Camera

FaceTime, the Apple live video chat app, is a fun way to connect with friends and family when hearing their voice just isn't enough. Now FaceTime is getting even better with a new filter feature in iOS 12. There are lots of filters to choose from, so you'll always find something to fit your mood: a cartoon filter, a few black and white choices, and much more. Let's get started learning how to use FaceTime filters on iPhone or iPad. 

iOS 12 has added tons of helpful and fun new features to your iPhone's software, one of my favorite new ones is the ability to add cool effects and Animojis (and Memojis!) while taking a picture or video in the Messages app.

If you have an iPhone X, iPhone XS, or an iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus with 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom, you can easily select the exact amount of zoom you'd like to use with each shot with the zoom slider. This is a really fun iPhone photography feature to play around with, so let's get started learning how to use the zoom slider to catch all the detail you've been aiming for in your pictures. 

If you're into iPhone photography and filming, there will come a time when you feel the need to start investing in accessories to improve your results. One of the most basic yet helpful extras you can buy is an iPhone tripod. A phone tripod can help you get your best shots by stabilizing your iPhone, thereby eliminating unwanted movement and jiggling while you film or live stream. A tripod is also very handy when the time comes for a selfie or group shot where you'd like to include everyone. Whether you have the newest iPhone or an older version like the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, or iPhone 7 plus, there's a tripod out there that will help you take your filming and photography to the next level. Let's get started learning about three of my recommendations for your upcoming purchase. 

One of my favorite features of the iPhone is the Camera, as well as the Photos app. Before purchasing my first iPhone I didn't take too many photographs at all; it was just too inconvenient to tote around a camera and then upload the photos to my desktop. Now that I've had an iPhone for several years, it's time to learn some photography tips so I can fully utilize my smartphone to take great pictures, or at least good ones! But how to take good pictures on my iPhone when I've never been much of a photographer? Luckily Apple shares lots of photography tips and tricks, and here's one I want to pass on to you; how to take an overhead shot on your iPhone. Let's get started! 

The iPad mini 5; to be released, or not to be released, that is the question. Actually, I've already come to my own conclusion about Apple's iPad mini line; I really feel that with the advent of larger displays on iPhones, plus the less expensive 2018 iPad that was released earlier this year, iPad minis will be discontinued. But there are Apple fans who vehemently disagree with me and feel that there's still a place in the tablet market for a new iPad mini 5. In light of this debate, let's have a thought experiment. If there is to be an addition to the mini line, when will the iPad mini 5 release date occur? What features might we expect to see in a new version of the iPad mini? Finally, how much will the latest iPad mini cost? Let's get started discussing the iPad mini 5; after all, I've been wrong before, and there's every possibility that this will be another of those occasions! 

In a previous tip we went over how to make a slow-motion video with the Slo-mo feature of your iPhone's native camera app; in this tip, we'll learn how to edit your Slo-mo video. After you’ve taken your video, you can edit it to choose at which point you want the slow motion to begin and end. Let's get started learning how to edit slow-motion videos on the iPhone. 

One of my very favorite iPhone features is a simple one, the camera! It's convenient and fun to have a camera in my pocket all the time, and to be able edit my photos right on my iPhone for the best results. Recently I learned that it's possible to use compatible third-party camera and photo-editing apps as an extension, right from my Photos app. And while many of the best photo-editing apps cost money, there are lots of free photo-editor apps with Photos extensions to choose from as well. Let's get started learning how to enable a third-part photo-editor app extension, so you can have as much fun with iPhone photography as I am. 

Great news, everybody; iOS 12 has been announced at WWDC 2018, and it's bringing performance improvements across the board. These benefits will extend not just to the latest iPhone models, but also to every older iPhone that can be updated to the new operating system as well. This means that things are about to get a lot quicker and smoother for the iPhone 5s and later. From animations, to app launch, to Camera, to keyboard display, if you need your iPhone to perform better, the release of iOS 12 is just the boost your device needs. Let's get started talking about the latest iPhone update, and how it's going to make your iPhone faster! 

Sometimes you get the perfect shot on your iPhone, but you'd like to crop the photo so the focus is on the main subject. If you're wondering how to crop a picture on iPhone, there's a quick and easy way to accomplish this without adjusting the crop box manually. 

Portrait Mode is a feature on the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X that gives photos a professional look by blurring the background (known as the bokeh effect). While Portrait Mode on the iPhone is a software version of what DSLR camera lenses can do, it works pretty well most of the time—especially on the iPhone X. But perhaps you took a photo in Portrait Mode that didn’t turn out so well. You can turn off Portrait Mode after taking the photo since it is just a software feature. Here’s how to turn off Portrait Mode after taking a photo on the iPhone.

When looking at the Lock screen on your iPhone X, you’ll see two icons on either side near the bottom: a camera and a flashlight. Having quick access to the Camera app and Flashlight on your iPhone X is a great feature that utilizes some of your extra screen space. But how do you open the Camera app or turn on the flashlight from Lock screen? Your instinct may be to tap each icon, but you’ll need to make it a 3D Touch. Here’s how to access the flashlight and camera from the Lock screen on your iPhone X.

The camera roll on my iPhone is jam packed with pictures of my dogs—there's just something about those fuzzy faces that demands to be adored and photographed so that the pictures can be adored as well. Then of course there's the sharing; #instadog #socute #sorryyouguysicantrestrainmyself. I've been known to take dog photos with Instagram, share them to Facebook, then text and private message them to friends and family that really must see the latest iteration of canine cuteness right away. Therefore it is with great delight that I announce the discovery of my new favorite app, BarkCam, the "Instagram for Dogs." 

Instagram. If it seems to you that everyone and their dog has an Instagram account these days, you're not far off base (yes, people literally have Instagram accounts for their dogs.) The latest Instagram statistics indicate that the social media app has over 500 million monthly and 800 million daily active users, and that number just keeps growing. With new features popping up every few months, Instagrammers won't lose interest any time soon, either. What started as a simple photo sharing app with a selection of filters and editing tools soon added a video feature, then a live video feature, and now includes even more editing options, face filters for still photos and videos, direct messaging, the ability to follow hashtags, and much more. A major frustration for Instagram users, though, has been the inability to download the Instagram app on their iPads. After all, it would be great to edit photos and see friend's videos on a larger screen, be able to switch back and forth between a movie on the iPad and taking an Instagram break to check notifications, and just have another option for using the app. Despite the lack of an official Instagram app for iPad, there are ways to work around this missing offering. Let's get started learning how to get Instagram for iPad! 

Typically when Apple releases a new iPhone, the changes are indisputably upgrades. There’s nothing controversial about adding a better camera and faster processor while keeping the price the same. When Apple decided to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, it was the first time that the changes felt more like a trade-off than an upgrade. When Apple released the iPhone X, I was left with a similar feeling. Apple upgraded the camera, designed an edge-to-edge display, and added Face ID, but removed the Home button and with it the popular Touch ID sensor. To further complicate the equation, Apple raised the price to $1,000. When I watched Apple announce the iPhone X, I was left with more questions than answers. Would I miss the Home button and Touch ID? Would the iPhone’s unusual notch at the top of the display bother me? How reliable would Face ID be? Most importantly, I wondered if the iPhone X was worth the extravagant price tag. After two months of using the iPhone X, I’m ready to weigh in with a definitive hands-on review.

The front camera on iPhone X is capable of a lot of incredible things, including improving your selfie game with front-facing Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting. You're likely familiar with how to take a selfie on iPhone, but Selfie Portrait Mode and Lighting makes taking good selfies super easy. With the Portrait Lighting, you can change the lighting before ever taking a photo. You have various lighting options to choose from, depending on the effect you want and your location. And the background of the photos are blurred for that professional Bokeh look. For iPhone X users, front-facing Portrait Mode and Lighting is essential to learn for taking great selfies. You can use this Portrait Lighting when taking regular photos (not selfies) on iPhone X and iPhone 8, and you can use Portrait Mode on those devices as well as the iPhone 7 Plus. But Selfie Portrait Mode and Lightning is reserved to the iPhone X for now. Here’s how to use Selfie Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting on iPhone X.

Before iOS 11, you needed a third-party app to be able to scan QR codes on iPhone. No longer! You can finally use the stock Camera app on iPhone to scan QR codes, and it’s pretty easy to do so. QR codes usually appear as encoded black and white squares that when scanned present more information on a topic in the form on a web-page, contact information, video, or just about anything. Here’s how to scan a QR code with your Camera app on iPhone with iOS 11.

With Apple's Live Photos, you’re not always exactly aware of what’s being filmed. Since an iPhone Live Photo captures 1.5 seconds before and after a shot is taken, it’s easy to accidentally catch the blur from lowering your phone, or worse, something you don’t want anyone to see. Before iOS 11, you could edit a Live Photo by turning it into a still, or simply delete it. But starting with iOS 11 and continuing with iOS 12, you can trim live pictures just like you would a video. Here’s how to make edits to a Live Photo on your iPhone.

With iOS 11, Apple added new Live Photos features, including the ability to turn your Live Photo into a long-exposure photo, mimicking the effect of a long-duration shutter speed in a traditional camera. Long exposure is most often used for pictures where the photographer wants to see motion blurs or light trails, or to better capture low-light scenes. Surely you’ve seen those beautiful photos with stars forming circles in the sky or a river with water that looks like smoke—those are photos that used long exposure photography. With previous iOS versions, iPhone users needed a long-exposure app to capture the long-exposure effect, but not any more! I’m no photographer; but fortunately, iOS 11 allows me to make any Live Photo look almost as good as a real long-exposure picture. Here’s how to use the Live Photo Long-Exposure Effect on the iPhone.