How to Stop Lights Flickering in Your iPhone Videos with PAL Format
Capturing high-quality videos with your iPhone is a breeze, thanks to its versatile camera settings. However, if you’ve noticed lights and screens flickering in your videos, there’s a simple solution – switching to the PAL format. In this guide, we’ll explore why using the PAL format can eliminate flickering issues and how to enable it on your iPhone.
Why Opt for PAL Format on Your iPhone?
The PAL format, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a video format widely used across Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Unlike the NTSC format common in the United States, PAL can offer enhanced video quality, especially when shooting in artificial lighting conditions.
Let’s delve into the technicalities to understand why this format can significantly improve your video quality.
Understanding Flickering in Videos
In regions with a 50Hz power supply, such as the United Kingdom and Europe, lights and TV screens flicker at a rate of around 50 times per second, which can be noticeable to the human eye. When recording videos at 25 frames per second, the flickering aligns with the frame rate, making it imperceptible.
However, in areas with a 60Hz power supply, such as the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this synchronization doesn’t occur. The non-divisible relationship between the 60Hz power supply and the standard 30 or 60 frames per second results in noticeable flickering in videos.
How PAL Format Resolves Flickering
The PAL format tackles this issue by shooting videos at 25 frames per second, effectively synchronizing with the 50Hz power supply. By doing so, PAL eliminates the flickering effect, ensuring smooth and high-quality videos even in regions with 50Hz power systems.
Using PAL Format on Your iPhone
Enabling the PAL format on your iPhone is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings and navigate to Camera.
- Select Record Video from the available options.
- You’ll find several options with (PAL) in their names. Choose between 1080p HD at 25 fps (PAL) or 4K at 25fps (PAL) based on your preferences.
- Launch the Camera app and start recording.
If you can’t find PAL format options, ensure that the “Show PAL formats” toggle is enabled. Additionally, make sure your iPhone is updated to at least iOS 14.2, as PAL formats are available from this version onwards. You can also adjust video quality directly from the Camera app.
Eliminate Flickering with PAL Format
Switching to PAL format can resolve flickering issues, resulting in captivating and flicker-free videos. While PAL is an excellent choice for combating flickering in videos shot under artificial lighting, your iPhone offers various video formats and frame rates to suit diverse scenarios.
To ensure you always capture the best videos effortlessly, customize your camera settings to default to the optimal mode. This feature can save valuable time when you’re ready to capture moments quickly and seamlessly.
