A question that surfaces consistently on our Connect forum is around the integration of videos into our Google Maps content. When should we choose to upload a video to Google Maps? When wouldn’t a photo suffice? How can we determine opportunities where we can film more videos? 
While the saying goes, a photo is worth a thousand words, a video can provide more depth and immersion into the place of interest that you are filming at.
The tutorial video below that I created goes over reasons to record and upload a video of a place of interest to Maps. This is accompanied by examples of real-life clips that I’ve added to Google Maps. My hope is that this helps fellow Local Guides get ideas and inspiration for adding videos. 
A summary of the video as follows:
Here are 6 reasons for why I will record and post a video of a place of interest.
1. Movement/Sounds
A photo captures a moment, and it is fixed and still without any sound.
Being able to hear the place adds an extra sensory layer. For example, is the spot loud and crowded? Is there fun music playing? Also, if there is a moving object at the location such as a fountain or a waterfall, a video will allow viewers to see how it moves. Fast, slow, or bubbling, etc…
2. Showcase of ambience
Videos allow guides to set the tone of the location by immersing the viewer in a 3D sensory experience. The intensity of the lighting and colors around build the ambience- happy or sad, playful or serious… What the viewer simultaneously hears through video- scary tones or joyful laughter- further sets the scene.
3. Perspective of size and surroundings
A photo sometimes can’t do justice to convey the size or height of something. A video that pans out can show how expansive a place is as well as any surrounding features. A video that pans up can show how tall a building is, whereas a video that pans down allows us to see how high up a place is.
4. Overview of elements and amenities
While a photo only captures one spot, what if there’s a lot of different elements in a location, such as a gym? With a video, you can move the camera to capture all those elements in one convenient medium.
5. 360 views
360 videos created by you standing in the middle of a location and filming in a circular motion adds on to the immersiveness. The viewer can imagine themselves standing in the location and can know what they will see at all sides of them.
6. Nature scenery
Videos additionally help capture the beauty of nature parks by allowing us to see how the environment sounds and interacts. For example, we can hear the animals in the background and see how the wind, sun, and clouds come together with the landscape to form a perfect outdoors location to visit.
To learn more about other frequently asked questions of videos, you can visit this Q&A post with @MasaWithMaps .
(Edit: Food and drink is another popular category for filming videos for Google Maps, as brought up by @TravellerG and @tony_b . Much appreciated friends! To read more about food and drink video tips & tricks- you can view the tutorial video and article here.) 
, but as videos are a hot topic and some of you have written to ask or discuss either via comments, email, or messaging- I wanted to make sure to include you. 
It’s been a bit of a busy few weeks, but I will definitely add that to my bucket list of things to do. 
That would be nice if there was a way to improve the sound on videos, such as a more professional external mic. Nice find too for the video stabilization tool. I didn’t know that existed. Your CapCut video shows how it makes a huge difference- very neat tool and short tutorial. Thank you for showing us those tips! I can see how if a Guide focuses on quality over quantity, they can take time to edit each video to ensure it is a better viewing experience. Amazing ideas. 
) and I’ll share them as links below: