By Lydia | Last Updated
What you can do in iPhone camera settings? You can turn on Grid and Smart HDR, as well as manage the Preserve Settings and Record Video settings. In this article, we will illustrate best iPhone Camera Settings in detail, briefly explain what each function does, and whether to turn on or off.
To take the high-quality videos, you can adjust the resolution and frame rate for iPhone video recording.
Step 1: Open Settings and hit Camera.
Step 2: Click the Record Video option and you will get the following video format:
720p at 30 fps (frames per second)
1080p at 30 fps or 60 fps
4K at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Step 3: Choose the one that your iPhone supports. After that, when you record the video, this format will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Notes: Higher resolutions (like 4K) result in better quality but also consume more storage. If you're planning to upload videos online or share them on social media, 1080p at 30 fps is often sufficient.
Step 4: In this page, you can also enable HDR Video, adjust Auto FPS, Lock Camera, and Lock White Balance.
Step 5: Back to Camera Settings, in Record Slo-mo section, you can also set the Slo-mo video resolution and frame rate here, with options like 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps.
Step 6: You can also enable Record Stereo Sound option to record a more immersive experience.
There’re two options for you: High Efficiency and Most Compatible. Camera High Efficiency Format is recommended, because it takes up less storage space and preserves more colors.
Consider switching to "Most Compatible" when sharing files with non-Apple devices and encounter compatibility issues.
Steps: Navigate to iPhone Settings > Camera > Formats. Select High Efficiency from the list.
You can preserve the last used Camera Mode, Filter, or Live Photo settings so that it is no need to reset it again when you want to use Camera. It is easy to make it done.
Take Cemera Mode for example, if you switch to Portrait Mode and then you close the Camera app. The next time you turn on the Camera app, it will be in Portrait Mode not in Photo Mode (default mode).
Step 1: Tap Settings app on your iPhone and select Camera > Preserve Settings.
Step 2: Then you can see the options: Camera Mode, Controls Menu, Creative Controls, Depth Control, Exposure Adjustment, Night Mode, and Live Photo. You can enable any of them by tapping the corresponding button.
Tips: However, to avoid fumbling when you reopen the camera, I recommend disabling them to keep the default settings and ensuring that you don't miss any exciting moments.
When it’s enabled, you can easily access Burst mode in iPhone by simply pressing the volume up button in the Camera app. In iPhone Burst mode, it will take about 10 photos per second.
The burst photos in iPhone are stored together, so you can view them all at the same time. Pick the one you prefer, then you can choose whether to Keep Everything or Keep Only 1 Favorite.
Steps: Go to iPhone Settings > Camera, locate Use Volume Up for Burst option, turn it on.
Grid for Camera feature is incredibly useful for improving the composition of your photos, especially when following the rule of thirds. It adds a visual grid overlay on the screen that helps you align your shots for a more balanced image.
iPhone Camera Level helps you ensure that the camera is perfectly level. This is useful when taking photos of landscapes or architectural shots where precision is important.
To enable grid line on iPhone camera and level pictures on iPhone, following these steps:
Steps: Go to Settings > Camera and then toggle both Grid option and Level option on.
Once enabled, the Grid and Level indicator will appear when you open the Camera app, making it easier to line up your shots and better frame the objects, shooting more professional photos.
View Outside Frame is enabled by default, allowing you to see a preview of what’s outside the viewfinder at the top and bottom of the screen. To achieve more accurate shots, it's recommended to turn this OFF.
When iPhone Selfie Camera Mirror is enabled, what you see is what you get. Hoever, when it’s off, the viewfinder shows a mirrored image, but the final photo will show the opposite. In other words, if you’re on the left side of the viewfinder, you’ll appear on the right side in the final image. Recommend turning it ON to avoid confusion.
Steps: Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap on Camera, and then scroll down to find and turn View Outside the Frame off and turn Mirror Front Camera on.
Both of them are enabled by default, just keep this default settings.
Steps: Go to iPhone Settings > Camera, ensure that Apple Lens Correction and Scene Detection is enabled.
This feature is to prioritize the speed of your photos over image quality when you take many photos quickly. However, since millions of computations take place when taking photos, some of them may not occur if this option is enabled. Therefore, I recommend turning it OFF for better quality Photos.
Steps: Go to iPhone Settings > Camera, locate Prioritize Faster Shooting in iPhone Camera Settings, disable it.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) on iPhone allows you to capture photos with better contrast and color balance. It’s particularly useful when shooting in challenging lighting conditions, such as high-contrast scenes with bright and dark areas, helping to prevent areas being too dark or too bright. Recommend keeping it enabled at all times.
On some old iPhones, it’s also called Auto HDR, and there’s a Keep Normal Photo option under it. When Keep Normal Photo is enabled, your iPhone will keep two images (One with HDR and one without) when take an HDR photos on iPhone.
Steps: On iPhone 11 and above version, you can access Settings > Camera and find Smart HDR option and turn it on.
On iPhone 8/8 plus/X, you can head to Settings > Camera > Auto HDR and then set it on or off.
In other models, just tap on the HDR icon in the camera app.
Q1: What’s the difference between HDR and Smart HDR?
Smart HDR is an automatic feature that Apple uses to improve photos in various lighting conditions. If you want better contrast and colors, leave Smart HDR on. If you’re after more control, you can turn it off and manually adjust HDR.
Q2: How do I turn off Live Photos on iPhone?
Steps: Open Camera app, simply tap the Live Photos icon (a series of concentric circles) at the top of the screen to disable it. You can also tap on the menu icon at the top to adjust more Camera Settings, such as Flash on or off, Filters, and so on.
Q3: How to reset iPhone camera settings?
Steps: Open iPhone Settings, then navigate to General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset, tap on Reset All Settings. When prompted, confirm to Reset All Settings.
