How to choose the right frame rate for your video project.

Hayden Fowler
July 17th, 2024

At the start of every video project is the moment to choose the correct camera or recorder settings that includes the frame rate to achieve the perfect visual and tone of your project, and ensuring the final product meets industry standards and makes your video the best it could be. We’ll explore the various frame rate options available and recommend the best settings for different types of video content, ranging from local commercials to full-length feature films.

It's important to use the proper settings for each scenario, but also experience and being comfortable with how your camera handle everything you throw at them, you will develop the ability to break down the technical specifications of piece of video in the wild, and have the frames per second an intuitive part of the video planning process.

What is Frame Rate and How are They Measured

Frame rate is the quantity of individual pictures that shapes distinct qualities of movement to your video, measured in frames per second (fps), refers to the number of individual frames or images displayed per second, making the pictures into a video. Common frame rates include 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps, but they can vary in practically any number for some special cases, but let's focus on the options you will get with most modern cameras in the market. Each frame rate has different characteristics and uses.

Most movies that we grew up watching were shot in 24fps, which means every second, you'll get 24 pictures, and it will give a distinctive feel to content shot with this frame rate, and it will have a film characteristic that we can appreciate and perceive as cinematic. When ramping up to the next option, is 30fps, which is commonly used in TV shows, and if you are a little older, home camcorders, which gives more frames but it can have a "video" feel, that can help it feel less sophisticated in some scenarios. But if you're planning on shooting a fast moving sports video, you would like to get more pictures in the same second, to get the subtle frame changes and have a smooth look and feel.

All options have their optimal use case, so let's break them down and look at some scenarios.

Frame Rate Options and Recommendations

24fps - The Cinematic Standard

Usage: Feature Films, Music Videos, High-Quality Documentaries
Characteristics:
- Considered the gold standard for cinema.
- Provides a filmic look with natural motion blur.
- Ideal for creating a more immersive and artistic visual experience.

30fps - Smooth and Natural

Usage: Television Shows, Online Videos, Local Commercials
Characteristics:
- Offers smoother motion than 24fps.
- Commonly used for standard TV broadcasts and web content.
- Provides a balance between smooth motion and file size efficiency.

60fps - Ultra-Smooth Motion

Usage: Sports Broadcasts, Video Games, High-Action Sequences, Institutional Videos
Characteristics:
- Delivers extremely smooth motion, ideal for fast-paced content.
- Enhances the clarity of action scenes.
- Preferred for content where fluidity and detail are crucial.

Higher Frame Rates (120fps, 240fps, etc.)

Usage: Slow-Motion Footage, Special Effects, Scientific Research
Characteristics:
- Used for capturing high-speed action to be played back in slow motion.
- Provides exceptional detail and allows for dramatic slow-motion effects.
- Typically results in larger file sizes and increased storage needs.
- Some cameras will crop the picture sensor to achieve these higher frame rates,

Working on a Project With Various Frame Rates

In an ideal scenario, you will control all the aspects for your video production source material, but realistically as an editor, you might be receiving various sources of materials with different resolutions, frame rates and overall quality, and now is the time to analyze your best plan of action to make them all work together the best way possible, so here is where we try to analyze the big picture.

First step is to organize and separate all your pieces of footage, and categorize them in terms of importance and see that options are left to solve this puzzle. As a video producer, your job is to make everything work, and make it look seamless to your audience, so they'll never know all the magic you had to do to get to your final product.

Is always easier to remove frames, than to add frames, so the challenge comes from lower frame rate material that needs to be adapted to a higher frame rate end product. Even though you can just bring all the footage into your preferred editor, and see how the files play out on your pre-defined timeline, that is not advised, and you can run into rendering issues down the line, that can make you regret not taking your time to properly convert the footage before starting the editing process.

You should standardize the raw footage with your preferred file converter, like Adobe Media Encoder, Handbrake or Shutter Encoder even before loading the footage into your video editor software, but some advanced video editors will give you tools to interpret the footage natively, that can be a good option if time is at the essence. The important thing is to make sure you have the best material for the foundation of your video project, like strong bones that will make the editing process smoother, with less technical glitches or undesirable digital artifacts.

There are some AI video upconverters, that will increase resolution or add frames to a piece of footage, but make sure to check if the results are not affecting the source material negatively, since some types of detailed footage will produce some unusable results. Every project is different, and requires a different level of prep, so experience handling several projects for several clients will make all these steps second nature to your creation process.

Final Takes on Frame Rate

Choosing the right frame rate is crucial for achieving the desired visual effect and ensuring your video content meets the expectations of your audience. By understanding the characteristics and recommended uses of different frame rates, you can make informed decisions that enhance the quality and impact of your video. Whether you are creating a local commercial, a feature film, or an institutional video, selecting the appropriate frame rate will help you achieve professional results and elevate your storytelling. Go out and and start experimenting with different frame rates.

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