The iPhone 16 series features a physical camera control button that you can press to take a photo or video, tap to view various settings, or slide to adjust exposure and other elements. You can adjust it. However, the controls can be difficult to navigate, especially if you’re used to swiping and tapping on-screen settings to take photos.
Also: My new favorite iPhone accessory makes professional videography so much easier
I’ve been experimenting with the camera control for the past few weeks and use it to take photos and videos on the go. There’s definitely a learning curve. You need to know how to access each setting and enable it with the correct press or tap. You also need to understand how exposure, depth of field, style, and tone adjustments affect your photos, and when to use which of these elements.
I’m still trying to get used to the controls to decide if I prefer them over the standard on-screen camera settings. If you’re also struggling with the controls, here are 12 tips to make it easier.
How to use camera controls on iPhone 16
By default, pressing the camera control once opens the camera app. It’s a quick and easy way to take photos. However, sometimes you may accidentally press the control when you don’t want to use the camera. In that case you can change the action to double click.
Go to Settings, select Camera, then tap Camera Control.[カメラの起動]In the section[ダブルクリック]Check the options and see if pressing the control twice works better.
With the camera app open, tap or double press the camera control to cycle through the various settings and adjust them to your liking. However, if you do this,[クリーン プレビュー]The option will cause the on-screen settings in the camera app to disappear. The goal is to have a clear, unobstructed view of your subject. However, there may be times when you want to access the on-screen settings and adjust them in the usual way. In that case, turn off clean preview.
Related article: iOS 18 has made iPhone battery life terrible – and I’m not the only one
Go to Settings, select Camera, then tap Camera Control. In the Light Press section, switch off Clean Preview. Note that the next time you use the camera controls, the on-screen settings will remain visible.
By default, camera controls trigger the built-in camera app. That’s fine. However, you may want to activate another app. Perhaps you’re using your favorite third-party camera app, or you’re looking to take photos through social media apps like Instagram or Snapchat. no problem.
Again, go to Settings, select Camera, and tap Camera Control. The bottom section shows a list of camera programs and related apps installed on your iPhone. Tap the one you want to use. The next time you press the camera control, your selected app will pop up.
Related article: All iPhone models that support Apple’s upcoming AI features
The settings that appear when you press or double press the control vary depending on the app. On my iPhone, obscura The Camera app gives you access to exposure, zoom, filter, focus, and format settings. of pro camera The app allows you to control exposure and zoom. and, halide The app gives you access to lock, exposure, and focus settings.
With the Camera app open, tap the camera control once to go to the last settings you used, like exposure or depth of field. A quick double press will bring up a list of all settings, including exposure, depth of field, zoom, style, and tone. After you leave a particular setting, tap the control again to adjust that setting. However, if the light press is not working properly, we recommend adjusting the pressure.
Go to Settings and select Accessibility. In the Physics and Motors section, tap Camera Control. The Camera Control screen offers three pressure levels: Lighter, Default, and Normal. At first, I found that even the default option could not register many light presses, which is why I changed it to “Lighter”. Your mileage may vary, so try the three levels to see which one works best for you.
Double-tap the camera control to see all the settings you can adjust. However, this is also an action that does not always register correctly. In that case, you can change the pressure.
Related article: How to use your iPhone’s emergency satellite feature if you lose cell phone coverage
Go to Settings, select Accessibility, then tap Camera Controls. Swipe to the bottom of the screen and go to the “Double tap speed” section. level[デフォルト]from[低速]or[低速]to see if pressing the light twice becomes more accurate. Switching from default to slow worked for me.
With the Camera app open, press the camera control once to take a still image. However, you can also use the controls to shoot video. Simply press and hold the control until the red shutter button appears at the bottom and the timer appears at the top. Release the controls when you’re done and the video will be saved to your library.
Use exposure settings to brighten or darken your scene. EV, or exposure value, is a number that represents the shutter speed and aperture that determines the amount of light that reaches the lens. The more light there is, the brighter the scene will be. The less light, the darker the scene.
Related article: What I regret most after updating my iPhone to iOS 18
To access this with the camera app open, press the camera control twice and swipe up on the control until you see Exposure. Press once to adjust exposure and slide your finger up or down on the control to move between -2 EV to darken the scene and 2 EV to brighten the scene. In addition to increasing exposure to compensate for dark scenes, consider keeping certain shots darker to make them look more interesting and mysterious.
Use the depth of field setting to determine how sharp the area around your scene is relative to the subject of your photo. The deeper the depth of field, the more the entire scene is in focus. When the depth of field is shallow, the background and surrounding areas are blurred compared to the subject. Here we will actually adjust the f-stop to increase or decrease the aperture of the lens.
In the Camera app, press the camera control twice to[深度]Swipe up until you see . Press once, then slide your finger across the control. In dark environments, you may need to use a shallower depth of field to keep the subject of your photo in focus. In scenes with plenty of light, the depth of field may be automatically set to a higher number. However, you may find a photo with a shallow depth of field and a slightly blurred background more interesting than a photo that is completely in focus.
Zoom settings simply zoom in or zoom out on your subject. You need to zoom in to capture distant objects or scenes, and zoom out to capture a larger area. Press the camera control twice again[ズーム]Swipe until you see . Press once and slide your finger along the control to zoom in or out.
Styling applies a specific color temperature to your photo. Choose from styles such as pure black and white, calm black and white, ethereal, cozy, quiet, dramatic, bright, natural, vibrant, standard, amber, gold, rose gold, neutral, and cool rose.
Related article: Why I recommend the standard iPhone 16 over the Pro this year
Press the camera control twice to[スタイル]Swipe until you see . Press once and slide your finger along the controls to see how different styles affect the look and feel of your photos.
Tone settings control the amount of shadows in your photo. This is another way to brighten or darken a scene. Press the camera control twice to[トーン]Swipe down until you see . Press once and slide your finger on the controls to explore different levels. Moving from 1 to -1 allows you to add or remove shadows from the screen to create dramatic effects.
Finally, if you decide you don’t like the camera controls, you can easily turn them off. Go to Settings, select Accessibility, then tap Camera Control. To prevent adjusting settings by tapping the control,[調整を表示]switch off. To completely disable camera control, switch off camera control.
