13. Taking Photos and Video with Your iPhone

The iPhone’s cameras and Camera app capture high-quality photos and video. Because you’ll likely have your iPhone with you at all times, it’s handy to capture photos with it whenever and wherever you are. And, you can capture video just as easily.

Whether you’ve taken photos and video on your iPhone or added them from another source, the Photos app enables you to edit, view, organize, and share your photos. (To learn how to use the Photos app with the great photos and video you take, see Chapter 14, “Viewing and Editing Photos and Video with the Photos App.”) You’ll likely find that taking and working with photos and videos are among the most useful things your iPhone can do.

Current generations also have a flash; can zoom; take burst, panoramic, and time-lapse photos; and have other features you expect from a high-quality digital camera. The iPhone 6s and later models can also take Live Photos, which capture a small amount of video along with the photo.

The iPhone 7 and later models have image stabilization, more resolution, and other enhancements to enable them to take even higher quality photos and video with both the back-facing and front-facing cameras.

The iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and X have two back-facing cameras: one is the wide-angle camera that all models have (in different versions depending on the model), and the other camera has a telephoto lens. These two cameras give these models unique photo capabilities, including a Telephoto mode that enables you to capture much better quality photos using both optical zoom and software zoom. They also enable you to take Portrait photos in which the subject is in very sharp focus and the background in a soft blur.

The iPhone’s photo and video capabilities and features are probably the largest area of differences between the various models. Because of the fairly large variation in capabilities of iPhone models that can run iOS 11, it’s impossible to cover all the differences in this chapter; the iPhone 7 and 8 are used for the step-by-step tasks in this chapter. If you have a different model, some of the tasks described might not be applicable to you, or some of the details in this chapter might be different than what you see on your iPhone if it is an older model. However, all models can do most of the tasks in this chapter so even if you don’t have an iPhone 7 or 8, you can still take lots of different kinds of photos and videos using the information in this chapter.

Additionally, the iPhone’s photo and video capabilities have been increasingly tied into iCloud. For example, you can store your entire photo library under your iCloud account; this offers many benefits, including backing up all your photos, making it easy to access your photos from any device, and being able to quickly share your photos with others. Therefore, I’ve assumed you are using iCloud and have configured it to work with photos as described in Chapter 3, “Setting Up and Using an Apple ID, iCloud, and Other Online Accounts.” Like differences in iPhone camera capabilities, if you don’t use iCloud with your photos, some of the information in this chapter doesn’t apply to you and what you see on your phone might look different than what you see in this chapter.

Camera Settings

Section	Setting	Description
Preserve Settings	Camera Mode	When this switch is on (green), the Camera app retains the mode you most recently used, such as VIDEO or PANO. When off (white), the camera is reset to the PHOTO mode each time you move into the Camera app.
Preserve Settings	Filter	When this switch is on (green), the Camera app retains the filter you most recently used, such as DRAMATIC. When off (white), the camera is reset to the ORIGINAL filter each time you move into the Camera app.
Preserve Settings	Live Photo	When this switch is on (green), the Camera app retains the Live Photo setting you used most recently, such as Off. When off (white), Live Photo is turned on automatically each time you move into the Camera app.
N/A	Grid	When this switch is on (green), you see a grid on the screen when you are taking photos with the Camera app. This grid can help you align the subject of your photos in the image you are capturing.
N/A	Scan QR Codes	When this switch is on (green), you can use the Camera app to scan QR codes that provide information about the object to which they are attached or with which they are associated. For example, many zoos and museums put QR codes on their exhibits; you can use your iPhone’s camera to quickly scan these QR codes to get information about what you are looking at. When this switch is off (white), this feature is disabled.
N/A	Record Video	Use the options under this menu to determine how video is recorded. The options available depend on the model of iPhone you have. You can choose from among different combinations of resolution and frame rate. Higher resolution and frame rates mean better-quality video, but also larger files.
N/A	Record Slo-mo	The selections under this menu determine the resolution and frame rate for slow-motion video. Like regular video, the higher the resolution and frame rate, the better quality the resulting video is and the larger the file sizes are.
Formats	CAMERA CAPTURE	Choose High Efficiency if you want your photos to be captured in the HEIF/HEVC format so they use less storage space. Not all devices and apps can use this format, but any that are related to the iPhone (such as iPads and Macs) should be able to. This format results in smaller file sizes so you can store more photos on your iPhone. If you use photos on other types of devices or if you want to make sure your photos are compatible with as many devices and apps as possible, choose Most Compatible instead.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)	Keep Normal Photo	When this switch is on (green), the HDR (read more about this in a later sidebar) and the normal version of photos are stored. When this switch is off (white), only the HDR version of the photo is stored.

The general process for capturing photos or video follows:

1. Choose the type of photo or video you want to capture.
2. Set the options for the type of photo or video you selected.
3. Take the photos or video.
4. View and edit the photos or video you captured using the Photos app.

The information you need to accomplish steps 1 through 3 of this process is provided in tables and tasks throughout this chapter. The details for step 4 are provided in Chapter 14.

The first step in taking photos or video is to choose the type of photo or video that you want to capture. You do this by swiping to the left or right on the selection bar just above the large Shutter icon at the bottom of the Camera app’s screen, as shown in the previous figure. The option shown in yellow at the center of the screen just above the Shutter icon is the current type of photo or video you are capturing. The options available in the Camera app are explained in the following table.

Types of Photo and Video iPhones Can Capture

Type of Photo or Video	Description
TIME-LAPSE	Captures a video with compressed time so that the time displayed in the video occurs much more rapidly than “real time.” This is what is often used to show a process that takes a long time, such as a plant growing, in just a few seconds.
SLO-MO	Takes slow-motion video so that you can slow down something that happens quickly.
VIDEO	Captures video at a real-time speed. The steps to take video are provided in the task “Taking Video,” later in this chapter.
PHOTO	Captures still photos (or Live Photos on iPhone 6s/6s Plus or later models). Step-by-step instructions showing how to use this option are provided in the task “Taking Photos,” later in this chapter.
SQUARE	Takes “square” photos in which the height and width are the same.
PANO	Takes panoramic photos that enable you to capture very wide images. An example of capturing a panoramic photo is provided in the task “Taking Panoramic Photos,” later in this chapter.

When you choose the type of photo or video you want to take, there are quite a few options you can select (the options available to you depend on the specific model of iPhone you are using). When you select options, the icons you see on the screen change to reflect your selection. For example, when you choose a self-timed photo, the Self-timer icon changes to show the time delay you have selected. And, not all options are available at the same time. For example, you can’t set the flash and HDR to go on at the same time because you can’t take HDR images with the flash.

The following table describes the icons and tools available on the Camera app’s screen. (Remember that the specific icons and tools you see depend on the type of photo or video you are capturing and the model of iPhone you are using.)

Photo and Video Options and Icons

Icon	Description
	Flash—When you tap this icon, you see a menu with the flash options, which are Auto (the app uses the flash when required), On (flash is always used), or Off (flash is never used). Tap the option you want to use and the menu closes. When the flash is set to on, the icon is yellow.
	Flash Being Used—When this icon appears on the screen, it indicates the flash will be used when taking a photo or video.
	High Dynamic Range (HDR)—Tap this to set the HDR options. (You learn more about HDR in the “More on Taking Photos and Video” Go Further sidebar later in this chapter.) The options are Auto, On, or Off. When the flash is set to on, this is disabled and you see a line through the HDR icon because you can’t use the flash with HDR images.
	Live Photo on—When this feature is enabled, you take Live Photos (see the “Live Photos” note following this table) and the Live Photos icon is yellow. To turn Live Photos off, tap this icon.
	Live Photo off—When disabled, you take static photos and the Live Photos icon is white. To turn Live Photos on, tap this icon.
	Self-timer—When you tap this icon, a menu appears on which you can choose (3s or 10s) a 3- or 10-second delay for photos. When you choose a delay, the icon is replaced with one showing the delay you set. When you tap the Shutter icon, the timer starts and counts down the interval you selected before capturing the image.
	Filter—When you tap this icon, a filter selection bar appears above the Shutter icon. You can swipe on this bar to see the filters available, with the name of the filter in the center box appearing above it. You can choose from such filters as DRAMATIC WARM and VIVID COOL. Then tap a filter to apply it to the photo or video you are capturing. For example, you can apply the NOIR filter to give the photo a cool Noir-movie look. When you apply a filter, you see the image with the filter applied and you see the name of the filter above its preview on the Filter selection bar. Generally, it’s better to apply filters after you take a photo so that you have an original, unfiltered version of the photo (this is covered in the task “Applying Filters to Photos” in Chapter 14).
	Filter applied—When the Filter icon is in color, you know a filter is currently applied. You also see the filter highlighted on the selection bar. When you capture a photo using the filter, the filter preview is marked with a white dot. Tap the Filter icon to close the filter selection bar. To remove a filter, tap the Filter icon, select the ORIGINAL filter, and tap the Filter icon.
	Change Camera—When you tap this icon, you toggle between the back-facing and front-facing camera (the front-facing camera is typically used for selfies).
	Shutter—This icon changes based on the type of photo or video you are taking. For example, when you are taking a photo, this icon is white as shown. When you take a video, it becomes red. It looks a bit different for other types as well, such as Time-Lapse. Regardless of what the icon looks like, its function is the same. Tap it to start the process, such as to take a photo or start capturing video. If applicable, tap it again to stop the process, such as stopping video capture. To take burst photos, you touch and hold it to capture the burst.
	Timer—When you capture video, the timer shows the elapsed time of the video you are capturing. The red dot on the left side of the time indicates you are currently capturing video.
	Focus/exposure box—When you frame an image, the camera uses a specific part of the image to set the focus, exposure, and other attributes. The yellow box that appears on the screen indicates the focus/exposure area. You can manually set the location of this box by tapping on the part of the image that you want the app to use to set the image’s attributes. The box moves to the area on which you tapped and sets the attributes of the image based on that area.
	Exposure slider—When you tap in an image you are framing, the sun icon appears next to the focus/exposure box. If you tap this icon, you see the exposure slider. Drag the sun up to increase the exposure or down to decrease it. The image changes as you move the slider so you can see its effect immediately.
	AE/AF Lock—When you tap an image to set the location of the focus/exposure box and keep your finger on the screen after a second or so, the focus and exposure become locked based on the area you selected. This icon indicates that the exposure and focus are locked so you can move the camera without changing the focus or exposure that is used when you capture the image. Tap the screen to release the lock and refocus on another area.
	Faces found—When your iPhone detects faces, it puts this box around them and identifies the area as a face. You can use faces to organize photos by applying names to the faces in your photos.
	Zoom slider—You can unpinch on an image to zoom in or pinch on an image to zoom out. When you do, the Zoom slider appears on the screen. This indicates the relative level of zoom you are applying. You can also drag the slider toward the − to zoom out or drag it toward the + to zoom in.

On the Home screen, tap Camera.

To capture a horizontal photo, rotate your iPhone so that it’s horizontal; of course, you can use either orientation to take photos just as you can with any other camera.

Swipe up or down (right or left if the phone is vertical) on the selection bar until PHOTO is in the center and in yellow.

If you want to change the camera you are using, tap the Change Camera icon. When you change the camera, the image briefly freezes, and then the view changes to the other camera. The front-facing camera (the one facing you when you look at the screen) has fewer features than the back-facing camera has. These steps show taking a photo with the back-facing camera.

Set the Flash, HDR, Live, and Self-timer options you want to use for the photo; see the previous table for an explanation of these options.

Frame the image by moving and adjusting the iPhone’s distance and angle to the object you are photographing; if you have the Grid turned on, you can use its lines to help you frame the image the way you want it. When you stop moving the phone, the Camera app indicates the part of the image that is used to set focus, brightness, and exposure with the yellow box. If this is the most important part of the image, you are good to go. If not, you can set this point manually by tapping where you want the focus to be (see step 9).

Zoom in by unpinching on the image. The camera zooms in on the subject and the Zoom slider appears.

Unpinch on the image or drag the slider toward the + to zoom in or pinch on the image or drag the slider toward the − to zoom out to change the level of zoom until it’s what you want to use.

Tap the screen to manually set the area of the image to be used for setting the focus and exposure. The yellow focus box appears where you tapped.

To change the exposure, swipe up on the sun icon to increase the brightness or down to decrease it.

Continue making adjustments in the framing of the image, the zoom, focus point, and brightness until it is the image you want to take.

Tap the Shutter icon on the screen, either Volume button on the side of the iPhone, or press the center button on the EarPods. The Camera app captures the photo, and the shutter closes briefly while the photo is recorded. When the shutter opens again, you’re ready to take the next photo.

Tap the thumbnail to see the photo you most recently captured.

Use the photo-viewing tools to view the photo (see Chapter 14 for the details).

If you don’t want to keep the photo, tap the Trash icon to delete a photo, and then tap Delete Photo.

Edit the photo by tapping Edit and using the resulting editing tools to make changes to the picture (again, see Chapter 14 for the details).

Tap the Back icon. You move back into the Camera app and can take more photos.

Open the Camera app.

Swipe on the selection bar until PANO is selected. On the screen, you see a bar representing the entire image that contains a smaller box representing the current part of the image that will be captured.

Tap the Shutter icon. The app begins capturing the image.

Slowly sweep the iPhone to the right while keeping the white arrow centered on the yellow line on the screen (if you move the phone too fast, you see a message on the screen telling you to slow down). The better you keep the tip of the arrow aligned with the yellow line, the more consistent the centerline of the resulting image will be.

When you’ve moved to the “end” of the image you are capturing or the limit of what you can capture in the photo, tap the Shutter icon. You move back to the starting point and the panoramic photo is created. You can tap the panoramic image’s thumbnail to view, delete, or edit it just as you can with other types of photos.

Open the Camera app.

To capture horizontal video, rotate the iPhone so that it’s horizontal; of course, you can use either orientation to take video just as you can with any other video camera.

Swipe on the selection bar until VIDEO is selected.

Choose the back-facing or front-facing camera, configure the flash, or zoom in, just like setting up a still image. (The Self-timer, Grid, and HDR mode are not available when taking video.)

Tap on the screen where you want to focus.

If needed, adjust the exposure by sliding the “sun” icon up or down just like a still photo (not shown on the figure).

Tap the Shutter icon to start recording. You hear the start/stop recording tone and the app starts capturing video; you see the timer on the screen showing how long you’ve been recording.

Take still images while you take video by tapping the white Shutter icon. (If the Live Photos preference is enabled, the photos you take are Live Photos. If not, you take static images.)

Stop recording by tapping the red Shutter icon again. Also, like still images, you can then tap the video’s thumbnail to preview it as well as any still images you took while taking the video. You can use the Photos app’s video tools to view or edit the clip. (These tasks are also explained in Chapter 14.)

When the iPhone is locked, press the Side button, touch the Touch ID/Home button, or lift your phone up (if you have a model that supports the Raise to Wake feature and it is enabled). The Lock screen appears.

Swipe to the left. The Camera app opens.

Use the Camera app to take the photo or video as described in the previous tasks. You can only view the most recent photos or videos you captured from within the Camera app when your iPhone is locked; you have to unlock the phone to work with the rest of your photos.

Swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen (all models except the iPhone X) or swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen (iPhone X, not shown in the figure) to open the Control Center.

Tap the Camera icon. The Camera app opens.

Use the Camera app to take photos or video as you’ve learned in the previous tasks (not shown in the figures).

Touch and hold on the Camera icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.

Tap the type of photo or video you want to take. The Camera app opens and is set up for the type you selected.

Use the Camera app to capture the photo or video (not shown in the figures).

QR codes also enable you to take action, such as scanning the QR code for a Wi-Fi network and then joining it, scanning the code for an email address and then creating an email, and so on.

The Camera app can scan QR codes. After the code is scanned, you are prompted to take action on it.

The following steps show scanning a QR code for a rental car; scanning other types of QR codes is similar:

Open the Camera app and put it in either Photo or Square mode.

Frame the QR code in the camera.

Tap on the code to focus on it. You see a prompt about the code you scanned.

Tap the prompt to take action on it.

Complete the task you started in step 4 based on the type of code you scanned. For example, when you scan the QR code on a rental car, you might move to a website with information about the vehicle you rented. If the code is for a Wi-Fi network, you join that network. If the code contains an email address, you move into Mail and can complete the email to that address.