Many people use their iPhone as their primary camera these days as the lenses on modern smartphones capture images with impressive quality. Even if the camera is good enough by default, there are other settings you can change on your iPhone to take even better photos and videos. Read on as we explain in detail how we can do just that.
While you can switch between camera modes and change other options directly from the native camera app, some settings can only be found within the iOS Settings app. To do that, open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to the camera menu.
Open the Grid
Making someone or something in a photo or video is not as easy as it seems. However, having the grid enabled in the Camera app changes everything. The grid makes it very easy to hold your iPhone in the right place, center your main focus, and more.
Look for the Grid option in the Composition section and turn it on. You will now see grid lines every time you open the Camera app on your iPhone.
ProRAW and ProRes
Starting with the iPhone 12 Pro, Apple allows users to capture photos in ProRAW format directly from the camera app. For those unfamiliar, a RAW image is basically the original image taken from the sensor, with little or no processing. It contains all the data about things like light, shadows, and colors that can be edited later in photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom.
With the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple also added support for ProRes video, which is a low-compression codec that ensures high-quality files that are better for post-processing.
You can enable both ProRAW and ProRes in the Formats menu within the camera app’s settings. If you have an iPhone 14 Pro, you can also choose between taking ProRAW photos with 12-megapixel or 48-megapixel resolution. After turning on these options, you’ll see ProRAW and ProRes buttons in the camera app. Just tap them if you want to capture photos and videos using these formats.
It’s worth noting that none of these options are available on non-Pro iPhone models. Also keep in mind that ProRAW photos and ProRes videos take up more space on iPhone storage than standard formats.
Mirror Front Camera
By default, every photo you take using your iPhone’s front camera is flipped. This is because, instead of capturing what you see on the screen, the iPhone scans the image so things like text are displayed correctly. However, if you prefer to take selfies as they appear in the camera app preview, you can.
All you need to do is turn on the Mirror Front Camera option in the Settings section of the camera app settings. If this option is turned on, your selfies will look exactly as you see them in the preview.
Greater Control
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro feature a Macro mode built into the ultra-wide lens, allowing users to capture close-up photos. This mode turns on automatically depending on the distance between the iPhone and the object you’re pointing at, which may annoy some people. Fortunately, you can choose to turn this option on manually only when you want to use it.
To do this, enable the Macro Control option in the camera app settings. Now the Macro button will appear when the iPhone is really close to the object, and it will only work if you tap on it.
Photo Styles
Apple introduced Photo Styles with the iPhone 13. These are settings with different tone and warmth values that can dramatically change the way your photos look while still preserving things like sky color and skin tones.
You can choose a Photo Style directly from the Camera app or in settings by tapping the Photo Styles option under the photo capture section.
Change video resolution
The camera app on the iPhone lets you quickly switch between different resolutions and frame rates before shooting a video. However, changing these options from the Settings app allows you to choose additional resolutions and frame rates.
For example, you can set your iPhone to record videos at 720p resolution to save storage space, capture slow motion videos at 1080p resolution at 240 fps for better quality and smoothness, or capture Cinematic videos at 4K resolution at 24 fps or 30 fps on. iPhone 14.
Just tap the Record Video, Record Slo-mo, or Record Cinematic menus in the camera settings and choose the option that works best for you.
Save Settings
When you take photos or videos with your iPhone, there are many adjustments you can make, such as changing the exposure level, choosing a filter, or enabling ProRAW. By default, every time you close the Camera app, these settings are reset. But if you want to keep them open, there is a way to do that.
Just tap the Save Settings menu in the camera app’s settings. There you can choose which options you want to keep the same settings every time you open the Camera app.
Bonus: Swipe up for more
When you’re about to take a photo or record a video with the Camera app, try swiping your finger up on the screen to reveal a menu with more options. There you can change Image Styles, Aspect Ratio, apply filters, set Aspect Ratio, and more.
Do you know any other tricks? Share it with us in the comment section below.
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