How to Adjust Exposure in the iPhone Camera App (2023)

There are two ways to adjust exposure in your iPhone Camera app, and both are super easy! Learn how to quickly adjust your exposure and get the perfect shot.

By Cullen Thomas Updated 01/09/2023

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Did you know you can brighten and darken your iPhone camera shots before you even take them? You can do this by setting the exposure, and it's as easy as sliding your finger up or down. Adjusting exposure is a way to make the darks a little darker or the lights a little lighter. We'll show you how to change the exposure on your iPhone camera and create the image you want every time.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Turn the exposure up or down on your iPhone camera with a simple swiping gesture.
Always get the perfect picture and avoid taking photos that are either too dark or too bright.

How to Adjust Exposure in the iPhone Camera App

As of iOS 14, there are two ways you can adjust exposure in your iPhone camera app, either on the image display or in the menu below. Let's learn both. For more iPhone photography tutorials, check out our Tip of the Day. To further up your photography game, check out our article for the best new camera accessories. Now, let's get started.

Open your Camera app.
Frame the shot you want to take.
Tap the point in the photo you want to focus on. A yellow box will appear around that point.
One way to adjust exposure is to slide your finger up and down on the sun icon next to the yellow box. Sliding up will make the photo lighter, sliding down will make it darker. Note: This yellow slider may appear faintly on your screen; you may have to look very closely to see it.
For a more precise adjustment, tap the caret at the top of your screen.
A menu will appear below your Shutter button. Tap the plus and minus icon.
Swipe left and right to adjust exposure. Swiping to the left will make your photo brighter, swiping right will make it darker.
If you want to make sure your exposure and focus stay how you set them and don't auto-adjust with light changes or movement, long press on the yellow box around the focus of your shot. AE/AF LOCK will appear at the top of your screen, letting you know those settings are locked. To undo this, tap anywhere else on the screen.

Now you know how to adjust the exposure on your iPhone. This is such a useful feature when taking photos in dark places or with a bright light source somewhere in the frame, like taking a photo in front of a window, in a dark restaurant, or on a super sunny day! Try it out for yourself! Next, learn how to troubleshoot a common problem and find out why your iPhone camera is shaking and how to fix it.

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Author Details

Cullen Thomas

Cullen Thomas is a senior instructor at iPhone Life, creating tips and guides to help users unlock the full potential of their iOS and iPhone. In addition to writing countless tip-of-the-day articles and many detailed guides, Cullen has spent ten years as an instructor in media and communications at Maharishi University, lecturing on technical and artistic subjects ranging from camera and audio hardware to story-plotting to how to manage a film crew. Cullen answers questions daily about iPhones and iOS as part of the Ask an Editor insider service, and designs curricula for iPhone Life’s online classes. As a frequent contributor to iPhone Life magazine and occasional guest on the iPhone Life podcast, Cullen likes to talk about security and privacy news, tech, gadgets, and apps, even if nobody asked.

Cullen holds a master’s degree in Cinematic Arts from the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts. Cullen also holds two Bachelor’s degrees from Maharishi University, one in literature with an emphasis in writing and the other in Communications and Media. Cullen’s short fiction has been featured in anthologies from Amphibian Press and TANSTAAFL, and Cullen co-owns a game design company, Thoughtspike games, which builds thought-provoking puzzle games. Cullen is a sci-fi author, a coffee connoisseur, and an iPhone expert.

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