How to Record Slow-Motion Video on Android

Why Record Slow-Motion Video on Android

Slow-motion video turns an ordinary moment into something worth watching again. A dog shaking off water, a child jumping into a pool, or a balloon bursting all pass in a blink at normal speed, but slowed down you can see every drop and every expression you would otherwise miss.

Recording slow motion on Android is simpler than most people expect. Almost every modern Android phone has a slow-motion mode built into its camera app: open the camera, switch to slow motion, and press record, and the phone captures far more frames per second than normal video and plays them back slowly.

The trick is knowing where the mode hides, because every brand puts it in a different place. Samsung and Google Pixel both call it Slow motion, but the path differs, and on other phones it may sit under a More menu or be labelled Slo-mo. Frame rates also vary — 120, 240, or 960 frames per second — and a higher rate means smoother slow motion but needs more light and makes a larger file.

This guide shows you how to record slow-motion video on Android on a Samsung Galaxy, a Google Pixel, and other Android phones, how to use the front camera, and how to change the speed afterwards in Google Photos or your Gallery app. It also covers tips for good shots, common problems, and the questions we hear most often. Menu names and frame rates vary by model, but these steps work on almost every modern Android phone.

How to Record Slow-Motion Video on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

Samsung Galaxy phones have one of the best slow-motion modes on Android. Most recent models offer standard Slow motion at 120 or 240 frames per second, and many also offer Super slow-mo at 960 frames per second, which records a burst of about 0.2 to 0.4 seconds and stretches it into several seconds of playback.

Step 1: Open the Camera app. Tap the Camera icon on your home screen or app drawer. You can also double-press the side button on many Galaxy phones, if that shortcut is turned on.

Step 2: Swipe to More, then tap Slow motion. Swipe left through the modes at the bottom — Photo, Video, Portrait, and so on — until you reach More. Tap More, then tap Slow motion. On some Galaxy phones it appears directly in the mode bar.

Step 3: Choose your frame rate if your phone offers a choice. Look for a settings icon or frame-rate label near the top of the screen. Some Galaxy phones let you pick 120fps or 240fps, in the mode or under Video size in camera settings. Indoors, 120fps usually looks better, because it needs less light.

Step 4: Frame your shot and hold the phone steady. Slow motion makes every wobble more visible, so hold the phone with both hands and brace your elbows against your body. Make sure your subject is well lit and in focus before you start.

Step 5: Tap the record button to start recording. Tap the record button at the bottom of the screen. Keep recording a little longer than you think you need, because you can trim the ends later but cannot add footage you never recorded.

Step 6: Tap the record button again to stop, then check your video. Tap the record button a second time to stop. The video is saved to your Gallery app, where you can drag the slow-motion sliders to choose where the slow motion starts and ends.

How to Record Slow-Motion Video on a Google Pixel Phone

Google Pixel phones keep slow motion simple. There is no separate super slow-motion mode on most Pixels, and no frame-rate menu to worry about. The Pixel records at 120 or 240 frames per second depending on the model, and the whole clip plays back in slow motion.

Step 1: Open the Camera app. Tap the Camera icon on your Pixel. You can also double-press the power button to open the camera quickly, if that shortcut is turned on in Settings.

Step 2: Tap Video at the bottom of the screen. The Pixel camera opens in Photo mode by default. Tap Video in the mode bar at the bottom to switch to video recording.

Step 3: Tap Slow motion. Tap Slow motion above the mode bar, or near the top of the screen depending on your Pixel model. If you do not see it, tap the settings or modes icon and look for it in the list.

Step 4: Frame your shot and check the light. Slow motion needs more light than normal video, because the camera captures each frame in a shorter time. Move near a window, go outside, or turn on extra lights indoors.

Step 5: Tap the record button to start, and tap it again to stop. Tap the record button to begin, and keep the phone as steady as you can while the action happens. When the moment is over, tap the record button again to stop. The video is saved to your Photos app.

How to Record Slow-Motion Video on Other Android Phones

If your phone is not a Samsung or a Pixel — for example a Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Motorola, Sony, Honor, or Nothing phone — the steps are very similar. Almost every Android camera app has a slow-motion mode, but the name varies: Slow motion on some phones, Slo-mo on others, sometimes inside a Pro or More menu. Frame rates vary too, with 120fps common and 240fps on many mid-range and flagship phones.

Step 1: Open the Camera app. Tap the Camera icon on your home screen or in your app drawer.

Step 2: Find the slow-motion mode. Swipe left through the modes at the bottom — Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, and so on — and look for Slow motion or Slo-mo. If you do not see it in the main bar, tap More and look for it in the full list.

Step 3: Check the frame rate and resolution. On many phones, a small settings icon in slow-motion mode lets you choose the frame rate, such as 120fps or 240fps, and sometimes the resolution, such as 720p or 1080p. Higher settings make larger files, so if storage is nearly full, pick a lower setting first.

Step 4: Frame the shot and record. Hold the phone steady with both hands, make sure your subject is in focus and well lit, then tap the record button. Let the action happen in front of the camera rather than chasing it, because fast panning makes the footage shaky.

Step 5: Stop recording and review the clip. Tap the record button again to stop. Open the video in your Gallery or Photos app and play it back. If only part of the clip should be slow, check whether your Gallery app lets you adjust the slow-motion range.

If your phone has no slow-motion mode at all, which is rare on modern phones but possible on very old or cheap models, record a normal video and slow it down afterwards in Google Photos or a video editor app. The result will be less smooth, because a normal video only has 30 frames per second to stretch.

How to Record Slow Motion With the Front Camera

Recording slow motion with the front camera is possible on some Android phones, but it is more limited than the rear camera. The front camera usually has a lower frame rate, lower resolution, and a smaller sensor, so it needs even more light and produces a softer image. On many phones, including most Pixels, the front camera has no slow-motion mode at all.

Step 1: Open the Camera app and switch to the front camera. Tap the camera-switch icon — the two arrows forming a circle — to switch from the rear camera to the front camera.

Step 2: Look for the slow-motion mode. Swipe through the modes or tap More and look for Slow motion or Slo-mo. If the option is missing or greyed out, your phone does not support slow motion on the front camera, and you will need to use the rear camera instead.

Step 3: Record in bright, even light. Face a window or a bright light so your face is evenly lit, and avoid strong light behind you, which turns you into a silhouette. Hold the phone at arm’s length or prop it on a stable surface, because arm shake is very visible in slow motion.

Step 4: Record and review. Tap the record button, perform the action — a hair flip, a laugh, or a reaction — then tap the record button again to stop. If the video is dark or grainy, move to brighter light, or switch to the rear camera, which handles low light much better.

How to Edit the Speed After Recording

You do not have to get the speed perfect while recording. On most Android phones, you can change which part of a slow-motion clip plays slowly after the fact, keeping the build-up at normal speed and slowing down only the best moment.

Editing in Google Photos

Google Photos is the default gallery on Pixel phones, and it is available on almost every Android phone from the Play Store. Open Google Photos, find your slow-motion video, and tap Edit at the bottom of the screen. Drag the two sliders on the timeline to choose where the slow motion starts and ends: everything between them plays slowly, and everything outside them plays at normal speed. Tap Save copy to keep the original as well.

Editing in Samsung Gallery

On a Samsung Galaxy phone, open the Gallery app and find your slow-motion video. Tap the pencil or Edit icon at the bottom. Drag the sliders in the editor to set the slow part, and use the speed option if your model offers one. When you are finished, tap Save, or Save as copy if you want to keep the original.

If your Gallery app does not offer speed editing, edit the video in Google Photos instead — it works with slow-motion videos from most Android phones. For more control, such as a specific speed like 0.25x, use a video editor app such as CapCut, VN, or KineMaster, and look for a Speed option after importing the clip.

Tips for Good Slow-Motion Shots

First, shoot in bright light whenever you can. Slow motion needs a fast shutter speed to freeze each frame, and a fast shutter lets in less light, so dim rooms produce dark, grainy video. Outdoors in daylight is ideal, and indoors you should move close to a window or turn on all the lights.

Second, keep the phone steady. Slow motion exaggerates every shake, so hold the phone with both hands, tuck your elbows into your sides, and lean against a wall or table if you can. For the steadiest results, use a small tripod or rest the phone on a flat surface.

Third, pick the right subject. Slow motion works best for fast, visible action with a clear peak moment: water splashing, a dog shaking, a skateboard landing, hair flipping, or a football being kicked. Slow, gentle movements such as walking look dull in slow motion.

Fourth, record longer than you think you need. Start a second or two before the action, and keep recording for a second or two after it. You can always trim the extra footage later, but you cannot recover a moment you stopped recording too early.

Finally, watch your background. A clean, uncluttered background — a plain wall, open sky, or calm water — makes the subject stand out. A busy background full of people or cars distracts from the slow-motion moment.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

The video is dark or grainy. This is the most common slow-motion problem, and it is almost always caused by low light. Move outdoors or near a window, turn on more lights, or lower the frame rate from 240fps to 120fps. Indoor evening shots will almost always look darker than daylight shots.

The video flickers under indoor lights. Some indoor lights, especially older fluorescent tubes and cheap LED bulbs, flicker at a rate the camera picks up at a high frame rate. Try moving to a different room, switching to natural light, or lowering the frame rate.

The slow-motion option is missing. Check the More menu in your camera app first — on many phones slow motion is not in the main mode bar. If it is still missing, update your camera app and phone software, then restart the phone. On very old phones, slow motion may simply not exist.

The video looks shaky. Slow motion makes camera shake more obvious. Hold the phone with both hands, brace your elbows, and avoid walking while recording. Use a tripod or rest the phone on a stable surface, and avoid zooming in, because digital zoom magnifies shake.

The file is very large. Slow-motion video records many more frames per second, so the file size grows quickly — a one-minute clip at 240fps can be several hundred megabytes. Record shorter clips, lower the resolution from 1080p to 720p if your phone offers the choice, or move older videos to cloud storage to free up space.

The slow motion only works for part of the clip, or the whole clip is slow. This is normal, and it depends on the phone. Open the video in Google Photos or your Gallery app, tap Edit, and drag the slow-motion sliders to choose which part plays slowly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I record slow-motion video on Android? Open your Camera app, switch to the Slow motion or Slo-mo mode — on Samsung it is under More, on Pixel it is under Video — then tap the record button to start and tap it again to stop. The video is saved to your Gallery or Photos app.

What frame rate should I use for slow motion? For most shots, 120fps is a good starting point: it gives smooth slow motion and works in moderate light. Use 240fps for very fast action when you have plenty of bright light. Use 960fps, if your phone offers it, only for a single split-second moment in bright daylight.

Can I record slow motion on any Android phone? Almost every modern Android phone has a slow-motion mode, including Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Motorola, and Sony models. Very old or cheap phones may not have it. If yours does not, record a normal video and slow it down in Google Photos instead.

Can I use slow motion with the front camera? It depends on your phone. Some Samsung Galaxy phones support slow motion on the front camera, usually at 120fps and lower resolution. Many phones, including most Pixels, do not offer it on the front camera at all.

Why is my slow-motion video dark? Slow motion uses a fast shutter speed, so each frame captures less light than a normal video frame. Shoot in brighter light — outdoors in daylight is best — or lower the frame rate from 240fps to 120fps.

How do I change the speed of a slow-motion video after recording it? Open the video in Google Photos or Samsung Gallery, tap Edit, and drag the slow-motion sliders to choose which section plays slowly. Save a copy to keep the original as well.

Does slow-motion video take up more storage than normal video? Yes. Because it records 120, 240, or even 960 frames per second instead of the usual 30, a slow-motion clip uses much more storage than a normal video of the same length. Keep clips short and back up the keepers to Google Photos or your computer.

Final Thoughts

Recording slow-motion video on Android is easy once you know where the mode lives. On a Samsung Galaxy, it is under More as Slow motion or Super slow-mo. On a Google Pixel, it is under Video as Slow motion. On other phones, it is usually in the mode bar or under More. Tap record, keep the phone steady, and shoot in bright light.

The best clips come from a little planning: pick a fast moment with visible detail, record a second longer than you need on each side, and adjust the slow section afterwards so only the best moment plays slowly. Keep clips short, watch your storage, and do not worry if your first attempts look dark or shaky — brighter light and a steadier hold fix most problems.

Try it the next time something fast and fun happens — a splash, a jump, a laugh, or a trick. At normal speed it is gone in a blink. In slow motion, you get to watch it all over again, frame by frame.