With the Portrait mode of the iPhone XR, you can manually control the depth of field effect. This makes it look like the camera is equipped with an extendable lens. This is how you take a beautiful Portrait photo.
iPhone XS Take a portrait photo
With a professional camera you can manually change the depth of field effect by turning the lens. Since the iPhone doesn’t have a lens that extends and retracts, Apple has found a way to do this via software.
It goes like this. If you have taken a photo with the Portrait mode, you can enhance or weaken the depth effect afterwards. Note: This feature only works on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max and not on other iPhones with a dual camera lens.
- Take a photo with the Portrait mode of the Camera app;
- Go to the Photos app and tap ‘Edit’;
- A bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Swipe from left to right to increase or decrease the depth of field effect.
You can apply this function to any photo you’ve taken with Portrait mode. You can recognize this by the Portrait logo in the top left corner of the screen in the Photos app. Also photos you receive from others.
A nice addition
The function is a nice addition to the Camera app, because the Portrait function does not always provide the best effect. Everything is controlled by software, which sometimes means that part of someone’s haircut is accidentally cut off.
By adjusting the photo afterwards, you can improve the portrait effect in order to still be able to use the photo. You can also adjust the effect in advance. This way you know exactly what a photo will look like before you press the shutter button.
Do you have an iPhone with a dual camera lens but no iPhone XS (Max)? Then give Focos a try. This app mimics the above effect without needing the latest model. Focos works on the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and iPad Pro.
Learn more about the iPhone XS
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