This hidden setting turned my iPhone 16 Professional into knowledgeable photograph studio

Certain, I would’ve been emotionally connected to my iPhone 12 Pro (despite the fact that it was hanging on by a thread), however I used to be by no means so joyful to see the digital camera go. After I first acquired it again in 2020, like all new telephones, I felt like I had the most recent, baddest digital camera on the block. I do not know if it was age, being left within the solar too lengthy (a couple of occasions) or the conspiracy that Apple deliberately degrades older iPhone fashions, however now in 2025, the digital camera high quality had develop into borderline embarrassing.

I am not kidding — my buddies would seize my telephone to take an image and instantly ask what was flawed with it. However then different occasions, so long as the lighting was completely good, it will gaslight me into pondering it was the very best digital camera round once more. I used to be completed 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 taking pictures my pictures with the for the final two weeks, here is what I discovered stark (and never so insane) concerning the bounce 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 occasions the megapixels 4 generations later. I’ve already observed the distinction after I’m zooming in or cropping my pictures from my new digital camera, and it brings me nice pleasure as a social media supervisor who’s at all times chopping, 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 mild a lens permits right into a digital camera. The 12 Professional has ƒ/1.6 aperture on its foremost digital camera whereas the 16 Professional has ƒ/1.78. On the floor, aperture going up is not at all times the very best factor — it does let in additional mild. Nevertheless, that was the principle concern I used to be operating into with my dusty 12 Professional — all the pieces was simply approach too darkish. Mix that barely “worse” aperture on the 16 Professional with 4 occasions 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.

Pay attention, 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 footage on the 5 years prior. However after tooling round for a short while, I spotted that even after 4 generations, Apple did such a superb job with the iPhone 12 Professional’s lenses that each one the upgrades that got here after have been actually 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 have been noticeably greater high quality — I even had a pal ask me what I had completed in a different way within the final week. I am not saying I regarded higher. Quite the opposite, you possibly can really 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, good or pitch black, my new iPhone 16 Professional acquired a superb shot in it. My iPhone 12 Professional would fully freak out in any type 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 footage 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 footage I knew it could not take even after I already upgraded to the 16 Professional. Nevertheless, I overcame that feature-fear and was delighted to search out that I had image freedom as soon as extra with the brand new telephone. Lighting positive helps any image, however it did not make or break my image high quality within the slightest.

New images options

Good day Photographic Types

Keep in mind how Portrait Mode took the world by storm again in 2016? Effectively, I used to be not impressed. I thought of myself a Lightroom Cellular skilled on the ripe age of 17, and I most well-liked to edit my footage after I took them — not throughout — thanks very a lot. Through the years, increasingly 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 telephone out in public solely to undergo my digital camera later and see that they selected to make use of Portrait Mode. They virtually at all times did it to be thoughtful, so I might scream into the theoretical pillow after I acquired residence so they would not assume I used to be ungrateful.

However a brand new function has lastly had the gall to strike my fancy this time: Photographic Types. Granted, it helps to work at a tech web site — Patrick O’Rourke, Pocket-lint’s Editor-in-Chief, put me onto this specific setting. Principally, it makes use of scene understanding to regulate specific colours in numerous elements of your pictures. Individuals typically use it to personalize how they need their pores and skin tones to look all the way 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 start out, you must select 4 of your favourite footage — the catch is that they needed to be taken on the brand new telephone. After you select them, they will act as mediums to match completely different Types. You may 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 acquired 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’ve got used any type of fundamental photograph editor ever in your life.

You may return and edit this setting any time, however from there on out, the images you’re taking will mechanically be edited in that fashion. I prefer it as a result of it is extremely delicate — not in your face just like the notorious Portrait Mode. Now, my footage are simply ever-so-slightly hotter in the best way 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. Nevertheless, I fairly actually have not used it since I arrange the telephone, 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.”

Nevertheless, I do should acknowledge it, because it’s the most recent 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 superb 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 choose up my locked iPhone to right away open the digital camera app with out having to unlock or get up the display screen within the first place.

The iPhone 16 Professional’s default is to require the display screen 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’ve got it — now you possibly can deal with your iPhone just like the point-and-shoot Apple needs you to. Tremendous-computer capabilities tagged on, in fact.