Your smartphone is always with you, a constant companion that can connect to the web to look up any tiny nugget of trivia, and generally keep you in constant contact with the outside world. It’s one of the key items you grab before leaving the house, and the last time you (probably) turned it off was at the movie theatre or when you finished you online slot machine.
This also makes your phone your take-everywhere, shoot-anything digital camera. Just a few short years ago, making images and video with smartphones was a compromise, with poorer image quality but a heck of a lot more convenience than a good point-and-shoot camera.
Check out these tips to get the best images you can get from your phone. But remember, even with the latest tech, phones aren’t as versatile imaging tools as modern interchangeable lens cameras. An iPhone 14 is better than a basic point-and-shoot but not as versatile as a full-frame camera.
Start With a Good Camera Phone
Smartphone camera quality has enjoyed a big leap forward over the past couple of years. If you’re using an older handset, chances are the camera isn’t up to snuff. If camera quality is a priority when shopping for a new one, make sure you peruse our list of the top camera phones we’ve tested just like the games at https://www.acepokies.com/online-casino/. But remember that you really can’t go wrong with the latest Apple iPhone, Google Pixel, OnePlus, or Samsung Galaxy devices
Look for the Light
Smartphones have very bright lenses and include special modes for making images in very dim light—the Night modes in the latest iPhone and Pixels do a much better job than point-and-shoot cameras.
Even so, it’s a good idea to find some light to illuminate a snapshot. Whether it be some sunlight from a window for an indoor portrait or a neon sign for a nighttime photo in a city, it’s always smart to find some environmental illumination—smartphone flashes leave a lot to be desired in comparison.
Adjust Exposure
Smartphones are the modern point-and-shoot, but the apps that run their cameras typically offer some level of manual control. The most basic adjustment you can make is exposure—brightening or darkening a scene—and using it effectively can turn a bland image into a head-turner. Use it to brighten the shot of your fancy dinner to make it perfect for Instagram, or to darken shadows in a portrait for a more dramatic look.
The feature isn’t always labelled the same. On an iPhone, you’ll want to drag the sun icon, to the right of the focus confirmation box, up to brighten an image or down to darken it. Android phones typically have the more traditional +/- icon for exposure adjustment.
Turn On Your Grid
Pro SLRs usually have framing grids in the viewfinder window to help you better square up shots and conform to compositional guidelines like the rule of thirds. You can turn on the same thing in your phone’s camera app. Adding a grid line gives you help in keeping the horizon straight and is a big plus for portraits in front of famous landmarks. With the notable exception of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it’s generally a good idea to keep upright structures perfectly vertical in your photos.
Learn Your Camera’s Features
The imaging capabilities of modern smartphone cameras are staggering. We’ve seen advances in computational photography that allow you to make SLR-level photos with your phone.
Learn what your phone does, and when to use the different features. You’ll want to turn on HDR for most phones for day-to-day photography. Use Night mode for images shot in dim interiors or outdoors after the sun has set. Portrait mode is an option on many phones; it blurs the background behind your subject and is sometimes called the Bokeh Effect. Those are the basics—some phones may have more specialized modes available.
If you want to move beyond basic photography, you can turn on manual controls in your phone’s camera app. Android phones offer a Pro mode inside the main camera app that lets you adjust shutter speed, and ISO, swap between different lenses, and turn on Raw capture (if supported). The iPhone camera is more limited, but you can always grab a third-party app to open up more options. Popular options include ProCamera+ and Halide Mark II(Opens in a new window).
