How to fix Jittery iPhone videos shot at night

Question

Level 1

4 points

How to fix Jittery iPhone videos shot at night

I need some help understanding why my nighttime videos (shot on an iPhone 16 pro max at 1080HD at 60 fps, HEVC, Enhanced stabilization is off, Action mode lower light is off, HDR is off, Auto fps is set to 'auto 30 & 60 fps', and Lock white balance is off) are kind of jittery.

In the daytime or indoor lighting, the quality is AMAZING but walking around at night ... the videos are kind of bad. If I stand still, razor sharp at night.... start walking.... jitter jitter jitter. It might be hard to explain without seeing an example. I have a few test .mov files I uploaded to YT. Would appreciate any guidance on a fix to this.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Posted on Dec 4, 2025 2:21 PM

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Answer 1

Limnos

Level 10

426,695 points

Dec 4, 2025 2:31 PM in response to Road_Hazard

You are constantly moving. Notice that in the brief places where things aren't panning that things sharpen up. While the new iPhones are incredible at what they can do in terms of video, you're still using it in one of the most challenging environments.

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Answer 2

Road_Hazard Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 4, 2025 2:44 PM in response to Limnos

Yeah.... wasn't sure if this falls into the "live with it" category or if it was some setting I could change. I borrowed a friends gimbal one night and walked around and it was better but since the mic on the iPhone can hear atoms colliding, the gimbal motor was CONSTANTLY being picked up by the mic and it just ruins the video.

Do I need to find a better gimbal or just make myself stand stationary at night and live with sweeping pans of the nightlife?

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