Have you ever taking a photo of your dog (or your coffee… or your kid… or all three together) and wish you could magically blur out the background? Welcome to Portrait Mode, aka the cheat code for making your iPhone photos look suspiciously professional.
But wait—there’s more! It’s not just a fancy background blur. Portrait Mode has a few bonus features that let you fix and flat-out make your way to photo greatness.
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How to use Portrait Mode
To use Portrait Mode, open your iPhone camera and at the bottom tap PORTRAIT. I tend to stick with natural light, but definitely try all lighting to see what you like.
And then…here’s what you really need to know.:
What Is Bokeh?
Bokeh is the artsy blur that makes your subject pop while the background melts in to softness. Portrait Mode is basically built for this. You point, focus on your human (or whippet), follow the above instructions and let the background fade like your willpower near a bakery. Voilà: instant depth and drama. While the below pic isn’t perfect, I love the bokeh in the background and my hands.
Adjust the Depth of Field (from f/1.4 to f/16)
How do you do this? Swipe up on the image type (in this case Portrait Mode), then tap the f (yes, it’s an F – but not my normal one). Slide that depth control left to f/1.4 for that creamy, dreamy background blur. Want everything in the photo to be crispy like a new bag of chips? Slide right and go with F/16. Portrait mode lets you play with aperture – without needing a $2000 lens or a crash course in photography jargon.
And the best part? Even if you jack it up, you can fix it after the fact.
An example were I took the standard Portrait pic, then changed it to f/1.4 to f/16
Change the Focus Point AFTER the Shot
Yes, you read that right. You took the photo. It’s already saved. But your iPhone (if it’s not prior to iPhone 13) lets you go back and change where the focus is. So if your camera locked into a bush instead of your subject, you can tap on their face afterward and boom – sharp as a tack. It’s like time travel for photographers.
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What’s your favorite subject to shoot in Portrait Mode – pets, people, plants or weirdly perfect cups of coffee?
Do you prefer a super blurry background (team f/1.4) or everything in focus? (team f/16)?
Let me know – because nothing says “deep connection” like collectively agreeing that our dogs photograph better than most humans.
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I am a spirited Country/Hillbilly/Ghetto/City girl blogger from Chelsea, MI who thrives on adventure, creativity and exploring the world through the lens of my camera (even if it’s my phone). When I’m not chasing sunsets and amazing views, I spend time with my heart dog Maizie. If travel, creativity and a dash of blunt honesty (with the occasional F-bomb) sparks your curiosity, you are in the right place. ~ Stressie Flavis