When you launch your Camera app, it will begin to automatically focus on the center of the scene. But sometimes you want to focus on something else, how do you get the camera to focus there? It's easy — just tap where you want the camera to focus, and you'll see a yellow box appear. The box is an indicator of your focus area, so keep tapping until you see fit.
How to get the most sharp and focused photos: iPhone Photography Tips and Tricks
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MASTERING IPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY
How to get the most sharp and focused photos:
iPhone Photography Tips and Tricks
Never take a blurry picture on your iPhone with these tips and tricks.
CHRISTINE CHAN 6 Dec 2019 2
Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
We all know that phrase by now, don't we? That motto, "the best camera is the one
that's with you?" And for most of us, that camera is our iPhone, whether it's the
latest and greatest iPhone 11 Pro or something earlier. No matter what generation
you're using, it's a pretty great camera, and the one we probably use the most.
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2. For the most part, the iPhone's default Camera app does a pretty good job of
automatically focusing the picture we want to capture without any additional
input from us, the user. But sometimes, it just isn't enough. So how do you make
sure that your photos are always coming out sharp, crisp, and focused? Here are a
few tips and tricks that every budding iPhone photographer needs to know.
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Tap your focus point
Tap your focus point
Set AE/AF Lock with a tap
Don't change your distance after focusing
Don't get too close without a macro lens
Use a third-party app for precise, manual focusing
Use Portrait Mode for sharp focus on the subject
No Portrait mode? No problem, just get closer to your subject
Sometimes you need a whole scene in sharp focus
Have a steady hand when taking photos in low light conditions
3. Source: iMore
When you launch your Camera app, it will begin to automatically focus on the
center of the scene. But sometimes you want to focus on something else, how do
you get the camera to focus there? It's easy — just tap where you want the
camera to focus, and you'll see a yellow box appear. The box is an indicator of your
focus area, so keep tapping until you see fit.
4. As an added bonus, you can swipe up or down on the screen after setting the
focus point to adjust the exposure. Swiping up brightens the scene, and swiping
down darkens it.
Tap the shutter button once you're done adjusting focus and exposure to take
your photo.
Set AE/AF Lock with a tap
Source: iMore
Sometimes tapping to set the focus isn't enough. This is especially true when you
are dealing with a scene with a lot of movement, such as people walking around in
the background. When this happens, you'll want to set the Auto Exposure/Auto
Focus (AE/AF) Lock.
This is done similarly to setting a focus point, but you tap and hold for a few
seconds. With AE/AF Lock, your focus point and exposure levels remain even after
you take your photo. This is great if you want to take a few pictures with the same
AE and AF settings, such as for street photography.
When you want to reset it, just tap anywhere on the screen.
Don't change your distance after focusing
5. Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
One thing that a lot of people don't
realize is that when you set the focus, it is
set for that particular distance between
your camera and the subject. If you set
the focus point and then move away or
closer to the subject, your image may
appear out of focus because the distance
changed.
If you do need to adjust the distance
between your camera and the subject,
just make sure that you set the focus
point again once you find the sweet spot.
You can also use the zoom feature to
adjust the distance.
Don't get too close without a macro lens
6. Source: iMore
When you want sharp, focused photos, avoid getting too close to the subject. The
closer you are to the subject, the less likely you are to get it in focus. Even if you
try tapping to set the focus point, it just won't work if you are too close.
Just back it up some, even if it means you capture a bit of distracting background.
You can always crop the edges away on a photo to give it that "close-up" feel.
7. But if you're looking to do macro photography, which are extreme close up shots,
then you will want to look into getting a macro lens. With a macro lens, it is
possible to focus at incredibly close distances between the camera and subject.
With a macro lens, you'll be able to shoot things like insects, flowers, and any other
objects that you want to get super up close and personal with.
Macro photography is great for when you want to capture detail that is not visible
to the naked eye. And if you do end up using a macro lens, remember that you'll
need to be very accurate when it comes to selecting a focus area. This is due to
the fact that extreme close-ups result in a very shallow depth of field, so only a
small portion of the photo will be in focus — everything else is blurred.
Distance is also highly important, since even the smallest change can result in an
out-of-focus shot. It's recommended to use a tripod mount for macros, since the
camera will be completely steady.
Use a third-party app for precise, manual focusing
8. Source: iMore
While the default Camera app is great for launching quickly to capture the
moment, it doesn't give you the most precise controls compared to third-party
apps. For example, you won't be able to manually focus with the default Camera
app aside from the tap-to-focus mechanic.
Some apps, like Halide or Camera+, allow you to turn off auto focus and do
manual focus instead. This gives you an on-screen slider, which allows you to
adjust the focus point gradually. It is more subtle, but if you watch the scene while
9. you move the focus slider, different parts come into focus. Just stop adjusting the
focus when the scene is just how you like it, and snap your photo. To turn manual
focus off, just tap on the app's Autofocus button.
Use Portrait Mode for sharp focus on the subject
Source: iMore
If you have an iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max,
iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, then you have access to
10. Source: iMore
Apple's Portrait mode. This lets you easily take portrait photos where the subject
is in focus and the background is blurred with a bokeh effect.
When using Portrait mode, your subject should automatically be in focus since it
has a 2x zoomed-in effect when active. This also requires that you be about eight
feet away from the subject, give or take. The background gets blurred by depth of
field, thus creating a dreamy bokeh effect that you usually get on DSLRs.
With Portrait mode, it can automatically
detect a face, but you can also tap to set
a focus point. The yellow box tells you
where it will be in focus.
When you're ready, tap the shutter button
to capture the photo. For those with
newer devices (iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, 11,
11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max), you can also
adjust the depth of field in the editing
phase.
But it's important to remember that the
iOS Portrait mode is still software based,
so you may end up with some weird
blurred edges on your subject. Apple is
always working to improve the Portrait
mode capabilities, but since it's software,
it's not always perfect, especially when
shooting inanimate objects. However,
with some patience and tweaking, you
can get pretty good Portrait mode photos for the most part.
No Portrait mode? No problem, just get closer to your subject
While Portrait mode is great, it does have some flaws like I mentioned (it's
software based), and it's not available on every iPhone. If you want to get a sharp
and focused photo with a blurry background, it's still possible without Portrait
mode. All you need to do is get closer to your subject.
The closer you are to the subject, the blurrier your background becomes. But you
don't want to get too close either, because then you won't be able to focus, as
mentioned above. The distance between your subject and the background also
11. Source: iMore
affects the blurriness level of the
background, so take that into
consideration as well.
For this to work, you can get within a few
inches of your subject if necessary and
still get a focused subject with blurry
background. Just make sure to tap to set
your focus point. To get the blurriest
background, just get your subject up as
close as possible, and have the
background as far away as possible.
Sometimes you need a whole scene in sharp focus
12. Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
There are going to be times when you need the entire scene to be in focus. This is
especially true for landscape or scenery photos, which you may want to
photograph as you are on vacation or in new destinations.
It's pretty simple to make add a large depth of field to your photos — just make
sure that there's nothing close to your camera lens. If there's nothing for it to focus
on up close, then the large depth of field is possible, so the entire scene is focusd
and sharp.
You can set a point of focus if you wish, where that select part will be sharper than
the rest of the photo. While the difference could be negligible, if you leave a part
unfocused, it may appear as a bad photo to others, so just tap to focus anyways
— even when you want a large depth of field.
Have a steady hand when taking photos in low light conditions
13. Source: iMore
A very common problem with taking photos in low light conditions is that they
come our blurry. When you take photos in such conditions, the camera requires
more light for the photo, which uses a slower shutter speed. This means that any
movement during this time results in motion blur, equating to a bad photo.
To eliminate this issue, you will need to get rid of any camera movement. The best
way to do this is to use a tripod, which keeps the camera perfectly steady. If you
don't have a tripod and don't have a surface that can help keep your phone steady
(wall, rock, etc.), then try finding something that you can lean on if you need to
hand-hold your iPhone. Another useful tip is to avoid holding your arms out in
front of you — instead, bring your elbows in to your chest. This helps reduce hand
movement.
You'll also want to make sure that you can get as much light as possible. When
there's more light, the camera has a faster shutter speed, reducing blur. If you have
14. an iPhone 11 series device, then the Night Mode should help you out a lot with
getting nice images in low-light conditions.
How to get great Night mode photos on your iPhone 11: iPhone Photography
Tips & Tricks
When it comes to photography, having the correct focus is everything, but while it
may look simple on the surface, there's a lot more to it. With these tips and tricks,
you'll be on your way to taking the best photos you possibly can with your iPhone!
Have any more tips on getting perfectly focused photos? Drop your tricks in the
comments below.
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Christine Chan
Lover of coffee, Disney, food, video games, writing, and photography. I've been writing about
Apple and video games for almost a decade. If I'm not writing, you can probably find me over at
Disneyland. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram as @christyxcore.
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