9 Tips to Get the Most Out of the iPhone’s Default Camera App

Apple’s Camera app is the most used iPhone app for many people. But many of the most useful features are well hidden. In this article we list nine practical tips.

1. Use the Camera shortcut on your lock screen

You can prepare some photos, but usually a photogenic moment occurs spontaneously. In those cases, every second counts, and luckily Apple has thought of that. There is a button on the lock screen of the iPhone, with which you can go directly to the camera.

You do this by long-pressing the Camera icon, which you see at the bottom right of the screen. Immediately the Camera app is activated and you can take a photo. Instead of pressing the Camera icon, you can also quickly activate the camera by swiping. To do this, swipe the lock screen to the left

2. Always turn on Live Photos

Apple introduced the Live Photos feature with the arrival of the iPhone 6S. This turns a still photo into a short 3-second animation. That’s nice, but can also play a role in improving your photos. By turning on the function by default (by tapping the circular icon at the top of the screen), you can save a failed photo afterwards. This works like this:

1. Open the Photos app and find the Live Photo you want to edit;
2. Tap Edit;
3. Tap the circular Live Photos icon at the bottom;
4. Choose the moment at the bottom of the image on the timeline when the photo did look good;
5. Tap Done to save the new photo.

3. Choose the right mode for the situation

Apple’s Camera app is more comprehensive than you might think. In the app, you can switch between different modes by swiping the bottom bar (above the shutter button). For example, you can activate Portrait mode, create a square window (ideal for Instagram), shoot a slow-motion video or start the Panorama function.

4. Turn on burst mode for action shots

If you want to make sure you capture that one moment with an action shot, activate burst mode. This mode shoots ten photos in a second, making it a lot easier to capture a movement without blurring the image. This comes in handy, for example, when photographing a moving car, or a person jumping in the air.

Activating this burst mode is very easy: long press the top volume button (left of your iPhone) and your iPhone immediately switches on burst. Afterwards you can choose the photos that are good enough in a new window. This prevents your entire film roll from filling up at lightning speed.

5. Shoot a video quickly with QuickTake

To shoot a video, swipe the camera mode to ‘Video’. But switching between photo and video can be even faster. Simply hold down the record button longer and your iPhone will immediately start filming. If you let go, the recording will stop.

Do you find it annoying to keep your finger on the screen while filming? Then pull the knob to the lock on the right while recording. Then you can let go of the screen and the iPhone continues to film. Tap the red square to stop recording.

6. Turn on the grid

Are your photos often a bit skewed, or is the subject often off-center? Then it can help to turn on the grid of the Camera app. This works like this:

1. Open the Settings app;
2. Go to Camera;
3. Set the switch behind Grid to green.

From now on, the image from your camera is divided into nine rectangles. This makes it easier to determine the exact center point of your image. You will of course not see the grid on your final photos.

7. Use the volume knob to print

When you have the perfect shot in front of your camera, reaching for the digital button on your screen to print can be tedious. Depending on how you hold the iPhone, it may be easier to print the photo with a volume rocker. You do this by tapping the button with which you turn up the volume. This can be either the top or bottom volume knob.

8. Set focus and exposure manually

The iPhone has an excellent autofocus, but every now and then it goes wrong. So always check how a photo looks when you set the focus and exposure yourself. You do this by tapping the iPhone screen you want to focus on; a yellow frame with a sun appears. Then swipe from top to bottom to brighten or darken the exposure.

9. Turn on AE/AF lock

Are you happy with your manually set exposure and focus? Then you probably want to use it more often for other shots. In that case, turning AE/AF lock on may help.

This will lock the settings you just made. You do this by holding down the yellow square that indicates your focus area for a second. The term ‘AE/AF lock’ appears at the top of the screen.

Looking for more helpful iPhone tips?

The iPhone is a device with a huge amount of applications, if you know where to look. Would you like more useful tips like this to learn more about must-have apps that we believe belong on every iPhone, how iPhone fast charging works and much more? Then take a look at our iPhone beginner’s guide.