Know where you want to start and where you want to end it. Remember that the first frame of your video will be the thumbnail used on Maps
How long will it be? I generally go for between 10 and 20 seconds. If you are shooting in “cinematic pan” mode, remember that the final length of the video will be twice the real time (if you film for 5 seconds, the video will be 10 seconds long).
2) Consider the light
Mobile devices can shoot in low light, but the quality is usually very poor. When at all possible avoid shooting in low light
Look for things that are well lit.
If shooting through glass (a food display case) find an angle to minimize reflections
3) Get up Close
For storefronts and general interior over views this does not apply
But if shooting food or displays, get as close to them as possible, so that they fill the frame.
4)Shoot in 4K and slow motion
If your device supports it, shoot in 4K resolution. 4K video has twice the data as a 1080p HD video. Even though you will be uploading in 1080p it will give you a sharper and better looking image. With Maps’ compression algorithm (that degrades the image) it is important to upload the highest quality video that you can.
Also, it will allow you to crop in on the image without losing quality.
If your device supports it, “cinematic pan” or slow-motion will help make your video smoother
5) Practice being smooth
Smooth video is much more appealing that shaky video.
Shoot practice videos to improve you tilt and pan moves
Consider using a phone clamp and small handle. It is easier and more comfortable to shoot video this way.
Keep your elbows against your body (when possible) and pan by turning your body
Apply stabilization to your video. (This is available within Google Photos).
One more thing I would like to add which I read somewhere on the Connect Forum and posted by a Moderator or a Googler.
While making a video on mobile use portrait mode instead of landscape mode because the majority of the people will see the video on their mobile and a portrait mode video will appear on the mobile as full screen by default whereas the landscape video will appear in the centre and you have to tilt the mobile to view in full screen.
Thank you taking the time to read my post and for the feedback. I was focusing on techniques which apply to both orientations.
Google has made it clear they are looking for portrait (vertical) videos, at least in part because of the issue of having to rotate your device to see a landscape video fill the screen. But the same is true of all the landscape photos we’ve submitted in the past. I personally rarely rotate my phone for a landscape video, unless I am really paying a lot of attention to it. That being said I am shooting most of my videos in portrait mode. I personally believe that landscape is still a good choice for exteriors and wide panning shots. The vertical framing works very well with close-ups, food, displays, and other places and things. It is important that when panning and vertical mode to be as slow and smooth as possible.
Love the tips and tricks you shared my friend @Rednewt74 !
I especially liked how you mentioned about planning the video as the first frame will be the thumbnail. That is something new I learned myself that I will incorporate.
Thank you for the feedback. This post hasn’t gotten as much traction as I had hoped. I was thinking I’d get questions about the 1/2 tip. If one uses an editor you can force Maps to use any frame in the video as the thumbnail. It also allows you to trim a little so your first frame is nicer.
I am not aware of that issue. Is it related to using a camera vs a phone? With my video cameras and my phone, all the stabilization options seem to be available. One benefit of 4K regarding stabilization, is that you can apply stabilization to the video when editing (this is available in both Google photos and Capcut) and not lose any resolution from the video being cropped.
Thank you @Rednewt74 for sharing so much useful tips for making videos for maps. I totally agree that practicing smooth movements is key in creating a visually pleasing video. Thanks again.
I’m just like you @AZ_2021 . The suggestion by @Rednewt74 about “planning” a video to dictate what the thumbnail will look like, is completely new to me.
It makes me so happy when I find out that people are looking at an Old Post of mine (5 ½ tips revisited). I wanted to say a little bit more about my idea of editing the first frame of a video so as to give a better thumbnail.
A lot has been written about framing a storefront photo so that the name of the business is prominent and shows in the square crop thumbnail in the POI’s gallery. It seems to me that it is reasonable to think about what the thumbnail of a video will look like,
Now, I know my approach to adding videos to Google Maps is different from most guides. I love video editing. And the tools available in Google Photos and Capcut keep making it easier to do. I’m not overly concerned with my volume or hitting the 1000 videos needed to reach the Master Director level. I want my videos to look good and almost to tell a story to the viewer. I’m not trying to convince anyone else to use this approach, but I do like to share things for other guides to consider.
Tony, I know you have a Samsung device and that you use their photo gallery and editing tools. Having never used a Samsung I don’t know if they offer the same or similar tools.
I am a shaky videographer and I have also noticed that I often start off and end by drifting up or down. By cropping the beginning of the video I get a better looking start to the video. When I see my video end by drifting down or showing something not important, I always think it makes it look like I’ve lost interest in what I was shooting. It’s subtle but it’s important to me.
I looked back and found a video ( for Imago Dei Café)where I edited the beginning. Below is a comparison of the original and the edited version.
While I like the video as originally shot, I think zooming in and reframing the logo so it is centered and larger looks good as well and provides for a better thumbnail. The video was posted in October, 2023 and has about 7,400 views
Thanks for the fresh encouragement @Rednewt74 . I love the Before and After example you’ve posted here.
I deliberately avoid using Google Photos for fear of suffering what my wife is struggling with now. Her Google account is so full of photos it is threatening to stop her Gmail from functioning.
You previously mentioned CapCut, but I don’t remember what stopped me from trying it at that time. Checking now, I see my phone doesn’t have enough space to download the app, so I’d have to use the desktop version and edit everything via my laptop.
The editing capability in Samsung Gallery is not as good for videos as it is for photos. This seems limited to cropping the beginning or end of the video as you suggested, but there’s no way to adjust lighting and colour, as far as I can see.
On the other hand, while Google Maps has become such an addiction for me, I really am not that deep into it as to invest more time on improvements like this. As I stated somewhere else, I’m not a photographer who uses Google Maps as an outlet, but rather a Maps user who’s been gamed into submitting photos and various other contributions on the Google platform. Though enjoyable in some ways, I often question whether I should be doing something else with my time instead.
So wonderful to hear from you my friend @Rednewt74 . I really love your attention to detail and also the focus on presenting the best thumbnail. That is a really great and unique approach to focus on quality, and yes- I resonate with you so much on telling a story to the viewer. I think creating a video can help viewers better understand the ambience of the spot and feel immersed, so I really love your approach!
While making a video on mobile use portrait mode instead of landscape mode because the majority of the people will see the video on their mobile and a portrait mode video will appear on the mobile as full screen by default whereas the landscape video will appear in the centre and you have to tilt the mobile to view in full screen.
