The 4 BEST iPhone 13 Pro Camera Tricks you don’t know yet!

The iPhone 13 Pro features some of the best specs in any iPhone to date. Its camera unarguably received the biggest upgrade and boasts cool new features like Cinematic Mode and Macro Mode. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best iPhone 13 Pro camera tips and tricks that will boost your photography and videography game.

BEST iPhone 13 Pro Camera Tips and Tricks

1. Use Cinematic Mode When Shooting Video

Cinematic Mode utilizes Dolby Vision HDR and a technique called “rack focus” to seamlessly shift the focus from one subject to another when you’re shooting video. It does this by locking the focus on the subject in a scene and blurring the background to achieve depth of field. If you subsequently move the camera to center on a new subject or a new subject enters the scene, Cinematic mode automatically switches the focal point to this new subject and blurs out the background.

For example, if you’re shooting video of someone and then a second person enters the scene, your iPhone will intelligently adjust the surrounding blur to focus-lock on the second person. It will even automatically switch back to the initial subject if the person’s face looks away from the camera, effectively generating a sophisticated professional filmmaking effect on the fly. Here’s how to use Cinematic Mode on iPhone 13 Pro.

1. Launch the Camera app on your ‌iPhone‌ and swipe the camera mode menu so that ”Cinematic” is highlighted.
2. Line up the viewfinder so that your initial subject is in shot and the focal target of the lens, then tap the Shutter button to begin recording video.
3. Allow another person or object at a different distance away from the camera lens to enter the shot – your ‌iPhone‌ will automatically refocus when it locks onto the new subject. Tap the Shutter button again when you’re done capturing video.

That’s all there is to it. You can also manually select the subjects that you want to be in focus, retroactively, after you’ve shot your video. Here’s how.

How to Adjust Cinematic Mode Focus Post-Shoot

1. Launch the Photos app on your ‌iPhone‌ and select some video shot in Cinematic mode.
2. Tap Edit in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Slide your finger along the clip reel at the bottom of the screen to find the part of the clip that you want to edit.
4. Tap a different area of the shot to switch the focal point to a new subject. Note that the icon in the top-left corner of the screen is now highlighted to indicate Manual Tracking is on.
5. The dotted yellow line below the clip reel indicates the amount of time in the clip that the currently selected subject is tracked. If you tap the circled dot in the line, a trash icon will appear – tap this and the tracking for this subject will be removed.
6. Tap Done once you’re happy with your changes.

2. Use Macro Mode feature

With Macro mode enabled, you can take pictures or video of subjects that are as close as 2cm to your iPhone’s camera lens, which means you can now take shots of flowers, textures, insects, or pretty much anything small or at close distance, with accurate focus, rich detail, and no blurring.

Here’s how to use the Macro mode feature on ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌.

1. Launch the Camera app on your ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌.
2. Make sure Photo mode is highlighted in the camera mode menu. If you’re shooting video, swipe to Video mode instead.
3. Line up your close-up subject in the viewfinder and allow the camera to switch to the wide-angle lens. Move in closer – the subject can be as close as 2cm away from the lens (you can use the zoom if necessary).
4. Hold the phone steady. Once the lens has focused on the subject, tap the shutter to take the shot or begin capturing video. If you’re shooting video, tap the shutter button again to finish.

3. Use Photographic Styles

This feature allows you to personalize and edit your photographs without too much hassle. Photographic Styles allow you to choose a preset filter or tone according to your liking. Options like Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool exist to choose from. You can also adjust the Tone and Warmth settings to see what intensity looks

best. After you’re done, put a name to your Photographic Style and put it to use. You can set up multiple Photographic Styles and test out which works best with what scenario. It’s like creating your own set of filters that you can use instead of the ones already present.

You have to set your photographic style before taking a photo, though, as you can’t apply the exact style after taking it.

Here’s how to use Photographic Styles on iPhone 13 Pro‌.

1. Launch the Camera app on your ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌.
2. If you’ve not used Photographic Styles before, or you previously chose the Standard mode, swipe the horizontal menu below the viewfinder so that Photo mode is selected, then swipe up from the bottom of the viewfinder and tap the Photographic Styles icon (it looks like three cards lined up in a row).
3. Swipe through the four presets (in addition to the Standard option) and you can preview each one applied to the scene currently in the viewfinder.
4. Use the optional Tone and Warmth sliders below the viewfinder to adjust the look to your preferences.
5. When you’re ready, hit the Shutter button.

Now that your style is active, you’ll see the Photographic Style icon appear in the top-right corner of the Camera interface. Tap it to change the style at any time.
By default, the Photographic Style you select will remain active the next time you launch the Camera app until you select another one or return to the Standard style. You can also change which Photographic Style is active using the Settings app.

In Settings, tap Camera, then under ”Photo Capture” select Photographic Styles.

4. Shoot ProRes videos

You can record ProRes videos in your iPhone 13 Pro by selecting it in Settings.

Apple introduced ProRes in 2007, but this is the first time you will see it on an iPhone. The inner workings of the ProRes video format are a little challenging to wrap your head around. However, in the simplest of terms, ProRes will allow you to shoot high-resolution videos in a compressed format that allows flexible editing in Photos, iMovie, and professional software.

It is primarily beneficial for filmmakers, video creators, and videographers using industry-level software to edit their videos. While this format already existed for editors and videographers, ProRes’s addition to the iPhone 13 will make editing and recording high-quality videos a lot easier and more accessible to regular users.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Formats.
4. Under ”Video Capture,” toggle the switch next to Apple ProRes to the green ON position.

With ProRes enabled, the next time you choose the Video mode in the Camera app, you’ll see the ProRes indicator in the top-left corner above the viewfinder. If it’s crossed out, tap it to enable the feature. The “Max Time” at the top of the viewfinder also tells you the maximum duration that you can record in ProRes, based on your ‌iPhone‌’s storage capacity.

Your favorite iPhone 13 Pro Camera Tips and Tricks?

What are some other important iPhone 13 Pro camera tips that one must know about? Drop a comment and let us know!
See also: The Best iPhone 13 Pro Tips and Tricks