effort into capturing a sharp audio track, you’ll also be inspired by the machine’s rotating sound bar that can handle the highs while still throwing plenty of bass at your face.

Creating and editing high-quality videos isn’t that difficult once you have the right setup and gear — but it also shouldn’t feel like work. Perhaps the last tip and the overall takeaway to creating killer quality content is that the whole process should be fun. After all, if you genuinely enjoy making it, editing it, and posting it — so will all your future followers.