What a frame rate is
Video is a sequence of still images shown quickly enough that the eye reads them as motion. The frame rate is how many of those images appear each second, measured in frames per second (fps). A higher rate gives more samples of movement, which generally looks smoother, and also means more data to store and deliver.
Common frame rates
24 fps. The long-standing standard for cinema. It is the rate most associated with a film look, and it is widely used for narrative work, including online.
25 fps. Used in regions whose television systems historically ran at 50 Hz, including much of Europe.
30 fps (and 29.97). Used in regions with a 60 Hz tradition, such as North America. The odd figures 23.976, 29.97 and 59.94 exist because of how colour was added to analogue NTSC television, and they still appear in cameras and software. Mixing 30 with 29.97 in one project can cause occasional dropped or repeated frames, so keep them consistent.
50 and 60 fps. Higher rates that make motion look smoother and more immediate. They are common for sport, games and screen recordings, where clarity of movement matters.
Higher rates such as 120 fps are mostly used for capture, slow motion and certain displays.
How frame rate changes the feel
Lower rates leave small gaps between samples. The brain fills them in, and the slight blur and discontinuity are often described as cinematic. At 24 fps this has been the norm for a century, so audiences have learned to associate it with drama and storytelling.
Higher rates, such as 60 fps, reduce that blur and make motion look fluid and realistic. That suits live events and gameplay, but some viewers feel it makes scripted drama look more like television or a home video. This is subjective, and tastes differ. There is no objectively correct rate, only one that fits the material and the audience.
Motion blur and shutter speed
Frame rate interacts with shutter speed, which is how long the sensor collects light for each frame. A common guideline is the 180-degree rule: set the shutter speed to roughly double the frame rate. At 24 fps that is about 1/48 second, usually rounded to 1/50. At 60 fps it is about 1/120. This produces natural-looking blur. A much faster shutter gives crisp, staccato motion, and a much slower one smears movement. See the guide to exposure settings for how shutter speed fits with aperture and ISO.
Slow motion
Slow motion works by capturing more frames than you play back. If you shoot at 60 fps and play the result at 24 fps, each second of action stretches over 60 divided by 24, or 2.5 seconds, so motion runs at 40 percent of normal speed. Shooting at 120 fps and playing at 24 fps gives five times slower motion, because 120 divided by 24 is 5. If you slow footage that was captured at the same rate as the timeline, the editor must invent in-between frames, which can leave artifacts.
Higher capture rates need more light, since each frame is exposed for less time, and they often reduce the maximum resolution a camera offers.
Judder and mismatched rates
When a frame rate does not divide evenly into the display’s refresh rate, motion can look uneven. A classic case is 24 fps film on a display refreshing at 60 times per second. 60 does not divide by 24 exactly (the ratio is 2.5), so frames are shown alternately for two and three refreshes, a pattern called 3:2 pulldown. This produces a slight stutter known as judder, most visible during slow camera pans. Many modern TVs can match refresh rates to content, and that is usually the better setting.
Interlaced material adds its own complications, covered in the article on progressive scan.
Choosing a frame rate
- Decide on the look. 24 fps is a common choice for storytelling, and 30 or 60 fps for interviews, tutorials, sport and games.
- Match the destination. Platforms generally accept a range of rates, but check current guidance, and avoid converting between rates when possible.
- Keep the whole project at one frame rate, and set the timeline to match the footage.
- Shoot slow motion at a higher rate than the delivery rate, and plan the lighting for it.
- Consider file size. Doubling the frame rate does not exactly double the file size, since compression exploits similarity between neighbouring frames, but it does generally call for a higher video bitrate to keep quality.
Frame rate and delivery
Streaming services usually encode content at the frame rate it was produced in, and the player outputs that rate to the screen. High frame rate content can cost more to deliver, which is one reason services tend to use it selectively. Choices about picture quality and data use are covered more broadly in the discussion of encoding ladders.
For most creators, the most important rule is consistency. Pick a rate that serves the material, shoot and edit at that rate, and export without unnecessary conversion.