7 Secrets You Need to Know For iPhone Photography Editing!

Want us to let you in on a little secret? All those gorgeous, seemingly candid iPhone pictures you see while you’re browsing Instagram all have one thing in common: they’re all edited. Of course, this isn’t scandalous by any means, but it can add a lot of frustration when you’re working all the same angles, capturing the same golden glow, and ending up with pictures that lack the same magic as you see on social media. The truth is that your iPhone has all the same camera capabilities as that of those influencers. You just need to know how to unlock the iPhone photography editing secrets! 

7 Tips For iPhone Photography Editing For Portraits

We love working with parents to teach them all about how to get the very best pictures so they can have gorgeous memories that last forever. If you want to know some secrets to help you edit your iPhone portraits, we’re here to give you some tricks to use in your iPhone photography editing!

As a quick side note, while there are apps that let you fine-tune all the details and get as technical as you’d like, most of these moves are doable from your iPhone’s built-in editing system. Simply click on the picture you want to adjust, click the edit button, and start playing around to figure out what you like. 

Brighten Your Photos

One of the most helpful iPhone photography editing things you can learn as a photographer is the importance of lighting. Remember, you can always brighten the picture once you’ve taken it. It’s better to err on the side of too dark than too bright and adjust the lighting later. If you’re not sure whether you need to lighten your pictures, look to see if the details look dull and the skin tones look muddy. If the answer is yes, it’s time to boost that exposure! To brighten your portraits, go to the adjust button of your edit page and select exposure (it should be the second button with a + and - sign in the circle). Then, slide it to the left. The higher the number, the brighter the pic. Just try to avoid brightening it too much since the picture can become grainy.

Utilize Live Photos

The live feature can actually be pretty handy when it comes to taking pictures of your children. If you have more than one kid, you know how difficult it can be to get them all to smile at the camera at the same time. With the iPhone live button, you can sift through the frames to find that one magical moment when they’re all looking at the lens at the same time with much less photography editing.  This will take a picture that lasts up to 3 seconds. Your iPhone will automatically choose the key photo from the frame, but you can change it by heading over to edit then selecting the live button. From there, you can choose from frames and find the one you’d like for your key photo. By tapping the yellow live button, your phone will transform it into a singular portrait. 

Add Contrast

If you have tried adjusting the exposure and the details still feel really dull, you might need to adjust the contrast. This is going to darken the shadows and bring out the natural highlights so you’re left with a more compelling image. In order to adjust the contrast, go to the edit options and toggle through until you land on the contrast screen. It should be a circle with one half completely empty and the other completely shaded. The higher the number, the greater the contrast. Just remember to take it slow because a little contrast goes a long way! 

Crop and Adjust Composition

The zoom function can be very helpful at times, but it also tends to give you a grainy picture that honestly looks pretty messy. The better option is to editing the iPhone photography by cropping it. This way, you can get rid of all the background noise without losing the details. To crop, head over to the edit screen and select the square button on the left side. You will be able to adjust the area you want to keep in your picture. Your iPhone also gives you the ability to straighten your picture. To do this, select the box with the arrows on the corners and slide it to either the left or the right to straighten the image.

Adjust Highlights and Shadows

When your image is overexposed, your highlights are one of the first things to go. These are the areas that are normally getting the most light. To recover them, head to the circle button with the lines on one half and the solid white filling in the other. From there, you can scroll to the left to bring out the highlights. You can also bring out the areas with the least amount of light by editing the shadows. This option is the circle with lines going through the right half. By increasing the shadows, you’re amplifying the details by creating more depth. 

‍Keep it Natural

Remember, if you’re not careful while editing your iPhone photography, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up with something that looks like it came out of a vintage iMac photo booth. When you’re editing, try to keep it as natural as possible. A good tip is to remember all the things that made the moment so compelling in the first place. Maybe you were drawn to the vivid colors in the background or the brilliant blues of your toddler’s eyes. Focus on those details while you edit. Your goal is to draw them out as you saw them in real life. If you want to know whether or not you’ve taken things too far, click on your photo while editing, and it will display the original pic. By comparing the two, you’ll stay grounded in reality while knowing what can still be adjusted. 

Adjust White Balance

Whenever you’re editing a picture, you might notice the colors don’t exactly feel true to life. Maybe you go to adjust exposure only to realize that the skin tones no longer look natural. This is when you need to adjust the white balance. To change this, go to the warmth selection (you can find it by looking for the thermometer icon). When you slide it to the right, you will bring out those warm tones. The left will bring out the cool tones. Play around until you get the white balance that looks right. 

With iPhone Photography Editing, Your Photos Will Rise To A Whole New Level.

Trust me, your iPhone is capable of taking some truly spectacular portraits! All you need to take them to the next level is to keep these tips in mind for iPhone Photography Editing. And if you’re looking to take your skills to an even higher level, check out our Momographers courses!

While you're here, don't forget to join our moms group for even more tips and tricks! Also, be sure to check out more blog posts below!

• Top 7 iPhone Photography Accessories Every Mom Should Have!
• 3 Ways To Take Hands-Free Photos On An iPhone
• iPhone Photography School: Take Amazing Selfies With Your Kids!

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