Any professional will tell you you have to be able to see yourself while filming yourself. If you can’t, then it’s really a different kind of shoot: a crapshoot.

But filming with the Facetime camera or any other phone camera that only gives you 720p video is not a great option anymore either. Those videos are looking pretty soft these days.

For an image-conscious market you need something better. At least full HD, which is 1920 x 1080. But this presents an almost insurmountable challenge when you have to use the main camera of your iPhone because YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR IMAGE.

So here’s a simple solution to eliminate the anxiety of not knowing what you look like on camera, for those times when you’re using the iPhone or any other phone camera.

There are other things you can try now. Here’s an article on some alternative methods for connecting to TV.

    23 replies to "How to See Yourself While Filming Yourself With a Camera Phone"

    • michael

      Another great tip Steven!

      Some follow-up questions:

      1) Can you use a tablet (ipad) vs. your laptop as the monitor?
      2) How do you set/lock your focus on the iphone when it is on a tripod and no one is there to help you?
      3) How do you hit record from a distance?

      Many Thanks my friend!
      michael

      • Steven Washer

        Good questions!

        1. No.
        2. You can set the phone to auto-focus, as shown in the video by the yellow box around my face.
        3. You don’t. That’s what editing is for! 🙂

    • carl marshall

      could not find reflector dwnload on page

    • Hugh Culver

      Great tip Steve! I’m off to get it now.

    • Joanna

      Thank you for this video. What is the best angle to set your laptop at, so it’s not obvious that you are watching yourself? Off to the side seems like my eyes will keep roaming to my laptop taking my attention away from my audience. Thank you.

      • Steven

        Think of the laptop as a framing device. Once your composition is set, there’s no need to constantly re-check it. I often turn mine off when it’s time to shoot.

    • Patrick Coffin

      Steve, come come. The Reflector original, 2 and now 3) app is the WORST rated thing I have ever seen. Small sample: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.squirrels.reflector Got any alternatives that don’t ruin everything? Thanks!

      • Steven Washer

        Well, I did use it right in the video with absolutely no ill effects. If you have a problem with it, though, I would like to know about it so we can fix it.

        • Steven Washer

          Having said that, it does appear that there’s a significant difference between the PC and Mac version. I used the Mac version with no problems. But a lot Windows-based folks didn’t seem to like it much. Will have to research this further…

          In the meantime, if you find a better alternative for the PC, do let us know!

    • Michael

      Best PC alternative is just using miracast or Chromecast, easy peasy lemon squeezy.

    • Clare

      Just bought the software for recording my Youtube vlogs! *excited*

      • Steven

        Good for you, Clare! Keep watching for more helpful stuff. 🙂

    • Amanda

      Yeah because we all have laptops. That’s sarcasm if couldn’t tell. Laptops aren’t cheap either most of us llooking up this information are doing so because we have a phone maybe cheap tablet if lucky in addition to phone.

      • Steven Washer

        You might want to explore less complex forms of communication than video. Many have found enormous success by using nothing more than their strongest levels of expertise and the printed word.

    • Feji

      Has any heard about Wecast m2 plus,how is it used?

    • Steve

      I haven’t used it, but from what I can tell, it’s used with tablet computers. Might be worth a try.

    • Shelly Hopkins

      OMG you just saved my daughter! lol! I keep asking her to record me but I do have a question. This sounds great for the camera and I am definitely going to use it and tell the world to as well but I also have a Nikon 7000, is there anyway it would work if I hook it to the laptop?

      • Steven Washer

        Are you talking about using live video in a webinar? If so, you’ll probably need some additional hardware. And you might not want to try that for your first time out.

        • Shelly Hopkins

          No I meant I woulder if it would work hooking my Nikon to a laptop to see myself on the laptop.

          • Steven Washer

            I see. I don’t know that camera, but you might try using a USB cable. But to be frank, I kind of doubt whether it would work natively. I think you might check with Nikon to see if they have an app for your laptop that you can interface with.

Leave a Reply to Joanna Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.