The whole truth about the iPhone XR camera and Apple's portrait modes. Focus: how to turn on portrait mode on "old" iPhones What kind of effect gives clarity on an iPhone

iPhone 7 Plus owners have one major advantage in photography - the dual camera lens system. With this upgraded camera, users can enjoy 2x optical zoom, opening up even more possibilities. Other no less interesting feature- portrait mode, which allows you to get the bokeh effect (concentration of attention on a specific object by blurring the background).

Portrait mode is still in beta at the moment, but you can always get new feature before the due time. Of course, this is possible due to third-party software. Moreover, for this you will not need to have an iPhone 7 Plus - any other iPhone model on which you can install a specialized application is enough.

Actually in the App Store great amount applications that use various photo effects and simulate "bokeh". But we will pay attention to only one, which is the best in terms of getting a blurry background - Tadaa SLR.

Tadaa SLR App Review: Bokeh Effect

We note right away that you can download Tadaa SLR from the "apple" market for 299 rubles, but the developer often gives you the opportunity to download your application for free. Using the Tadaa SLR is not a big deal. The whole point boils down to the fact that you need to upload a ready-made photo for which you want to apply the bokeh effect to the “app”. After that, make sure the Mask and Edges options are enabled. The latter can be turned off if you want to define edges in your photos in more detail. But, note that the function works very well, so I use it.

Next, using your finger, you need to start drawing a mask on the photo - what you want to put in the center of attention in the picture. Zoom in on the photo if necessary. This allows much better control of automatic edge detection.

When you're done, click the Next button in the top right corner of the screen. You are taken to a screen where you can play with the blur effect settings.

You can choose a linear or circular blur style, or blur completely. Once you achieve the desired result, click on the Apply button.

After that, you can add filters to the photo, adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and a number of other characteristics. Save the photo to the feed - you're done!

Portrait mode on the iPhone - learning how to shoot correctly.

Portrait mode on iPhone lets you take stunning photos with bokeh (depth of field). Shooting in portrait mode is extremely easy, however, to achieve a truly high-quality result, you need to know some "chips". In this article, we talked about how to properly shoot in Portrait mode on iPhone, and also collected valuable tips from professional photographers.

Portrait mode on iPhone - what is it, what devices does it support?

Portrait mode lets you take photos with bokeh (depth of field) effect. This effect brings the subject into sharp focus while blurring the background beautifully. The mode allows you to shoot photos with simulated studio lighting in almost any conditions.

Portrait mode is only supported by iPhones with dual or triple cameras. On the this moment Portrait mode can be used by owners of the following models:

• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS/XS Max
• iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max

On a single-camera iPhone, shooting with a depth-of-field effect is also possible, but only using third-party apps from the App Store, such as portraitcam , after focus or Fore Photo. Their main disadvantage is that the bokeh effect in them is implemented in software. Because of this, it is not as "live" and deep as the hardware effect created by the iPhone's dual and triple cameras.

How to Shoot in Portrait Mode on iPhone

Step 1. Run the application " Camera» from the iPhone home screen or by swiping left on the lock screen.

Step 2: The Camera app has various shooting modes that can be accessed by swiping left or right anywhere on the interface. Select the mode " Portrait”, it is located to the right of the standard shooting mode.

Step 3. To take a good portrait shot, you need to position the camera up to 2.5 meters away from the subject. At the same time, bringing the iPhone too close to the object is also impossible. Looking ahead to the tips, it's best to shoot your subject as close as possible. Why is explained below.

The Camera app itself will help determine the optimal distance. If the subject is far from the camera, then a warning will appear at the top of the application "The distance from the subject should not exceed 2.5 meters."

If you brought the camera very close, then the notification "Move further" will appear.

It is important to note that the "Camera" allows you to shoot in portrait mode even if you are not at the optimal distance from the subject. In other words, you can ignore pop-up warnings. For example, in cases where it is not possible to step back or go forward to the object. Apple says that if you ignore the optimal distance, portrait mode shots can get bad. However, our experiments show that you can take a decent photo without strictly following the instructions of the Camera application.

Step 4 Make sure there is enough light. If the conditions are bad, then the "Camera" will notify about this with the message "Too dark". Finding another brighter location to shoot or turning on the flash will help solve this problem (we prefer and recommend natural lighting).

Step 5 When all the preparations are done, you can shoot in portrait mode. By default, the mode is set to normal natural light, but you can shoot with studio, contour, stage, or stage (mono) light if desired. Read more about the effects and their differences below.

Portrait mode on the iPhone, like any other, supports a variety of preset filters. To select them, you need to click on the icon with three overlapping circles in the upper right corner of the interface. It is important to clarify that when you select a filter, you will only be able to shoot in portrait mode using natural light (selected by default).

What is the difference between the effects in Portrait mode?

There are five effects available in Portrait mode on iPhone, allowing you to shoot with different types of light. The difference between the effects is significant, each of them is best suited for specific shooting scenarios.

• Natural light - focus on the face of the subject, blurred background. Allows you to create the highest quality close-ups of a person's face with bokeh effect.

• Contour light - semitones with dark and light areas. It is used to emphasize the face in conditions of insufficient or artificial lighting.

• Studio light - the face of the subject is brightly lit, the image is as clear as possible. When shooting with such light, it is recommended to lower the exposure so as not to overexpose the frame.

• Stage light - the face of the object is as if illuminated by a spotlight, a rich black background.

• Stage light-mono - similar to the previous effect, but in black and white.

Portrait mode shots on iPhone are created with special artistic effects that you can and even need to experiment with. However, there are still some rules for taking high-quality photos in portrait mode.

In order to achieve the most High Quality you need to be close enough to the subject - up to 2.5 meters. The background behind the object, on the contrary, should be as far away as possible.

The greater the distance between the subject and the background, the stronger the depth effect will be.

If your subject is standing against a wall, then there will be practically no noticeable effect (stage and stage (mono) light effects are an exception).

Lighting is also important. In artificial lighting conditions, Portrait mode is far from ideal. In natural light, the mode is fully revealed, allowing you to create gorgeous shots, so it is recommended to “catch” a good light.

If you want to capture as many good shots with the effect of depth of field as possible, then be sure to use manual focus. To do this, you just need to touch the subject when shooting. The camera will immediately focus on it.

When shooting in Portrait mode on the iPhone (as with any other camera, by the way), you should try to avoid small objects in the frame that are at the same level as the subject. Such objects can break the effect of depth and completely spoil the photo. Moreover, this is what happens most of the time.

The best depth shots are simple. Look for simple compositions that let the effect really shine.

Note: what kind of professionals are we talking about? When Apple first developed the Portrait mode, it offered it to professional photographers (Jeremy Cowart, Pei Ketron, Benj Heisch, and others) to try it out. The photographers appreciated Apple's design and gave valuable tips on how to create high-quality bokeh shots on iPhone.

1. Place the object with its “back” to the sun. Sunlight will be an excellent "backlight", and with it the background. The main thing is that the background and the object in this case will be clearly defined for the iPhone camera and it will not be difficult for her to separate them by applying the bokeh effect.

2. Bring the camera as close to the subject as possible. Portrait mode lets you shoot with depth-of-field effects up to 2.5 meters away, but it's best to get as close to the subject as possible to bring out the details. Note that in all of Apple's promo portrait mode photos, the subjects (most often people or animals) are directly in front of the camera. Apple photographers do it for a reason. They know that in this case the frames are amazing.

3. Reduce exposure to make the image more cinematic. Reduce the exposure should be very slightly lowering the slider just a couple of millimeters. In order to change the exposure, you need to press on the display in the Camera application, and after focusing, touch the display and slide your finger up (increase) or down (decrease).

4. The subject must not move. For perfect shooting results, make sure that the subject does not move. In the case of photographing people, it is very simple, you just need to ask them, but when shooting animals, you will have to be patient.

5. Ideal light for portrait mode - soft and diffused. Soft diffused light does not produce harsh deep shadows, which will improve the portrait and, again, help the camera more accurately determine the subject.

You have helpful tips on shooting in portrait mode on iPhone? Share them in the comments!

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In iOS 10.1 Apple company introduced a depth-of-field mode on . The effect of depth of field or “bokeh” is an artistic blurring of the background that allows you to emphasize the main subject in the picture. Portrait Mode uses both cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus, treating the background and foreground separately to achieve the effect of depth of field without the need for special lenses.

iPhone 7 Plus saves both original 12-megapixel photos and edited versions by default. Thus, twice as much disk space is required to save snapshots. To save space, users can change the settings to save only one photo option.

1 . Go to "Settings" -> "Photo and Camera" on your iPhone. The device must be running iOS 10.1 or later.

2 . Choose an option "Keep original" located under the option "Portrait Mode", and set the toggle switch to the " Off". Do not confuse this option with the similarly named option under HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode at the end of the menu.

That's all. The iPhone 7 Plus will now only save photos with depth-of-field (“bokeh”) effects.

The Photos app automatically saves all pictures taken in portrait mode in a folder called "Depth Effect". In the upper left corner of all "modified" photos there is a corresponding label.

Apple's improved dual-camera system, which provides the ability to take portrait shots and adjust the level of background blur, first appeared on and .

Two main cameras allow you to take pictures that are focused on the subject, with blurred background. The iPhone 7, 8, and X have only basic blur functionality, while the new iPhone XS/XR provide beautiful bokeh.

Function « Depth»

New smartphones also support the "Depth" function. Here's how Apple describes it:

Improved segmentation of portrait shots allows you to take better portraits with professional bokeh blur. The new "Depth" function allows you to adjust the level of background blur both in real time and in finished shots. Portrait Mode with Depth is also available for the front cameraTrueDepth.

Requirements

To use the new features, you need:

• iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later.
• Standard application Camera.
• Portrait mode in Camera.

Adjusting background blur in real time will only be possible in iOS 12.1.

Preview in real time

In iOS 12.1, you will be able to adjust the depth of the image in real time right in the Camera.

You can choose the level of background blur and only then take a picture. So far, the Camera app has an "f" icon in the top right corner to adjust the aperture level.

Even if you select the amount of blur before you take the picture, you can adjust it later on the finished picture. In addition, you will be able to remove the blur effect altogether.

How working cameraiPhone

With the release of iOS 11 in September 2017, Apple began to read and store image depth data along with portrait shots, which is what makes background blur possible.

The camera sensors on the new iPhones have been improved to take the bokeh effect to the next level with the release of iOS 12 and the new iPhone XS.

Newer iPhone models can capture much more depth detail in images thanks to faster camera sensors and the new A12 Bionic processor, as well as machine learning and neural engine. That is why Apple has managed to achieve such a beautiful bokeh effect in pictures.

As a result, portrait shots look much better than before.

Shot segmentation allows you to interact with portraits in a new way, as the subject is better separated from the background.

The new portrait segmentation APIs will also allow developers to use it in their applications. Some third-party cameras, like the Halide, already have support for the new features.

Thanks to segmentation, the "Depth" function is also possible. With it, you can make the bokeh effect more or less aggressive.

Portraits taken with the new iPhones will be more detailed thanks to computational photography algorithms. The system will better recognize the edges of hairstyles, accessories, etc.

How to use the Depth feature

After you take a portrait photo, go to the Photos app, select it and click on the button Depth bottom of the screen. Now you can adjust the degree of blur, i.e. the intensity of the bokeh effect using the slider.

You can adjust the slider from f/1.4 to f/16. f/1.4 is maximum blur and f/16 is no blur at all.

As you interact with the slider, you will notice how the background of the photo changes. To maximize the blur, move the slider to the left, and vice versa.

Surely many of you are more attracted to the iPhone 7 Plus than the iPhone 7, and rather not because of the screen size, but because of the capabilities of the camera, which also allows you to shoot. Alas, the software effect will not be available to owners of any iPhone other than the iPhone 7 Plus. However, you can still take pictures with the effect of depth, even if you have an iPhone 6s, iPhone 5s or even an Android smartphone.

Portrait mode allows owners to artificially blur the background in portrait photos. The result is a picture that looks like a photo with reflex camera with a portrait lens. Why does Apple require software processing for this? The problem is the aperture and sensor size of the iPhone camera. They will never be the same as in a DSLR camera.

The wider the aperture, the more the background will be blurred in the pictures. On DSLR cameras, you can adjust this setting, but not on a smartphone. The iPhone 7's camera aperture is f/1.8, which is very good, but still not enough. A camera with such an aperture could blur the background much more.

The problem lies in the fact that the iPhone camera keeps everything in focus. The reason is the size of the sensor. The larger the sensor, the stronger the sense of depth. Compact cameras smartphones in this parameter can not compete with professional cameras. That is why Apple has to apply artificial background blur.

But you can still take a natural depth photo even if you don't have the newest iPhone. To do this, you just need to focus the camera on an object that will be very close. In this case, all objects that should be on background, should be far enough away. Thus, you will not be able to shoot portraits, but you have every chance to make a good shot.

Based on 9to5Mac