Best iPhone Camera Settings: Take Breathtaking Photos

Ever caught yourself envying the crisp, vibrant images from a DSLR and wished your iPhone could do the same? Well, it can… With a little insight and the right adjustments, your iPhone is capable of capturing images that turn heads and drop jaws. Whether you’re documenting an epic road trip, freezing fleeting family moments, or simply playing with perspectives in your backyard, knowing how to fine-tune your settings is your first step towards photography that speaks.

Let’s dive into how to take high-resolution photos on an iPhone and how you can transform your everyday snaps into gallery-worthy masterpieces!

Can You Take Professional Photos with an iPhone

The iPhone has evolved beyond a tool for mere communication; it's become a powerful medium for creating art. Across various models, from the earlier 8 Plus to the latest releases, these devices pack cameras capable of astonishing artistic feats. This democratization of photography has even seen seasoned professionals integrate iPhones into their gear kits.

However, mastering the art of iPhone photography involves more than just pointing and shooting. Without a careful approach to settings and technique, even the best hardware can yield photos that are uninspiring. Learning to harness the best photo settings for your iPhone can transform your photographs from average to extraordinary, turning everyday moments into visual masterpieces that resonate.

Basic Settings to Get Right

Tweaking a few key settings on your iPhone can dramatically improve your photos. Here’s a straightforward guide to getting those settings just right:

1. Use RAW Format

Switching to RAW format is like giving yourself a bigger canvas to paint on. This setting captures all the data from the camera sensor, giving you much more detail when you want to edit pictures on your iPhone.

To enable RAW format on your device, navigate to Settings, select Camera, then choose Formats and activate Apple ProRAW. This feature is accessible on newer models. For more hands-on control over your photography, consider using the Moment Pro Camera App.

You should keep in mind that RAW files are larger than typical JPEGs. Make sure your phone has enough storage, or back up your photos often!

2. Grid & Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a classic photography trick that helps you balance your shot. By dividing the screen into nine equal parts, the grid helps you place important elements.

How do you activate the grid? It's quite simple: navigate to Settings, choose Camera, and then toggle the Grid option on. When you are in the process of capturing photos, use the grid by aligning something interesting with the grid lines or intersections. You will be glad with the compelling results!

3. Turn Off HDR Auto

HDR is great for scenes with mixed lighting, but it can sometimes make photos look less natural. Taking control of this manually can help you keep the photos looking real and true to life.

For a control of HDR on your phone,  head to Settings, select Camera, and turn off Smart HDR or Auto HDR. If your goal is to make the most of HDR, activate it manually in high-contrast scenes. It will ensure you don't lose details when the lighting is poor or if you have bright highlights.

4. Adjust Exposure Manually

Automatic exposure doesn’t always capture the mood you’re aiming for. Manual adjustment lets you fine-tune how light or dark your photo appears, adding drama or clarity.

How to adjust exposure on your device? Open the Camera app, tap to focus, and then swipe up or down near the sun icon to tweak the exposure. If you strive for more advanced adjustments, you might want to try the Moment Pro Camera App, which offers extensive exposure controls. 

Use the AE/AF Lock feature by pressing and holding on the screen where you want to lock in the settings to keep consistent exposure and focus across different lighting conditions.

Even if you don't get the exposure just right, you can always correct your image in post-processing! It’s easier than ever with Luminar Neo, an AI photo editor, and its mobile version, Luminar Mobile, for iOS 17 and higher. Check it out to see what this software can do!

5. Preserve Camera Settings

If you find settings that work perfectly for a certain situation, you might want to keep them for next time. For that, go to Settings, then Camera, choose Preserve Settings, and select the options you’d like to keep for future use.

6. Switch Between iPhone Lenses

If your iPhone comes with multiple lenses, you can select the best one for each shot. Choose the lens that best fits your scene: wide for larger views and telephoto for close-ups.

To switch lenses, use the zoom options at the bottom of the Camera app viewfinder. Tap 0.5x for Ultra Wide, 1x for Wide, and 2x for Telephoto. 

With these settings dialed in, your iPhone can take photos that you’ll be proud to show off!

Other Features to Consider

Let's dive into some of the incredibly useful features of your iPhone's camera!

Live Photos

Imagine capturing not just a still moment but the laughter and breeze that accompanied it. That’s what Live Photos do! They record what happens just before and after you take your shot, turning a standard photo into a short, animated scene.

To use Live Photos on your iPhone, open the Camera app and tap the circular Live Photos icon at the top. It will glow yellow when activated. Press and hold the image in your gallery to view a Live Photo. If you want to select a specific moment from a Live Photo as the key photo, tap 'Edit' while viewing the picture in the gallery, then choose the 'Live' button to pick your favorite frame.

Camera Timer

Blurry photos often happen because of slight movements when you press the shutter. Using your camera's timer can fix that. It gives you a few seconds to get ready so you can say goodbye to blur from shaky hands. However, there is another option to use a blur remover to reach the desired results after you take a picture!  

To set camera timer:

1. Hit the timer icon in your Camera app and pick a delay (3, 5, or 10 seconds).

2. Tap the shutter, step back, and let the camera do its thing.

Burst Mode

Perfect for capturing the peak moment of action, Burst mode takes several photos in rapid succession. It’s ideal for sports, lively pets, or playful kids!

To activate Burst mode on your iPhone, press and hold the shutter button in the Camera app. Later, you can review the photos in your gallery and select the best one from the series.

Focus

Sometimes, the automatic focus doesn’t highlight the part of the scene you want. Manually focusing gives you control to sharpen the exact spot you choose. To do that, tap on the screen where you want to sharpen the view. For continuous focus, press and hold until you see “AE/AF Lock.”

Night Mode

Night Mode is a game-changer for low-light photography. It intelligently adjusts settings to brighten your photos, capturing detail and color even in the dark.

The mode turns on automatically in dim settings. Look for the moon icon; tap it for additional settings like exposure time.

Portrait Mode

Like a professional camera, Portrait mode blurs the background to make your subject stand out sharply — an effect called "bokeh."

To switch to Portrait Mode, swipe to it on your camera’s mode selector. Ensure your subject is at the correct distance; your phone will prompt you if any adjustments are needed.

By getting familiar with these features, you can truly harness the power of your iPhone camera, transforming everyday photos into vivid, memorable pieces of art!

Advanced Camera Settings

Take your iPhone photography up a notch with these advanced settings. They let you fine-tune your images for that perfect shot, whether it's adjusting the resolution for crystal-clear detail or changing how your camera processes scenes. Here’s how to dive deeper into your iPhone’s camera capabilities:

Change the Main Camera Resolution

The newest iPhones allow you to change the resolution of your photos. Higher resolution means sharper images, especially useful when you're planning to print your photos or need detailed shots.

To adjust resolution:

• On iPhone 15 models, go to Settings > Camera > Formats > Photo Mode and pick from 12 MP, 24 MP, or 48 MP options.

• For the highest 48 MP setting, enable Resolution Control or ProRAW & Resolution Control under Settings > Camera > Formats.

View Outside the Frame

See more of your surroundings in the camera app before you take the shot with this feature. It shows parts of the scene just outside of the frame, which is helpful for getting your composition right.

To toggle "View Outside the Frame," go to Settings > Camera. Here, you can turn this feature off if you prefer using a traditional viewfinder.

Prioritize Faster Shooting

When you need to snap photos quickly, like in sports or fast action, this setting speeds up how the camera processes images, letting you capture more in less time.

It's on by default but can be turned off in Settings > Camera if you want to focus on quality over speed.

Lens Correction

This feature tweaks photos taken with the front or Ultra Wide cameras to look more natural, fixing common lens distortions like stretching at the edges.

It is automatically enabled, you can turn it off in Settings > Camera if you want a more raw, uncorrected look.

Scene Detection

For iPhone 12 and newer, Scene Detection automatically identifies objects and scenes (like a sunset or a forest) and optimizes settings for the best photo possible.

Turn it on or off in Settings > Camera based on whether you want the camera to make automatic adjustments.

Conclusion

We explored how the right iPhone settings can transform your photography and turn everyday snapshots into striking images. These adjustments (from mastering exposure to switching lenses) are key to unlocking your iPhone's full potential.

Experiment with features like RAW format, Night Mode, and Portrait Mode to see how they can enhance your shots. Each setting offers a new way to capture your perspective and tell a visual story.

So, pick up your gadget, adjust the iPhone settings for the best photos, and start shooting. Your next great photo is just a setting away!