Camera offers several photo and video modes, which let you shoot stills, square-format photos, panoramas, time-lapse, videos, and slow-motion videos (iPhone 5s and later).


Choose a mode. Drag the screen left or right, or tap the camera mode labels.


Turn the flash on or off. Tap camera flash button. The True Tone flash on the back of iPhone also provides extra light when you need it—even as a flashlight, just a swipe away in Control Center. 


Take a photo. Choose Photo, then tap the Shutter button or press either volume button.

  • Take Burst shots: (iPhone 5s and later) Touch and hold the Shutter button to take rapid-fire photos in bursts (available while in Square or Photo mode). The shutter sound is different, and the counter shows how many shots you’ve taken, until you lift your finger. To see the suggested shots and select the photos you want to keep, tap the thumbnail, then tap Select. The gray dot(s) under the thumbnails mark the suggested photos. To copy a photo from the burst as a separate photo in Photos, tap the circle in the lower-right corner of the photo. To delete the burst of photos, tap it, then tap the delete button.

  • Apply a filter: Tap the filters button to apply different color effects, such as Mono or Chrome. To turn off a filter, tap the filters button, then tap None. You can also apply a filter later, when you edit the photo. 


A rectangle may briefly appear to indicate where the automatic exposure is set. When you photograph people, face detection balances the exposure across up to 10 faces. A rectangle appears for each face detected.

Exposure is automatic, but you can set the exposure manually for the next shot by tapping an object or area on the screen. With an iSight camera, tapping the screen sets the focus and the exposure, and face detection is temporarily turned off. To lock the exposure and focus, touch and hold until the rectangle pulses. The screen indicates when exposure and focus are locked. Take as many photos as you want. When you tap the screen again, exposure and focus unlock, and the automatic settings and face detection turn back on.


Start shooting from the Home screen. On iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, press the Camera icon, then choose a quick action. 


Take a Live Photo. (iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE) With Live Photos turned on, tap the Shutter button. You record what happens just before and after you take your photo, along with the audio. The screen indicates the duration of the Live Photo exposure.


Live Photos is on by default. To turn it on or off, tap the Live Photos button. (Yellow is on.)


Adjust the exposure. Tap to see the adjust exposure button next to the exposure rectangle, then slide up or down to adjust the exposure.


Take a selfie with Retina Flash. (iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE) Use the Retina HD display as a True Tone flash for your selfies. Turn the flash on, switch to the FaceTime camera, then tap the Shutter button (the display flashes upon exposure).


Take a panorama photo. (iSight camera) Choose Pano, tap the Shutter button, then pan slowly in the direction of the arrow. To stop the pan, tap the button again. To pan in the other direction, first tap the arrow. To pan vertically, rotate iPhone to landscape orientation. You can reverse the direction of a vertical pan, too.



Camera in Panorama mode. An arrow, left of center, points right to show the direction of the pan



Capture an experience with time-lapse. (iSight camera) Choose Time-Lapse, set up iPhone where you want, then tap the Record button to start capturing a sunset, a flower opening, or other experiences over a period of time. Tap the Record button again to stop recording. The time-lapse photos are compiled into a short video that you can watch and share.


Note: With iOS 9, time-lapse videos have video stabilization, which minimizes the effect of camera movement during capture.


Zoom in or out. (iSight camera) Pinch the image on the screen.

If Location Services is turned on, photos and videos are tagged with location data that can be used by apps and photo-sharing websites.


Use the capture timer to put yourself in the shot. Avoid “camera shake” or add yourself to a picture by using the capture timer. To include yourself, first stabilize iPhone, then frame your shot. Tap the timer button, tap 3s (seconds) or 10s, then tap the Shutter button.


Want to capture what’s displayed on your screen? Simultaneously press and release the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons. The screenshot is added to the Photos tab in Photos and can also be viewed in the Camera Roll album or All Photos album (if you’re using iCloud Photo Library).


Make it better. You can edit photos and trim videos, right on iPhone. 


Ask Siri. Say something like:

  • “Open Camera”

  • “Take a picture”