How to take pictures on iPhone: camera features you need to know

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How to take pictures on the iPhone: 20 features everyone should know

True, most of us take pictures or shoot videos, just seizing the moment, without thinking about fine adjustments at that moment. The iPhone takes great pictures, but they could be even better! And to help you learn how to take great photos and videos, here are some tips for users who are new to the iPhone camera and don’t have time to experiment with settings. But it’s enough to learn a few simple tricks, and your photos and videos will become clearer, better lit, and the result will improve with each new shot you take.

“Camera” in the iPhone has a simple and unloaded interface and high speed. However, some useful features have been somewhat tucked away by the developers. We will tell about them.

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Quick launch of the camera from the lock screen

What many people like about the stock Camera app on iOS is the ability to quickly launch it from the device’s lock screen. It is enough to make a swipe (gesture) from right to left, as the application for shooting will immediately open.

It only takes one second. Not a single frame will be missed!

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Forget the shutter button, use the volume button and headset

It doesn’t matter if you’re taking a selfie or photographing something in front of you. Accessing the on-screen shutter button in the Camera app isn’t always easy—sometimes you have to bend your finger. Luckily, you have another option to work with – the volume button. When you see a suitable scene and are ready to take a picture, you can simply press any iPhone volume button. It will duplicate the on-screen shutter button.

This option is very convenient when taking selfies, because one of the fingers is already next to these buttons due to the girth of the phone. A simple trick – and no more blurry selfies! And if you’re taking a landscape photo, pressing the volume button lets you use your iPhone like a regular camera. The phone screen becomes a huge viewfinder. Such work with a smartphone looks more natural.

Yes, this feature is not new. The ability to use the iPhone’s volume buttons to take photos has been around since iOS 7. It’s just that many people didn’t know about this feature, but now you have useful information.

In addition, an Apple headset with a remote control connected to an iPhone or iPad can also act as a shutter button. Just press any volume key and you will get a new picture or start recording a video.

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Take burst photos so you don’t miss the moment

When you’re trying (and the keyword “trying” is important here) to photograph a moving baby, an actively moving child, or a pet, it can be a daunting task. You think you’ve caught the perfect moment, but your subject suddenly starts to move. To always take the best photos in this situation, use the burst mode on your camera.

In burst mode, the camera quickly takes many shots, as if you were quickly pressing the shoot button. When the process is over, you will have some photos for you to view. You just have to keep the best ones. It is almost certain that there will be at least one photo in this series that turned out really perfect.

And to take a series of photos on iPhone, just pull the shutter button to the left. You will see the number of photos taken while the shutter button is moved briefly. Release when you feel you have captured enough frames.

If you want to follow our previous tip about using the volume button instead of the shutter button, this method works with burst photos too! Here’s what to do:

1. Open “Settings” and choose “Camera”.

2. Activate the switch “Zoom in button. loud for series”.

3. Now, if you need burst mode, press and hold the volume up button on your iPhone. You will see the number of photos taken on the screen, just release your finger when you are done.

We talked in detail about continuous shooting on the iPhone in this material.

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Use a grid to build a Rule of Thirds composition

Along the way app Settings → Camera You can activate the grid mode, in which the image received through the viewfinder is divided by lines into three parts horizontally and vertically. Thanks to this, you can use the principle of building compositions “Rule of Thirds”.

Due to this, it will be easier for the photographer to compose the frame using a simplified golden ratio rule. Important parts of the composition should be located along these lines or at their intersection – points of power. This technique will allow you to get energy-rich images.

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Use a timer

The self-timer helps you take the best shot by releasing the shutter at the right time. In iPhone, the timer works for both the main and front cameras.

Using a timer is a great way to make sure everything around you is ready to shoot. Want to prop your camera up and take a step back to capture the background? Do you need to place something else in the frame that needs to be lifted and held? The timer will help you with this! Thus, you can quickly and easily set the timer for any scene you need, including selfies. To enable and use the timer, do the following:

1. Open the Camera app on iPhone and access the timer. You can do this by lightly swiping up on the screen or by pressing the arrow in the top menu.

2. Touch the timer icon and select a time from 3 to 10 seconds.

3. You will see a timer icon in the top right corner of the screen. If you want to use it, just touch it. In the lower right corner you will see a countdown timer.

You can also rotate the camera using the button with two circular arrows in the lower right corner, press the timer to start it and get ready for a selfie.

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Use HDR

The HDR feature in the iPhone camera will automatically take three photos with different exposures and combine the best parts in one shot. An illustrative example is below:

– in the first image (on the left), the algorithms are focused on rendering the color of the sky – it is distinguishable, but the photo as a whole turned out to be dark;

– in the second frame, the focus is on the foreground, while the sky is already overexposed.

– third frame – HDR – combining the best parts in one shot.

Starting with the iPhone XS, it became possible to automatically use HDR without having to constantly turn this feature on. To do this, it is enough to activate the mode “Smart HDR” along the way Settings → Camera.

This will make the HDR icon on the camera screen disappear. We talked about the HDR function for all iPhone models in more detail in this material.

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Switch between iPhone cameras (Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto)

You may not know, but the iPhone does not shoot with three cameras at once. Each lens is used for specific purposes: wide angle – for normal shooting, ultra wide angle – for shooting with a wide angle of view and telephoto – for increase.

To shoot with a wide-angle camera, set the value 1x on the zoom scale.

To shoot with an ultra wide-angle camera, set to ,5.

And finally, for shooting with a telephoto lens, set the value to 2.

We talked about the operation of each iPhone camera in more detail in this material.

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Use filters in real time

The iPhone camera allows you to apply filters when taking photos in real time. To use filters:

1. Open apps Camera.

2. Swipe up on the screen or tap the arrow on the top menu.

3. Click on the icon with three intersecting circles.

4. If you don’t see the filters icon, slide the toolbar from right to left.

5. Select the desired filter.

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Control exposure (change brightness)

In order to quickly change the brightness settings of the picture, touch the screen and after the yellow square appears, swipe (gestures) up or down the screen.

For a more thorough exposure adjustment, you can use the appropriate tool, for this:

1. Open apps Camera.

2. Swipe up on the screen or tap the arrow on the top menu.

3. On the toolbar that appears, select the icon ± in a circle.

4. Move the exposure bar to the desired value.

5. Return to the exposure bar, if it is collapsed, by clicking on the mini-bar image in the upper left corner of the screen (detailed).

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Lock focus and exposure

To ensure that the edited focus and exposure settings do not change when you move the camera, lock the focus. To do this, anywhere, press and hold your finger on the display for a couple of seconds. The exposure will lock and the display will show “Exposure/Focus Lock”.

By clicking on it once, the focus will return to automatic mode (detailed).

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Read QR codes on iPhone without installing third party apps

By default, the iPhone camera allows you to read at least 10 types of QR codes (detailed), including: website links, calendar data, adding contacts, navigation maps, connecting to a Wi-Fi network, etc.

If QR code recognition does not work, check if the option is enabled Scanning QR codes along the way Settings → Camera.

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Apply the power of lighting effects in Portrait Mode

It often happens that at the moment of portrait shooting, an outsider, animal, object, etc. suddenly appears in the frame. If you think that such a picture was unsuccessful, do not rush to delete it. The iPhone lets you combat this phenomenon with the Portrait Mode lighting tools. This function itself is not new for a smartphone, it’s just that it is usually forgotten.

This feature can also be very useful for shooting in a crowded place, against an unattractive background, etc.

Follow these steps to enable and use Portrait Mode effects on iPhone.

1. Open the camera and swipe through the list above the shutter button to “Portrait”.

2. You can take a photo right away or use the lighting option instead. Apply lighting tools in portrait mode it is also possible for ready-made portrait photos located in the application Photo.

Swipe across the bottom of the viewfinder to select natural, studio, or contour light. Or you can get creative by using stage lighting or high key to shoot in black and white.

3. If you chose the option with some kind of lighting, just leave everything as it is and take the picture in the usual way.

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Get a photo with a plume effect (long exposure) with Live Photos

Probably not everyone knows that in order to get a long exposure photo on the iPhone, you can do without buying a third-party expensive application, such as Specter Camera. In order to shoot waterfalls, a ferris wheel, a stream of cars and other objects with a plume effect, you can use the standard features of the Live Photos function for free. For this.

1. Open the Camera app, go to the Photos tab, and turn on Live Photos mode.

2. Take a photo of a moving subject such as a waterfall.

3. Open the Photos app and go to the tab Albums.

4. Find the Live Photos album and open the desired photo in it.

5. If you have an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, click the LIVE button in the top left corner. In the list that appears, select Long exposure.

If you have an iPhone running iOS 14 or older, swipe up (gesture) from the bottom to open Live Photos advanced options. Choose an effect Long exposure.

The resulting example:

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Use “Vertical Panoramas” to Capture Tall Objects

When photographing large (tall) objects, it is often very difficult to fit them into the frame. But thanks to the ability to shoot panoramic photos, it is much easier to do this. For this:

Just open the camera, turn on panorama shooting, and shoot with your iPhone 90 degrees beforehand.

An example of a vertical panorama:

We talked in detail about panoramic shooting on the iPhone in this article.

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Control your iPhone camera with your Apple Watch

This feature can turn the Apple Watch into a remote control for the iPhone’s camera. This will be very useful, for example, when taking photos with a tripod, or as a hidden shooting (an iPhone can be installed in one room, and start recording video on a smartphone using an Apple Watch from another).

To use your Apple Watch to control your iPhone camera:

1. Open the Camera app on your Apple Watch.

2. Разместите iPhone нужным способом в радиусе до 10 метров от Apple Watch (чем дальше, тем может быть больше задержка).

3. Откройте приложение Камера на iPhone и включите необходимый режим съемки: Фото, Видео, Таймлапс и т.д.

4. При необходимости коснитесь главного места на будущем фото (на экране Apple Watch), чтобы настроить экспозицию.

5. Нажмите кнопку спуска затвора для создания фото или запуска съемки видео.

При помощи Apple Watch можно включать вспышку, HDR, таймер и т.д. Более подробно обо всех возможностях мы рассказывали в этой статье.

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Изменяйте при необходимости форматы съемки – JPEG, HEIC или ProRAW

Для съемки фото в iPhone по умолчанию используется сжатый формат HEIC, который считается более эффективным (занимает меньше места), чем JPEG. А с выходом iPhone 12 Pro была добавлена поддержка и третьего формата – ProRAW (подробно).

Для того чтобы изменить формат получаемых снимков, перейдите по пути: Настройки → Камера → Форматы и установите необходимое значение:

Высокоэффективный – позволяет получать фото в сжатом формате HEIC (может оказаться несовместимым в некоторых приложениях-редкаторах для Windows и Linux).

Наиболее совместимый – позволяет получать фото в сжатом формате JPEG.

Apple ProRAW – позволяет получать не сжатые фото размером около 25 МБ. Опция доступна только на iPhone 12 Pro и новее.

Примечание: для использование формата ProRAW необходимо также включить соответствующую опцию в самой камере iPhone.

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Используйте Ночной режим

Если вы используете iPhone 11 и новее, то попробуйте Ночной режим для съемок в условиях слабого освещения. Ночной режим включается автоматически при съемке, когда вы находитесь в условиях недостатка света. И хотя вы, безусловно, можете отрегулировать настройку экспозиции, другие люди, не являющиеся профессиональными фотографами, тоже могут без проблем делать отличные фотографии с помощью Ночного режима.

Когда вы запустите приложение «Камера», чтобы сделать снимок, и оно обнаружит слабое освещение, то в верхнем левом углу экрана загорится желтым значок ночного режима. В зависимости от темноты освещения вы можете увидеть число, которое указывает, сколько времени потребуется для совершения снимка. Вы также можете при желании управлять этим временем и самостоятельно, нажав на значок и используя показанный внизу над кнопкой спуска ползунок.

Ночной режим работает с обычными фотографиями, селфи, портретным режимом и замедленным видео. Но в Ночном режиме Live Photos и вспышка не работают. Если они вам потребуются, то активируйте их вручную. Это приведет к отключению Ночного режима.

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Используйте сетку для правильной съемки сверху вниз

Для получения фотографий без искажений при съемке сверху вниз обязательно воспользуйтесь встроенным уровнем. Чтобы включить его, откройте приложение Settings, перейдите в раздел Камера и установите переключатель Сетка в положение Включено.

Теперь при удерживании iPhone в горизонтальном положении, на экран будет выводиться специальный разметочный уровень в виде двух перекрестий. Совместите перекрестия — и получите идеально ровный кадр.

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Воспользуйтесь встроенным сканером для получения качественных копий документов

С появлением приложения Файлы, iPhone и iPad научились качественно сканировать и сохранять цифровые копии электронных документов (сканы) в память устройства или в iCloud Drive.

Для того чтобы воспользоваться сканером, откройте программу «Файлы» на iPhone или iPad и выполните следующие действия:

1. Перейдите на вкладку «Обзор» в нижней части приложения «Файлы».

2. Нажмите кнопку «Еще» (значок в виде трех точек) в верхней части меню.

3. Выберите пункт меню «Отсканировать документы».

Более подробно процесс сканирования документов на iPhone и iPad описан в этом материале.

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Быстро переходите к съемке видео из режима фото при помощи QuickTake

Функция QuickTake в камере iPhone позволяет одним касанием перейти к съемке видео в режиме «Фото». Просто нажмите на кнопку затвора в режиме «Фото» и продолжайте удерживать ее, чтобы мгновенно начать снимать видео.

Как только вы отпустите палец, камера снова перейдет к фото-режиму.

В случае, если удерживать кнопку затвора приходится долго, переместите палец в правую сторону до появившегося кружка. Это действие будет удерживать кнопку затвора в режиме «Видео» и палец можно освободить.

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Используйте фонарик от другого iPhone вместо вспышки

Далеко не всегда при срабатывании автоматической вспышки получаются удачные снимки. В некоторых ситуациях куда лучше будет использовать вспышку в качестве фонарика на другом устройстве. Можно даже использовать для этого сразу несколько устройств. Освещенность объекта будет намного мягче. Ниже приведем пример для наглядности. Фото сделано ночью с выключенной вспышкой на iPhone, однако лицо было подсвечено фонариком (вспышкой) от другого iPhone.

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