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10 iPhone Settings Apple Hides
Stop shooting in "save space" mode. These settings turn your $1,200 phone into an actual camera.
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You just dropped over a thousand dollars on the iPhone 17 Pro. Three massive lenses. 48 megapixels. It's smarter than the DSLR I used to shoot weddings with.
On paper, it's a beast.
So why do your photos still look... fine?
Maybe a little gray. A little blurry when the kids run. Just okay.
It's because Apple ships this phone in "Save Space" mode. They assume you're going to take 10,000 photos of your cat, never delete a single one, and then call support complaining your phone is full.
So they crunch your files. They turn off the high-data sensors. They optimize for storage, not memories.
"I spent three weeks testing every single toggle in the settings menu. I shot the same scenes over and over. I put them on my calibrated monitor. Most settings do absolutely nothing. These 10 change everything."
How it changes how you take pictures.
No fluff. No theory. just the toggles you need to flip.
Stop the fish-eye faces
The default lens is too wide. It distorts edges and makes people look... weird. We'll set a new default that flatters humans.
Freeze the chaos
Kids don't pose. They run. I'll show you how to keep the shutter fast so you get sharp eyes, not motion blur.
Fix the "Indoor Yellow"
Shooting inside at night usually makes everyone look like they have jaundice. One setting fixes this permanently.
Video that looks like a movie
The default video settings are choppy. We'll switch to a frame rate that makes everything look silky smooth and professional.
Print-quality files (without the file size)
There is a hidden format that gives you the editing flexibility of a raw photo but takes up half the space. It's the only thing I shoot in.
I'm also throwing in the cheatsheets.
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The Macro Guide
You can get within 2cm of a flower or a ring with this phone. But you have to know how to force the lens to switch. I'll show you how.
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The "Real Life" Scenarios
Exactly what to toggle on for: Beach days (bright sun), School plays (low light/far away), and Talking Head videos (for your business).
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Gear & Tools
Don't waste money on iPhone lenses. You only need minimal tools to make your iPhone 17 Pro camera be your favorite camera.
Written by
Anna Bauman
I'm a Pittsburgh photographer. I shoot headshots and seniors for a living.
I wrote this because I was tired of hearing my friends say, "I have this expensive phone, so why do my pictures look bad?" It's not you. It's the default settings. Let's fix them in ten minutes.
Fix your camera roll today.
It costs less than taking your family to lunch.
Buy the Guide - $29