Did you know you that Apple have hidden an extra menu in your iPhone photo app? It could be your iPhone’s best kept cat photo secret. No, it’s not hard to find and these super quick tips will help you find it (and take batter photos), in no time!
So many people, including me, had not explored it because they didn’t know it was there!
Your Usual iPhone Interface
Let me show you a quick example of an iPhone ith the photo app open.
Your iPhone camera interface will look like this when you open it. You may see Photo, Portrait, Video, Slo-Mo and Panorama functions. These are all great options when you are using your iPhone as your main camera, as well as your ‘phone every day and you can use your thumb or finger to scroll through the options. So far so good. These are all things you might have used before BUT….
What happens when you put your finger on the screen and slide it from left to right….?
Eureka! A hidden menu appears. A menu that will help you improve your smartphone photos without elaborate apps and other camera software, right then and there.
The iPhone Hidden Menu
Holding your ‘phone horizontally and take a moment to look at this new menu. You will see a range of tools to help you adjust your photos.
- A Self Timer
- Exposure Adjustments
- Format adjustments, including square for Instagram
- Live Auto aka ‘Burst’ mode.
- A range of Filters
- Different Flash Settings
- Oh, the cat? He’s wallpaper from the game Stray.
The menu is easy to access and each of these menus has a short series of adjustments you can make very quickly when you point your phone at your cat. Is kitty too dark? Don’t stress, adjust your exposure a bit. Need an Insta snapshot fast? Change your format on the fly. All within the photo app itself.
Where did I find this goldmine of information to share? In the iPhone Photography academy and its amazing iPhone course (affiliate link) that I am taking part in right now! I have only just started and I am hugely impressed with the content so far (and ye I am fussy about the courses I pay for). I love my DSLR but as a lifelong learner this course is so much fun and as a skill builder it is amazing.
Can you find the menu on your iPhone? OK I admit it, Android users get a pass this week!
Marjorie Dawson
Marjorie is a motorbike riding blogger and award winning cat photographer who believes that everyone can create impressive cat photographs and fun movies with the camera they carry.
She is a Professional Member of the Cat Writers Association, Kuykendall Image Award winner and published photographer at the Guardian newspaper.
Love the hidden menu! I manually was doing all those things, so I loved this tip! I just finally upgraded to the 14Pro, and the camera is pretty great, and I’m still learning about some pretty cool features. Thanks for the tip! Pinning to share!
iPhone really does seem to have the best camera as far as smartphones go!
It has a range of options I appreciate, and I love the iPhone course I am doing but Android phones have cool options too.
I still do not have an IPhone and still old fashioned using a camera but great tips for those that do, as always a wonderful post and thanks for sharing
Oh, how fun! I just love finding hidden treasurers and it looks like you unearthed one here! WOW!!! I don’t know why the folks at Apple always seem to want to hide things, but that seems to be their trait. I’m still looking for a hidden winning lottery ticket on my MacBook. I may have set my expectations too high. 😀 Thanks for sharing these iPhone camera tricks. I’m sharing them.
Drat, doesnt work on my iPhone 7. Looks really handy though!
ERin
I didn’t know that. Thanks!
No apple here, but good to know in case I ever get one. 🙂
I have that at the top of my screen. (I just touch the downward V and the adjust.edit menu comes up. I use it to change the size of my image, so Its easier to crop later.) I shall have to give the swipe method a try!
That’s brilliant. It is so useful isn’t it? So fast too.
Yes, the hidden menu has some really great stuff!
I took that iPhone Photography Academy, too. It’s great!
Lots of fun in those Apple hidden menus!