For filming in slow motion, 120 fps, you will need change some setting within your camera and editing software. I’ll go through the basics to help you setup your camera to film smooth 120 frames per second. After that, we’ll dive into the settings within your editing software to actually process the footage without losing quality.

Which camera to use

Not all cameras can film 120 fps. You can find this within your camera settings or find the specifications online. The camera I use to film 120 fps is the Sony a7 iii. If you want to know more about this camera, please click here to read my review.

Settings within your camera

Besides setting your camera to 120 fps, you can add some additional settings to improve the image quality. Also, adding these settings as a preset within you camera will make it easier to access in the future. This preset basically gives you the possibility to switch to your personal slow motion setting with pressing only one button.

When I made my preset, I used a tutorial to help me personalize the video quality. You can find a lot of good tutorials on Youtube.

Set your camera to NTSC

In my Sony a7 iii review, I have talked about this as well. Check your camera settings to find out if you are filming in NTSC or PAL. Cameras made in Europe film in PAL while you need NTSC to be able to film in 120 fps.

You can however convert your camera and get the 120 fps option shown in your settings.

Filming in slow motion

When you’ve made your preset you can press record to start filming in slow motion. The filming won’t be shown in slow motion and also the playback will be in a normal speed. Eventually within the editing software we will transfer the footage to slow motion.

Editing settings for slow motion

For editing my footage I use Adobe Premiere Pro, but any other similar type of software would work. When you’re not using Premiere Pro, it can be that your settings are in a different place than how I explain them to you.

Open your editing software and create a new project. When you set up your new sequence use the dimensions you want your video to be.

After dragging in your footage you can right click on your 120 fps videos, go to ‘modify’ and click ‘interpret footage’.

This opens up a new window with on top the possibility to manually change your frame rate. Next to ‘assume this frame rate’ fill in 24 fps and press ‘OK’.

Now, when you move your footage into the sequence, you can watch it in slow motion. This is the best way to convert your footage without losing any frames or image quality. Remember, you can also use these settings for other frame rates. Simply adjust the right frame rate within your camera and editing software.

I hope this short ‘how to’ blog helped you out understanding the settings behind filming in 120 fps. Have fun!