Ayup! Despite what YouTubers relentlessly peddle, there’s no right or wrong way to shoot with your iPhone. I’ve listed the settings I use here, but they won’t apply to every scenario. Based on recent experiments, this is how I’m attempting to enhance image quality.
At the end, I’ll also run through my syncing and editing process. Mainly because I’m really enjoying the flawless workflow. Especially when hopping back onto the Mac. Let’s do this!
iPhone Camera Settings
The following options are all available with any recent Pro model of the iPhone (14 onwards). The 12 and 13 have everything except 48 MP. Lastly, the Fusion Camera (extra 28 mm & 35 mm options via the 1x) is only found in the 16 series onwards.
Formats
- Camera Capture – Most Compatible
- Photo Mode – 24 MP
- ProRAW & Resolution Control – On
- ProRAW Format – JPEG-XL Lossless
Preserve Settings (what’s enabled)
- Camera Mode
- Photographic Style
- Creative Controls
- Exposure Adjustment
- ProRAW & Resolution Control
- Live Photo
Composition
- Grid – On
- Level – On
- Mirror Front Camera – Off
- View Outside the Frame – Off
Everything Else
- Fusion Camera – 24mm Only
- Portraits in Photo Mode – On
- Prioritise Faster Shooting – Off
- Lens Correction – On
- Macro Control – On
- Lens Cleaning Hints – On
- Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera – Off
- Save Captures to Photo Library – On
When Shooting
Now for the most important part. When I’m in the camera app itself, I apply the following:
- ProRAW – 48 MP
- Exposure -0.7
A lot of iPhone photographers bang on about underexposing your shots. I gave it a try, and I’m pretty annoyed I didn’t sooner. I’ve been using this technique on all of my recent photos. I’d go so far as to say some of them are the best work I’ve captured on an iPhone.
I use the 1x lens whenever possible, but will gladly flip to 0.5 or 2x when needed. I try to avoid 4x and 8x unless absolutely necessary. This would only really be an option if the lighting was on my side.
Syncing Files
At the moment, I’m syncing all of my photos to iCloud. That said, I’ve only got the lowest paid allowance of 50 GB. I don’t do subscriptions, but this is well worth 99 of my hard-earned pennies each month. Bargain!
I may change direction further down the line. 50 GB will fill up pretty quickly. Especially with humongous ProRAW files. But for now, at least, the syncing and workflow is effortless.
As soon as I get home, everything starts working its way to the cloud. Open Photomator on the laptop; there are your photos. Which leads nicely into…
Editing iPhone Photos
Lastly, I’m now editing all of my iPhone photos with Photomator. I recently wrote an article on why, but the iCloud/Apple Photos integration is a huge appeal.
I’m also enjoying more of a Lightroom approach. As much as I love Affinity, it’s similar to how you’d edit with Photoshop. Two completely different ways of working. Again, neither is right or wrong. It all comes down to personal preference.
Photomator also handles Apple ProRAW files a lot better than Affinity. Another reason I made the switch. Affinity remains a vital part of the toolkit, but mostly for when I need to further edit an image after Photomator.
The Best, Only, Correct, Secret Settings
Ignore anyone who preaches the correct way, or the only way of doing things. Even more so if it’s labelled as hidden or top secret.
Ultimately, you can fire up a new iPhone and start capturing half-decent shots without twiddling with a single setting. For anyone who wants to dive a little deeper, though, some of the above may help.
Then again, a few months back, I swore that ProRAW had no advantages over JPG. Always learning, always experimenting and always questioning the routine. It’s pretty fun seeing what this tiny little sensor is capable of. Not always easy, but fun nonetheless. On with further testing…