Use the camera settings on iPhone

Learn how to use the focus, exposure, and other Camera settings on your iPhone.

Zoom in or out

On all models, open Camera and pinch the screen to zoom in or out.
On supported models, the Dual 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras capture full-resolution video and stills at 1x and 2x zoom. To quickly switch between them, toggle or . To zoom beyond 2x, touch and hold the zoom control, then slide left or right.

Adjust the camera’s focus and exposure

Before you take a photo, the iPhone camera automatically sets the focus and exposure, and face detection balances the exposure across many faces. To manually adjust the focus and exposure follow these steps:

Tap the screen to show the automatic focus area and exposure setting.
Tap where you want to move the focus area.
Next to the focus area, drag up or down to adjust the exposure.
- To lock your manual focus and exposure settings for multiple shots, touch and hold the focus area until it pulses.
- Tap the screen to unlock—the camera’s automatic settings and face detection turns back on.

Align your shots

To display a grid on the camera screen that can help you straighten your shots, go to Settings > Camera, then turn on Grid.

Preserve camera settings

You can preserve the last camera mode, filter, lighting, depth, and Live Photo settings you used so they’re not reset when you next open Camera.

Go to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.
Turn on any of the following:
- Camera Mode: Preserve the last camera mode you used, such as Square or Pano.
- Filter & Lighting: Preserve the last filter you used, such as Vivid or Mono and lighting option, such as Studio Light or Stage Light (on supported models).
  On models with Depth Control, turn on Creative Controls to preserve the last filter, lighting, and depth setting you used.
- Live Photo: Preserve the last Live Photo settings (on supported models).

Adjust shutter-sound volume

Adjust the volume of the shutter sound using Ringer and Alerts settings.

Go to Settings > Sounds (Sounds & Haptics on models with system haptics). Or, mute the sound using the Ring/Silent switch. (In some regions, muting is disabled.)

Read a QR code

The camera automatically detects and highlights a QR code when it’s in the picture frame.

Open Camera, then point the screen at the QR code until the frame around the QR code is highlighted.
Tap the notification that appears on the screen to go to the relevant website or app.

Helpful?

iPhone User Guide