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As the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you own. People will fight over which smartphone has the most impressive camera specs or whether it’s worth picking up a dedicated DSLR for more professional shots, but if you’ve got an iPhone, it’s undoubtedly your most reliable shooter. You always have it on you; It takes great photos out of the box; And it makes it easy to store and share your results with others. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make it better.
Over the years, I’ve tinkered with my iPhone’s camera app to push it to its limits, so that it can return the highest-quality photos and videos possible. If you’re interested in doing the same, try these 10 hacks, tips, and tricks to get more out of your iPhone’s camera:
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Adjust your video settings to shoot in the highest possible quality
If you’ve never changed your iPhone’s default video settings, you’re not taking full advantage of its capabilities. iPhones have supported 4K video since 2015, but Apple prefers to keep the default at 1080p to prioritize storage. The same goes for Slo-mo videos if your iPhone supports 4K in this format. If you value storage more than video quality, you may want to keep things as they are. But if you want to record in the best fuzzy quality, you should change this setting.
To do so, go to Settings > CameraThen select “Record Video”. Here, choose 4K at whatever frame rate you like: 24 fps, the frame rate used for movies, uses the least amount of storage, while 4K at 120 fps will use the most. I also like to disable a few features while I’m here: “Enhanced Stabilization” isn’t my cup of tea, as it crops the image slightly to stabilize it, and “HDR Video” seems too oddly bright for my taste. Go back one page, then select “Record Slow-Mo” to adjust this setting as well. You can also change the resolution and frame rate directly in the Camera app by tapping the menu in the top left (or bottom left, if your iPhone is held in landscape).
Shoot in ProRAW to create high-quality large prints
Similarly, Apple tries to balance image quality with storage requirements in its default photo settings. As such, your iPhone’s camera probably won’t be able to take high-quality images, especially if it can shoot in ProRAW. ProRAW is Apple’s RAW format, which preserves more image information in each shot than standard JPG. It can increase the quality of your photos, but also give you more detail to work with in editing or to print your images in larger sizes.
If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or later, you can shoot in ProRAW, and if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or later, you can shoot in ProRAW Max, including More Data You’ll be able to shoot up to 48MP per image, which gives you a ton of data to work with, but comes at the cost of storage. Apple says ProRAW images are 10 to 12 times larger than standard JPG, and even larger if you shoot at 48MP. Be careful if you decide to start shooting in such a large format.
To try ProRAW, go ahead Settings > Camera > FormatsThen select “ProRAW and Resolution Control”. If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or newer, you can change your megapixel setting right in the Camera app, by tapping the Format button in the top left (or bottom left) corner. On other compatible iPhones, you’ll find those options in this Settings pane.
Change your settings to make it more difficult to accidentally launch the camera
I have an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and, as such, Apple gives me Five Different ways to start the camera by default. I can open the camera app on my home screen; Launch the app from its Control Center tile; Long press on the lock screen shortcut to open it; Swipe left on the lock screen to reveal it; Or press the camera control on the side of my iPhone to take a picture. I can even ask Siri for help if I want. That’s a lot of ways, especially when some of them make it easy to accidentally open the camera in your pocket.
As such, here are all the ways to disable each of those options, if you, like me, need to reduce the chances of accidentally launching the camera and draining your battery:
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Home screen application: Long press the app icon and select “Remove app”, then select “Remove from home screen”.
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Control Center tile: Launch Control Center, tap the (+) in the upper-left corner, then tap the minus next to the camera tile.
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Lock screen shortcut: Open the lock screen, then long press on an empty space to open the editor. Tap “Customize,” then tap the minus next to the camera shortcut. You can replace the shortcut with a different app or function, or lock it in your settings to free up space.
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Swipe the lock screen: Open Settings > CameraThen scroll down and disable “Lock screen swipe to open camera”.
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Camera control: Open Settings > Camera > Camera ControlsThen select “None”.
Change your camera control settings to launch a different camera app by default
If you followed the advice above, you might have noticed something interesting in the “Camera Control” settings pane: while the Camera app appears on this page, so will any other photography app you have installed on your iPhone. Because this setting can be used to change the default camera app that opens when you press the camera control.
While the iPhone’s default camera app takes some great shots, it’s far from the best choice for users who want complete control over their images. There are tons Great third-party camera apps out there Which gives you advanced controls that iOS doesn’t, like shutter speed, ISO and white balance, among many other options. I occasionally use Halide While I’d like to try to take on a more “professional” image, I also paid for the app before switching to a subscription model, so your mileage may vary. You can also set up camera controls on any social media app with a built-in camera, like Instagram or Snapchat, if that’s more of a jam for you.
Use a tripod for better night mode shots
Getting to night mode on the iPhone took a while, but it was worth it. This feature makes it possible to take useful images without flash at night, and I’m generally very impressed with the results. By default, Night Mode tends to be conservative on the amount of time it takes to shoot an image. It takes into account how dark it is, as well as how stable the iPhone is, as too much shakiness can produce a blurry photo. For example, if you hold your iPhone in your hand, iOS may choose to take a quick night mode shot, which may not give you the detail you’re looking for. And while you can manually extend the time Night Mode is on, you won’t be able to access the 30-second maximum unless your iPhone is completely frozen.
Instead of holding your iPhone while you take a Night Mode shot, Try using a tripod. By holding your iPhone perfectly still, iOS will offer 30-second settings, capturing as much detail as possible. Here’s what you can expect: Once in the dark, you should see the night mode icon activated in the upper right. Long press the icon, then, next to “Night Mode”, select “Max (30s)”. Now, take your photo and wait 30 seconds for it to complete.
What do you think so far?
Use your iPhone’s wide front camera for better group selfies
For years, we’ve taken group selfies the same way: someone holds their hand out as far as it will go and turns their phone sideways to get everyone in the frame. It’s muscle memory at this point. Even if you have an iPhone 17, you probably still do this. But you don’t have to.
If you have one of Apple’s latest iPhones, you can hold your iPhone vertically to take a giant selfie. Personally, it’s one of my favorite features of the 17 series. To use it, launch Camera and activate Selfie Cam, then tap the person icon in the frame that appears above the shutter. You’ll see the frame widen, as if you’ve already rotated your iPhone, but without moving it at all. Unless your group is huge, there’s a good chance you won’t need to adjust at all to fit everyone in the shot. This also works with videos, turning your iPhone into a great vlogging camera for 16:9 videos.
Use “Save Settings” to avoid resetting the camera every time you close the app
If you’re fiddling with camera settings only to find them all back the next time you launch the app, it’s because of “save settings” or the lack thereof. Instead of resetting those options to iOS defaults when you leave the camera, Save Settings lets you keep certain settings in place after adjusting them. You will find it Settings > Camera > Save SettingsWith options to save the following:
Use “Most Relevant” to make sharing photos and videos easier
If you’ve ever tried to share a photo with a friend, or open a video on your PC, only to find that the files won’t open, it’s likely because the formats aren’t compatible. By default, Apple shoots photos in HEIC and videos in HEVC, a high-efficiency format. It’s great for storage, but not so much for consistency. He said, I don’t get this as I had a big problem like before, but if no one can open your photos or videos, it’s good to keep in mind.
To change these settings, go to Settings > Camera > FormatsThen tap “Most Compatible” to switch from “High Performance”. Note that your file size will likely increase, and certain video settings will revert this option to high performance, including when shooting cinematic video, 4K 60 fps or higher, and HDR video.
Use your iPhone’s built-in grid to help frame your shots
Photography is all about framing, but squinting at a 6.7-inch viewfinder can be difficult. To help, turn on your iPhone’s built-in grid, which can help you line up your shot and place subjects where you want them in the frame. To enable it, go to Settings > Camera, then scroll down to “Composition.” Here, turn on “Grid”. You can also select “Levels”, which can help balance your shots.
iPhones usually take great video, but depending on your specific model, you may have a mini cinema camera on your hands. Apple’s latest Pro iPhones can shoot in the professional video codec ProRes as well as in “log,” giving editors a greater dynamic range for color correction. (Note that the initial footage looks washed out, but the color information is retained in the video file.)
Choosing to shoot in the best possible format on your Pro iPhone can yield some of the best results, but it comes with a huge tradeoff: the files are Huge. For example, when switching to ProRes log, you’ll see a warning on your iPhone to “free up resources” so you have enough storage to record a few minutes of footage. It’s not for casual videography, which is why Apple doesn’t make it the default.
If you want to shoot videos like this, you don’t need to rely on your iPhone’s internal storage. instead, Choose an external SSD. Now you can connect it directly to your iPhone 15 Pro or newer via USB-C and record all the footage directly to the drive. This way, you can connect the SSD to your computer for editing without worrying about local files on your iPhone. In fact, this is the only way to shoot ProRes in 4K on an iPhone 15 Pro with 128GB of storage. Apple has specific instructions for setting up an external drive, as well as drive specifications, So check it before buying one.
