Easy iPhone camera tricks to take better photos – hidden grid, selfie timers, burst mode and more
WANT to become an Instagram superstar? We’ve tracked down some of the best iPhone camera tips and tricks out there.
From taking perfect top-down food snaps to pro-quality portrait photos, here our are favourite ways to improve your photography on iPhone.
Top-down photos
Top-down photos look fantastic – especially if it’s a shot of some tasty grub.
But making sure your iPhone is perfectly level can be difficult to do off the cuff.
Fortunately, Apple has built a Camera Level feature into the iPhone that does all the hard work for you.
Open the camera app then point it straight down at your subject (or straight up, if you’re capturing a ceiling).
Two crosshairs will appear on-screen: one is floating and one is fixed in the middle of the display.
Wiggle your phone to line these up – they’ll both glow level when you’ve aligned them perfectly.
Then hit the shutter button to capture a great shot.
Burst Mode
When you’re capturing an active scene, it can be hard to choose the perfect moment to snap a shot.
Fortunately, your iPhone has Burst Mode, which lets you take lots of photos very rapidly.
That means if you’re shooting a moment, you’ll be able to capture frames very quickly – giving you a better chance of snapping that perfect shot.
It couldn’t be easier: simply hold the shutter button down, rather than tapping it.
This will take Burst Mode shots until you release the button.
Selfie Timer
Often taking a selfie – and particularly a group selfie – can involve putting your arm out in pretty uncomfortable positions, and struggling to tap the shutter button.
A much better option is to utilise the selfie timer, letting you simply hold the phone to take a shot – or even leave the phone resting against an object.
Simply tap the Timer icon (a small stopwatch), and then choose three seconds or eight seconds.
The photo will be captured when the timer runs out.
Photo Grid
One of the first things you’ll learn in a photography class is the “rule of thirds”.
The basic idea is the split your viewfinder into 9 equally sized rectangles – with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines.
Then when you take a photo, you should make sure important elements of the photo – like a person – are placed along the lines, or at intersections.
This should make the photo look much more attractive to the eye.
Apple makes this easy by including an optional Photo Grid that you can use to frame your photos in this way.
Simply go to Settings > Camera and then turn on Grid.
Portrait Mode
Portrait Mode is an iPhone camera feature that keeps your subject in sharp focus – but blurs the background.
This is called the “bokeh” effect, and was previously only possible using proper cameras.
If you’ve got an iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max, you can create awesome close-up Portrait Mode shots.
And if you’ve got an iPhone XR, you’ll be able to take wide-angle Portrait Mode snaps that capture loads of detail.
First, launch the Camera app on your iPhone. Then drag your finger from right to left once, which should switch you from Photo to Portrait.
On most new iPhones, you’ll simply point the phone at an object and it will take a stunning Portrait snap.
However, you may need to move farther away to get Portrait Mode to work properly – it’ll warn you on-screen if you’re too close.
And sometimes Portrait Mode will fail to work correctly in very poor light, so don’t try snapping any selfies in the dark.
Create fake twins with Panorama Mode
Panorama Mode is great for capturing very wide photos of large scenes.
But you can also use the feature to create a comical effect where a person looks like they’ve got a clone.
First, start with a person in the very left of the shot you’re going to take.
Then choose Pano mode and tap the Shutter button.
Start panning right while keeping your iPhone level on the centre line.
Once you’re in the middle of the scene and the person is out of shot, have them run left, around the back of you, and then into the right of the shot.
When they’re in place, continue panning right until they’re in shot.
This should create a fun effect where a person can be in the same photo twice, if you time it just right.
MOST READ IN TECH
Looking for more iPhone tricks? Find out how to hide specific photos from your iPhone camera roll.
We recently revealed a genius iPhone trick that lets you find any photo from your camera roll in seconds.
And try these eight simple tricks to improve your iPhone battery life.
Do you know any great iPhone photography tips? Let us know in the comments!
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