SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY
The essential work flow
©Rob Layton
Image Capture
1 1
Choose a Camera App
Most native apps are fine but you will get better results from
a dedicated app. Look for one that enables RAW, has manual
control of focus, exposure, ISO, and shutter speed. Try Moment,
ProCam5, ProShot, ProCamera, Camera+, LightRoom.
2 2
Bright Light and HDR
Smartphones have small sensors and limited dynamic range
(exposure of shadows and highlights). High Dynamic Range
takes multiple exposures (up to 100 in some apps) and merges
them. Keep the phone steady. Try Hydra or Pro HDR X.
3 3
Portrait Mode
Computational photography uses digital computation rather
than optical processes. Portrait mode does this if your phone
has two or more cameras. Be cautious of Lighting modes. Try
Focos app for absolute depth-of-field control.
4 4
Don’t Use Digital Zoom
Optical zoom enlarges a scene using a lens. Digital zoom en-
larges a scene in the camera by expanding the pixels. It is the
same as cropping and will always degrade the image. Unless
you have a mutli-camera phone, don’t zoom in.
5 5
Use the Rule of Thirds
You can turn on a grid for your viewfinder at Settings » Cam-
era. The idea is to place the thing you want people first to look
at in one of the spacial divisions, or where two lines intersect.
Also, place the horizon on the top or bottom line.
6 6
Set Focus, Exposure & ISO
In the native app, press and hold to lock focus and exposure.
Run your finger up or down to adjust exposure. In a camera
app, fast shutter to avoid motion blur, low ISO for finer detail.
Higher ISO at night but this will produce noise (fuzzy pixels).
7 7
Low Light and Slow Shutter
Use a low-light app to capture light trails, long exposures or
star trails. A tripod is essential. Use the volume button on your
headphones as a shutter release. Try NightCap or Slow Shutter
apps. Use iOS Live » Long Exposure for smoky water effects.
8 8
Burst Mode for Action Shots
Press and hold the shutter release button in the native app for
Burst mode. It will take multiple frames until you release your
finger. Press Select, scroll through the frames, tap the one you
want to keep, the rest will delete.
9 9
Pano Instead of Wide Angle
Panos can be horizontal or vertical (eg, a tall building). Tap
and hold to lock focus and exposure, otherwise exposure will
continually change and show in your image. A tripod will help
keep vertical lines straight.
Image Editing
Choose an Editing App
Like native camera apps, most native editors will do a decent
job. But if you want better results try a dedicated editor. Start
with Adobe Lightroom for Mobile (free, subscription for certain
features) or Google Snapseed (free). This tutorial is for Lr.
Crop to Reveal the Picture
Get rid of uneccessary clutter around the edges. You can also
set the aspect ratio (16:9 is standard). If your intent is social
media for mobile, 5:4 or 9:16 are most effective as they take
up most mobile real estate.
Adjust the Light Next
Move Exposure up if it is a bit dark. Move the Highlights slider
down to reveal highlight details. Move Shadows slider up to
reveal shadow detail. White slider up and Black slider down to
restore dynamic range lost in the previous step. Add contrast.
Then Colour Balance
All light has colour, known as ‘temperature’. Adjust this slider
(or Tint) if whites don’t seem true (white balance). Saturation
changes intensity of all colours together; Use Mix to adjust
individual colours; Luminance is how bright the colour is.
Finish With Effects
Move the Clarity slider up to bring out more details in the
image. Dehaze reduces atmospheric haze. Move the Vignette
slider down to darken the corners of your image. This can give
greater emphasis to your subject.
Selective for Isolated Editing
If you have subscription, Selective has three modes. Brush (use
your finger to paint an area); Radial, for circular edits; and Lin-
ear to isolate areas such as bottom or top third of frame (eg, to
enhance blue in the sky). Use all the regular edit tools.
Explore the Presets
Tap the Color drop-down to reveal a list of presets. This may
save you time but generally it is best to do your own editing.
Sometimes, however, selecting B&W (for example) can be the
basis of your edit.
Geometry
Use this if you need to adjust the geometry of your image. For
example, if you tilted up to photograph a building it may seem
angled in your image. Use Geometry to correct this.
A Word on File Types
If you want highest quality images, use a camera app that allows
RAW. These files need to be edited before publishing. Many
smartphone manufacturers are opting for compressed file types,
such as HEIC. This is fine is your intent is web or mobile devices.