(Credit: René Ramos; Apple)
Apple iPhone cameras offer a number of bells and whistles to help improve your shots, but no one wants to tweak their settings every time they open the Camera app. By the time you zoom in, add a filter, turn on the flash, and turn off Live Photos, the moment has passed and you missed your shot. If you don't want to fiddle with your phone when you should be taking the picture of a lifetime, here's how to set default camera settings on the iPhone.
Preserve Settings
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)If you have a preferred camera mode, lighting setting, or want to permanently remove Live Photos, head to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.
- Enable Camera Mode to make the last used mode the new default. This means if you prefer video, it will set to Video by default.
- Enable Creative Controls (called Filters & Lighting on iPhone X and older models) to do the same for any filters, aspect ratio, lighting, or depth settings you last used.
- Enable Depth Control (for iPhone XS, XR, and up), Exposure Adjustment, or Night Mode (unique to iPhone 11 and up) to preserve those settings.
- Don't like Live Photos? Turn off Live Photo to ensure it doesn't return once you turn it off in the Camera app.
Set Your Defaults
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Once your options are set, open the Camera app. Using the buttons at the top of the screen and the icons hidden in additional settings behind the down arrow (on iPhone 11 or higher), you can turn the flash on or off, enable or disable Live Photos, set a timer, add filters, and zoom in or out.
If your phone supports the features, you can also manage Night Mode for low-light conditions, change the aspect ratio, and alter the exposure. If you want to set Portrait as your default mode, you can also set a default lighting and change the depth of field.
This time, when you close the Camera app, your preferred settings will be saved and you will no longer need to switch them back.
Change Video Resolution Settings
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)To change your phone's video settings, open Settings > Camera and choose Record Video or Record Slo-mo to change the default video resolution settings. Set video to record 720p at 30fps, 1080p at 30 or 60fps, or 4K at 24, 30, or 60fps. Slow-mo videos can be set to 1080p at 120fps or 240fps.
From the Camera settings screen, enable Grid to add a grid to the camera viewfinder, which can help improve the composition of your pictures. Other options include HDR, View Outside the Frame, Scene Detection, and Lens Correction, if your phone has those options.