FRAME RATE

FRAME RATE

What is
frame rate?
Whether digital or old-school film, video is a
series of still images that, when viewed in
order at a certain speed, give the appearance
of motion.

Frame rate is the speed at which those

images are shown, or how fast one “flips”
through the book and it’s usually expressed
as “frames per second,” or FPS.
Each image represents a frame, so if a video
is captured and played back at 24fps, that
means each second of video shows 24
distinct still images.

The speed at which they’re shown tricks

a brain into perceiving smooth motion.
FRAME RATE

Why does frame rate

matter?
Frame rate greatly impacts the style and
viewing experience of a video.
Different frame rates yield different viewing
experiences, and choosing a frame rate often
means choosing between things such as how
realistic a video will look, or whether or not
a filmmaker plan to use techniques such as
slow motion or motion blur effects.

For example, movies are usually displayed at

24fps, since this frame rate is similar to how
we see the world, and creates a very
cinematic look.

Video that’s broadcast live or video with a lot

of motion, such as a sporting event or video
game recording, will often have a higher
frame rate, as there’s a lot happening at once
and a higher frame rate keeps the motion
smooth and the details crisp.
 FRAME RATE

Style/Realism 24fps
The frame rate of a video greatly impacts the This is the standard for movies and TV shows,
look and feel of a video, which in turn and it was determined to be the minimum speed
determines how realistic the video appears. This needed to capture video while still maintaining
concept is tied directly to how we naturally see realistic motion. Even if a film is shot at a higher
the world. frame rate, it’s often produced and displayed at
When we see motion, such as a person throwing 24fps. Most feature films and TV shows are shot
a ball or a car driving by, we naturally see a and viewed at 24 fps.
certain amount of motion blur. Ideally, the frame 30fps
rate you choose will mimic this motion blur, This has been the standard for television since
keeping the experience as realistic as possible. If the early days, and is still widely used despite
you choose a frame rate that’s too high, things producers moving toward a more cinematic
will start to look unnatural and the video will 24fps. Videos with a lot of motion, such as
suffer from what’s called the “soap opera effect.” sports, will often benefit from the extra frames
Essentially, the video actually shows too much per second.
detail, which makes the video look unnatural. On The reasons for using 30fps is strangely
the other hand, if you choose a frame rate that’s complicated and it mainly has to do with
too low, the video will start to look choppy and television and electricity standards set a long
will provide a poor experience. To help figure out time ago. If you want learn more, check out this
which frame rate is best for you, let’s look at a article on frame rate and jump down to the
few common options and how they’re used. section titled “modern video standards.”
60+fps
Anything higher than 30fps is mainly used to
create slow-motion video or to record video
game footage.
Motion Delivery
The next key variable to take into consideration The way a video is delivered, such as YouTube or
when choosing a frame rate is the amount of broadcast television, and the device a person
motion in your video. This one’s pretty uses to view your video can greatly impact the
straightforward. If you have a lot of motion in options you have for frame rate.
your video, you’ll probably want to capture at a Not all devices and delivery methods support all
higher frame rate. frame rates and so it’s best to look in to this
Capturing at a higher frame rate ensures a higher before you start filming.
level of detail for the amount of motion captured.
The higher frame rate also allows for more Streaming video on the Internet
flexibility when editing. This is quickly becoming the most common way
to deliver video and many streaming services
24fps – is the minimum speed needed to support a wide array of frame rates. It’s
capture video while still maintaining realistic important to keep in mind that older TVs and
motion. If you capture a really busy scene at computer monitors might not have a screen
24fps, you’ll see a lot of motion blur. refresh rate that can handle higher frame rates.
Television
30fps – with six more frames a second than When you produce video for television, it’s best
24fps, you’ll see more detail during scenes with to stick between 24 and 30fps. This ensures your
high motion, however, the motion will start to videos look realistic and fit what people expect
look a little unnatural and suffer from the “soap from broadcast television.
opera effect.”
Film Projectors
60+fps – is usually reserved for recording busy Movie theatres and projectors in general are still
scenes with a lot of motion, such as video games, an incredibly popular way to consume video, and
athletics or anything you want to show in slow like TV broadcasts, the frame rate should be kept
motion. Sports are often recorded at a high to 24fps. This will give it that “cinematic” look
frame rate so they can be slowed down to show and you can feel confident the video will show
replays, while still maintaining crisp, clear video. properly with most projectors.
File Size & Export Times COMPARE FRAMES PER SECOND:

The final things to consider when choosing a https://frames-per-second.appspot.com

frame rate are file size and export times. These
two are pretty straight forward. The higher the
frame rate, the more still images are packed into VIDEO:
each second of video.
More images means more information. More https://www.youtube.com/watch?
information means bigger files and longer export v=dR7B8uKc0JU
times.
This is especially important to consider when
uploading videos to online streaming sites such
as YouTube, Vimeo, and Screencast.

Higher quality video is always the most

desirable, but larger file sizes require better
internet connections and computer hardware to
stream at its highest quality. This means that
people who aren’t on the most modern
equipment or fastest services might suffer from a
poor experience.