If you used to buy a phone to make calls, taking pictures is now just as important. Everyone has a professional camera in their pocket with an iPhone. That is, if you know how to use it. Our iPhone camera guide will help you with this.
Table of Contents iPhone Photography Guide
- The Evolution of iPhone Photography
- The default Camera app on your iPhone
- The best alternative camera apps
- Photo editing on your iPhone
- Taking RAW photos with your iPhone (why and how)
- Transfer photos from iPhone to Mac or PC
- Practical photo tips for specific moments
1. The Evolution of iPhone Photography
The iPhone’s camera is one of the most important parts of Apple’s smartphone. Every year, the company makes improvements to make photo taking smarter and improve quality.
For example, the iPhone once started with a single camera lens, but we have now arrived at iPhones with two camera lenses, a selfie camera and even face recognition. Great leaps have also been made with regard to software. Thanks to autofocus and techniques such as Live Photos and Smart HDR, photos you take with newer iPhones automatically look much better than before. You can also take beautiful Portrait photos with it, and you can adjust this effect afterwards on newer iPhones.
In this guide, we’ll help you get the most out of this camera, with practical tips, the best apps for taking photos, and then editing them right away. This way you can get a lot more out of your iPhone camera if you follow some practical tips, which we explain to you in the article below.
Also read: 7 useful tips to take better photos with your iPhone
2. The default Camera app on your iPhone
The most used photography app on the iPhone is undoubtedly that of Apple, because it is installed on every iPhone by default. In the App Store there are dozens of alternative apps (more about that later) with extensive extra options, but for the average photographer the Apple app is good enough.
Almost every year, new features and improvements are made to the Camera app, but the basics remain the same: tap the object or person you want to photograph on your touchscreen and let your iPhone do the rest. All you have to do is print the photo and it will be automatically saved in the Photos app afterwards.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Camera app has all kinds of useful functions, such as Live Photos with which you can take moving photos and options for time-lapse and slow-motion videos. In the guide below, we explain with eight tips how to get the most out of this Camera app.
Further Reading: 8 Tips for Getting the Most Out of the iPhone’s Default Camera App
3. The best alternative camera apps
As mentioned, the standard Camera app of the iPhone is sufficient for many people, but much more is possible. For example, an iPhone is able to shoot RAW photos, but you do need an extra application for this. The same applies, for example, to selfie apps with fun effects. As far as we are concerned, these are our favorite alternative camera apps.
1. Halide
Are you going to take RAW photos? Then Halide should not be missing on your iPhone. This app, developed by a Dutchman, is a more extensive version of the standard Camera app in every way. This way you can not only take RAW photos, but all kinds of extras have been added. This way you can quickly adjust the focus and exposure and have things like the white balance and ISO performed automatically or set them yourself. Halide also supports the Portrait function, so you can take a photo to adjust the effect afterwards. Highly recommended for anyone who takes iPhone photography seriously.
2. Foodie
Taking pictures of food is a profession in itself. Just take a look at any social network of plates full of food that looks delicious in reality, but in a photo is mostly unsavory. Fortunately, there is Foodie, an app with special food filters. Depending on what you buy, you can choose a matching filter, after which the app also helps you to photograph exactly the right angle. This way you can quickly use your iPhone so that you can enjoy yourself again during dinner.
3. FaceSwap
In this iPhone photography guide we will of course talk about ways to portray objects and people as beautifully as possible, but the iPhone is capable of much more. The App Store is packed with fun apps that turn your face into a mask, monster, or countless other things. The best-known example of this is FaceSwap, which allows you to swap the face of two people live. This makes for hilarious images, which you can easily capture and share in the app.
4. Google Photoscan
Printing photos is a great way to keep them safe for a long time, but these snaps will also look less beautiful over time. So don’t just keep them in a photo book, but also scan them with Google Photoscan, an accessible app to digitize your physical photos. The app also automatically fixes the photos so that they look more like the moment they are captured. If you also make a backup of these digital scans (more about this later), you can be sure that your photos are well preserved. Also check out our other photo scanning apps.
4. Photo editing on your iPhone
If you want to professionally edit your photos, you don’t always need a computer. iPhones are powerful enough to edit a photo extensively, as long as you use the right app. This goes a lot further than placing a filter over your snapshot.
1. Darkroom
Do you take RAW photos with your iPhone? Then Darkroom should not be missing. This makes it very accessible to edit the lighting and colors to the smallest detail on the basis of different sliders. Darkroom is free to download, but if you want to unlock all the options you will need to make a one-time in-app purchase. As far as we are concerned, that is worth it, because Darkroom makes photo editing accessible without sacrificing functionality.
2. Prism
A few years ago, Prisma won one prize after another. The app is not intended to modify a photo in a subtle way, but to use dramatic effects that turn an average image into a modern work of art. Prisma is therefore not intended for every moment, but can make a photo a lot more special in one fell swoop.
3. Enlight
Are you looking for an app that allows you to edit photos in a professional manner without the intervention of a computer? Then look no further than Enlight. This app has everything you need to make the most beautiful works of art only with your touchscreen and the photos on your iPhone. You can cut out images, superimpose photos, add filters and effects and much more. An excellent app that you can purchase with confidence if you want to go a little further than just cropping a photo.
Not finished editing your photos yet? In the article below, we’ve listed our favorite Photoshop apps for iOS.
Further reading: Photoshopping on your iPhone: the 6 best (free) apps
5. Taking RAW photos with your iPhone (why and how)
RAW photos are supported by iPhones, but are not yet included in Apple’s Camera app. Instead, you need an alternative app to take advantage of this. RAW photos are therefore not a solution for everyone. When you take a RAW photo, the file is a lot larger and has not been modified by compression. Instead, this type of photo keeps all the data, so you can do a lot more with it while editing.
This gives you more freedom to adjust the lighting, play with colors or adjust the shadows. Note: if you want to take a RAW photo, be prepared to edit it as well, otherwise it is better to shoot a normal photo and let the iPhone do its work. However, put a little effort into it and every RAW photo will look nicer.
Read more: Shooting in RAW format on the iPhone: everything you need to know
6. Transfer photos from iPhone to Mac or PC
You probably immediately share a large part of your iPhone photos in WhatsApp, Twitter or another app. But every so often it’s smart to get the photos off your iPhone and store them elsewhere. This way you can be sure that you will not lose all those vacation photos, for example. Fortunately, transferring iPhone photos safely is not difficult. There are even several options for this.
For example, you can use Google Photos to make an online backup of all your files for free. Or would you rather choose to store this in iCloud, or make a physical copy on an external hard drive or that of your computer? Whatever you choose, make sure you pick one and make a backup. Because otherwise you will never get lost photos back. The tips below will help you with this.
- 4 ways to exchange iPhone photos with your PC or Mac
- These are the capabilities of Google Photos on iOS
7. Practical photo tips for specific moments
Before we close this photo book, we have listed a few more articles that are useful in very specific situations. These will help you out if, for example, you are going to take snow photos, photograph fireworks or want to portray a dinner as beautifully as possible.
- Taking snow photos with your iPhone: 7 practical tips
- With these 5 functions and apps, you can get the most out of the iPhone XR camera
- 5 tips to take perfect fireworks photos with your iPhone
- 5 tips for the perfect Christmas dinner iPhone photo
- 6 Tips for Making the Best iPhone Time Lapse