Together with the iPhone 15 (Plus) and iPhone 15 Pro (Max), Apple has updated the portrait mode for the camera. This is more advanced than ever and ensures that it works automatically, so that you can easily activate it.
You can also later shift the focus point in the Photos app or add the depth effect to an existing photo when it shows a person, dog or cat. Furthermore, portrait photos can also be a live photo and you can zoom continuously to get closer to your subject.
Depth recognition in Camera app
For the iPhone 15 (Pro), Apple has simplified taking portrait photos. For the first time, you can take portrait photos without having to switch to Portrait mode first. When a person, dog or cat comes into view or when you tap to focus, iPhone automatically acquires depth data.
The f symbol will appear at the bottom of the camera app. By tapping this you switch on the portrait function and you will see a preview in the camera app. But from now on, a portrait photo will actually always be taken thanks to the automation of this process.
Automatic portrait photos
As described above, the iPhone will automatically retrieve depth data as soon as a person, dog or cat comes into view. The Camera app will also take the depth into account when you tap to focus. This data is stored in the Photos app so that you can edit a photo into a portrait photo afterwards. You can then easily convert your photos into beautiful portraits in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Open the Photos app for iPhone or iPad
- Navigate to a photo with depth information
- Tap the f-portrait button
- Turn the depth effect on or off
On a Mac you can adjust this by editing the photo and enabling the portrait option. You can then adjust the depth effect even further.
Shift focus afterwards
For even more creative freedom, you can later determine the focus point of the photo. Because the iPhone stores all depth data, you can easily change the focus later in the Photos app. To do this, open a portrait photo, edit it and open the portrait editing options (f). Then tap or click on the photo to shift the focus point. For example, to the foreground or background.
Stepless zoom
You can also take portrait photos on the iPhone 14 (Pro) or older, but then you have to rely on the standard zoom settings of 1x, 2x and on some pro models also 3x. The iPhone 15 (Pro) and newer have the option to zoom continuously. This means that you can hold down the zoom button, manually choose a distance and then take the portrait photo.
Portrait photos as live photo
Portraits can now also be Live Photos. This means that the photo comes to life as soon as you press and hold it in the camera app. The depth effect is retained.
Photonic Engine in Low Light
Thanks to the improved Night Mode, you can now take even better photos in the dark, with sharper details and more vibrant colors. This is mainly due to the support for Photonic Engine. This provides a significant quality improvement by applying the computational benefits of Deep Fusion earlier in the image processing process. The result is photos with much more detail, subtle textures, better colors and more information.
In situations with a lot or irregular light, you can capture subjects and the background even more realistically, thanks to the Smart HDR 5. In the Photos app, you’ll see natural skin tones, brighter highlights, richer midtones, and deeper shadows. This advanced HDR rendering also works in third-party apps, so images you share online can look even better. These enhanced features work with the 48MP main camera, ultra-wide-angle camera and TrueDepth front camera.