The best iPhone camera settings for photos and video

Quick answer: the settings worth changing

Almost all of these live in the Settings app under Camera, not inside the camera itself. Set them once. Menu names are from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27; older versions of iOS may word things a little differently, and some options only exist on some models.

The rest of this guide explains each one, so you can decide for yourself. For photos of rooms and homes, see iPhone camera settings for real estate photos.

Formats: High Efficiency vs Most Compatible

Under Settings > Camera > Formats you choose how photos and videos are saved. High Efficiency saves photos as HEIF and videos as HEVC. Apple says these use less storage while keeping the same visual quality as JPEG and H.264. Most Compatible saves JPEG photos and H.264 video instead.

Keep High Efficiency. Apple notes that when you share by AirDrop, Messages or email and the other device can't handle the newer formats, the photo or video may be converted to a more compatible format automatically. Switch to Most Compatible only if a website or program you rely on keeps rejecting HEIC files.

There's one more reason to stay on High Efficiency: on models with the newer Photographic Styles, Apple says photos must be captured with High Efficiency if you want to change their style later in the Photos app.

Resolution: 12, 24 or 48 MP, and ProRAW

On iPhone 15 and newer models with a 48 MP main camera, photos are saved at 24 MP by default. You can change that default to 12 MP in Settings > Camera > Formats > Photo Mode. To shoot 48 MP, turn on Resolution Control (or ProRAW & Resolution Control on Pro models) in the same Formats menu, then tap the control at the top of the camera screen.

Apple ProRAW is available on iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models. It combines a standard RAW file with the iPhone's processing, so you have more room to change exposure, color and white balance afterwards. Files use the DNG format. ProRAW can't be used with Live Photos, in Portrait mode or for video. If you don't edit photos, it only costs you storage.

Photographic Styles and filters

Photographic Styles change how colors and tones are rendered before you take the photo. Apple says the style you pick applies to every photo until you change it or close the camera, unless you turn on Photographic Style under Preserve Settings, in which case it sticks.

Leave it on Standard unless you deliberately want a look. A warm or cool style quietly changes every photo, including ones where you want true colors, like a product you're selling or the walls of a room. To reset, go to Settings > Camera > Photographic Styles and choose Use Standard. On iPhone 12 models and earlier the equivalent is Filters, and choosing Original turns it off.

Grid, Level and Lens Correction

Turn on Grid and Level in Settings > Camera. Apple describes them as a way to straighten and compose your shot. The grid helps you keep horizons and walls straight, and the level shows when the phone is flat.

Lens Correction is on by default. Apple says it adjusts photos taken with the front camera or the Ultra Wide (0.5×) camera for more natural-looking results. Leave it on. More on the 0.5× camera in our guide to the iPhone 0.5× ultra wide camera and HDR.

Settings you can leave on the default

• Prioritize Faster Shooting: on by default. Apple says it changes how images are processed so you can capture more photos when you tap the shutter quickly. Leave it on unless every shot is a slow, careful one.
• HDR: the iPhone blends several exposures automatically when it helps. Only iPhone 11 models, iPhone SE (2nd generation) and iPhone 12 have a Smart HDR switch, and there's rarely a reason to turn it off.
• View Outside the Frame: on by default on supported models. It shows what a wider lens would capture around the frame.
• Macro Control: on supported models the camera switches to the Ultra Wide by itself when you get within about 2 cm of a subject. Apple's tip if a close-up turns blurry: back up, or tap .5x. You can turn the manual Macro Control off in Settings > Camera.
• Night mode: it turns on by itself in low light. Hold the phone still while it works; Apple suggests a tripod for even more detail. You can tap the Night mode button to turn it off.
• Scene Detection: only on iPhone 12 models. It identifies what you're photographing and applies a tailored look. Turn it off if you want plainer colors.
• Lens Cleaning Hints: on supported models the iPhone tells you when the lens is smudged. Keep it on; a smudge softens every photo.

Preserve Settings: stop the camera resetting

Every time you reopen the camera, several choices go back to their defaults. Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings stops that, one item at a time. The options Apple lists include:

• Camera Mode: reopen in the last mode you used, such as Portrait or Pano.
• Photographic Style: keep your chosen style.
• Exposure Adjustment: keep the exposure you set.
• Night Mode: keep your Night mode choice instead of returning to Auto.
• ProRAW & Resolution Control (or Resolution Control): keep RAW or 48 MP on.
• Live Photo: on by default, so Live Photos stay on or off as you left them.
• Macro Control, Action Mode, Depth Control, Portrait Zoom and, on iPhone 18 Pro models, Lens Aperture.

Turn on the ones you change on purpose. Leave the others off, so a one-time change doesn't follow you into the next photo.

Video settings: 4K or 1080p, 30 or 60 fps

Go to Settings > Camera > Record Video to pick the default resolution and frame rate. Depending on the model, iPhone records HD, 4K and their PAL versions at 24, 25, 30, 60 or 120 fps. You can also tap the resolution and frame rate at the top of the screen in Video mode to change them for one recording. Apple notes that faster frame rates and higher resolutions make larger files.

Apple's HEIF/HEVC article adds that 1080p or lower and 60 fps or lower are more broadly compatible with older devices.

• HDR Video: on supported models video is recorded in Dolby Vision HDR. Apple says devices on iOS 13.4, macOS 10.15.4 or later receive the HDR version and other devices get an SDR version. Turn it off in Settings > Camera > Record Video if your clips look too bright or washed out after editing.
• Auto FPS: in low light the iPhone can drop to 24 fps to improve quality. Turn it off if you need a fixed frame rate.
• Enhanced Stabilization: on by default on supported models; it zooms in slightly for steadier footage.
• Lock Camera: stops the iPhone switching cameras while you record. Off by default.
• Lock White Balance: keeps colors from shifting during a clip.

Action mode and Cinematic mode

Action mode gives stronger stabilization in Video mode for footage shot while walking or running. Apple says it works best in bright light, has a maximum capture resolution of 2.8K, and can be used in dim places by turning on Action Mode Lower Light under Settings > Camera > Record Video.

Cinematic mode blurs the background and foreground behind a sharp subject, and switches focus when a new subject appears. You can change the focus point later in the Photos app. Apple says it records at 1080p at 30 fps by default on supported models; you can switch to 4K at 24 or 30 fps in Settings > Camera > Record Cinematic. Use it for people. For showing a place, where you want everything sharp, regular Video mode is the better choice.

Settings for photographing rooms and homes

Rooms are hard for any camera: bright windows next to dark corners, and walls that lean when the phone tilts. The general settings above all still apply. On top of them:

• Use Grid and Level every time. Vertical walls and door frames are what make a room photo look right.
• Shoot at 1× when the room fits, and switch to 0.5× only in small rooms. The 0.5× camera is a 13 mm equivalent with a 120° view on the models where Apple lists it, and it stretches whatever is near the edges.
• Turn the flash off and turn on the room's lights instead.
• Lock exposure on a wall, not on a window: touch and hold until AE/AF Lock appears.
• Keep the Standard style so walls and floors keep their real color.

The full walkthrough, with 0.5× vs 1× examples and portal file sizes, is in iPhone camera settings for real estate photos, and the technique is in how to take pictures of a room.

If you're photographing a place to rent or sell

The October app handles the room part for you: it picks the lens, keeps the phone level and shows you where to stand in each room. An image model then turns the capture into finished listing photos, which usually come back within a few hours. It costs $49 a place, and the first place is free. See pricing.

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