How to Take Brighter Photos on IPhone
The iPhone takes very natural photos. It doesn’t do much color correction, it doesn’t saturate colors, and it doesn’t increase the default contrast just to make the image vivid. I say the default iPhone camera is a little simple. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone’s camera is good – great even – capturing what’s in front of you. But the resulting photos may seem a little underwhelming when compared to the same photo taken with a Samsung phone or Pixel; these devices tend to produce photos with vivid and contrasting colors by default. This has less to do with their cameras than with the way their phones handle images, but a less natural but more visually appealing look is one that some definitely prefer to iPhone’s more “natural” photos.
Apple seems to have figured this out, because on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, you can actually customize how the camera takes photos – and no, we’re not talking about filters. These changes are actually encoded in the iPhone’s image processing and thus baked into the images themselves (which means, unlike applying a filter, you cannot discard these changes later). Here’s how to use Apple’s new Photographic Styles feature to take more Pixel-style or Samsung-style photos.
Use the photographic styles of iPhone 13 to take photos similar to those taken on the Pixel or Samsung.
Photo styles are built into the Camera app on all iPhone 13 models. In the Camera app, press the arrow button at the top to open the toolbar above the shutter button. Tap the Photo Styles icon (triple squares). You can also find this icon in the upper right corner of the camera app.
You can now scroll through five different modes – Standard , Strong Contrast , Vivid , Warm and Cool . The screenshot below gives you an idea of the difference between the two:
Standard does not include effects. “Rich contrast” makes your photos very close to those taken on the Pixel. If you want Samsung-style photos, choose the Vivid mode. Rich Contrast lowers the tone and Vibrant increases it. You can change the Tint and Warmth settings. Tap any of the options and swipe left or right to customize it.
Once you are happy with the look (it will update in preview so you know what you are getting before you take a photo) exit this menu. The setting will be saved and all future photos will be shot in that style.
If you want to go back or choose a different style, you have to repeat the process again: open the Camera app, click the Photo Styles button (three squares), and then switch back to Standard mode or choose a different one.