How to use Portrait mode on your iPhone's camera to take professional-quality photos

• You can use Portrait mode on your iPhone to take high-quality photos, as long your iPhone has at least two camera lenses built in.
• Portrait mode simulates the shallow depth of field in high-quality portraits taken with an SLR camera.
• When you turn on Portrait mode in the Camera app, be sure the lighting mode turns yellow before you snap the photo.
• You can change the photo's depth of field after the photo is taken using the Portrait mode controls in the Photos app.

When the iPhone's Portrait mode debuted on the iPhone 7 Plus, it was the first smartphone to mimic the effect of taking a portrait with shallow depth of field, like you can with a professional SLR camera.

Now, many iPhone models let you take portraits with this feature. Your iPhone needs at least two camera lenses since it's taking two separate photos (one of the subject and another of the background) and combining them using artificial intelligence.

Which iPhones can use Portrait mode

You can find Portrait mode in the Camera app on many iPhones. Here is the list of compatible devices right now:

• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020)

If you have an iPhone X or later, you can also use Portrait mode to take a selfie.

How to use Portrait mode on iPhone

1. Start the Camera app and then tap or swipe in the menu at the bottom of the screen to choose "Portrait."

2. Wait until the lighting mode turns yellow to indicate it's ready for you to take the shot. The default lighting mode is Natural Light, though you can swipe through the other options. No matter which one you choose, wait for it to turn yellow.

3. If you have an iPhone X or later, you can switch to the front camera to take a selfie.

4. Tap the circular Shutter button to take the picture.

If you don't have enough light, or there isn't enough contrast between the subject and background, the Camera app might display a message at the top of the screen with advice on how to change your composition.

How to adjust the depth of field in a Portrait photo

The magic ingredient in a Portrait mode photo is the ability to have an out-of-focus background with a razor-sharp subject. With an SLR camera, you'd get this effect by using an aperture with a small f-number, like f2 or f4. The iPhone lets you adjust the aperture after the fact.

1. Start the Photos app and find the Portrait mode photo you want to edit.

2. Tap "Edit" in the upper right corner of the screen.

3. At the top left of the screen you should see the f-number associated with the photo. Tap it.

4. At the bottom of the photo, you should see a slider with all the available f-numbers for the photo. Swipe to the left or right and watch how the background changes. Smaller f-numbers will make the background blurrier, while larger numbers make it sharper.

5. When you're satisfied, tap "Done." You can return to this screen and change the depth of field at any time.

How to turn off Portrait mode in a photo

It's easy to remove the portrait effect from a photo. In fact, you can toggle it on and off at any time.

1. Start the Photos app and find the Portrait mode photo you want to edit.

2. Tap "Edit" in the upper right corner of the screen.

3. At the top of the screen you should see the label "Portrait." To turn off Portrait mode, tap it, and it will turn into white text on a black background. To turn Portrait mode for this photo back on, tap again and it should turn yellow.

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