Are you making the most of your iPhone’s camera features? Some iPhone camera settings are so well disguised that you might not even be aware of them. However, once you’ve found them, you’ll be able to take your photography to new heights. Continue reading to learn about 10 iPhone camera features that will drastically enhance your images… and give you complete control over your iPhone camera.
Table of Contents: 10 iPhone Camera Features You Didn’t Know About
- Quickly access the camera on your iPhone
- Use The Camera Grid To Create Better Compositions
- Aim for high-quality images by adjusting focus and exposure.
- For incredible action shots, use Burst Mode.
- Use Live Photos to Create Stunning Long Exposures
- Use Portrait Mode to capture beautifully blurred backgrounds.
- Use High Dynamic Range (HDR) to capture more color and detail in your photos
- Use The Volume Buttons To Take Pictures
- Use Your Apple Headphones to Shoot Discreetly
- Keep track of where your photos were taken (and see them on a map!)
1.Quickly access the camera on your iPhone
Do you ever miss a perfect photo opportunity because you can’t get the iPhone Camera app open fast enough? This does not need to be the case!
In less than a second, you can open the iPhone’s native camera app with a quick gesture. To unlock your phone, you don’t even need to enter your passcode.
When your iPhone is closed, tap the screen or click the Power button to wake it up. (You can click the Home button instead on iPhones with the circular Home button at the bottom of the screen.)
To open the Camera app, simply swipe left across the lock screen.
There are a couple of other easy ways to access the Camera app.
Use one of the methods below to open the Camera app when you’re still using your iPhone.
Tap the Camera app icon if you can see the Home screen. Adding the Camera icon to the dock at the bottom of the screen is a smart idea. This makes it simple to locate and opens the camera as soon as possible.
By pressing and holding the Camera icon until it jiggles, you can add it to the dock. Drag it to the bottom of the screen’s dock, then tap Done (or press the Home button on older iPhones).
You don’t have to close an app to return to the Home screen if you unexpectedly want to take a picture while using it.
Instead, swipe down from the top right to access the Control Center.
Tap the Camera icon in the Control Center, and you’re ready to fire!
With these iPhone camera hacks, you can start shooting in as little as a second or two. As a result, you’ll still be prepared to shoot when a fantastic picture opportunity presents itself.
2. Use The Camera Grid To Create Better Compositions
Did you know that the iPhone camera screen can be used to view a grid? This is a fantastic method for assisting you with picture composition.
It ensures that the horizons in your landscape images are level. It can also be used to compose the shot using the law of thirds.
A classic composition technique is the law of thirds. It claims that if you position your subject or horizon off-center, your picture would look better.
Place the horizon along one of the horizontal gridlines using the grid. Alternatively, position your subject at one of the lines’ intersections.
To activate the camera grid, go to the Settings app, select Camera, and switch on the Grid feature (green).
The levelling tool is triggered when you turn on the grid. When aiming straight up or down, this method assists you in taking perfectly level pictures.
It’s suitable for flat-lay still life photography or food photography from above. It’s also good for shooting straight up above you.
A pair of crosshairs appear in the centre of the screen if you point your iPhone straight up or down. When the phone is parallel to the ground or ceiling, the crosshairs will converge into a single yellow cross.
3. Aim for high-quality images by adjusting focus and exposure.
Two of the most crucial iPhone camera features to learn are:
Exposure and focus.
It’s important to ensure that your topic is in clear focus. Your picture would look like an amateur snapshot if the subject is blurred.
The brightness of your picture is referred to as exposure. It won’t look good if it’s under-exposed (too dark) or over-exposed (too bright).
So, how do you use the Camera app to adjust focus and exposure?
It’s actually very easy. However, the majority of people are unaware of these iPhone camera features.
Tap the area on the screen that you want in sharp focus to set the focus point. Normally, this will be your main subject. When the focus is set, a yellow square appears to indicate the focus.
Normally, this will be your main subject. When the target is set, a yellow square appears to indicate the focus point.
Swipe up to brighten the picture and down to darken it.
The AE/AF Lock feature also allows you to lock the focus and exposure settings.
At the stage you want to concentrate on, tap and hold the screen for a few seconds. At the top of the screen, a yellow box with AE/AF LOCK will appear.
When you take a picture, the camera will remember the current focus and exposure settings so you can take another one later.
This comes in handy when you want to take several images of the same scene. This eliminates the need to set focus and exposure for each new shot.
Tap anywhere on the camera screen to enable focus and exposure.
Understanding how to use iPhone camera features like focus and exposure will elevate your photography to new heights.
4. For incredible action shots, use Burst Mode.
Burst mode is usually discovered by mistake when people push the shutter button for too long. You can take a burst of several images in quick succession by keeping down the shutter button.
When photographing moving subjects, this is one of the best iPhone camera tricks you can use. It’s simple to get the perfect action shot because you’ll almost certainly get at least one decent shot in the series.
When there is movement or unpredictability in the scene, burst mode is ideal. It can be used for sports, street photography, and action photography.
When photographing children or animals that won’t stay still, this is the tool to use. Use it to catch beautiful splashes of water or rolling waves.
Keep the shutter button down when framing your shot.
After framing your shot, keep the shutter button down as your subject moves through the scene.
After you’ve taken a burst of pictures, pick the best ones and delete the rest.
Open the Images app and tap on the burst you just shot to pick the photos you want to hold. Then, at the bottom of the page, tap Select.
To see all of the photos from the burst, scroll down. Tap Done after selecting the photos you want to hold.
Remember that one of the best iPhone camera settings for photographing moving objects is burst mode.
5. Use Live Photos to Create Stunning Long Exposures
Did you know that the iPhone’s built-in Camera software can take stunning long exposure photos?
You can create a slow shutter effect with the long exposure feature. Any movement can appear as motion blur as a result of this.
This environment can be used to produce a beautiful veiling effect on waterfalls and rivers. Alternatively, use it at night to film dramatic light trails.
So, where did this long exposure mode go?
The Live Photos feature of the Camera app is where you’ll find it.
To begin, tap the circles icon at the top of the Camera app to allow Live Photos.
When you press the shutter button, a 3-second Live Photo with movement and sound is recorded.
Swipe up to reach the Live Photo Effects to transform the Live Photo into a long exposure. Select Long Exposure by swiping through the effects.
Motion blur will appear in your Live Photo as it moves, but stationary objects will remain sharp.
If you change your mind, select Live in the Effects section to eliminate the long exposure effect.
6. Use Portrait Mode to capture beautiful blurred backgrounds.
Do you want to learn how to blur the background with your iPhone camera?
DSLR cameras are normally the only way to achieve a shallow depth of field.
However, you can use Portrait mode on many of the newer iPhone models to produce a shallow depth of field effect.
The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max all have portrait mode. The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR all have it. iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus are the latest iPhone models.
So, how can you make the most of Portrait mode?
Select Portrait at the bottom of the screen after opening the Camera window.
Maintain a distance of two to eight feet between your subject and the camera. If the subject is too near or too far away, Portrait mode will not work.
When Portrait mode is ready, the words Natural Light will appear in yellow. (On the iPhone 7 Plus, it’s called Depth Effect.)
Your subject will appear sharp against a beautifully blurred backdrop when you take the picture.
Do you own one of the most recent iPhone models (XS, XS Max, or XR)? If that’s the case, you can adjust the blur power of the context… after you’ve fired your shot
To edit your portrait picture, simply open it in the Photos app and tap Edit in the top right corner.
Then change the background blur with the Depth slider beneath the frame. The blurrier the context becomes, the lower the f/number.
You can always convert the picture to a normal image without a blurred background if you don’t like the blur effect.
Open the picture and tap Edit to get rid of the blur. Then, at the top of the panel, press the Portrait button. Tap Portrait once more to reactivate the blur.
To save your changes after you’ve finished editing your portrait picture, tap Done.
Portrait mode, as you can see, is an excellent method for achieving beautiful background blur.
It’s ideal for photographing people and animals in portrait mode. It can, however, be used to blur the background behind any topic.
7. Use High Dynamic Range (HDR) to capture more colour and detail in your photos
High Dynamic Range is an abbreviation for High Dynamic Range. It’s also one of the best iPhone camera features for getting perfect exposures in dim light.
HDR allows you to capture more colour and detail in your photo’s dark and bright areas. It’s ideal for scenes with a lot of contrast, like a landscape with a bright sky and a dark foreground.
The sky would most likely be overexposed if HDR isn’t used. Alternatively, the foreground may be under-exposed.
The foreground in the photograph below is properly exposed. However, there are over-exposed regions in the sky that are much too vivid.
You can achieve a more balanced exposure of depth in both the dark and light areas by using HDR. The following image depicts the same scene with the HDR setting activated.
So, how do you use the iPhone Camera app’s HDR feature?
First and foremost, double-check your iPhone’s HDR settings. Go to Camera > Settings.
Make sure Smart HDR is turned off (if it is, the HDR icon in the Camera app will not appear). Also, make sure that Keep Normal Photo is activated.
Open the Camera app on your phone. The HDR icon will appear at the top of the page. Toggle the HDR function on or off by tapping the HDR button.
The HDR icon will have a line across it if HDR is turned off. If you want to take an HDR picture, make sure there isn’t a line through the icon.
All that’s left to do now is compose your shot and hit the shutter.
Behind the scenes, the camera operates to achieve a healthy exposure.
How does it do this?
When you hit the shutter, the camera takes a series of images at various exposures (from bright to dark). It then combines these various exposures into a single picture with consistent exposure.
It seems to be difficult… But keep in mind that all of this is done behind the scenes by the camera. All you have to do now is turn on HDR and start shooting!
8. Use The Volume Buttons To Take Pictures
Did you know that taking a picture with the on-screen shutter button isn’t the only option?
You may also use the volume keys on your phone’s side.
If you’re keeping your iPhone horizontally, as seen below, this is helpful.
It can be difficult to click the shutter button on the screen with your phone in this location.
When you use the volume keys, you should keep both hands on the phone when pressing the button with your index finger. This transforms your iPhone into a conventional camera.
The only disadvantage of this approach is that it requires a lot of force to push the volume button. Your phone can shift as a result, resulting in a blurry picture. So make sure you have a firm grip on your iPhone.
9. Use Your Apple Headphones to Shoot Discreetly
Use your Apple headphones as a shutter release, which is a little-known iPhone photography trick. Connect them to your phone, then take a picture with one of the volume buttons on the headphones.
When you want to take pictures while remaining undetected, this approach is ideal.
It’s ideal for photographing people on the street. While taking pictures, you should pretend to be listening to music or making a phone call.
When shooting with an iPhone tripod, you can also use your headphones as a remote shutter release.
Pressing the shutter button on the iPhone screen, even with a tripod, can trigger camera shake. You can, however, take a picture using your headphones without touching the phone at all.
A tripod and a remote shutter are just two of the eight popular iPhone camera accessories we suggest.
10. Keep track of where your photos were taken (and see them on a map!)
Did you know that any time you take a picture with your iPhone, it will record your location?
As a result, you’ll still know where you took a specific picture.
You can scan for images based on their position in the Photos app. You can also see a map of your pictures.
Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services to enable or disable Location Services. Make certain Location Services is turned on (green). After that, make sure that the Camera choice is set to When Using.
The name of the location where the photo was taken appears at the top of the screen when you open it in the Photos app. To see a map of that spot, swipe up on the picture.
It’s worth noting that the location would only appear if Location Services was turned on when the picture was taken.
Tap the Search icon (magnifying glass) at the bottom of the Images app to locate photos you took at a specific location. In the top-right corner of the screen, type the location’s name into the Search box.
Go to the Images app’s main Albums screen to see your photos on a map. Make sure Map is selected at the top of the screen when you open the Places album.
To zoom in or out on the map, pinch in or out. To see more pictures from a particular venue, tap on a group of photos.
Your iPhone’s photo library will become an exciting array of places you’ve visited once Location Services is available.
And it just takes seconds to find all of the pictures you took in a specific location!
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