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6 Advanced iPhone Camera Controls For photos that everyone adores
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Posted by Rob DePaolo | October 22, 2019 Comments 23
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Do you want to shoot professional iPhone photos that look like they were taken
with a DSLR camera? It’s actually easier than you think. You just need to use the
manual iPhone camera controls. This might sound difficult and technical. But in
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this tutorial, we’ll guide you step-by-step through the advanced iPhone camera
controls. Read on to start shooting jaw-dropping photos that no one will believe
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Table Of Contents: Advanced iPhone Camera Controls

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. Depth Of Field: How To Blur The Background In Your Photos

1.1 Use Portrait Mode To Blur The Background In Your Photos
1.2 Get Close To Your Subject To Create A Shallow Depth Of Field

2. Focus: How To Set Focus For Pin-Sharp Images

2.1 Tap To Set The Focus Point
2.2 Lock The Focus With AE/AF Lock
2.3 Use Manual Focus For More Precise Focusing

3. Exposure: How To Get Perfect Brightness Levels In Your Pictures

3.1 Adjust Exposure Manually
3.2 Use Exposure To Change The Mood Of A Photo
3.3 Switch On HDR For Better Exposure In High Contrast Scenes

4. Shutter Speed: How To Change Shutter Speed On iPhone

4.1 What Is Shutter Speed?
4.2 How To Change Shutter Speed On iPhone
4.3 Use A Slow Shutter Speed For Stunning Long Exposure Photos

5. ISO: How To Use ISO To Capture Grain-Free Shots In Low Light

5.1 What Is ISO?
5.2 How To Change The ISO iPhone Camera Setting
5.3 Use A Low ISO To Avoid Grainy Photos

6. White Balance: How To Capture Perfect Colors In Your Photos

6.1 What Is White Balance?
6.2 How To Change White Balance On iPhone
6.3 Use White Balance For Creative Effect

1. Depth Of Field: How To Blur The Background In Your Photos

Do you want to shoot professional-looking iPhone photos with beautiful out-of-

focus backgrounds?

Creating a shallow depth of field (where only part of the scene is in focus) is a
great way to make your subject stand out. And it’s perfect for blurring out a
distracting background.

Shallow depth of field photos are typically associated with DSLR cameras.

But did you know it’s easy to blur the background in your iPhone photos?

On a DSLR camera, you control depth of field by adjusting the aperture (the size
of the opening in the lens). However, the iPhone aperture can’t be changed.

So how do you blur the background in your iPhone photos?

You’re about to discover two easy ways to shoot stunning images with beautifully
blurred backgrounds.

1.1 Use Portrait Mode To Blur The Background In Your Photos

Does your iPhone camera have Portrait mode? If so, you can use it to shoot
stunning photos with dreamy, blurred backgrounds.

You’ll find Portrait mode in the built-in Camera app on the following iPhones:
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone
XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.

Portrait mode uses clever depth-effect software to blur the background. All you
have to do is point the camera at your subject, and the iPhone will do the rest!

Portrait mode is perfect for shooting professional-looking portrait photos.

But you can use it to blur the background behind other subjects too.

Here’s how to capture beautifully blurred backgrounds with Portrait mode:

Open the built-in iPhone Camera app, then select Portrait mode at the bottom
of the screen.

Ensure the subject is between two and eight feet from the camera. If you’re too
close or too far away, you’ll see an on-screen prompt telling you to change your
distance.

When the camera has focused on the subject and blurred the background, you’ll
see the words Natural Light in yellow. (On iPhone 7 Plus, you’ll see Depth Effect
instead.)

Now, tap the shutter button to take a beautiful photo with a soft, blurred
background.

If you have one of the newer iPhones (iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS,
XS Max, or XR), you can do even more with Portrait mode.

These iPhones allow you to adjust the strength of the background blur after
taking your photo.

This is an amazing feature that offers a huge amount of creative control.

To adjust the blur strength, open your portrait photo in the Photos app, then
tap Edit.

Tap the f/number icon at the top left of the screen.

You’ll now see the Depth slider beneath your photo. Drag the slider left or right to
adjust the strength of the background blur.

Tap Done to save the changes.

Portrait mode offers an easy way to create a shallow depth of field in your
photos.

But there’s actually another simple way to blur the background in your photos.
Keep reading to find out how.

1.2 Get Close To Your Subject To Create A Shallow Depth Of Field

Do you want to know a great trick for blurring the background in your iPhone
photos?

Get closer to your subject.

The closer the lens is to the subject, the blurrier the background will appear.

It’s that simple!

This technique works on any iPhone (or indeed any camera)… even if you don’t
have Portrait mode.

When shooting close-ups, it’s important to ensure the subject (not the
background) is in sharp focus. You’ll learn how to “tap-to-focus” in section 2
below.

Just be careful not to get too close to the subject. If you’re too close, the camera
won’t be able to focus at all.

If you want to shoot extreme close-up photos with a very shallow depth of field,
you’ll need an add-on macro lens. Popular macro lenses include those from
Moment and Olloclip.
With one of these lenses, you can capture fascinating macro photos of nature,
flowers, and insects.

2. Focus: How To Set Focus For Pin-Sharp Images

Getting your subject in sharp focus is essential for creating high-quality photos
with superb detail.

This is especially important when shooting close-up photos.

Why? Because the depth of field will be very shallow, with only a small portion of
the image in focus. If the focus isn’t set correctly, your subject may end up
blurred.

Luckily, the iPhone makes it easy to set the focus accurately on your subject.

2.1 Tap To Set The Focus Point

In the built-in Camera app, simply tap the screen where you want to set focus. A
yellow square indicates your focus point.

When you take the photo, the area you tapped on will be in sharp focus.

In the photo above, focus was set on the flower on the left. Notice how this
flower is perfectly sharp, but the other flowers are out of focus.

2.2 Lock The Focus With AE/AF Lock

Another useful feature is AE/AF Lock. This iPhone camera setting lets you lock the
focus point on a certain area.

To activate AE/AF Lock, tap and hold the screen for a couple of seconds until you
see AE/AF LOCK in yellow.

The focus point will remain locked, even after taking a photo.

This is perfect for situations where you want to take several pictures of the same
scene. You can take as many photos as you want without having to set the focus
point for each new shot.

It’s also great for scenes where there’s movement, such as people walking past. If
you don’t lock the focus, the camera’s autofocus might readjust the focus point
onto the moving subject.

In the example above, I locked focus on the stone arch. If I hadn’t done this, the
camera might have focused on the people in the background when they walked
into the scene.

2.3 Use Manual Focus For More Precise Focusing

In certain situations, the tap-to-focus method might not give you enough control
over your focus point.

Imagine you’re taking a close-up photo of a flower with water droplets. The depth
of field will be very shallow, so only a small area of the scene will be in sharp
focus.

Tapping on a single tiny water droplet to ensure it’s in focus may prove tricky.

So, how can you set the focus point more accurately?

There’s a simple answer: use a camera app that has a manual focus control.

Camera+ 2 ($2.99) is a fantastic DSLR camera app with advanced iPhone camera
controls, including manual focus.

When you first open Camera+ 2, you’ll need to ensure the app’s advanced
controls are visible on the screen. Tap the Menu icon (three lines) at the bottom
right. Select Advanced Controls, then turn on the Always Show option.

Tap the Camera icon at the bottom of the screen to exit the menu.

Above the shutter button, you’ll see a row of icons. These are the advanced
iPhone camera controls.

Compose your shot, then tap the Focus icon (a square with the word Auto). The
Manual Focus slider will appear above the shutter button.

Drag the Manual Focus slider left or right to adjust focus. As you drag the slider,
the focus point will gradually change from foreground to background.

When you’re happy with the focus, tap the shutter button to take your photo.

To recap: In most cases, tapping to set the focus point results in great photos.

But if you’re not getting the results you want, use the Manual Focus slider in
Camera+ 2 to fine-tune the focus more precisely.

3. Exposure: How To Get Perfect Brightness Levels In Your Pictures

After you set focus, it’s important to get the exposure right.

Exposure refers to the brightness of an image.

A photo that’s too bright is over-exposed. And a photo that’s too dark is under-
exposed.

Getting the exposure right will result in beautiful photos with that are neither too
bright or too dark.

So, how do you adjust exposure on the iPhone?

It’s actually very easy. Here’s how to do it:

3.1 Adjust Exposure Manually

In the built-in Camera app, start by tapping to set focus. Then simply swipe up or
down to adjust exposure (brightness).

Swipe up to make the image brighter, or down to make it darker.

When the brightness levels look good, tap the shutter button to take a photo.

If you’re using the Camera+ 2 app, adjust exposure by swiping left or right over
the EV slider (as shown below).

There’s no exact science to setting exposure. You just have to decide what looks
best for the particular photo you’re taking.

In most cases, you should aim for an exposure where there’s sufficient detail in
as much of the scene as possible.

If this isn’t possible (because of awkward lighting), ensure the most important
part of the scene is correctly exposed.

In the photo below, I chose to expose for the landscape, rather than for the dark
interior of the church.
When shooting at night, the camera often brightens the exposure. It does this in
an attempt to capture more detail, but the results aren’t always good. The
brighter areas can end up over-exposed, and the darker areas look grainy.

To capture stunning photos at night, reduce the exposure to make the image
darker. The blacks will appear black, and the highlights will be better exposed.

3.2 Use Exposure To Change The Mood Of A Photo

Getting creative with exposure allows you to enhance or change the mood of a
photo.

For example, if you want a dark and moody image, try deliberately under-
exposing. The dark tones will add a wonderful sense of drama or mystery.

You’ll also need to under-expose to create a silhouette photo. The silhouetted

subject should be completely black, with no color or detail.

Likewise, you’ll need to under-expose to capture dark shadows. The lack of detail
in the shadows will create a sense of mystery and intrigue.

On the other hand, slightly over-exposing will create a bright and airy image with
a happy or carefree mood.

Over-exposing works especially well when a large portion of the scene is white.
This helps to create a bright, fresh image that really catches the eye.

3.3 Switch On HDR For Better Exposure In High Contrast Scenes

Photographing high contrast scenes (with both bright and dark areas) can be a
big problem when it comes to exposure.

This is because the camera isn’t capable of capturing detail in both the dark and
bright areas at the same time.

In the photo above, the dark foreground has been exposed correctly. But the
bright areas of sky are over-exposed with no color or detail at all.

The examples below show how difficult it is to capture detail in both the bright
and dark areas at the same time.

If you expose to capture detail in the highlights (bright areas), the shadows (dark
areas) will be under-exposed. And if you expose to capture detail in the shadows,
the highlights will be over-exposed.

However, the built-in iPhone Camera app offers a great solution.

It’s called HDR.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. When you use HDR, the camera captures
several images at different exposures (from dark to bright).

It then combines these images into a single well-exposed photo with detail in
both the shadows and the highlights.

HDR is perfect for landscape photography where you have a bright sky and
darker foreground.

Switching on HDR will ensure you get good exposure in both the foreground and
the sky.

So how do you use HDR in the iPhone Camera app?

First, you need to check your HDR settings. Open the Settings app and select
Camera.

At the bottom of the screen is the Smart HDR setting.

If you want the camera to automatically use HDR whenever it needs to,
ensure Smart HDR is switched on (green).

Switching on Smart HDR means you’ll never need to think about whether to use
HDR or not. The camera will always decide for you.

If you would prefer to manually control the HDR setting in the Camera app, you’ll
need to switch the Smart HDR setting off.

With Smart HDR switched off, you’ll see an HDR icon in the Camera app.

Tap the HDR icon to switch it on or off. (HDR is off when a line appears through
the icon).

If you’re controlling HDR manually, remember to switch it on when shooting high-

contrast scenes, such as landscapes. Otherwise, you may end up with over-
exposed highlights as shown above.

4. Shutter Speed: How To Change Shutter Speed On iPhone

The ability to control shutter speed is typically associated with DSLR cameras.

But did you know you can change the iPhone shutter speed?

Once you master shutter speed, you’ll be able to control how movement appears
in your photos. And this will take your creativity to a whole new level!

4.1 What Is Shutter Speed?

Shutter speed refers to the amount of time the camera’s shutter is open for when
taking a photo.

Shutter speed is measured in seconds (or fractions of seconds), e.g. 8s, 2s, 1/30s,
1/250s, 1/500s, etc.

A fast shutter speed means the shutter is open for a very short amount of time (a
fraction of a second).

Fast shutter speeds freeze any movement in the scene. A fast shutter speed
allows you to capture sharp photos of moving subjects. It also ensures you won’t
get blurry photos from camera shake.

A slow shutter speed means the shutter is open for a longer amount of time
(several seconds).

If anything in the scene moves during this long exposure time, that movement
will be captured as a blur or streak. This kind of blur is called motion blur.

Slow shutter speeds are a great way to convey a sense of movement in a photo.
The motion blur clearly shows that the subject was moving through the frame.

A slow shutter speed allows you to create beautiful long exposure photos of
waterfalls and rivers. The long exposure time results in the moving water
appearing silky smooth.

4.2 How To Change Shutter Speed On iPhone

The built-in iPhone Camera app doesn’t have a shutter speed option. So you’ll
need a third-party app with iPhone manual camera controls.

There are several excellent iPhone camera apps that let you control shutter
speed.

Camera+ 2 ($2.99) is a great option as it has a wide range of shutter speeds –

from very fast to very slow. It even has a dedicated Slow Shutter shooting mode
for capturing long exposure photos.

Here’s how to change shutter speed on iPhone using Camera+ 2:

Open the Camera+ 2 app. Tap the [+] icon next to the shutter button to open the
shooting options. Ensure Normal shooting mode is selected.

Tap the X next to the shutter button to close the shooting options.

Above the shutter button, you should see the Shutter Speed/ISO icon. It displays
two values: shutter speed (e.g. 1/33s) and ISO (we’ll cover ISO later).

If you don’t see the shutter speed and ISO values, tap the Menu icon (three lines)
at the bottom right. Select Advanced Controls, then turn on Always Show. Tap
the Camera icon at the bottom of the screen to exit the menu.
To change the shutter speed, tap on the Shutter Speed/ISO icon above the
shutter button.

The Shutter Speed slider will appear. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the
shutter speed.

The further left you go, the faster the shutter speed will be. Faster shutter speeds
freeze the motion of moving subjects and help eliminate camera shake.

The further right you go, the slower the shutter speed becomes. Slow shutter
speeds blur the motion of moving subjects.

Note that the slowest shutter speed in Normal shooting mode is 1/4s (a quarter
of a second). If you want to shoot long exposure photos with Camera+ 2, you’ll
need slower shutter speeds than this.

Read on to learn how to shoot beautiful long exposure photos with your iPhone.

4.3 Use A Slow Shutter Speed For Stunning Long Exposure Photos

In this section, you’ll discover how to capture incredible long exposure photos
using two different apps: Camera+ 2 ($2.99) and Slow Shutter Cam ($1.99).

Both apps produce great results, but they offer slightly different functionality.

Before you begin, you’ll need to ensure you have an iPhone tripod. A tripod keeps
your camera perfectly still during the long exposure time.

If you hand-hold your iPhone, you won’t be able to keep it still enough. And the
result will be a shaky photo that’s entirely blurred.

4.3.1 How To Shoot Long Exposure Photos Using Camera+ 2

The Camera+ 2 app has a dedicated Slow Shutter mode for shooting long
exposure photos.

Tap the [+] icon next to the shutter button, then select Slow Shutter mode.

Tap the X next to the shutter button to close the shooting options.

Above the shutter button are two sliders. The left slider controls shutter speed.

Drag the Shutter Speed slider to set the shutter speed value, e.g. 2 seconds, 15
seconds, 30 seconds, etc. The longer the shutter speed, the more blurred any
motion will appear.

If you want to adjust exposure (brightness), use the right-hand slider with the Sun
icon.

When you tap the shutter button to take your shot, ensure the camera remains
perfectly still while the photo is being taken.

4.3.2 How To Shoot Long Exposure Photos Using Slow Shutter Cam

The Slow Shutter Cam app is designed specifically for shooting long exposure
photos.

It makes it super-easy to capture long exposures of water, light trails, and low
light scenes.

Open the Slow Shutter Cam app. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom left to
open the capture mode options.

The app has three slow shutter capture modes: Motion Blur, Light Trail,
and Low Light.

Motion Blur mode is perfect for creating long exposure water photos. But you
can also use it to blur the motion of other moving subjects.

Light Trail mode lets you capture beautiful long exposure photos of moving
lights. It’s great for photographing fireworks and car light trails.

Low Light mode is useful for capturing brighter exposures when shooting at
night.

Each capture mode has a Shutter Speed slider. Drag the slider left for a faster
shutter speed or right for a slower speed.

Dragging the Shutter Speed slider all the way to the right activates Bulb mode.
This allows you to shoot with any shutter speed you want. Simply tap the shutter
button to start the exposure, and tap again to finish taking the photo.

You can also experiment with the other sliders to fine-tune the image. For
example, the Blur Strength slider lets you control how blurry the movement
appears.

After taking a photo, you can edit it by tapping Edit at the bottom of the
screen. Use the icons at the bottom of the screen to edit your image, then
tap Done.

Tap Save to save your image. Or tap Clear to discard it.

Using a slow iPhone shutter speed allows you to push the limits of your mobile
photography.

With a little imagination, you can take your creativity to a whole new level!

5. ISO: How To Use ISO To Capture Grain-Free Shots In Low Light

Another useful iPhone manual camera setting is ISO.

In this section, you’ll discover how to use ISO to capture sharp, grain-free iPhone
photos in low light.

Note that if you have one of the iPhone 11 models, you can use the new Night
mode feature to capture stunning night photos.

5.1 What Is ISO?

ISO controls how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light. The higher the ISO, the
more sensitive the sensor is to light.

This means that ISO affects exposure (brightness). Essentially, the camera can
record more light at high ISO settings.

This can come in handy when shooting in low light. However, there’s a big
downside to using a high ISO.

Unfortunately, high ISO settings introduce unwanted grain into your photos (as
shown below). The grain is especially visible in the darker areas of the image.

Grain reduces the quality of your photo. So you’ll want to avoid high ISO settings if
possible. The photo below was shot with a much lower ISO, and the resulting
image is free of grain.
5.2 How To Change The ISO iPhone Camera Setting

The built-in Camera app doesn’t let you change ISO. Instead, it automatically
selects an appropriate ISO setting, depending on how much light is in the scene.

In low light, the camera will likely use a high ISO in order to capture a more light.
That’s why you often end up with grainy photos when shooting in dark
conditions.

But there is a way to take control of the ISO iPhone settings yourself. And if you
do this, you can choose a lower ISO to avoid getting grainy shots.

So how do you change ISO on iPhone? You use the Camera+ 2 app!

Open Camera+ 2 . Tap the [+] icon, and ensure Normal shooting mode is
selected.

Tap the X next to the shutter button to close the shooting options.

Above the shutter button, you should see the Shutter Speed/ISO icon. This
displays the current shutter speed and ISO values.

If you don’t see the shutter speed and ISO values, tap the Menu icon (three lines),
select Advanced Controls, then turn on Always Show. Tap the Camera icon at
the bottom of the screen to exit the menu.

To change the ISO, tap the Shutter Speed/ISO icon above the shutter button.

To begin with, only the Shutter Speed slider is displayed. To display the ISO slider,
tap the [+] icon on the right of the slider.

You’ll now see two sliders: Shutter Speed on the left, and ISO on the right. Drag
the ISO slider left or right to adjust the setting.

5.3 Use A Low ISO To Avoid Grainy Photos

The higher the ISO value, the more light the camera will capture, but the grainier
the photo will be. So your aim is to choose the lowest ISO setting that still gives
you a decent exposure.

But there’s a bit more to it than this. If you reduce the ISO to a low value, your
image might appear too dark.

However, you can get the camera to capture more light by telling it to use a
slower shutter speed. Simply use the Shutter Speed slider on the left.

The slower shutter speed (which captures more light) balances the low ISO (which
captures less light). This allows you to use a low ISO while still getting a good
exposure with enough light.

Of course, if you’re using a slow shutter speed, you might end up with blurred
photos caused by camera shake. And if there’s any movement in the scene, it will
appear as motion blur.

However, if you can mount your iPhone on a tripod, and your subjects are
stationary, it’s fine to use a slow shutter speed. And therefore, you can use a low
ISO to avoid grain.

If your only option is to hand-hold the camera, or you have moving subjects that
you want to appear sharp, you’ll need a faster shutter speed. And as a result,
you’ll have to use a higher ISO setting to get a decent exposure.

Just remember, the higher the ISO, the grainer the image will be.

As with all iPhone manual camera controls, you often have to take a few shots
using slightly different settings before you get a good result.

But this all adds to the fun! And you’ll learn a lot in the process.

6. White Balance: How To Capture Perfect Colors In Your Photos

In general, the iPhone does a great job of capturing colors accurately. But in
certain situations, it might not get the colors quite right.

And that’s when you need to adjust the white balance.

6.1 What Is White Balance?

White balance allows you to capture colors more accurately in your photos.

It ensures the white parts of the photo appear white. And in turn, the other colors
in your picture will be captured correctly.

Here are a couple of examples where you might end up with strange colors in
your pictures:

If you shoot indoors with the lights on, you might notice a yellow or orange color
cast in your photo. This is caused by the warm colored light emitted from light
bulbs.

Color casts are especially noticeable in the white areas of the scene, such as the
white jug, wall, and flowers in the photo above.

If you shoot outdoors in the shade or under cloud cover, your photos can end up
with a cool blue color cast. This is especially apparent when photographing snow.

Adjusting the camera’s white balance helps you eliminate color casts in your
photos. It works by cooling down or warming up the colors in your image.

Selecting the appropriate white balance setting will ensure your whites appear
white!

6.2 How To Change White Balance On iPhone

The built-in Camera app doesn’t let you change the white balance. Instead, it
automatically adjusts white balance in an attempt to remove any warm or cool
color casts.

Most of the time, the camera’s auto white balance does a great job, especially
outdoors in natural light.

But if you’re taking pictures in very warm or cool light, you might need to take
manual control of the white balance.

How do you change white balance on iPhone?

You guessed it! You use the Camera+ 2 app.

Open the Camera+ 2 app. Tap the WB (White Balance) icon at the bottom right.

If you don’t see the WB icon, tap the Menu icon (three lines), select Advanced
Controls, then turn on Always Show. Tap the Camera icon at the bottom of the
screen to exit the menu.

When you tap the WB icon, a row of white balance presets appears. The presets
are called Shade, Cloudy, Flash, Daylight, etc. Swipe across to see more white
balance presets.
To eliminate a color cast, select the white balance preset that matches the type of
light you’re shooting in.

So if you’re shooting under warm-colored light bulbs, choose Incandescent. If

you’re shooting in shade, tap the Shade white balance option.

The camera then adjusts the colors to eliminate warm or cool color casts from
your light source.

In the example below, the Shade white balance preset was selected. This setting
warms up the colors, eliminating the blue color cast.

In the next example, the Incandescent preset was selected. This setting cools
down the colors, neutralizing the warm color cast from the light bulbs.

But what if none of the white balance presets give a good result? In this case, you
can manually adjust the color balance.

Tap the [+] icon to the right of the white balance presets. Then use the White
Balance slider to warm up or cool down the colors.

Remember, you’re aiming for a white balance setting where the white areas in
your photo appear white.

If you prefer to let the camera decide which white balance setting to use, tap
Auto to the left of the white balance presets.

6.3 Use White Balance For Creative Effect

In most cases, you’ll want the colors in your photos to appear as accurate as
possible. You’ll want the whites to appear white.

But sometimes a photo can be enhanced by deliberately warming up or cooling

down the colors.

For instance, you can emphasize the coldness and bleakness of a winter
landscape by cooling down the colors.

Or you can intensify the colors of a sunset by adding more warm orange tones to
your image.

Using white balance creatively can help you capture very different moods in your
photos. So don’t be afraid to experiment with the white balance settings.

And if you don’t get the white balance quite right at the time of shooting, you can
always tweak the colors when editing your photo.

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Mohammed Salah • 2 years ago

Thank you for this amazing article. I've been wanting to learn this for so
long. God bless you.
67 △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Jaime Valentin • a year ago

Wow I was always curious as to how they shot those amazing pictures
with iPhones. Now I know. Gonna be taking some nice pics!!
3△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Simon Borg • 4 years ago

I already have Camera+ but I didn't know about all of it's features nor did I
know about some of the features of the native iPhone app until I read this
article.
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Laine Rudolfa > Simon Borg • 4 years ago

I'm glad that you learnt something new from this article, Simon! :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

David Orriss Jr > Laine Rudolfa • 4 years ago

+1 I hadn't really dug into everything Camera + can do..
reading this article got me to start really poking around.
Thanks for this.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

sunwearVN • 2 years ago

I love to read this article.
I had DOF problem when shooting product with iPhone.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ferdous Khalifa • 7 months ago

Thanks, Too many information in one place. I think i have to came back
later.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

itasara • a year ago • edited

Great article! I’m still a little confused about the HDR setting. I have an
iPhone 6 Plus and I see the HDR setting at the top but didn’t want to use it
because I had read it used to much battery power. After I read your article
I went to settings. I Think I remember that I could turn it on and off there if
I want to within the camera. I went to settings and there was Only one
setting, “keep normal setting” and that was off. So according to your
article I turned it on but there was no other setting for HDR Like the article
showed. I went back to the camera and HDR still appear on the top menu
to the right of the flash Icon only when I press it, it Relocated to the left-
hand side of the menu and then next to it it says auto in yellow and the
flash icon disappears. So I’m confused as to whether hdr is on or whether
it’s off and if it works or if it doesn’t work and what then does auto mean?
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Je-ann Mod > itasara • a year ago

This has changed in iOS 12. If you see HDR that means it's set to
Auto HDR - it will decide when a photo will be in HDR or not. When
you tap it, it will have a / on top which means that HDR will not be
used at all.
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Frankie • a year ago

$2.99 it is :)
Maybe I can shoot some test videos with this app before getting a DSLR
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Carole Noel • a year ago

Great article! It’s been 2 years since this article was published but I still
learned something that was new to me. Thank you!
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Ann Taylor • 2 years ago

Thank you for this enlightening article, extremely useful.
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Nishan • 2 years ago

Thank you. Camera + manual focus : how can I first select a single focus
point and then fine tune the focus ? Seems like when using manual focus
it's not clear which point it has got the focus.
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Lara • 2 years ago

Thank you so much for this article. So easy to follow and informative.
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Braddock Baskett • 3 years ago

Thank you heaps for the knowledge given in this article. I came across it
looking for a solution and found so much more.
However I still cannot find or locate a suitable 3rd party camera app that
will allow me to reduce the image size of the pictures while I take them.
My iPhone 7 plus offers no options for changing the image size. Do you
know of any apps that might help my situation? Thanks.
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Serge • 3 years ago

Reading of this articles took 30 minutes or so. These 30 minutes just
opened my eyes on how good photos are taken

Thank you Emil!

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Kate Wesson Mod > Serge • 3 years ago

Thanks! Great to hear that Serge :)

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Cornellius Maximilianus • 3 years ago

After I read this article I bought the app, now I am using more of its
manual adjustments. I have a Sony mirrorless camera with bunch of
lenses but having iPhone 7 plus on me all times with these manual
settings is really great.
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Kate Wesson Mod > Cornellius Maximilianus • 3 years ago

Great to hear that you're making use of these manual camera

settings on your iPhone :)
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Lizbeth Hamlin • 3 years ago

This is an amazing tutorial, one I will be coming back to as there are so
many details I still need to learn to progress. Iph7+ is on my wish list as so
many recent postings are superior! Thank you so much!
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Kate Wesson Mod > Lizbeth Hamlin • 3 years ago

So glad you enjoyed this tutorial Lizbeth. The depth effect and the
telephoto lens on the iPhone 7 Plus really does open up a whole
new range of creative photo opportunities!
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macbev • 3 years ago

So much wonderful information! Thank you! Your lessons are really
inspiring.
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Kate Wesson Mod > macbev • 3 years ago

So glad to hear you found this helpful and inspiring :)

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Ronee Juanengo • 3 years ago

Great writeup, Rob! This is the best article I've read in iPhone Photography
School! It sets the iPhone in photography basics! The Triangle diagram is a
very useful guide.
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Kate Wesson Mod > Ronee Juanengo • 3 years ago

Glad you found this article so useful Ronee. And yes, that triangle
diagram really helps to make sense of it all doesn't it :)
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Ardys Zoellner • 3 years ago

Thank you very much for this comprehensive article. I have never been
able to remember the relationships between shutter speed and ISO but if I
read this a few more times, maybe it will sink in! The triangle diagram is
excellent.
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Kate Wesson Mod > Ardys Zoellner • 3 years ago

So glad to hear you found this helpful. Yes, just keep reading
through it, studying the triangle diagram and experimenting with
the settings on your iPhone camera, and you'll soon get the hang
of it all.
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Andy Garfield • 4 years ago

Camera+ now has shutter speeds up to 30 seconds, and lower ISOs once
you go below a 1/4 second shutter speed. Going down to ISO 2 would
give you a rough equivalent to ISO 100 on a full-frame camera.
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Kate Wesson Mod • 4 years ago

Thanks for this great in-depth article Rob :)
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StoneCr8tive • 4 years ago

Fantastic post! Thank you very much Rob!
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earl • 4 years ago

I use the products by this company: Hitcase, check them out for I-phone
cases, lens and items. They add protection and creativity.
http://www.hitcase.com/
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