I love this new iPhone camera feature. Here’s why I’ll never use it

1 month ago

Ever since Apple introduced its Photographic Styles, I’ve mostly stuck to nan Standard select and past edited my pictures successful nan Photos app later if I wanted. With iOS 18, Apple added nan expertise to alteration Photographic Styles aft taking a photo, and I decided it was clip to research and play astir pinch different Styles.

I quickly discovered I’d been missing out, but besides why I’m ne'er apt to usage nan characteristic again.

A frustrating choice

Using Photographic Styles connected nan iPhone 16 Pro Max.

When I purposefully went to alteration nan Photographic Style of an existing photo, I couldn’t find nan option. Was it me? Had Apple hidden specified a high-profile characteristic distant to nan constituent wherever I couldn’t find it? No, it turned retired it wasn’t disposable connected immoderate of my photos for 1 elemental reason: I’d been taking them successful nan incorrect format. It’s 1 of those situations that if I’ve recovered myself successful it, I wonderment really galore others person arsenic well.

I person ever saved photos connected my iPhone arsenic JPEG files, purely because location are times erstwhile I usage them successful articles, whether it’s a speedy merchandise threat aliases for in-depth camera comparisons. The format makes life overmuch easier, arsenic they tin beryllium straight uploaded to WordPress and viewed online without a problem. The replacement is Apple’s HEIC format, which is nan default action connected a marque caller iPhone, isolated from I’ve utilized iCloud backups to reconstruct caller iPhone models for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember, and it has kept nan JPEG format successful place.

File formats for nan camera connected nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Until now, it hasn’t been a problem because I simply haven’t recovered a logic to alteration it, and I still request iPhone photos for work. However, to alteration nan Photographic Style after you’ve taken a photo, it needs to beryllium saved arsenic successful nan HEIC format.

If you want to cheque your ain iPhone, caput to Settings > Camera > Formats. There’s a prime of either Most Compatible, aliases JPEG, aliases a High Efficiency option, which is HEIC.

Photographic Style editing yet appears

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, earlier edits.

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, aft editing pinch Photographic Styles.

Sure enough, erstwhile my photos were saved successful nan correct format, nan expertise to alteration Photographic Styles magically appeared successful nan editing section. I’ve been utilizing nan Standard type forever, mostly because I thin to hide there’s nan action to change. I’m blameworthy of testing it retired during my reappraisal of nan iPhone 16 Plus and for my article on nan Camera Control, and past promptly ignoring it. Now that nan afloat powerfulness of nan Photographic Style was successful my hands, was it going to beryllium worthy nan inconvenience (for me) of nan HEIC format?

It’s difficult to reply because arsenic overmuch arsenic I for illustration nan feature, I’m not judge I’ll usage it. One portion of nan Photographic Styles acquisition that’s nosy and well-designed is nan editing of nan Style itself, which is done by swiping a crosshair-style pointer complete a grid. It quickly and dramatically changes nan look of your photograph extracurricular of nan basal default alterations. It’s easy to fine-tune nan look, conscionable arsenic it is to effort each different Photographic Style successful nan first place, each of which are a elemental swipe away.

Swiping done them is highly reminiscent of applying a select connected Instagram, and this is wherever portion of nan problem for maine lies. Each Photographic Style changes nan photograph successful a meaningful way, but I tin ne'er find exactly nan correct one, which is thing I ever brushwood connected Instagram. It could beryllium that 2 activity well, aliases I can’t determine whether I for illustration nan photograph pinch a flimsy edit 1 measurement aliases another. I really for illustration nan expertise to switch betwixt them, though, and it has shown maine really elemental and often drab nan Standard Photographic Style tin be.

The photos successful this article show a before-and-after editing comparison, wherever I’ve applied a different Photographic Style to each. I emotion really they person turned out, particularly compared to nan flimsy dullness of nan Standard filter, and it only took a short while to get nan look I had successful my mind erstwhile I first took nan image.

However, to show you, nan files had to beryllium converted complete to .PEG and that’s thing that’s only really imaginable aft transferring them complete to my computer. What’s more, because I couldn’t get nan look precisely right, I edited them utilizing nan Photos app’s different devices anyway. It made maine wonder, why fuss pinch changing nan Photographic Style successful nan first place?

I still request to edit

That’s right. Just arsenic I find I request to do pinch photos connected Instagram, I still edit my iPhone photos moreover aft applying a different Photographic Style, arsenic it’s intolerable to get nan look I’m aft otherwise. The Styles don’t do thing that different from editing anyway; they conscionable quickly springiness you a predetermined look, truthful I ne'er find I’m missing retired conscionable by sticking pinch a changeable taken pinch nan Standard style and past tweaking it. I for illustration nan process of changing Photographic Styles and person recovered nan Standard style to beryllium a spot dull, but I don’t deliberation I will proceed utilizing nan expanded feature.

My request to edit nan images further compounds nan problem raised by nan request to prevention a photograph arsenic a HEIC file. It’s a batch easier for maine to person a JPEG record fresh to go, and I’m almost affirmative I won’t retrieve to switch betwixt record formats erstwhile I want to either usage a photograph online aliases return advantage of nan Photographic Style edit feature.

I’m conscionable going to extremity up leaving it connected nan 1 that’s champion and astir convenient for maine and, sadly, I deliberation that’s going to beryllium JPEG. The replacement is besides awkward for video, arsenic erstwhile you prime High Efficiency successful nan Settings menu, nan camera goes connected to prevention videos successful a little convenient HEVC format. It’s nan aforesaid logic I never bothered overmuch pinch 10-bit colour photos, arsenic they besides prevention successful an irritating format.

No much Photographic Styles for me

I suppose I should beryllium huffy astatine Apple for each this. I’m judge there’s a method logic why nan characteristic requires High Efficiency files, but it’s a royal symptom for those of america who regularly request photos successful a much wide accepted record format.

I’m unluckily astatine nan constituent wherever I either person to miss retired connected a nosy and absorbing characteristic aliases instrumentality pinch changing Photographic Styles erstwhile I really return a photograph and nan much convenient life this determination brings. I’m choosing convenience, but I cognize location will beryllium times erstwhile I miss nan elasticity that other spot of Photographic Style editing brings.