Record a video on your Pixel phone

You can record real time, slow motion, and augmented reality (AR) videos on your phone. You can also record time-lapse videos that speed up when you play them.

Important:

• Some of these steps work only on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
• Some of these steps require you to touch the screen.

Take videos with your camera

Record a video

Important: When you take a video, your phone silences notification sounds to avoid an interruption.

To quickly record a video, open your Google Camera app, then touch and hold Capture .

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. To switch to video mode, tap Video.
3. To start recording, tap Record .
   • To put a cut in your video, tap Pause . To start recording again, tap Record .
   • To take a high-resolution photo while recording a video, tap Capture .
4. To stop recording, tap Stop .

Tip: You can change your camera settings to use features like gridlines or a flash. Learn how to adjust how your camera records.

Use video effects

Make a video more smooth (Pixel 3a & later)

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how to open your Google Camera app on your Pixel phone.
2. Tap Video  Stabilization .
3. Choose the type of stabilization you want.
   • To capture light movement, tap Standard .
   • Pixel 4a (5G) and later only: To capture still shots, tap Locked .
   • Pixel 4a (5G) and later only: To capture heavy movement, tap Active .
   • To capture smooth, panning shots, tap Cinematic Pan .
   • To get an example of each type of stabilization, tap .

Get cinematic video effects (Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro)

When you record in Cinematic mode, you can blur backgrounds and keep your subject in focus. To turn on Cinematic mode:

1. Open your phone’s Camera app .
2. Swipe to Cinematic mode.
3. Tap the shutter to record.
4. Tap your subject to direct the focus.

Get vibrant video color (Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro)

When you record in HDR video, you get vibrant video color. To turn on 10-bit HDR video:

1. Open your Google Camera app .
2. Swipe to Video mode.
3. Swipe down > turn on 10-bit HDR.

Take high resolution video (Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro)

You can record in 4K at up to 60 frames per second with any of your phone’s lenses. To turn on high resolution video:

1. Open your Google Camera app .
2. Swipe to Video mode.
3. Swipe down to open the options pane.

• Under “Resolution,” turn on 4K.
• Under “Frames/Sec,” turn on 60fps.

Record a slow motion video

To record a video in slow motion: 

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. Tap Video  Slow motion. 
3. To start recording, tap Record .
   • To take a high-resolution photo while you record a slow motion video, tap Capture .
4. To stop recording, tap Stop .

Tip: To record very high speeds in slow motion, choose 1/8x.

Record a time-lapse video

To record changes that take place slowly over time, like a sunset:

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. Tap Video  Time Lapse.
3. Pick how much to speed up time. For example:
   • For 50 seconds in reality to take 10 seconds in the video, tap 5x.
   • For 20 minutes in reality to take 10 seconds in the video, tap 120x.
4. Tap Record .
   • To take a high-resolution photo while you record a time-lapse video, tap Capture .
5. To stop recording, tap Stop .

 

Tip: If you're unsure of the speed to choose or how long to record for, tap Auto.

Record an augmented reality video

You can also take an AR video on your Pixel phone. Learn how to use Augmented Reality (AR) on your Pixel phone.