Capturing the perfect photo with your iPhone or iPad can sometimes be a challenge, whether it’s framing the subject or keeping the scene level. Thankfully, the Camera app on your device offers a range of tools to assist you in composing and aligning your shots.
Please note that one of these camera tools requires iOS 17/iPadOS 17.
How to Enhance the Composition of Your iPhone Camera Shots:
- Update Your Device: First, ensure that your device is up to date. One of the tools discussed here is available with iOS 17/iPadOS 17. If you haven’t already, go to Settings, select General, and tap Software Updates to download and install the latest update.
- Activate the Grid for Framing: An essential aspect of capturing a great shot is knowing where to place your subject. Instead of centering the subject, placing it off-center often results in a more dynamic photo. To achieve this, use an on-screen grid. To enable it, navigate to Settings, select Camera, and under Composition, toggle on the Grid switch.
- Align Your Shot Using the Grid: Open the camera app in either portrait or landscape mode and set up the shot you want. You’ll notice gridlines on the screen to assist you in aligning the shot. Utilize these lines to frame the subject or position the scene creatively. Capture the shot when it’s perfectly aligned.
- Utilize the Level for Angled Shots: Achieving the right angle is another key to capturing an impressive shot. Sometimes you’ll want a perfectly level scene, while other times a slight angle adds interest. To assist you in this, iOS 17/iPadOS 17 introduced the level tool. Head to Settings, select Camera, and switch on the Level option.
- Capture a Shot Using the Level Tool: Launch the Camera app and arrange your shot in either portrait or landscape mode. Tilt your iPhone or iPad to achieve the desired angle. Look at the center of the screen, where you’ll see a white horizontal line flanked by two small lines. When your device is perfectly level, the central line will align with the two surrounding lines and turn yellow. You can use this as a guide to determine how to level or angle your shot. When you’re ready, take the picture.
- Activate the Option to View Outside the Frame: Sometimes, the most intriguing part of a scene lies just beyond the frame’s boundaries. However, you might be so focused on what’s within the camera view that you overlook anything outside it. An option called View Outside the Frame allows you to see what’s happening outside the photo frame. Enable this by going to Settings, selecting Camera, and toggling on the View Outside the Frame switch.
- Explore What’s Outside the Frame: Open the Camera app and orient your device in portrait or landscape mode. After a moment, you’ll see two areas outside the frame, either at the top and bottom in portrait mode or on the sides in landscape mode. You can now adjust your device up, down, left, or right to capture a part of the scene that was previously outside the frame. When the shot is perfectly composed, take the picture.
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Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Indiana Sphere journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
