How to Use the iPhone Camera

You can take amazing pictures and videos with your iPhone. Your iPhone may have several lenses, including telephoto and wide-angle lenses. You can use filters and camera modes to replicate studio lighting and cinema effects. There are video enthusiasts who create entire movies using only iPhones and iPads! Your iPhone may not offer all of the options shown below.

Opening the camera app

There are several ways to open the camera app to take pictures and videos.

• From the Lock screen, swipe left or tap the Camera button.
• From the Home Screen, tap the Camera  button.
• Summon Siri and say something like “open camera,” “take a video,” or “take a picture.” Note that Siri can only open the camera app, not change the photo/video mode.
• From the Control Center or Home screen, use a long press on the Camera button to display shortcuts to camera modes as shown below.

Taking a picture

Say cheese! There are a couple of ways to take your photo.

• Tap the Shutter button  displaying on your picture preview.
• Press either volume button to capture the picture as you see it on your screen.
• Set the delay timer, activate the shutter, then get in the pic!

Quick access to controls

In Photo mode (the camera app is open), tap the up-arrow to open additional settings for your photo or video. The options will depend on the photo or video mode you have selected.

For instance, you can change the exposure and add a filter in photo mode and change the light source in portrait mode.

QuickTake videos

QuickTake videos are videos you take from Photo mode using the Shutter button in either a long press or sliding it left or right. QuickTake is a shortcut to taking videos when you don’t have time to change the camera mode or just want to take a quick video. You can still take photos during a QuickTake video.

• In Photo mode, touch and hold the shutter button for a short video. The video will record until you release the shutter button.
• In Photo mode, slide the shutter button to the right to lock the iPhone in video recording mode and start a video recording. Use the shutter button to take pictures during the video. Slide back to the left to stop recording or tap the stop recording button to end the video recording.
• In Photo mode, slide and hold the shutter button to the left to take a burst of photos. Release to stop. Burst photography is great for that action shot when you want to pick a photo or several from the group.

Night mode photography

When your device detects a low light condition, you’ll see the Night mode icon  (if your device supports it). This indicates that the shutter will stay open for an extended period (3 seconds in the image above) in order to gather enough light to capture the image. Tap the icon and use the slider to adjust the time, or leave it at Auto to let the camera decide. Use a tripod or brace the camera to reduce blur when taking pictures requiring long exposures.

Wide-angle to telephoto photos

Your device may be equipped with wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Tap .5 to switch to the wide-angle lens and take in more of the scene. Tap 2 (or higher) to switch to the telephoto lens and zoom in. Touch and hold the telephoto number to display a telephoto dial that combines a digital zoom with the selected lens. You can also use 2 fingers to pinch zoom in and out.

Camera creative mode settings

Your iPhone can take pictures and videos in some creative and high-definition modes. (Your options depend on your device model.)

• HDR. Stands for High Dynamic Range, a format with a deeper color range.
• Live Photo  . Takes multiple frames with audio. (Like a 3-second video.)
• Filter Options   . Captures the image on your camera through a variety of filters.
• Portrait. It will detect a human subject and blur the background automatically.
• Square. Changes the photo to a square format made popular by Instagram.
• Pano. Takes a 180-degree photograph as you slowly rotate the camera while holding it close to your body.
• Video. Records video with audio.
• Slo-Mo. Records action for playback in slo-mo.
• Time Lapse. Records a sped-up video (no audio).

Changing camera photo modes

Drag left or right or tap the mode to select.

Live Photo

Live Photo  captures a few seconds of both video and audio just before and after you press the shutter by taking a burst of photos. You can then choose which of the photos is best to keep from the burst or keep them all. You can even add loops and special effects to Live Photos. Live photos can help you get a group photo with everyone’s eyes open! Live Photo images take up much more storage than single images.

Selecting a Key Photo from a Live Photo burst

You can select a particular image to display as an album thumbnail by selecting a Key Photo from an image.

1. Open a Live Photo image and tap Edit.
2. Swipe left or right in the image collection at the bottom of the screen, then tap Make Key Photo.

Creating a still image from a Live Photo

While editing a Live Photo, choose a key photo, then tap to deselect it. Now only the key photo will show.

Using the Camera’s timer

Give yourself time to get in the shot! In Photo Mode, tap then select 3 or 10 seconds, and tap the Shutter button. Run!

Reading a QR code

Your camera will automatically read QR codes and display the text or link. Simply open your camera and point it at the QR code image. Try it on the samples below.

Preserve your favorite camera settings

You can save your last-used camera mode, filter, and Live Photo settings, so your camera opens in that mode rather than in the default Photo mode. Go to Settings  > Camera > Preserve Settings and select your preferences.

Camera flash

Your iPhone may have an LED light to enhance photos and videos in low-light situations. You can choose between off, on, and automatic. Some iPhone models will use the screen to provide light for selfies. Turn Flash to On before taking the selfie.

Taking a screenshot

Quickly press the Side button and either volume button together to capture what is on your screen. On older devices press the Home button and volume button.

Photo compression options

Some Apple cameras use new high-efficiency photo (HEIF=High Efficiency Image File) and video (HEVC=High Efficiency Video Coding) compression formats. These are turned on by default. These save a great deal of space on your device and in cloud storage while preserving a better image. If you need to revert to the traditional format (jpg, for instance), go to Settings  > Camera > Formats.