Armed with your iPhone, some patience, and a bit of creativity, you can easily make a time-lapse video of your own. This guide will help you get started with creating beautiful and easy time-lapses. 

Understanding time-lapse on iPhone

Using your iPhone to capture a time-lapse video is made simple through Time-lapse mode in your Camera app. This feature allows your phone to automatically shoot 1–2 frames per second for as long as you want, making it easier than ever to capture unique time-lapse videos with the tap of a button. 

What is time-lapse, and what does the name mean?

Time-lapse is a popular photographic technique used to speed up the perception of time. By recording a series of photographs depicting a scene that usually changes slowly over time and then speeding up the playback, you can make the action appear to occur unnaturally quickly.

How time-lapse works on iPhone

Unlike shooting a time-lapse with a traditional camera, shooting with an iPhone means that all the preparation is done for you behind the scenes. When you choose Time-lapse mode on your iPhone, it will automatically shoot your scene at 1–2 frames per second, depending on how long you choose to shoot for. 

Most time-lapse recordings on iPhone play back in 20–40 seconds, regardless of how long you shoot. That’s because the longer you record, the fewer frames will be captured each second, and the more dramatic the final effect will be. 

How much faster is time-lapse?

Your time-lapse video will play back at 30 frames per second, and the final speed will depend on how much footage you’ve captured with your iPhone. If you’ve recorded for less than 10 minutes, the iPhone Camera app will capture 2 frames per second. When played back, this results in a final video that is 15x normal speed. 

If you record more than 10 minutes of footage using the Time-lapse feature, your iPhone will discard half of the frames you’ve already captured in order to keep the video short. Your final video will now be 30x normal speed. The more footage you shoot, the more your frame rate will drop, and the faster your final video will become. 

Shooting time-lapse photography

Now for the fun part — getting out and shooting your own time-lapse videos with your iPhone. You’ll find that the Time-lapse feature in the Camera app is quite intuitive to use. The more you create, the better your time-lapse videos will become. Here’s an overview of how to use your iPhone for time-lapse photography, as well as some tips for making your time-lapses stand out.

How to use the Time-lapse feature

1. Open your Camera app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll through the shooting options right above the shutter button and tap Time-lapse.
3. When you are ready to record, tap the red record button. 
4. Tap the red record button again when you want to stop recording. 
5. Your time-lapse video will be saved to your Photo library under Recents and Time-lapse.

How to shoot a better-quality time-lapse video

Time-lapse videos work best when you are shooting a slow-moving scene, like the change from day to night or a flower opening up to the sun. You can also get creative with your time-lapse videos by shooting street scenes with crowds of people, traffic at a busy intersection, or a DIY project at home. No matter what you choose as your subject matter for your next time-lapse, here are some tips to make it better:

• Always use a tripod. The key to an awesome time-lapse is capturing movement in several frames from the same spot, and the easiest way to do this is with a tripod and a remote shutter.
• Use AF/AE Lock. You want the focus and exposure to be the same for every frame in your time-lapse, so be sure to hold your finger down on the screen and lock the exposure and focus before shooting. 
• Shoot with a full battery. Not surprisingly, shooting a long recording like a time-lapse will require a lot of juice, and you don’t want your iPhone to die before you finish. Make sure your battery is fully charged before starting your time-lapse project.

Fresh ideas for a time-lapse video

Classic time-lapse videos include the setting sun and clouds zooming overhead, but that’s just the beginning. Once you get those creative juices flowing, you’ll find that inspiration for time-lapse videos are everyone. Here are a few ideas:

1. An urban street scene. Find an interesting vantage point where you can capture a busy part of your town or city. Shoot for at least 30 minutes and see what your camera comes up with. Try shooting the same scene at different times of the day.
2. The tides going in and out. Ocean tides go in and out twice a day at a cycle that is roughly 12 hours long, which means you can capture the time between high and low tide in about 6 hours. Look for a spot that will enable you to capture wildlife (crabs, birds, and insects), as well as the waves going in and out.
3. A fun art project. Seeing a work of art transform before your eyes can make for a mesmerizing time-lapse video. Set your camera up on a tripod aimed at a blank piece of paper and capture one or two frames per second as you sketch, draw, or paint.
4. A DIY or construction project. Whether you’re baking a new recipe or remodeling your bathroom, this process can be captured as a from start to finish. Find a good vantage point where your phone won’t be in the way, set it up, and get to work on your project. (This is a great one to share with other DIYers for inspiration.)

Editing a time-lapse video on iPhone

Shooting footage for your time-lapse video is only half the process — and only half the fun. Now you can do some editing to make your time-lapse really stand out. Basic edits can be made right within the Photos app, but some editing, like changing the speed of a time-lapse, will have to be done through a third-party app.

How to change the speed of a time-lapse video on iPhone

If your finished time-lapse video plays too fast or too slow and you want to change it, you’ll have to use a third-party app like Lapse It. To make your time-lapse play over a longer time frame, the Lapse It editor will simply add in duplicate frames to stretch out the footage. Or, to make a video shorter, the editor will shorten the frame rate. Here’s how to use Lapse It:

1. Download the Lapse It app and open it on your iPhone.
2. Tap import at the top of the screen and give the app permission to access your photos.
3. Tap the videos and/or photos you want to edit. If you select more than one, they will all be added to the app.
4. Use the minute and second indicator to set the time frame for your video. If you set it for longer than the original, new frames will be added. If you set it for shorter than the original, the frame rate will be reduced. 
5. Tap the play button on your video to play it back. 
6. When you’re finished changing the speed of your time-lapse video, tap export to save your new video to your Photos.

How to trim and crop a time-lapse video

You can trim or crop your time-lapse video on iPhone using your Photos app in the same way that you would crop any video. When trimming a video using the Photos app, you can only make the video shorter by trimming the ends. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open your time-lapse in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Slide your finger along the timeline at the bottom of the screen until a yellow box appears.
3. Use your finger to slide the arrows on either side of the timeline to trim parts from the beginning or end of your video.
4. Tap Done and choose either Save Video or Save Video as New Clip.

Here’s how to crop a video using Photos:

1. Open your time-lapse video in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Tap the crop icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. A white outline will appear around your time-lapse photo. You can drag the edges of the outline to adjust the size and orientation of your time-lapse.
4. You can use the features at the bottom of the screen to adjust your horizon line, as well as change the vertical and horizontal proportion. Simply choose the icon and slide your finger along the bottom to make your adjustments.

How to add a filter to a time-lapse video

There are several color and black/white filters you can choose from when using the Photos app. Here’s how to apply a filter to your time-lapse video:

1. Choose the video you want to add a filter to and tap Edit.
2. Tap the filter icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Use the slider to choose one of nine filters. Keep in mind that the filter will be applied to the whole video, and there is no way to adjust the strength of the filter.
4. When you find one you’re happy with, tap Done.
5. The changes will be applied to your time-lapse video. 

The Time-lapse shooting mode on your iPhone is a fun tool to experiment with, allowing you to create fun videos and stop-animation at the press of a button. It’s an addictive photography tool, and once you start, you’ll be hooked on making time-lapse videos.

The post How to make an original time-lapse video with your iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

How slow motion works on iPhone

When you shoot a slow-motion video on your iPhone, you are actually playing back the video at a slower frame rate, creating the illusion that your video is moving more slowly than real life. You can use the Slo-mo feature to shoot cool nature scenes, sports footage, and intense action shots.

Slo-mo is a standard feature on iPhone camera models starting with the iPhone 5S. To access Slo-mo on iPhone, just open the Camera app and scroll through the menu above the shutter button. Tap Slo-mo, and you’re ready to go!

How slow is an iPhone slow-motion video?

The normal viewing speed on an iPhone is 60 frames per second (FPS). If you want to shoot a slow-motion video, you actually need to shoot it at a higher frame rate so that more footage is captured. When high-frame-rate footage is slowed down, it appears to be in slow motion.

All iPhone models with Slo-mo capability will record videos at 120 FPS, which is one-half normal speed. Newer models (iPhone 8 and newer) that are powered by the A11 Bionic chip can record Slo-mo videos at 240 FPS, which, when played back, will play at one-quarter normal speed.

Shooting slow motion with iPhone Camera

Now that we’ve gotten the details out of the way, let’s try some shooting techniques and tips to create cool slow-motion videos. Once you start experimenting, you won’t want to stop.

How to adjust Slo-mo settings on iPhone

Before we get started with making videos, let’s check out the settings on your iPhone. The FPS and the quality of your video will depend on the iPhone model you’re shooting with. You can adjust your Slo-mo settings to the highest quality for the best results, but be prepared — these amazing videos will gobble up a fair amount of storage on your phone. Here’s how to change your slow motion settings on iPhone:

1. Open your Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Record Slo-mo.
4. Choose the highest frame rate for the best results — just remember that this will take up more room on your phone.

How to shoot a slow-motion video with your iPhone

Now comes the fun part. Here are the basics for shooting slow-motion videos with your iPhone:

1. Navigate to your iPhone’s Camera app.
2. Scroll through the shooting modes above the shutter button and tap Slo-mo to turn on the slow motion feature. (Unless you have an iPhone 11, you can only use Slo-mo with your iPhone’s rear camera.)
3. When you’re ready to shoot your film, tap the red Record button or one of your side volume buttons.
4. Tap again to stop filming. 
5. Your slow-motion video will be saved in your photo library.

How to make your slow-motion video stand out

You may have mastered the basics and practiced a few slow-motion shots of your kids playing in the sprinkler or your dog running through the woods, but if you want your Slo-mo videos to really stand out, you’ll have to get creative. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Change your camera angle. For greater impact, look for camera angles that will highlight the action. Shooting a flying snowball? Try to capture it whizzing toward the camera. Filming your latest skateboard maneuver? Set your camera low to the ground for a worm’s-eye view of the road and wheels.
• Consider the video sound. When you slow down the playback speed, keep in mind that the sound will also play back at a slower speed.
• Shoot in bright light. Because you are recording your video at a higher frame rate than normal, it’s important to ensure that you have sufficient light. A video that is shot in dim lighting will appear even darker.

How to edit a slow-motion video

Once you’ve created some decent slow-motion footage, you can make edits to make your videos really stand out — change the speed of your video, crop it, trim it, or adjust the look with filters. The sky’s the limit here.

Can you change Slo-mo to regular speed?

Uh-oh. You shot what you thought would be an amazing slow-motion video of your friend’s stellar dance moves, but the results just aren’t flattering. Fortunately, you can easily turn your slow-motion video into a normal-speed video with a few taps of the screen. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your Photos app, open the Slo-mo video that you want to change, and tap Edit.
2. At the bottom of the screen, you will see two sliders. The first shows the frames within your video. The second shows where your video changes from regular speed to slow motion.
3. Drag the vertical white line across the second slider so that all the lines are the same width apart. This will change the Slo-mo parts to regular speed.
4. If you want to change just a portion of your video to regular speed, adjust the slider in either direction to make those sections regular speed.
5. When you’re satisfied with the results, tap Done.

How to speed up a slow-motion video

If you want to speed your movie up even faster than normal speed, you will need to use iMovie, which is free to download in the App Store. Here’s how to speed up your slow-motion video using iMovie:

1. Open iMovie on your iPhone.
2. Tap Continue in the welcome screen.
3. Tap + to start a new project and tap Movie.
4. Choose the slow-motion video that you want to edit and tap Create Movie at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap the video to make the editing tools appear.
6. Tap the speedometer icon to speed up your video.
7. A slider will appear with a turtle on one end and a rabbit on the other. Sliding this all the way toward the rabbit will make your video play at 2 times normal speed.
8. Tap the play button to check your results.
9. Tap Done at the top of the screen.

How to slow down your video

You can slow down your Slo-mo video the same way you sped it up using iMovie. Simply follow the same directions, but move the slider toward the turtle instead of the rabbit to reduce the speed of your video.

How to trim, crop, and straighten your slow-motion video

Your iPhone’s Photo app has some basic editing tools that you can use to fix up your slow-motion videos. With these tools, you can easily trim, crop, and straighten your videos. Here’s how to do it.

1. First, open up the slow-motion video that you want to edit and tap Edit.
2. To trim the video, move the arrows at either end of the timeline slider toward the middle. You can trim the beginning or end of your video to make it shorter.
3. To straighten your video, tap the crop icon. The straighten feature is accessed by tapping the circle with the horizontal line through it. Now move the slider to straighten your video.
4. You can crop your video by tapping the crop icon and dragging the borders of your video to crop it to the desired size.
5. Tap Done.

How to adjust exposure, contrast, and color for a Slo-mo video

The iPhone Photos app can also change the appearance of your slow-motion video by adjusting the exposure, contrast, and color with individual sliders or ready-to-go filters. Here’s how to access these fun editing tools in Photos:

1. Choose the video you want to edit in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Tap the edit icon, which looks like a circle surrounded by small dots.
3. Above the slider are a variety of icons that will change the look of your video.
4. The exposure icon is a circle with a +/- inside it. Tap this and then drag the slider to increase or decrease the exposure.
5. The contrast slider can be accessed by tapping the contrast icon, which looks like a black-and-white circle bisected in half. Move the slider back and forth to adjust.
6. To up the saturation, tap the saturation icon (a colorful circle) and adjust the slider to achieve your desired color saturation.
7. If you want to add a filter to your video, tap the filter icon (three interconnected circles) and scroll through the options to apply them to your video.
8. Tap Done.

Now that you know the basics, there’s nothing stopping you from creating stunning Slo-mo videos with your iPhone. Use our guide to get creative with this underrated feature!

The post How to make spectacular slow-motion videos on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

In this article, we’ll do a deep dive on iPhone X’s front and rear cameras. You’ll see how it stacks up to some of its successors and if it’s still worth the price today.

The back camera on iPhone X

On paper, the specs of iPhone X’s back camera are very similar to the newer iPhone XS’s camera. It includes two lenses: a wide and a telephoto lens. In addition to the dual-camera system, iPhone X also came standard with features like Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and Auto HDR. All of which have only seen minor improvement in newer models.

Why does iPhone X have two cameras?

While phones with only one lens can still zoom in and out, they’re only able to do so with the help of a digital zoom. So rather than truly zooming in, your pictures are just scaled up to look like you zoomed in. But thanks to iPhone X’s dual-camera system, you have two focal points, meaning you can get a truly zoomed-in picture that is cleaner and crisper.

That being said, you don’t only have those two focal points on iPhone X. You can zoom in to any distance between the wide and telephoto lenses and even extend beyond using the iPhone’s digital zoom to get an image 10x closer from your wide-angle camera.

The iPhone X back camera: Megapixels and other specs

As mentioned earlier, the iPhone X camera shares a lot of the same specs with its successor, iPhone XS. Both models have the same 12-megapixel camera and the same aperture capabilities. iPhone X does reasonably well with photos taken in low light, despite not being capable of Night mode. And with Auto HDR, you typically get a well-balanced picture that isn’t overly saturated.

Here’s a list of specs and features for the rear camera:

• Dual 12MP Wide and Telephoto cameras
• Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture
• Telephoto: ƒ/2.4 aperture
• Dual optical image stabilization
• 2x optical zoom in
• Digital zoom up to 10x
• True Tone flash with Slow Sync
• Portrait mode
• Portrait lighting
• Auto HDR for photos
• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• Slo-mo video for 1080p at 240 fps
• Time-lapse video with stabilization

The front camera on iPhone X

Prior iPhone models had what was called a FaceTime HD camera, but on iPhone X, the front camera was replaced with the new True Depth camera that is still used in current models. And since iPhone X was the first iPhone to introduce Face ID, a more powerful front-facing camera was a necessity. But the upgrades also brought features like Portrait mode for your selfies and the cartoony and fun Animoji and Memoji.

How many megapixels is the iPhone X front camera?

Like the rear camera, on paper, the front camera looks very similar to other iPhone models. It’s a 7-megapixel camera with a ƒ/2.2 aperture. Check out a full list of the specs and features that are available on iPhone X’s front camera:

• 7MP photos
• ƒ/2.2 aperture
• Retina Flash
• Auto HDR for photos
• Portrait mode
• Portrait lighting
• 1080p HD at 30 fps
• Animoji and Memoji

Is the iPhone X camera quality enough in 2020?

Looking at iPhone X, even by today’s standards, it’s still a great camera, especially if you’re upgrading from anything older than an iPhone 8. In fact, if you compare the cameras on both iPhone X and iPhone XS, you’ll only see very minor improvements between the two models. 

Where you see the biggest difference is comparing pictures from iPhone X to the current iPhone 11 Pro lineup. But that’s mostly due to the new model having a third lens on the rear camera. So, if you’re looking for an amazing camera at a great value, there’s no reason not to consider iPhone X, even in 2020.

Despite Apple only carrying the most current models of iPhone, opting to upgrade to an older model is a great way to still get an amazing phone at an even better price. This is especially true if you’re the type of person who just wants to shoot incredible pictures and doesn’t necessarily worry about having all the latest bells and whistles.

The post Does the iPhone X camera still make the cut? appeared first on Backlight.

Editing software, artistic filters, and retouching apps can help elevate any photo you capture. But there’s one simple, free tool that’s often overlooked in the Instagram photography community: the self-timer. 

Built directly into your iPhone, this simple feature can help you create stunning photos that will level up your profile and put your content in the same bracket as the pros. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about using your camera’s self-timer — no additional downloads required. 

How to set a timer on iPhone camera

Whether you’re jumping last-minute into a group photo or trying to capture the perfect picture of your outfit before heading out, the self-timer feature on your iPhone’s camera is a great tool to understand how to use. And the first step in doing that is to figure out how to set it up.

Here’s how to set up your iPhone camera’s self-timer: 

1. Open your Camera app. 
2. Press the clock button at the top of the screen. 
3. Select the timer option you wish to use. Your options are 3 seconds, 10 seconds, or to turn the camera off. 
4. Take your photo by pressing the release button at the bottom-center of the screen.

Following these simple steps will help you set up your self-timer for all of your future photos. It’s also good to note that the self-timer is available for both the front and rear cameras. 

Can I turn off burst mode when using the self-timer on iPhone?

The default setting for using the self-timer is for the camera to take photos in burst mode, which means that multiple photos are captured in quick succession. But you can turn off burst mode when using the self-timer on your iPhone.

Some people like having burst photos to choose from, and some people don’t. Either way, it’s useful to know how to turn burst mode on and off while using your self-timer. If you want to turn it off, you must turn on the Live photo option or Portrait mode.

Here’s how to turn on Live photos: 

1. Open your Camera app. 
2. Press the clock button at the top of the screen. 
3. Select the timer option you wish to use. 
4. Press the Live option button, which is located at the top of the screen next to the clock button, to turn it on or off. 
5. Take your photo. 

To turn on Portrait mode, just scroll to Portrait at the bottom of your screen and then take the photo like you normally would.

How you can improve your photos with iPhone camera timer

Now that you know the ins and outs of your iPhone camera’s self-timer, it’s time to learn how to use it to take incredible, professionally polished photos for your Instagram. While there are tons of tips and tricks out there, we’ve rounded up our favorites for you to try today. 

Take selfies without your arm in the frame

Perhaps one of the easiest and most effective ways to use your self-timer is to capture a classic selfie — without the classic selfie-arm. Thousands of photographers and Instagram influencers have mastered this art, and now it’s your turn. 

Ideally, you want to have something to set your camera up with. While you could lean it against a wall or some books, the best way to get self-portraits like a pro is to use a stand or tripod. The Lamicall Phone Stand is adjustable so you can capture your best angles, and the UBeesize 51″ Extendable Tripod Stand comes with a Bluetooth remote. 

Once you have your iPhone secure, do the following: 

1. Open the Camera app. 
2. Position your iPhone to face a neutral background and position yourself toward your light source.
3. Select the 10-second timer so you can give yourself enough time to get into position.  
4. Turn Live mode off so burst mode is activated and you get more photo options. 
5. Press the shutter button. 

There are tons of positions, angles, and poses you can experiment with to take creative self-portraits, so play around and have fun with it. 

Reduce blur in Night mode photos

If you’ve ever tried to take a photo in the dark, you know how difficult that can be. Blurry, shaky photos are often the result because there isn’t enough light to stabilize the frame, even with iPhone’s newest Night mode feature. 

However, your self-timer can help reduce the blur of your nighttime photoshoots because you won’t be holding the camera. Once again, so long as you have a way to secure your iPhone, your nighttime photos should come out just as crisp and clear as your daytime shots. 

Luckily, iPhone’s Night mode turns on automatically, so all you have to do is set up your iPhone, turn on your self-timer, and make sure to follow these other tips: 

• Only shoot still subjects. People or objects that are moving are already hard enough to capture during the day. At night, they’re even harder to capture and will likely result in a blurry image. 
• Reduce the exposure on your camera before you take a picture. To avoid that grainy overlay on your photos, tap the part of the image you want to remain dark and crisp. When the set focus box comes up, swipe down to make the area of the image darker.
• Choose a well-lit area. Night mode doesn’t work in the total pitch black. The best evening photos are taken in places that have at least one available source of light. Another good trick is to surround the well-lit area you’re placing your subject in with very dark negative space. 
• Shoot in black and white. If you have bright lights and dark shadows in your picture but not a lot of vibrant colors, shooting in black and white can make the image look clearer and more professional. 

Whether you’re capturing your entire extended family after a holiday meal or shooting a creative nighttime portrait, we hope these self-timer tips will help you upgrade and improve your iPhone photography skills. 

The post How iPhone camera timer can help you take better photos appeared first on Backlight.

What is Night mode?

Night mode is an automatic feature that uses the larger sensor on the iPhone’s new cameras to capture more light when you take pictures.  And because this requires a larger sensor, Night mode is only available on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

How Night mode works

Using Night mode actually requires quite a bit of power from your iPhone. It combines the larger sensor with machine learning algorithms and the new A13 processor present in the iPhone 11 lineup. 

When you take a picture with Night mode, it captures a series of images over a certain period of time ranging from 1 to 9 seconds, depending on how dark the environment is. The iPhone camera analyzes how much light is required and captures frames at various exposures. Longer exposures let more light in and make the picture bright, while shorter exposures are darker.

Most DSLR cameras have a long exposure feature that captures brighter pictures. The iPhone camera could have simply done just that, but instead, the real magic of the iPhone camera is due to its machine learning. Because it takes a series of frames at different exposures, it can stitch the best parts of each frame together, like an HDR pic, to create a perfectly lit image that still feels like it was taken at night.

Using Night mode on iPhone

One important thing to keep in mind about Night mode is that it’s an automatic setting that’s enabled when the iPhone camera decides it needs help with the lighting. So unlike other camera modes like portrait or pano, you can’t go into Night mode whenever you want. 

Where is Night mode in the Camera settings?

You’ll only see the option for Night mode when it’s enabled in the camera app. It’ll show up as a gray/yellow button with a moon in the top-left corner of your screen.

How to adjust and turn off Night mode 

If the Night mode button is yellow, that means it’s enabled and turned on. But if you take a photo and it’s too bright for your liking, you can adjust the exposure for your pictures or turn it off altogether. This is how you adjust and turn off Night mode:

1. Tap the moon icon.
2. Adjust the slider.
3. Tap the shutter to take your picture.

How to shoot great night photos on iPhone

While Night mode might feel a bit like magic, it’s not entirely point-and-shoot. The following are some tips and techniques you can utilize to ensure that you’re taking the best picture possible.

Tip 1: Hold still

Because Night mode takes a series of photos and stitches them together, you’ll want to hold your iPhone as steady as possible. To help reduce the risk of blurry images, the iPhone camera has an optical stabilization tool and will even discard frames if they’re too blurry to use in a Night mode picture. But for best results, use your iPhone on a tripod or balance it on a flat surface to reduce any movement.

Tip 2: Keep your subject stationary

While it’s important that the camera remains still during a low-light photo, you’ll also want the subject of your photo to be as still as possible. Kids or pets running around outside or a car driving through the frame will make for a very blurry Night mode picture.

Tip 3: Use a bit of light

At first, this might seem counterintuitive to Night mode’s intended use, but a small amount of light can go a long way. The darker your photo, the more your iPhone will have to brighten it, which can make your picture look more grainy. If you have even a little bit of light, then your iPhone won’t have to brighten the photo as much, meaning the picture won’t have as much grain in it.

Tip 4: Experiment with exposure times

The default exposure time in Night mode will usually take the best picture. But, like other camera settings, the default might not get the result you want for your photo. Don’t be afraid to adjust the exposure time if you want your picture to look darker or brighter.

Night mode on iPhone 11 is truly an incredible feature. It’s never been easier to take great pictures without much light. And like most things on your iPhone, the more you use it and become familiar with it, the better the pictures you’ll be able to take. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how Night mode works and can start taking your own amazing night photos.

The post The ultimate guide to Night mode on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

iPhone camera shows a black screen 

Most of the time, the focus on the iPhone’s camera is its hardware capabilities. However, there’s actually a lot of software that goes into making the camera as great as it is. When you open up your Camera app and see a black screen, here are a couple of software-related quick tips you can try to get it working again.

Tip 1: Switch to the front or rear camera

Sometimes, simply switching from the rear camera to the front camera, or vice versa, can fix a black screen. You can change cameras by following these steps:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the flip camera icon at the bottom right.
3. Wait a moment and then tap the icon again to switch it back.

Tip 2: Close the Camera app

If flipping the cameras doesn’t fix your black screen issue, you can try force-quitting the Camera app altogether. Here’s how you can close the Camera app:

1. Swipe up and hold your finger in the middle of the screen until you see all your open apps.

Note: If your iPhone has a Home button, double-tap the Home button instead.

2. Swipe up on the Camera app until it disappears.
3. From your home screen, tap to open the Camera app again.

Tip 3: Turn off the VoiceOver feature

This one is a little surprising, but there’s an issue with the VoiceOver feature on iPhone that causes the camera to have a black screen. Thankfully, you can turn VoiceOver off pretty quickly when you:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility > VoiceOver.
3. Switch VoiceOver off.
4. Go back to the home screen and tap to open the Camera app again.

iPhone Camera app is frozen or laggy

It can be so frustrating when you try to take a picture with your iPhone camera, but everything is laggy and slow to the point where you miss the moment entirely. Or maybe you’ve opened the Camera app only to find that it’s completely frozen, and you can’t do anything.

Well, the next time either of those problems happens to you, here are a couple of tricks you can try to fix it.

Tip 1: Close the Camera app

Like all apps on your iPhone, sometimes the Camera app just freezes and needs to be quit and restarted again. To close the Camera app, you can:

1. Swipe up to the middle of your screen until all of your open apps appear.

Note: If you have a Home button on your iPhone, double-tap the Home button instead.

1. Find your Camera app and swipe up so that it disappears.
2. Tap on your home screen and then open the Camera app.

Tip 2: Restart your iPhone

While it may take a little longer, sometimes restarting your iPhone will help fix issues with your camera. There are a couple of different ways you can turn your iPhone off and on again. 

To restart your iPhone using only the hardware buttons:

1. Press and hold the side button and either of the volume buttons.

Note: If your phone has a Sleep/Wake button on top, press and hold only that button.

2. Slide to power off.
3. When your phone is completely off, hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

If one of your buttons isn’t working, you can turn your iPhone off in Settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General > Shut Down.
3. Slide to power your phone off.
4. To turn your iPhone back on, you will need to press and hold the side button.

Tip 3: Check for an iOS update

From time to time, old or outdated software can cause the Camera app to freeze or be laggy. To fix this, you can check if an iOS update is available and then update your phone. To check if there’s an available iOS update:

1. From your home screen, open the Settings app.
2. Tap General > Software Update.
3. If an update is available, tap Download and Install.
4. Follow the prompts until your iPhone completely restarts.

The flash on iPhone camera is not working

There are instances when you need the flash on your iPhone because it’s simply too dark to take a picture. And in those circumstances, your flash not working will ruin the entire picture. Next time that happens, here are a couple of fixes you can try to resolve it.

Tip 1: Make sure the flash is turned on

We know this may sound a bit obvious, but if your surroundings are bright enough, then the iPhone flash might not go off if it’s set to automatic. To guarantee that your flash will go off, make sure it is turned on. To turn on your flash:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the flash icon in the top left until it turns yellow.

Tip 2: Turn the LED flashlight on/off

If the flash is turned on but still isn’t going off when you take a picture, toggling the LED flashlight feature on your iPhone can sometimes help fix it. To turn the flashlight on/off:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to bring down the Control Center menu.
2. Tap the flashlight icon to turn it on.
3. Wait for a second, then tap it again to turn it off.
4. Go back to the Camera app and take another picture.

Tip 3: Reset all settings

Odd quirks in an app’s settings — including those of the Camera app — can be fixed by resetting all of your iPhone settings. The good news is that doing this doesn’t erase any of your data. Instead, it just resets the way you have some apps set up. To reset your settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General > Reset.
3. Tap Reset All Settings.
4. Follow the prompts until your iPhone restarts.

One of the best features of your iPhone is the camera. And there’s nothing more annoying than iPhone camera not working when you want to take a picture. Hopefully, some of these tips will help you the next time it happens to you, and you’ll be back to taking photos with your iPhone in no time.

The post iPhone camera not working? Here’s why, and how to fix it appeared first on Backlight.

HDR isn’t magic, but the results are near-magical, thanks to an iPhone processing technique that implements HDR in the background. This article will cover HDR and Smart HDR and how to use them on your iPhone.

Understanding HDR and Smart HDR on iPhone

No matter what iPhone you’re currently using, your camera has an HDR feature to help you shoot high-contrast scenes that are exposed properly. There is little guesswork to using HDR, as the post-processing takes place behind the scenes in your iPhone’s processor. 

What does HDR mean?

HDR stands for high dynamic range, which allows your camera to exceed its dynamic range by stitching several photos together that accurately capture the different exposures of a scene. Dynamic range is the difference between the lightest light and the darkest dark that your iPhone can capture in a photograph. When the scene you are trying to capture exceeds the dynamic range of your camera, the result will be washed-out highlights and shadows that are simply black.

What is HDR on an iPhone camera?

On an iPhone, the camera’s processor automatically blends photos together — one to capture the bright highlights, one to capture the dark shadows, and one to capture the mid-tones. All of this happens behind the scenes, resulting in an HDR image that is accurately exposed. 

What is Smart HDR on iPhone?

Newer iPhone models have what’s called Smart HDR, which uses Apple’s A12 Bionic chip to adjust the dynamic range using AI technology. 

With the Smart HDR features, your camera shoots “buffer” frames before and after you tap the shutter. Each frame is captured in a different exposure so that your iPhone can capture every highlight, shadow, and background object in great detail. Once you have taken your photo, Smart HDR takes the best parts of each frame to create a perfectly exposed, high-quality photo.

iPhone models that have HDR and Smart HDR

No matter which iPhone you’re currently using, you’ll be able to take advantage of HDR or Smart HDR. Check your model to find out which one you’re using.

iPhones with HDR

• iPhone 4, 4S 
• iPhone 5, 5S, 5C 
• iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus 
• iPhone SE 
• iPhone 7, 7 Plus 
• iPhone 8, 8 Plus 
• iPhone X 

iPhones with Smart HDR

• iPhone XS 
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (second generation) 

Using HDR on iPhone

If you are using an iPhone model with HDR, you will find the process fairly simple. The default camera setting enables you to keep HDR on or off for every photo unless you change it. Your camera will remember the setting that you choose.

How to turn on and turn off HDR

1. Open your Camera app on your iPhone.
2. Tap HDR at the top of the screen.
3. Choose between Auto, On, or Off.
4. Tap the shutter to take a photo.

Should HDR be on or off?

When you use the HDR feature, your iPhone will take two photos, one using HDR technology, and one without, so you will be able to choose the best photo. I almost always shoot with HDR on, which is what I’d recommend unless you are tight on space. HDR photos do take up more storage than normal photos.

Because an HDR photo is a combination of several photos stitched together, it will sometimes come out blurry. When that happens, simply delete it; you’ll still have a regular backup photo you can keep.

Are HDR photos actually better?

Not always. HDR photos work best when shooting high-contrast scenes with dramatic highlights and shadows. In low-contrast shooting conditions, you may not even notice the difference between an HDR photo and a shot taken without HDR. Having two photos stitched together may also cause blur, so be sure to hold your camera steady when using the HDR feature.

Why does HDR take two photos?

Using the HDR feature will add two photos to your Camera Roll. The first will be a normal photo without the HDR feature enabled. The second will be the HDR photo, which takes up a lot more space than the normal photo. Your iPhone does this so that you can choose the best-quality photo to keep. You can easily turn off this feature so that your iPhone only saves the HDR photo. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down to Camera.
3. Under HDR, toggle off Keep Normal Photo.

Using Smart HDR on iPhone

Smart HDR is far more advanced than HDR, taking nine photos in under a second and stitching the best parts to make one incredible shot. 

How does Smart HDR work on iPhone?

The good news for iPhone users is that Smart HDR is totally automatic, which means you can spend more time framing the perfect shot and less time fiddling with your camera settings. Smart HDR uses the best parts of nine separate photos taken before and after you tap the shutter. 

Should I turn off Smart HDR?

If you are unhappy with the Smart HDR photos that your iPhone takes, you can certainly turn off the Smart HDR feature. When you disable Smart HDR, you will enable regular HDR, which works just like HDR in older iPhone models and must be turned on and off in the Camera app.

Here’s how to disable Smart HDR.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Camera.
3. Scroll down to Smart HDR and toggle it off.
4. Exit the Settings app.

HDR and Smart HDR use the power of the advanced iPhone processor to capture incredible details in your photos. The best part is that both HDR and Smart HDR will improve your photos with virtually no effort on your part. What’s not to love about that?

The post HDR and Smart HDR on iPhone: What’s the difference, and how do you use it? appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you’re snapping pictures for fun or seriously pursuing a career, understanding the ins and outs of iPhone’s latest camera features is key. And one of the most important features for iPhone photographers of all skill sets is Portrait mode. 

What is Portrait mode? 

In 2016, Apple released a new camera feature for iPhone called Portrait mode to help users photograph a specific subject with more clarity and focus. 

Essentially, using this lens keeps the subject of your photo sharp and crisp while the rest of the background is blurred. Within Portrait mode, you can add lighting effects and even use it when taking selfies. 

Portrait mode also zooms in on the subject of your photo, as you can see in the above example. 

What iPhones have Portrait mode?

Unfortunately, not all iPhones are created equal — at least, not when it comes to Portrait mode. Below is a list of the iPhones that have this feature: 

• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 
• iPhone 11 Pro 
• iPhone 11 
• iPhone XR 
• iPhone XS Max 
• iPhone XS 
• iPhone X 
• iPhone 8 Plus 
• iPhone 7 Plus 

It’s also safe to say that any iPhone released in the future will more than likely include Portrait mode. 

When it comes to the least expensive iPhone featuring Portrait mode, the new iPhone SE will be the cheapest option, at a price tag of $399 from Apple.  

iPhones with Portrait mode on the front camera

As mentioned previously, some iPhone models also include an option to use Portrait mode with your front camera (also known as the “selfie camera”). Below is a list of the iPhones that have this feature: 

• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 
• iPhone 11 Pro 
• iPhone 11 
• iPhone XR 
• iPhone XS Max 
• iPhone XS 
• iPhone X 

Again, the cheapest option available for purchase is the 2020 iPhone SE. 

Using iPhone Portrait mode

If you’ve never used your iPhone camera’s Portrait mode before, don’t fret. It’s as simple as snapping a picture. 

How to put your iPhone camera in Portrait mode

Here’s how to use Portrait mode: 

1. Open your Camera either by clicking on the app or swiping right on your locked home screen. 
2. Swipe right on the Camera screen once. 
3. Follow any instructions that pop up on the screen to move closer or further away from your subject. 
4. Press the large white button at the bottom-center of the screen to take a photo. 

If you’re too close to your subject to capture it in Portrait mode, the camera will tell you to move further away so that you’re standing the optimum distance for the right depth-of-field. It will give a similar notification if you’re standing too far away. 

How to adjust the light in Portrait mode

When you switch your Camera into Portrait mode, you also have the option of adjusting some of its features, such as the lighting. 

There are five different kinds of lighting available in Portrait mode: 

• Natural Light, which makes for a soft, less harsh light 
• Studio Light, which evenly spreads light across the subject of the photo
• Contour Light, which contours the face of the subject with shadows 
• Stage Light, which turns the background black 
• Stage Light Mono, which makes the entire photo black and white and turns the background black

You can change the lighting type by swiping through and selecting which option you want to use before taking your photo. You can also adjust the lighting after taking the photo by following these instructions: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Swipe the lighting buttons directly underneath the photo and select which one you want to use. 
5. Press Done. 

Your photo, now in its new light setting, will be saved directly to your Camera Roll. You can change it back to its original setting at any time by following those same instructions. 

How to adjust the depth of field in Portrait mode

While using Portrait mode, you can also adjust the depth of field. At this time, you can only control this setting after you take the photo, and this feature is only available on iPhone XS models or later. 

Here’s how to adjust the depth of field: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Press the button with a lowercase f at the top-left of the screen. 
5. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the blur on your background. 
6. Press Done. 

If you have an iPhone X or any other previous model that doesn’t include the Depth Control slider feature, you can simply download a free third-party app like Focos. 

How to undo Portrait mode

If you took a photo in Portrait mode but didn’t mean to, there is a simple way to undo the setting: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the Portrait photo you wish to undo. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Then press the Portrait button at the top-center of the screen. 
5. Tap Done. 

Shooting on iPhone in Portrait mode

Using iPhone’s Portrait mode is a simple way to get professional, high-quality looking photos. However, if you truly want to take your iPhone photography to the next level, there are a couple of tips and tricks from the pros you should try. 

Use natural light

You’ll find that if you attempt to use Portrait mode in a low-lit setting, it will refuse to work (that’s what Night mode is for). Thus, it’s important to seek out and use only the best lighting: bright, natural light. 

Among the best ways to utilize natural lighting include: 

• Going outside during the daytime 
• Standing near a window during the daytime 
• Taking advantage of the “golden hours” (one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset) 

Tap the screen

Sometimes, simply aiming your camera at your subject isn’t enough. If you want to make sure that the person or item you’re photographing is in focus, you should tap on the subject while your camera is open before you take the photo. Doing this will bring that subject directly into focus. 

Choose quality backgrounds

Even though the background of your image might be blurred in Portrait mode, it’s still important to choose one wisely. 

Pick a background that has some detail (like a brick wall, which adds for a cool effect when blurred) but not one that’s overly complex. You don’t want to use something plain, like a white wall, as that won’t add much interest to the photo. 

Using your iPhone’s Portrait mode is a great way to level-up your photo-taking skills. And since this is easy even for amateur photographers to learn, you can be snapping next-to-professional images in no time. 

The post How to use iPhone Portrait mode for near-professional portraits appeared first on Backlight.

If you’ve ever tried to take a video selfie, you know it’s hard to make it feel as natural as your selfie pics. But now, thanks to Slofies, you can easily add some subtle motion. Read on for everything you need to know about Slofies. 

What are Slofies on iPhone? 

As mentioned earlier, Slofies are simply slow-motion selfie videos. But if you’re looking for “Slofie” on your iPhone, no one could fault you for overlooking it. In fact, in the Camera app, it’s just called “Slow-Mo.” 

iPhones that have the Slofie feature

Slofies were first introduced by Apple with the iPhone 11 lineup. Currently, the only phones that can create Slofies are:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max

How to take a Slo-Mo selfie

Taking a Slo-Mo selfie is just as easy as taking a regular selfie. Just follow these steps to get started:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the Switch Camera icon in the bottom right.
3. Slide to change the mode to Slo-Mo.

How to take better slow-motion selfies 

The biggest temptation with Slofies is for everyone to create the exact same video. You know the video — the one where you shake your hair and watch your gorgeous locks flowing in Slo-Mo. Here are some things you can do to make your Slofies stand out.

Tip 1: Add more motion

The reality is that these are just slow-motion videos using your front-facing camera. And if you’ve shot Slo-Mo videos using your rear camera, you know that the more movement or motion you capture, the better. The same goes for the Slofie. 

Try recording while jumping on a trampoline, or move the camera from side-to-side as you record. If you’re really adventurous, you could try taking a Slofie while snowboarding or riding a bike (obviously, you should exercise extreme caution if you try this).

Tip 2: Get friends (or pets!) involved

We know they’re slow-motion selfies, but who are we kidding? We take group-selfies all the time, so why not include a friend or a pet in the Slo-Mo fun? Have your dog jump in and out of frame when you record, or have a friend do a crazy dance in the background. After all, everything is funnier in slow motion.

Tip 3: Have enough light

Just like regular slow-motion videos, Slofies are filmed at a higher frame-per-second rate, which means they require more light than a regular video. So before you film a Slofie, just make sure you have a ton of light so your video doesn’t come out dark and grainy.

How to edit a Slofie on iPhone 

Because Slofies are treated just like any other video, it means you can edit them directly on your iPhone. And thankfully, you can do a lot of editing using the native iOS Photos app.

How to trim a slow-motion selfie

As with standard slow-motion videos on your iPhone, the beginning and end of a Slofie will be at normal speed. But you can edit those portions out by trimming your slow-motion selfie if you follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap your Slofie, then Edit.
3. Drag the arrows on either side of your video to the point(s) where you want the video to start or stop.
4. Finally, tap Done.

How to adjust the speed of your Slofie

By following these steps, you can also change the speed of your Slofie to make the playback faster or slower.

1. In the Photos app, tap your Slofie.
2. Tap Edit.
3. There’s a speed timeline toward the bottom. Adjust the sliders to speed up or slow down your video.

How to crop and straighten a Slofie

If you recorded your Slofie at a weird angle, don’t worry. You can straighten it by rotating your video:

1. Find your Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Then tap Edit. Then select the Crop icon at the bottom.
3. Adjust the slider to change the angle of the video.
4. Tap Done.

You can also crop your video to remove something out of the frame:

1. Open your Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit. Then select the Crop icon.
3. Drag the corners to adjust the box around your video.
4. Finally, tap Done.

How to apply a filter to a Slo-Mo selfie

Just like your regular videos, you can apply the available preset filters from the Photos app to Slo-Mo selfies. Once you have the video open in your Photos app, here’s how you can apply the filter:

1. Tap Edit. Then select the Filters button at the bottom.
2. Select the filter you want to use.
3. Adjust the slider below to change the intensity of the filter.
4. Tap Done.

How to adjust brightness, contrast, and more

You can also adjust things like brightness and contrast like you can with your other videos. To edit the brightness on your Slofies:

1. Tap on the Slofie in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit. Then select the Adjust button at the bottom.
3. Tab through the various adjustments (highlights, contrast, saturation, etc.).
4. Adjust the slider for each button until you get a look you’re happy with.
5. Tap Done.

At first glance, it’s easy to write off Slofies as a silly and gimmicky new feature. But when done right, they can be really interesting and a lot of fun. Hopefully, you found this article helpful and it inspired you to create your own Slofies. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

The post How to take a fun slow-motion selfie, aka Slofie, on iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

Nowadays, professional photo editing skills are available to anyone with a smartphone and a couple of apps. For those of us who would rather not spend an extra 20 minutes perfecting an Instagram post, there are tons of one-click photo filter options to use, some of which can even be found directly on your iPhone. 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about iPhone Camera filters — no app downloads required. 

Using iPhone Camera filters

In 2017, Apple released one very exciting addition in its iOS 11 update: filters you can use directly on your camera. While there were initially only a few simple built-in filters to use, iPhones have gotten even more advanced in their editing systems. 

Read on to learn more about how to use the filters that are built directly into your iPhone Camera. 

How to apply a filter in your iPhone Camera

As with the most recently updated features, applying an iPhone filter to your photos is very simple, and you can choose to do it before you take the photo or after. In this section, we’ll show you how to do both. 

Here’s how to apply an iPhone filter before you take a photo: 

1. Open your Camera. 
2. Press the three overlapping circles button at the top-right of the screen. 
3. Swipe the square button through the filters until you locate the one you wish to use. 
4. Press the three overlapping circles button at the top-right of the screen again. 
5. Take a photo as you normally would. 

As mentioned before, you can also choose a filter after you’ve taken a photo. Here’s how to do that: 

1. Open your Camera Roll. 
2. Locate the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Tap the Edit button at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Press the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-center of the screen. 
5. Swipe the square button through the filters until you locate the one you wish to use. 
6. Then tap the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-center of the screen again. 
7. Finally, press Done at the bottom-right of the screen. 

If you decide you no longer want to use that filter for your photo, you can always change it back. Here’s how to revert a filter on a photo: 

1. Open your Camera Roll. 
2. Locate the photo you wish to revert. 
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Tap the Revert button at the bottom-right of the screen. 
5. Finally, tap Revert to Original. 

Filters in Photos and what to use them for

Now that you know the simple process of applying an iPhone filter to your photos, it’s time to go over exactly what those filters are — and what to use them for. Currently, the iPhone has 10 filters that you can apply to your photos. 

Here’s what they are and what they do: 

• Vivid increases the photo’s contrast, which can be great for capturing sunsets and other natural landscapes. 
• Vivid Warm increases the photo’s contrast and overlays warm tones, which can be flattering for self-portraits and photos of other people.
• Vivid Cool increases the photo’s contrast and overlays cool tones, which works best for flat-lay photos and capturing darker scenery. 
• Dramatic increases the photo’s shadows and decreases highlights, which adds a layer of intensity to portraits and up-close images of objects. 
• Dramatic Warm increases the photo’s shadows, decreases the highlights, and overlays warm tones, which looks great in photos taken right after sunset or right before sunrise. 
• Dramatic Cool increases the photo’s shadows, decreases the highlights, and overlays cool tones, which can be visually appealing for beach photos and foggy landscapes. 
• Mono makes the photo black and white, which can add sharpness to a slightly out-of-focus image. 
• Silvertone makes the photo black and white and increases the shadows, which is wonderful for city images and dramatic portraits. 
• Noir makes the photo black and white and increases the contrast, which pairs well with cloudy sceneries and photos in low lighting. 

The hidden iPhone photo filters

Outside of the iPhone Camera, there are other places where even more photo filters exist. These hidden pre-edits can only be found in one place on your smartphone: Messages. 

Before you start frantically searching your inbox, note that not all iPhone models have these filters available. So if you have an older model, chances are, you won’t be able to access these. 

How to access iPhone photo effects in Messages

Accessing these secretly placed photo filters is unfortunately not as easy as accessing the ones found on your Camera Roll. Still, it’s not that hard. You just need to know where to look.

Here’s how to find the photo filters in your messages: 

1. Open your Messages app. 
2. Start a new message or open an active message. 
3. Press the camera button at the left-center of the screen. 
4. Press the spirograph-star button at the bottom-left of the screen. 
5. Select the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-left of the screen. There, you’ll find seven new filters that aren’t available with the iPhone Camera filters. 
6. Swipe until you find the filter you like. 
7. Press the shutter button to take a picture with your chosen filter. 
8. Press the blue arrow button to send it in a message or the Done button to add it to your text message and return to the Messages app. 

Whether you choose to send it or not doesn’t matter. Taking the photo means it’s automatically saved to your Camera Roll. As awesome as these hidden photo filters are, there is one drawback: You can’t take multiple photos within the Messages app. So if you don’t like the picture you’ve taken, you have to reopen the messaging camera again and again. 

What filters are there in Messages?

There are seven different secret filters found within the Messages app. Here’s what they are and what they do: 

• Comic Book turns the photo into a comic book-style of art.
• Comic Mono does the same as above but in black and white.
• Ink turns the photo into an ink-style drawing.
• Camcorder turns the photo into an old camcorder style, complete with static lines. 
• Aged Film turns the photo into an older film style, also with some static editing. 
• Watercolor turns the photo into a watercolor painting.
• Watercolor Mono does the same as above but in black and white.

All of these filters can be used for taking photos and videos within the Messages app. However, you can’t go back and edit photos with these new filters. They are only available within the messaging camera itself. 

No matter how great a photo is in its original setting, adding photo filters is a fun way to create some flair and add a little personality to your content. Even though there are cool filters found in third-party apps, we hope you find your iPhone’s built-in filters just as handy. 

The post The full guide to iPhone Camera filters (including the hidden ones) appeared first on Backlight.

The 10 iPhone camera settings and features to master

The camera features available on your iPhone will obviously depend on which model you’re using, but even the older models have a decent camera with cool settings. Here are 10 iPhone camera settings to play around with right now:

1. The ultra-wide camera
2. Night mode
3. iPhone Camera Live
4. iPhone Portrait mode
5. Optical zoom
6. iPhone Camera timer
7. Burst photos
8. The iPhone Camera grid
9. Exposure/focus lock
10. iPhone HDR

The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro camera features 

iPhone’s newest phone models have some features we’ve never seen until now, including the ultra-wide camera lens and Night mode. If you’ve been using the iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, check out these features. If you haven’t upgraded yet, skip to the section on features for earlier models.

1. The ultra-wide camera

The ultra-wide camera on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro enables users to capture a much greater field of view than the standard iPhone camera lens and is equivalent to a focal length of 13mm. This lens is useful for shooting landscapes when you want to capture the scale and magnitude of a scene, as well as urban streetscapes, architecture, and building interiors. 

How to use iPhone’s wide-angle lens

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone 11.
2. Tap 0.5x just above the shutter button on the screen to enable the ultra-wide camera.
3. If you press and hold one of the zoom buttons, you can adjust it even further, between .5x for ultra-wide and 2x for telephoto. 
4. Hold your camera steady as you tap the shutter button. This is especially important when using your ultra-wide camera because it doesn’t have built-in image stabilization like the other two lenses. 

2. Night mode

Night mode on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro is great for shooting in low-light settings where most cameras would produce blurry photos. It will automatically take a series of photos at different exposures for a set amount of time and then pull elements from all of the frames to create one crisp image. 

How to use iPhone’s Night mode

Night mode is an automatic feature that turns on whenever you try to take a photo in less than optimal lighting. It can only be used with the standard wide-angle camera, not the telephoto or ultra-wide lenses.

Tapping the moon icon in the upper corner of your screen within the camera app will allow you to access the Night mode settings, where you can choose to turn the feature off entirely or set the amount of time you want the shutter to remain open for your photo. If you don’t adjust these settings, your iPhone will use its processor to automatically adjust the settings to suit the lighting conditions.

Crucial iPhone camera settings on earlier iPhones

Earlier iPhone models may not have all the latest bells and whistles, but they still have lots of features and settings that you can use to take awesome photos. Here’s an overview of some of the camera settings you’ll want to check out.

3. iPhone Camera Live 

Live Photos is a feature that allows photographers to take a short three-second video that captures movement, sound, and still frames on your iPhone. It’s a standard feature on every iPhone model starting with the 6S, and it is the default camera setting for the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus. Live Photos are great for capturing photos with movement or group photos where you want to ensure that everyone is looking at the camera. 

How to use Live Photos 

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the Live Photos icon at the top of your screen, which looks like a series of concentric circles. The icon will be highlighted in yellow when it is activated.
3. Your Live Photo will be automatically saved to your Photos library. 
4. You can access all of your Live Photos by tapping Albums within your Photos library and scrolling down to Live Photos. 

4. iPhone Portrait mode

Portrait mode can be used to take portraits, selfies, and photos of objects that stand out from the background by gently blurring the background and keeping the subject matter crisp and clear. This is especially useful when you are trying to capture a portrait in front of a distracting or cluttered background. 

Portrait mode was rolled out with the iPhone 7 Plus and is available on the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

How to use iPhone’s Portrait mode

1. Open your Camera app on your iPhone.
2. A selection of shooting features will appear above the shutter button. Scroll through and tap Portrait.
3. Make sure your subject is 2 to 8 feet from your camera before tapping the shutter button.

5. The optical zoom 

If you are shooting with an iPhone 7 Plus or later model, you can make use of the optical zoom feature, which allows you to zoom in on an object without a loss of quality. This is a far better way to zoom than using the digital zoom (which you access by spreading your pinched fingers outward across the screen). 

How to use the optical zoom on iPhone Camera

1. Open your iPhone’s Camera app.
2. You will see 1x above the shutter button.
3. Tap the 1x to toggle to 2x, which will zoom in closer to your subject.
4. If you hold your finger on the 1x, you can adjust the zoom settings, but this will implement your camera’s digital zoom and will result in a lower quality photo.
5. Tap the shutter button to take a photo.

6. iPhone Camera timer 

The iPhone Camera timer was one of the Camera app’s earliest features and is available on all iPhone models. The timer is useful for capturing selfies or group photos where the photographer is to be included. The timer can also be used to reduce shake when taking photos in low-light settings.

How to use iPhone’s photo timer

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone. 
2. If you are trying to take a selfie or group photo, attach your iPhone to a tripod and frame your shot without you in it. Leave room in the frame for where you want to position yourself.
3. Tap the timer icon at the top of the screen. (It looks like a clock with only one hand.)
4. Choose 3 or 10 seconds. If you want to be in the photo, choose 10 seconds to give you plenty of time to pose yourself. If you’re trying to reduce camera shake, 3 seconds is fine.
5. When you are ready, tap the shutter button. The camera will count down and take a photo after 3 or 10 seconds.

7. Burst photos 

Burst photos allow you to capture and save photos of fast-moving subjects so you can choose the best one later on. In Burst mode, your camera captures images at 10 frames per second. When you are finished recording your photos, you can scroll through them to find your favorite shots.

How to use the Burst feature on iPhone

Burst mode for iPhone works differently depending on which model you have. If you are using an iPhone XS, iPhone XR, or earlier model, all you have to do is hold down the shutter button to enable Burst mode. With these phones, Burst mode will not work if you are also using the timer, HDR, or the flash.

If you are shooting with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, simply slide the shutter button to the left when taking a photo to activate Burst mode. 

8. The iPhone Camera grid

Did you know you can set gridlines within your Camera app to help you frame a more pleasing composition? Gridlines divide your screen into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Once you’ve used it for a while, you’ll hardly even notice it’s there. 

How to turn on gridlines on iOS Camera

1. Go to your Settings on your iPhone and tap Camera.
2. Toggle on Grid.
3. Frame your photo using the gridlines to make sure your horizon is straight and the elements in your photo sit along the lines on your screen.

9. Exposure/focus lock

Your iPhone camera comes with a cool feature that allows you to automatically choose and lock your focus and exposure when shooting your photo. If you do not choose your focus and exposure, the iPhone will do it for you, but the results may not always be what you’re expecting. The AE/AF Lock (Auto Exposure/Auto Focus Lock) feature enables you to set your focus and your exposure and then lock in your settings for the current photo. 

How to lock focus and exposure on iPhone Camera

1. Open your Camera on your iPhone and frame your shot.
2. Find the part of your photo that you want your camera to focus on and tap it on your screen. This will set your focus.
3. If you want to change the exposure, you can slide your finger up for lighter and down for darker.
4. To lock your focus and exposure, hold your finger down on the yellow square on your screen. Now, even if your subject moves, it will remain in focus.
5. Tap the shutter button to take a photo. 

10. iPhone HDR 

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and using it allows you to create properly exposed photos in all sorts of tricky lighting conditions. Your iPhone uses HDR to take a series of photos that highlight different areas of the scene you are shooting. HDR will give you more detail in the shadows and bright highlights that aren’t washed out. It’s great for landscape photography, bright sunlight, and street scenes.

How to use HDR on iPhone Camera

The following instructions are for iPhone models earlier than iPhone X models. Newer models have Smart HDR, which is used automatically in scenarios when it would be most effective:

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
2. At the top of the screen, you will see an HDR icon. Tap it and then tap On. 
3. Frame your shot and take your photo by tapping the shutter button. 

Using your iPhone camera settings correctly will drastically improve the quality of your photos. Fortunately, these settings are super easy and intuitive to use, even for novice photographers.

The post 10 iPhone Camera settings that radically improve your photos appeared first on Backlight.

Understanding iPhone Live Photos 

Live Photos on iPhone were introduced in 2015 with the rollout of the iPhone 6S series. This was one of the flagship features of this series and caused quite a bit of excitement when it was first introduced. Live Photos are now considered a staple of every iPhone, and they’re a great way to bring your still photos to life.

What is a Live Photo?

A Live Photo is like a photo/video hybrid, capturing a still image and also a 1.5-second video on either end of the still photo. You can take a Live Photo with any iPhone starting with the iPhone 6S. You can set your iPhone to always take Live Photos, or you can turn the feature on whenever you want. 

What’s the point of Live Photos on iPhone?

Live Photos capture a short video with sound, so they are perfect for capturing movement, wildlife, or active toddlers. They’re also great for capturing group shots because you can scroll through and find a still photo where everyone is actually smiling and looking at the camera. You can use Live Photos to create long-exposure images and GIFs, too!

Do Live Photos have sound?

Yes, sound is captured in your Live Photo for about 1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter button. 

Using the iPhone camera’s Live feature  

Ready to use iPhone Live Photos to capture fantastic moving images? The feature is easy to turn on and off using your iPhone’s native Camera app. Here’s how to use Live Photos on your iPhone. 

How to take a Live Photo

Taking Live Photos is easy. In fact, it’s the default setting for taking photos on your iPhone. You can also turn it on and off as needed. Here’s how:

1. Open your iPhone’s Camera app.
2. You will see a series of concentric circles at the top of your screen. If the circles icon is yellow, it means the Live Photos feature is already turned on. If the circles icon is white, the feature is off. Tap the circles to turn on Live Photos.
3. Once Live Photos is on, all you have to do is snap a photo by tapping the shutter button.

How and when to turn on Live Photos

You toggle Live Photos on and off by tapping the concentric circles icon before taking a photo. Because Live Photos take up a significant amount of space on your phone, it’s probably smart to only use Live Photos when you are hoping to capture movement and/or sound. Toggle the feature on just before taking a Live Photo and off when you are finished. 

How to play a Live Photo on iPhone

Viewing a Live Photo on iPhone or iPad is easy: 

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Navigate to the Live Photo that you want to view.
3. Hold your finger down on the Live Photo, and it will automatically begin to play.

Getting creative with iPhone Live Photos

Now that you know the basics, let’s take it a step further. Here are some creative ways to use your Live Photos. 

How to edit a Live Photo on iPhone

You edit a Live Photo on your iPhone in much the same way that you edit any photo using the Photos app. You can use all the same photo editing tools that you would use for a still photo. Plus, you can extract the Key photo, trim the length of your Live Photo, and mute the sound. Here’s how to access the iPhone Live Photo editing tools: 

1. Open the Photos app and navigate to the Live Photo that you want to edit.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Choose the Live Photos icon from the bottom of the screen. 
4. Scroll through the series of still photos on the bottom to choose your favorite. Tap Make Key Photo on your favorite. This still image will be the one that shows up in your Photo Library. 
5. To make your Live Photo shorter, drag the arrows on either side of the scroll until your Live Photo is the desired length. 
6. To mute the sound, tap on the speaker icon in the upper-left corner. You can toggle the sound on or off using this icon.
7. In addition to these tools, which are specific to Live Photos, you can also access the regular photo editing tools by tapping on the icons at the bottom of the screen.
8. When you are finished editing, tap Done.

How to extract a still from a Live Photo

To extract a still photo from your Live Photo, you don’t even have to go to the editing screen. Here’s an easy way to do it:

1. Open the Photos app and choose the Live Photo that you want to extract a still from.
2. Tap the share icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3. Tap Duplicate.
4. Tap Duplicate as Still Photo.

How to turn a Live Photo into a video

Making a video from your Live Photo is just as easy. Here’s the easiest way to save your Live Photo as a video file:

1. Open the Photos app and choose the Live Photo that you want to turn into a video.
2. Tap the share icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap on Save as Video.

How to take long-exposure photos using Live Photos

To create a long-exposure photo from a Live Photo, you will essentially be stitching multiple photos together to create a special effect. This will work best with a tripod because you want the still portions of your photo to remain still while capturing some sort of movement, such as running water, clouds, or traffic. Once you have framed your shot, you can take a long exposure image using the following method:

1. Before shooting your photo, toggle on the Live Photo feature within the Camera app.
2. Take your photo by tapping the shutter button, being careful not to shake your phone. If you want to ensure a steady shot, use the self-timer by tapping on the timer icon at the top of the screen.
3. Once you’ve taken your photo, open it in the Photos app.
4. Swipe up across your photo, which will open the effects menu.
5. Scroll through and tap Long Exposure and watch your photo transform.

How to create looped or Boomerang-like GIFs with Live Photos

You can use Live Photo effects to also create looped GIFs (similar to the Boomerang feature on Instagram). To make a custom GIF, you use the same effects screen that you used to create a long exposure:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and navigate to the Live Photo you want to edit.
2. Swipe up to reveal the effects screen.
3. Tap Loop, which will create a looped video that will play over and over again.

Ready to start experimenting with Live Photos and the cool effects they create? Keep this guide handy for your next Live Photo shoot. 

The post How to use iPhone Live Photos for creative photos and videos appeared first on Backlight.