4K refers to a video resolution specification. A video shot in 4K has a resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. The previous gold standard for video resolution was 1080p, and a 4K video has almost four times the resolution of a 1080p video. Filming in 4k presents a major difference that has transformed video production.
That being said, investing in a 4K camera isn’t cheap–which has left many people wondering whether it’s worth it to film in 4K or to just stick with 1080p or other lower resolution specifications for filming video content. If you’re one of these people who is on the fence about 4K video, keep reading to learn more about the current most relevant pros and cons of filming in 4K.
Pro: Unmatched Quality
You may know of some digital marketing companies that specialize in videography often filming in 4k. The main pro of filming video content in 4K resolution is the unmatched quality of that content. 4K is currently the highest resolution that is widely available for filming a video, and filming in 4K allows for significantly higher quality and much more clarity than filming in any lower resolution.
4K video has more detail, brighter colors, smoother movements, and sharper imagery than video content that is filmed in lower resolution. The difference between 4K video and lower-resolution video content is noticeable. Once you start filming a video in 4K, you probably won’t ever want to go back to filming in lower resolution.
Pro: More Filming Flexibility
If you have a camera that is capable of shooting video in 4K, that doesn’t mean that every video you film has to be filmed in 4K. This is a common misconception about 4K-capable cameras. When you invest in a camera that can film in 4K, you’re not committing to only filming in 4K with that camera.
Most 4K cameras give you the option to film in lower resolutions–which you may want to do at times if you are filming a casual video in which detail and quality don’t matter as much. 4K cameras offer you more filming flexibility. When you want to shoot in 4K resolution, you have the option to do so–but you also retain the choice to shoot in lower resolutions whenever doing so is more convenient for you.
Con: Time-Consuming Editing
Videos that are filmed in 4K resolution become large-sized files. These files take more time to edit, and not everyone has that extra time to devote to editing the video content they film. If you already feel stretched thin by the time demands of video editing, shooting video content in 4K resolution might not be the right choice for you.
That being said, there are also advantages of editing videos that are filmed in 4K resolution. Because videos that are filmed in 4K resolution have such high levels of detail and quality, it is much easier to stabilize video footage during the editing process without sacrificing any notable level of the visual quality of your video content.
Con: High Storage Consumption
Videos that are filmed in 4K take up significantly more storage than lower-resolution videos. This can be frustrating, especially if you are already dealing with limited space on your hard drive or need to download and edit a high amount of video content at one time.
That being said, the problem of high storage consumption by 4K videos is relatively simple to solve. Buying external hard drives on which you can store 4K video can allow you to free up space on your computer’s hard drive for new content without losing any of the 4K video content you have already filmed and edited.
When it comes down to it, whether or not filming in 4K is worth it for you depends primarily on how important detail and quality are to you for your videos. However, 4K is almost definitely the way of the future. If past trends are any indication of the future, the video resolution will continue to improve over time.
Eventually, 4K will most likely become the minimally acceptable standard for filming video. Therefore, investing in a 4K camera as soon as possible–rather than waiting until 1080p becomes entirely outdated–puts you ahead of the game and helps you keep up with video filming technology without falling behind.
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