How to Adjust Portrait Mode Lighting on the iPhone

By Cullen Thomas Updated 11/10/2020

* This article is from our Tip of the Day newsletter. Sign Up. *

This article will tell you how to adjust the lighting in Portrait mode shots. Portrait mode has been making folks look great since the iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus—taking great portraits has never been so easy as picking a Portrait Lighting mode and letting the iPhone work its magic. With iOS 13, Apple added even more flexibility: you could adjust the intensity of the lighting effect applied in Portrait mode. iOS 14 has made the process even smoother, which we'll look at below. To avoid your photo looking like a bad Photoshop job, just tap the lighting intensity icon at the top of the screen and swipe on the slider left or right to tune the effect up or down. A little goes a long way! Let's get started.

Discover your iPhone's hidden features

Get a daily tip (with screenshots and clear instructions) so you can master your iPhone in just one minute a day.

How to Adjust Portrait Mode Lighting on the iPhone

Note that this feature is only available on the iPhone XR, XS, 11, or 11 Pro, and all of the iPhone 12 models.

Open the Camera app.
Tap Portrait or slide left or right until you select it.

A menu of lighting options will appear. Slide to select your mode. I’ll demonstrate with the Studio Light effect.
Tap the light intensity icon at the top of the screen, which looks like a dot and circle inside a six sided polygon (a regular hexagram if you’re feeling precise).

Once you've selected this, the viewfinder will slide up, and the camera mode selection slider will be replaced by a light intensity slider. Touch it and slide left or right to adjust your lighting effect.
You can also tap the f-stop icon at the top right of the screen—a cursive f and a number—to adjust how blurry the background is, using the same slider.

When you’re done, you can snap your picture with confidence: the Portrait Lighting effect can be tweaked or removed later in the Photos app.

Now you know how to adjust the lighting mode in your iPhone’s Portrait mode!

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics

Author Details

Cullen Thomas

Cullen Thomas is a senior instructor at iPhone Life. For ten years as faculty at Maharishi University, Cullen taught subjects ranging from camera and audio hardware to game design. Cullen applies a passion for gadgetry to answer questions about iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple cloud services; to teach live classes; and to specialize in the privacy and security aspects of the Apple ecosystem. Cullen has dual degrees in Media & Communications and Literature, and a Masters degree from the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts.

Offline, Cullen designs videogames with Thought Spike Games, writes fiction, and studies new nerdery.

Mastodon: @CullenWritesTech@infosec.exchange

Email: cullen@iphonelife.com

Signal: +1-512-814-5526

Featured Products

Hands Down One Of The Best 0% Interest Credit Cards

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances. Our credit card experts identified top credit cards that are perfect for anyone looking to pay down debt and not add to it! Click through to see what all the hype is about.

The Best Calendar & Advanced Task Manager for iOS

Now you can try Informant 5 for free and experience a productivity boost by managing projects with tasks and notes, syncing your calendar among all your devices, enjoying a user-friendly 30-day calendar view, and so much more. Informant 5 features SmartBar navigation which makes it so much easier to use and master this calendar app. Plus, you can use it almost anywhere thanks to Dark Mode. With a dark background, you can check in on your tasks and schedule anywhere, even the movie theater. Upgrade to the best calendar app and task manager for iOS! Embrace an "out with the old, in with the new" spirit with Informant 5.