How to Shoot Slow Motion Video? | Your Phone Can Do It

Shoot slow motion video by switching your phone’s camera to slow-mo mode, recording at the high frame rate, then editing in the photos app to pick the slow portion.

Learning how to shoot slow motion video is simpler than most people expect — the two big names, iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, both build the feature straight into the stock camera app. The hidden part is the editing step: a slow-mo clip doesn’t come out fully slow by default. You choose the segment that plays back in slow motion after recording.

Here’s the practical breakdown for both major phone platforms, plus the mistakes that ruin otherwise good footage.

How to Shoot Slow Motion Video on iPhone

Apple’s Slo-mo mode records video at a high frame rate and then plays it back in slow motion.

1. Open the Camera app and swipe the mode selector to Slo-mo.
2. Tap the red Record button, press a volume button, or use Camera Control on supported models.
3. Record your shot, then stop.
4. Open the clip in Photos, tap Edit, and drag the vertical bars beneath the frame viewer to set where slow motion begins and ends.

Apple’s support pages note that Slo-mo is set to 1080 HD at 240 fps from the back camera and 1080 HD at 120 fps from the front camera. You can change the back camera to 120 fps in Settings > Camera > Record Slo-mo. Front-camera slow motion and the Camera Control shortcut are limited to supported models.

If you buy a specialized camera for slow motion, the same core rule applies: capture at a high frame rate, then slow it down in editing.

How to Shoot Slow Motion Video on Samsung Galaxy

Samsung splits the feature into two tiers: Slow Motion plays back up to 8 times slower than normal, while Super Slow-mo hits 32 times slower. Both live inside the same camera menu.

1. Open Camera, tap More, then select Super slow-mo.
2. For Auto mode, keep Motion detection enabled so the phone starts recording when something moves. For Manual Super Slow-mo, disable it and tap Record when you’re ready.
3. Hold the phone steady while filming — Samsung makes this point explicitly for action shots.
4. Edit the slow-motion section using the sliders at the bottom of the playback screen.

Some Galaxy models also offer Instant slow-mo in the Gallery app. Touch and hold during playback to apply slow motion, then save the clip. The customized version offers 4 speed options and lets you adjust duration, resolution, and codec before saving, though these options vary by device and region.

What About Other Android Phones?

Non-Samsung Android phones usually have a slow-motion or high-speed video mode inside their camera app, but there’s no universal menu path — it varies by manufacturer. Google’s CameraX developer framework supports high-speed capture for Android apps, and the resulting clips can be re-encoded to a standard playback file such as 30 fps for easy sharing.

If your phone’s camera app lacks a labeled slow-mo mode, check the video resolution settings for a high-frame-rate option like 120 fps or 240 fps. Record at that setting, then import the clip into a video editor and slow the timeline down to match.

Common Slow Motion Mistakes and Fixes

Two problems cause nearly all disappointing slow-mo footage. The first is skipping the edit step — without selecting the slow-motion section, your clip plays back at normal speed for the most part. The second is shaky footage, which looks twice as bad at 240 fps. Brace the phone against something solid or use two hands.

Frame rate and resolution also depend on your specific model. Apple states these specs vary by device, and Samsung’s Super Slow-mo and Instant slow-mo features are similarly device-dependent. When in doubt, check your camera settings for what’s actually available before you start shooting.

The core technique never changes: record at a high frame rate, then choose the slow section during editing. Master that two-step process and your phone’s slow motion will look dramatically better, no matter which model you carry.