6 Essential iPhone Camera Tips for Taking Great Photos

Source: Macrumers

Apple iPhones include several core camera features that are worth using, such as Portrait Mode and Photographic Styles. But if you only want to use the standard photo mode, there are still several tools and settings that can improve the composition of your photos and help you capture the perfect shot using more traditional techniques.

Whether you're a new iPhone owner or a longtime user looking to up your ‌iPhone‌ photography game, here are six camera tools and settings in iOS that are worth checking out and experimenting with.

1. Use the rule of thirds

For some time now, Apple's Camera app has included a few optional settings that can help you align your photos. At the forefront of these settings is the Grid tool, which should be used when applying the rule of thirds. It divides your photo frame into a grid with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, creating nine equal parts.

The rule of thirds helps guide the viewer's eye to the most important parts of your photo and creates a more harmonious composition. Here's how to overlay a grid on the viewfinder.

1. Open the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. In the “Composition” section, turn on the switch next to Grid.

Here are five things to keep in mind when using the grid to apply the rule of thirds.

• Identify key elements: First, identify the main subjects or elements of the scene you want to photograph. It could be a person, a building, a tree or any other focal point.
• Topic positioning: Place these key elements along the lines or at the points where the lines intersect. For example, if you're taking a photo of a person, you can position it along one of the vertical lines rather than in the center of the frame.
• Horizontal elements: For horizontal elements like the horizon in a landscape, align them with one of the horizontal lines. For a more dramatic sky, place the horizon on the bottom line. To put more emphasis on the land or sea, place it on the top line.
• Balance the image: Use the rule of thirds to balance your photo. If you place a subject on the left, consider having something of lesser importance on the right to create a sense of balance.
• Experimentation: Although the rule of thirds is a guideline, it is not a strict rule. Feel free to experiment with it and see how moving elements in your frame changes the impact of the photo.

2. Straighten photos from top to bottom

If you're taking a photo of something from above, like a plate of food or an ornament on the ground, consider using the camera level, as it helps you capture a balanced photo without having to use an arm or a tripod mount. It's also useful for taking a photo of something directly above you, such as an object on the ceiling or in the sky.

The camera-level tool was once part of the Grid overlay, but Apple separated the feature in iOS 17 and it now has its own switch: open the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌, select Camera, then turn on the switch next to Level. . You are now ready to use it.

1. Open the Camera app and set the capture mode to Photo, Portrait, Square, or Time Lapse, using the slide-out menu above the shutter button.
2. Point the camera down above your subject (or up if the subject/scene you want to capture is above you).
3. Align the floating reticle with the fixed reticle in the center of the screen by adjusting the angle of your phone's camera. The reticles will both glow yellow when they are perfectly aligned.
4. Press the shutter button to capture the photo.

3. Straighten your horizontal photos

By making the Level tool an individual option in ‌iOS 17‌, Apple has also included an additional horizontal level for more traditional straight-on photos.

Enabling Level causes a broken horizontal line to appear on the screen when your ‌iPhone‌ detects that you are lining up for a straight shot and tilting your device slightly away from horizontal. The line appears white when your phone is not level, then turns yellow once you have reached a level orientation to indicate success.

With the Level setting enabled (Settings ➝ Camera ➝ Level), try it for yourself. Open the Camera app and try photographing a subject at a right angle. You should see the broken horizontal lines in the center of the viewfinder. Straighten your angle to connect the lines and create a single yellow line.

The upgrade pop-up appears only briefly and only in a narrow range of near-horizontal angles (in portrait or landscape orientation), so it will not appear intrusively when you intentionally try to take a photo from an angle.

4. Take burst photos

Burst mode refers to when your ‌iPhone‌ camera captures a series of photos in rapid succession, at a rate of ten frames per second. This is a great way to film an action scene or unexpected event because you're always more likely to get the shot you were aiming for.

To take photos in burst mode, simply press and hold the volume up button and your ‌iPhone‌ will take a series of photos in rapid succession. Note that a counter increases inside the on-screen trigger for as long as you hold down the volume button. This indicates how many shots are captured in the current burst. Just take your finger off the volume when you want to end the burst of shots.

When you take a series of burst photos, they automatically appear in the Photos app as the Bursts album. You will also find them in your main photo library. Follow the link to learn how to view and select the best of your Burst photos in the ‌Photos‌ app.

5. Mirror your selfies

When you take a selfie with your ‌iPhone‌ using the Camera app, it automatically flips – or mirrors – the image so that it is an inverted version of the mirror image you see in the preview before taking the photo.

This may seem strange, because it makes a big difference in how selfies look. It can also be annoying because most third-party social media apps automatically take mirror selfies, meaning you're more likely to be used to the mirroring feature than the mirrored selfies your ‌‌iPhone‌‌ takes .

Luckily, you can change this default behavior of the Camera app, meaning you can get the mirror selfie you're probably more used to seeing. Here's how.

1. Launch the Settings app, then scroll down and select Camera.
2. Toggle the switch next to Mirror Front Camera to the green ON position.

That's all we can say about it. From now on, when you use the Camera app to take a selfie, you will capture the same photo that you saw in the app's preview mode.

6. See outside the frame

On ‌iPhone‌ 11 and later models, there is an optional camera setting that lets you see what's outside the boundaries of your photo's frame, so you can correct the alignment of photos (and videos ) without having to resort to cropping.

With the “See out of frame” setting enabled, when shooting with the wide-angle or telephoto lens, the camera will simultaneously take photos using the next widest sensor. So the wide-angle lens is active when you're shooting with the telephoto lens, and the ultra-wide is active when you're shooting with the wide-angle.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. In the "Composition" section, turn on the switch next to Show outside frame.

You may have to play with the zoom levels to switch between lenses, but you'll know the feature is active when the camera interface becomes semi-transparent to reveal the surroundings outside the viewfinder.

Source: Macrumers