Improve your iPhone video audio quality with a trip to the dollar store

    I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Straight-out-of-camera audio is terrible.

    As you recall from previous posts, I demonstrated how you can get better audio using just a voice recorder or even investing in a cheap lav mic.

    But sometimes you're in that situation where you're recording on a phone, and you don't have the option to do secondary recording. But there is a way to get good quality sound for about a buck.

    I found one of those hands-free phone devices at the local dollar store (They go by names such as Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Dollar Store, depending on where you live and what's available.) It's basically ear buds with a mic on it.

    I've seen some people cut the ear buds off so it's just a mic, but I prefer to keep it intact just in case I need to edit video in the field on the phone. But the microphone is good enough to give you clear sound, at least clearer than the mic on the phone will get you.

    I tried it out while on assignment, and while there was some wind out there, the recording was relatively clear.

    It's another option if you're on a budget and want to have better video. Just remember, audiences will forgive slightly out of focus video, or color balances that are off, but bad audio will send them looking somewhere else.

Free DxO photo editing software (LIMITED TIME OFFER)

    Looking to get beyond iPhoto, Apple's Photos or the basic editing software that came with your camera, but can't afford Adobe's Lightroom or Photoshop?

    DxO Labs is offering a free license for its DxO OpticsPro 9, a $130 value. All you need to do is enter your email address here, and they will send you a download link and a serial number to unlock the software and use it indefinitely.

    There are a few catches. The offer is only good until Feb. 28, 2017, and the software cannot be updated. But, if you are looking at getting beyond the basic editing software, this is a free alternative to more expensive software or "rent" the right to use software.

Improving video sound quality for less than $5

    As you recall from an earlier post, I discovered that using my digital voice recorder improved the audio quality of my videos.

    But I knew I could do a bit better. Having my subject hold a voice recorder was not exactly the most professional approach, and it did have some problems with wind, as I learned early one morning in a cherry orchard.

    I started looking at lavaliere microphones, but a lot of them were quite expensive, starting at $20.

    Then, I found this lavaliere on eBay for $3.99. I decided to take the gamble, and it paid off. The microphone comes with a foam wind cover, a 6-foot cable and is stereo. I combined it with my Sony digital voice recorder, and I found the sound quality is incredible.

    Here's a sound test video I made to show my co-workers how well this mic works. It goes from the shots with the mic to straight out of the camera and back to the mic.

    Plus, another benefit I noticed is that it makes me seem more professional when I mic someone, rather than either asking them to hold a recorder or getting in their face with an cellphone.

Knoptop and my wife's crafting save my monopod

    Thanks to a tip from Knoptop, and my wife's interest in craft projects, I didn't have to get a new monopod.

    On a trip to Seattle last year, the top came off the quick-release plate of my monopod. I have yet to figure out how it happened, but the top padding was gone from the plate, the tripod screw was falling out and the camera wasn't sitting as secure as before.

    I jerry-rigged it using tape, but it wasn't a perfect situation. At that point, I thought I had two options: Try to find a new quick-release plate (next to impossible) or buy a new monopod.

    But while watching Knoptop's video on his PVC shoulder rig I found a solution. He recommended using craft foam to better seat the camera in the mount.

    I asked my wife if she had any foam in her craft materials, and she did. So, with a pair of scissors, an Xacto knife and a hot-glue gun, I was able to make a new pad that has worked just as well as the original.

    And if there's another mishap, the repair will be quick and cost a fraction of a new monopod.

Doing long exposures without a tripod or neutral-density filters

    In the last entry, I told you how to make a variable neutral-density filter so you can get long-exposure photos even in broad daylight.

    Now, I'll show you how to do it without using a filter, or even a tripod for that matter. I found this tip on Digital Photography School, and I found it works beautifully for the most part.

    I'll give you the tl;dr version of the article: Take multiple pictures of a scene, load them into Photoshop as layers, convert them into a smart object and then set your stack mode to "mean", which will cause the moving elements to blur, giving you the long-exposure effect you're looking for.

    Here's an example I did. If you're a fan of "Twin Peaks," you'll recognize Snoqualmie Falls.

I shot this with a shutter speed of 1/6 of a second, and while it blurs the water somewhat, it wasn't what I was hoping for. So, I took about 11 more pictures, with the same setting and then merged them.

This is the finished result.

    As you can see the water has a much smoother effect that would normally be the result of a much longer exposure than I could have got under the existing conditions. It is more of what I was looking for.

    So now you have another tool you can use when you want to get a long-exposure effect.