This hidden setting turned my iPhone 16 Professional into an expert photograph studio

Positive, I would’ve been emotionally connected to my iPhone 12 Pro (regardless that it was hanging on by a thread), however I used to be by no means so completely happy to see the digital camera go. Once I first bought it again in 2020, like all new telephones, I felt like I had the latest, baddest digital camera on the block. I do not know if it was age, being left within the solar too lengthy (a couple of instances) or the conspiracy that Apple deliberately degrades older iPhone fashions, however now in 2025, the digital camera high quality had change into borderline embarrassing.

I am not kidding — my buddies would seize my cellphone to take an image and instantly ask what was mistaken with it. However then different instances, so long as the lighting was completely excellent, it might gaslight me into considering it was one of the best digital camera round once more. I used to be performed questioning whether or not or not a photograph would end up a couple of weeks in the past after I lastly upgraded to an iPhone 16 Pro.

Now that I have been capturing my pictures with the for the final two weeks, here is what I discovered stark (and never so insane) in regards to the leap up 4 generations.

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I traded in my iPhone 12 Professional and walked right into a tech identification disaster.

The starkest distinction

Lighting did not should be on its greatest habits

First, let’s discuss specs. The iPhone 12 Professional has a 12-megapixel digital camera whereas the 16 Professional has a 48-megapixel digital camera — that is actually 4 instances the megapixels 4 generations later. I’ve already seen the distinction after I’m zooming in or cropping my images from my new digital camera, and it brings me nice pleasure as a social media supervisor who’s at all times slicing, cropping, and pasting all whereas my fingers are crossed on the standard aspect of issues.

Now, let’s transfer to aperture, which is how a lot gentle a lens permits right into a digital camera. The 12 Professional has ƒ/1.6 aperture on its principal digital camera whereas the 16 Professional has ƒ/1.78. On the floor, aperture going up is not at all times one of the best factor — it does let in additional gentle. Nonetheless, that was the primary situation I used to be operating into with my dusty 12 Professional — every part was simply approach too darkish. Mix that barely “worse” aperture on the 16 Professional with 4 instances the megapixels and the opposite improved processing powers it possesses? I will take the 16 Professional successful the specs warfare on daily basis of the week.

Hear, I used to be anticipating to be blown away by the iPhone 16 Professional’s digital camera high quality in comparison with the dinosaur I used to be taking photos on the 5 years prior. However after tooling round for a short time, I spotted that even after 4 generations, Apple did such a very good job with the iPhone 12 Professional’s lenses that every one the upgrades that got here after had been really simply fine-tuning tweaks to optimize an already good digital camera. I wasn’t as overwhelmed with image high quality as I assumed I might be.

Granted, my Snapchats had been noticeably increased high quality — I even had a pal ask me what I had performed in another way within the final week. I am not saying I appeared higher. Quite the opposite, you might truly see each single pore on my face (which I did not love, clearly). However what I did discover proper off the bat was that below any lighting, excellent or pitch black, my new iPhone 16 Professional bought a very good shot in it. My iPhone 12 Professional would fully freak out in any form of lighting — and I could not even take into consideration taking a selfie exterior for the sake of sunshine stripes that fully dominated any facial options, not to mention posting any photos I took to my Instagram.

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Spare {hardware}, good sir?

I assume my 12 Professional gave me somewhat photograph PTSD, as a result of I discovered myself hesitating to take photos I knew it could not take even after I already upgraded to the 16 Professional. Nonetheless, I overcame that feature-fear and was delighted to search out that I had image freedom as soon as extra with the brand new cellphone. Lighting positive helps any image, but it surely did not make or break my image high quality within the slightest.

New images options

Howdy Photographic Kinds

Bear in mind how Portrait Mode took the world by storm again in 2016? Nicely, I used to be not impressed. I thought-about myself a Lightroom Cell skilled on the ripe age of 17, and I most well-liked to edit my photos after I took them — not throughout — thanks very a lot. Over time, an increasing number of modes got here out, however I wasn’t one to leap on that bandwagon. It was at all times the worst after I would ask a stranger to take an image on my cellphone out in public solely to undergo my digital camera later and see that they selected to make use of Portrait Mode. They nearly at all times did it to be thoughtful, so I might scream into the theoretical pillow after I bought house so they would not assume I used to be ungrateful.

However a brand new characteristic has lastly had the gall to strike my fancy this time: Photographic Kinds. Granted, it helps to work at a tech web site — Patrick O’Rourke, Pocket-lint’s Editor-in-Chief, put me onto this explicit setting. Principally, it makes use of scene understanding to regulate explicit colours in several elements of your images. Folks typically use it to personalize how they need their pores and skin tones to seem right down to the pixel. I used to be intrigued by how nuanced it might get.

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Get that “Excessive Effectivity” out of my face.

To begin, you must select 4 of your favourite photos — the catch is that they needed to be taken on the brand new cellphone. After you select them, they’re going to act as mediums to check totally different Kinds. You possibly can choose between:

• Commonplace
• Amber
• Gold
• Rose Gold
• Impartial
• Cool Rose

Since I’ve hotter undertones, the latter three made me look completely insane and straight out of a 2014 Tumblr selfie captioned: Listening to Sweater Climate #theneighbourhood. So, I opted for Amber, after which bought to taking part in round with the depth of the tone and shade. Like all Apple options, it was extremely intuitive — so long as you have used any form of primary photograph editor ever in your life.

You possibly can return and edit this setting any time, however from there on out, the images you are taking will mechanically be edited in that type. I prefer it as a result of it is extremely refined — not in your face just like the notorious Portrait Mode. Now, my photos are simply ever-so-slightly hotter in the way in which I might normally edit them anyway.

Digital camera Management

I actually could not care much less about it

Sure, we all know — there is a enjoyable new button on the iPhone 16 fashions that successfully flip your iPhone right into a digital camera. Nonetheless, I fairly actually have not used it since I arrange the cellphone, thought, “Oh yeah, there’s this new factor,” tried it as soon as, and stated out loud, “I’m by no means going to make use of this factor.”

Nonetheless, I do should acknowledge it, because it’s the latest piece of {hardware} on the iPhone because the Motion Button, and I’m neck-deep into the images division right here. In trying to find a very good use for the brand new button (and to throw Apple a bone right here), I tweaked a fast setting to create an precise use for Digital camera Management: clicking it as I decide up my locked iPhone to instantly open the digital camera app with out having to unlock or get up the display within the first place.

The iPhone 16 Professional’s default is to require the display to be on to launch digital camera management. To alter this:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Digital camera Management.
3. Scroll to the underside and toggle off “Require Display screen On.”

And there you may have it — now you may deal with your iPhone just like the point-and-shoot Apple needs you to. Tremendous-computer capabilities tagged on, after all.