Yes, you can make videos slow motion on iPhone using the built-in Photos app or Camera app

Your iPhone has slow-motion tools already installed. You do not need to read anything or pay for an app. The simplest route is to open a video you have already recorded in the Photos app, tap Edit, then use the slider at the bottom to slow it down. You can slow any video to half speed, quarter speed, or anywhere in between. The Camera app also lets you record in slow-motion mode from the start, which gives you more control over the frame rate.

Both methods work on any iPhone model from the last several years. The exact steps differ slightly depending on whether you are using iOS 16 or later versus an older version, but the feature exists on all of them. If you want to save the slowed-down version as a separate file, you will need to export it — the original stays unchanged.

Key Takeaways

  • The Photos app lets you slow down any existing video by tapping Edit and dragging the speed slider at the bottom of the screen.
  • The Camera app has a dedicated Slo-Mo mode that records at a higher frame rate, giving you smoother slow-motion playback than slowing down a regular video.
  • Slowing a video in Photos does not change the original file — you can save the edited version separately or discard the changes.
  • You can slow a video to any speed between full speed and one-quarter speed using the slider, not just preset options.

How to slow down a video you already recorded

Open the Photos app and find the video you want to edit. Tap the video to play it, then tap Edit in the top right corner. The editing toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen.

Look for the speed slider — it shows a number like 1x (normal speed) and sits above the timeline. Drag the slider to the left to slow the video down. As you drag, the number changes to 0.5x, 0.25x, or any value in between. Tap Done when you reach the speed you want. You will see two options: Save as New Clip (which creates a separate slowed-down copy) or Save Changes (which replaces the original). Choose Save as New Clip if you want to keep both versions.

Recording in slow-motion mode from the start

Open the Camera app and swipe left through the shooting modes until you reach Slo-Mo. The mode label appears at the top of the screen. Press the red record button to start recording. The iPhone captures video at a much higher frame rate — usually 120 frames per second or 240 frames per second, depending on your model.

When you play back a video recorded in Slo-Mo mode, it automatically plays slower than real time. You can still adjust the speed further using the Photos app method above. The advantage of recording in Slo-Mo mode is that you capture more detail during the moment itself, so the slow-motion playback looks smoother and less choppy than slowing down a regular video after the fact.

The difference between slowing down existing video and recording in slow-motion mode

When you slow down a regular video in the Photos app, you are stretching the frames that already exist. If you recorded at 30 frames per second and slow it to half speed, the iPhone plays each frame for twice as long. This works, but the motion looks less smooth because there are fewer frames to show the movement.

When you record in Slo-Mo mode, the camera captures 120 or 240 frames per second instead of 30. When you play it back at normal speed, you see all those extra frames, so motion looks fluid and detailed. If you then slow it down further in Photos, you have even more frames to work with. For fast action — a ball bouncing, water splashing, a person jumping — Slo-Mo mode produces noticeably better results.

How to export a slowed-down video to share or save elsewhere

After you save a slowed-down video as a new clip in Photos, it lives in your Photos library like any other video. To send it to someone or upload it to social media, tap the video, then tap the Share button (the box with an arrow pointing up). Choose how you want to send it — Messages, Mail, AirDrop, or any app that accepts video.

If you want to save it to your computer or cloud storage, you can use AirDrop to send it to a Mac, or use iCloud Photos to sync it across devices. The slowed-down version is a separate file, so the original video remains in your library unchanged. You can delete either one without affecting the other.

What happens to file size and storage when you slow down a video

Slowing down a video does not make the file larger or smaller in any meaningful way. The video still contains the same amount of visual information — you are just changing how fast it plays. A 100 MB video slowed to half speed is still roughly 100 MB.

If you save a slowed version as a new clip, you will have two copies taking up space on your phone. If storage is tight, you can delete the original after you confirm the slowed version looks the way you want. You can always recover deleted videos from the Recently Deleted folder in Photos for up to 30 days.

Limitations and workarounds

The Photos app slider works on any video, but there are practical limits. Slowing a video to one-quarter speed (0.25x) makes it very slow — useful for analyzing movement frame by frame, but not for most viewing. Going slower than that requires third-party apps.

If you want to slow only part of a video, the built-in Photos app does not let you do that — it slows the entire clip. Apps like iMovie (free, made by Apple) or CapCut (free, made by ByteDance) let you slow specific sections while keeping others at normal speed. These apps also give you more control over the exact speed and let you add effects or music to the slowed sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does slowing down a video make it look blurry or pixelated?

No, slowing down does not reduce quality. You are playing the same frames more slowly, not reducing resolution. However, if the original video was shot in low light or at a low resolution, slowing it down will not improve those problems — it just makes them play slower.

Can I slow down only part of a video?

The Photos app slows the entire video. To slow only a section, use iMovie or CapCut, which let you split the video into segments and explore different speeds to each one. Both are free on the App Store.

What frame rate should I use when recording in Slo-Mo mode?

Your iPhone chooses the frame rate automatically based on the lighting. In bright light, it uses 240 fps; in lower light, it drops to 120 fps to keep the image bright. You cannot manually select the frame rate, but the camera makes the right choice for the conditions.

If I save a slowed video as a new clip, can I undo it?

Yes. The original video stays in your library. If you do not like the slowed version, delete it and the original remains. You can also edit the new clip again and change the speed back to normal.

Will a slowed-down video play at the correct speed on other devices?

Yes. The slow-motion information is stored in the video file itself, so it plays at the slowed speed on any device — Android phones, computers, or web browsers. The playback speed is part of the video, not a setting on your iPhone.